The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity

by Cynthia Bourgeault

Mary Magdalene is one of the most influential symbols in the history of Christianity—yet, if you look in the Bible, you’ll find only a handful of verses that speak of her. How did she become such a compelling saint in the face of such paltry evidence? In her effort to answer that question, Cynthia Bourgeault examines the Bible, church tradition, art, legend, and newly discovered texts to see what’s there. She then applies her own reasoning and intuition, informed by the wisdom of the ages-old Christian contemplative tradition. What emerges is a radical view of Mary Magdalene as Jesus’s most important disciple, the one he considered to understand his teaching best. That teaching was characterized by a nondualistic approach to the world and by a deep understanding of the value of the feminine. Cynthia shows how an understanding of Mary Magdalene can revitalize contemporary Christianity, how Christians and others can, through her, find their way to Jesus’s original teachings and apply them to their modern lives.

Genres: Spirituality, Religion, Nonfiction, Theology, History, Christianity, Christian

301 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 2010

About the author

Modern day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader, Cynthia Bourgeault divides her time between solitude at her seaside hermitage in Maine, and a demanding schedule traveling globally to teach and spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and Wisdom path.

She has been a long-time advocate of the meditative practice of Centering Prayer and has worked closely with fellow teachers and colleagues including Thomas Keating, Bruno Barnhart, and Richard Rohr. Cynthia has actively participated in numerous inter-spiritual dialogues and events with luminaries and leaders such as A.H. Almaas, Kabir Helminski, Swami Atmarupananda, and Rami Shapiro.

Cynthia is a member of the GPIW (Global Peace Initiative for Women) Contemplative Council and recipient of the 2014 Contemplative Voices award from Shalem Institute. She is a founding Director of both The Contemplative Society and the Aspen Wisdom School. She continues to contribute to The Contemplative Society in her role as Principal Teacher and advisor.

Cynthia is the author of eight books: The Holy Trinity and the Law of Three, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene, The Wisdom Jesus, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, Mystical Hope, The Wisdom Way of Knowing, Chanting the Psalms, and Love is Stronger than Death. She has also authored or contributed to numerous articles on the Christian Wisdom path in publications such as Parabola Magazine, Gnosis Magazine, and Sewanee Theological Review.

Cynthia Bourgeault is currently one of the core faculty members at The Living School for Action and Contemplation.

from http://www.contemplative.org/cynthia-...

Reviews

[Kasey Jueds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book six stars if I could--this despite the fact that I couldn't really get on board with one of the chapters (the second-to-last one, about Mary Magdalene's possible sojourn in France). It's the most moving, surprising, courageous book about Christianity--maybe even about religion and spirituality in general--I think I've ever read. Cynthia Bourgeault is both smart and heartful, as well as unafraid to say what she thinks, no matter how many people she may offend or unsettle (and though I don't know much about institutional Christianity, I imagine there are many folks who consider themselves Christian who'd find themselves somewhere on the scale from startled to appalled by this book). I don't feel like I can do the ideas here justice--I don't want to dumb them down or turn them into cliches--and anyway, plenty of reviewers have written about the book's content. I just have a feeling I will be thinking about and processing this book for a long time.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so I'm not even halfway through this but it's pretty darn incredible. My mom gave this to me for mother's day with an inscription stating it was one of the most exciting books on theology she has ever read. I wholeheartedly agree. This is a VERY progressive book on Christian spirituality and if you tend to think only conservatively, it might upsetting. It might even upset other progressives. But man-oh-man, this woman is a gifted scholar and intuitive writer. She presents her argument, step by step, layer by layer, leaving little out. She uses scholarly language, but not in a way so erudite it is difficult to follow along. In fact, she also utilizes many commonly understood phrases and idioms that make her writing and argument more accessible. I've gotten so much out of this already and I can't wait to see how the rest unfolds.

[Karen Floyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure what to think of this. Early on much of what she is saying about Mary Magdalene makes good sense, but as she gets further into the book she seems to go from speculation to declaring something as true without any pause. The historian in me was horrified by the statement that Mary Magdalene must have gone to France because there is such a strong folk memory of her being there. There's a strong folk memory of the King Arthur stories, too. But I am trying to reserve judgement until I have read other authors on the subject.

The jury is still out.

[Elizabeth Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became a feminist my junior year in college when, in a liberation theology class, a film suddenly fell from my eyes and I saw the hurt inflicted on me and generations of women by a patriarchal church. My awakening was delayed and rough-going because the church that raised me was the definition of loving. I never abandoned Christianity and have read feminist theology ever since as a way to broaden and inclusify my understanding of God.

Cynthia's book is another beast altogether. THE MEANING OF MARY MAGDALENE reclaims Christianity as a transformational path rooted in passionate, intimate, relational love. "'Conscious love'…emphasizes the life-affirming and implicitly relational nature of the path, and the word “conscious” makes clear that the touchstone here is transformation, not simply romance. Conscious love is 'love in the service of inner transformation'—or if you prefer, 'Inner transformation in the service of love.'" And the model for this is Jesus, especially Jesus's relationship with Mary Magdalene, who absolutely was the first (and arguably only) apostle who grasped that Jesus was teaching a wisdom path.

I want to inhale this book and allow the ideas here to change every cell in my body. Finally, finally, I see how the core of my faith tradition is a radical, self-giving love dance between what manifests as the feminine and masculine dimensions of creation. Christianity's roots are trustworthy; it's the centuries of distortion that I can toss.

"We are all children of a cultural stream whose vision of human love has been shaped by the shadow side of celibate spirituality." 88

112

[Jenn Cavanaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is written inside out. And not in a satisfyingly chiastic sense. The astute scriptural observations and compelling connections are relegated to the opening chapters and appendices when they belonged at the heart of Bourgeault's apologetic. She begins by beautifully delineating the way of Jesus as "the path of conscious love," cites the pluralism of the early church and the impediments the West began constructing on it, then she herself veers off into defending someone else's so-called "Fifth Way," scampering around to locate the best Buddhist term for it, stopping off for a few insufficient moments to not quite rehabilitate the term "gnostic" or the Cathars, etc. Later chapters reference energy fields and Eliot more than the canonical gospels or even her own logic. Bourgeault makes many good points - among them that the Da Vinci Code touched on something readers instinctively felt Christianity had lost - but that would have been better relocated to an appendix rather than scattered throughout in the space that should have been devoted to articulating her assumptions and making her main points more credible. Even when she does so (after the book is effectively over), the author occasionally falls afoul of some of the overly literal tendencies she deplores elsewhere, e.g. that John's literary narratives of Jesus's progressive interactions with the Marys/ the woman constitutes some hidden proof of her being the same historical person. Ultimately there's some excellent source material here, some superlative scholarship, some profound insights, and some gorgeous grounds for meditation, but some of the intuitive leaps from insufficiently established assumptions will turn-off rather than entice the reader who is not already sympathetic to the cult of Mary Magdalene.

[Ian Beardsell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, Bourgeault provides some compelling information on how Christianity could revamp itself by reintegrating some of the gnostic gospels and stories around Mary Magdalene into modern liturgy. She explains the importance of this cryptic figure, this woman with the alabaster vial of anointing oil who was apparently beloved by Jesus more than any of his other disciples, in terms of the "Fifth Way path". She conjectures that Mary Magdalene and Jesus may have had a loving relationship, perhaps even sexual, that was a key component in both of their lives and work in ultimately coming closer to God. There is an outpouring of giving-of -oneself that may be key in leading a good and holy life.

In many ways, I thought these things were self-evident, but Bourgeault points out how early church fathers de-emphasized this more feminine, less traditional thinking that places less importance on the celibate, world and flesh-disdaining aspect of holiness. Perhaps a lot of her arguments went over my head, as I am no biblical scholar, just someone with an interest in the gnostic gospels and alternate ways of thinking about the meaning of the Christian message. At times I was not sure if I was connecting all the dots, as Bourgeault darts in and out of various gospels, Old Testament references, and previous scholarly writings as if they are the readers' bread and butter, which is probably my worst criticism of the book.

I read this book after the very interesting fictional interpretation of Mary Magdalene's life with Yeshua (Jesus) related by Ki Longfellow in The Secret Magdalene. I was happy to find reinforcement to the ideas Longfellow left me pondering about as in this passage by Bourgeault (p.186 of the edition I read):

[The meaning of the Easter resurrection] lies in something far deeper than merely the resuscitation of a corpse. Jesus's real purpose in this sacrifice was to wager his own life against his core conviction that love is stronger than death, and that the laying down of self which is the essence of this love leads not to death but to life. He was not about proving that a body lives forever, but rather that the spiritual identity forged through kenotic [all-giving, self-emptying] self-surrender survives the grave and can never be taken away. Thus, the real domain of the Paschal Mystery is not dying but dying-to-self....It is not only possible but imperative to fall through fear into love because that is the only way we will ever truly know what it means to be alive.

[Mary Gail O'Dea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is scholarly yet readable and captivating biography/theology of Mary Magdalene. The contemporary biblical scholarship is coalescing around Mary Magdalene as indeed Jesus' beloved, but not in the tabloid, Da Vinci Code way. Rather, they reached a level of spiritual, emotional, psychological, and perhaps physical intimacy that helped both of them live into the next realm. She, the First Apostle, was indeed the bearer of his "progeny" -- probably not a child, but rather the spirit of his teachings and of his beings. She lives on within the Wisdom tradition, available us to today as a spirit bearer and source of the deepest Wisdom. Bourgeault, a contemplative Episcopal priest, contemplative, biblical scholar, and theologian places the Gospels of Phillip, Thomas, Peter, and Mary MAgdalene on the same plane of authenticity and truth as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and illustrates how they must be read as a whole. Beautiful!

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

For now, it is important to keep our feet on solid ground, and that solid ground is determined by well-established scholarly methods and procedures. Whatever you personally feel about this admittedly ambiguous issue of “Mary M” and “Mary B,” it does provide our first working demonstration of what I like to call “The First Law of Scholarly Hygiene”—namely, when evidence is conflicting and hotly contesting, it is dangerous to build speculative castles on shifting sands.

So Cynthia Bourgeault starts in The Meaning of Mary Magdalene, and then slides into a huge vat of subjective batshit arguments based on—well, let’s let her describe why she is sure Mary Magdalene traveled to France in her final days:

Now there is something to be said for cultural memory. The energy behind it comes from somewhere, and in the imaginal realm it is a well-attested phenomenon that characters can become linked to a geographical place with a “truth” that transcends literal facticity—and can work either forward or backward in time from its causal epicenter. Just as the Virgin Mary has come to be associated with Ephesus to such a degree that one can palpably feel her presence there—whether she ever actually lived there or not—so too, the pervasive linking of Mary Magdalene and France has a psychic truthfulness to it that is well worth taking seriously. The fact that both the memory and the energy of her presence seems so to haunt this country of love is by no means coincidental.

“Transcends literal facticity”? “Psychic truthfulness”? What are they smoking at The Nine Gates Mystery School in southern California? Bourgeault dismisses the canonical gospels because they don’t support her assertions; she builds elaborate scenarios from fragments of apocryphal gospels and a litany of “esoteric teachers.” The real problem isn’t that she’s cracking open a long-suppressed Christian secret; it’s that she establishes that Mary Magdalene is an intriguing character within the canonical gospels but, rather than practice “The First Law of Scholarly Hygiene,” goes way off the deep end by assuring us her assertions are true because they “feel true.” I cannot stress enough how poorly referenced this work is, of how Bourgeault fails to practice sound scholarship. I found distinct signs of flakiness in her work The Wisdom Jesus, but she’s off her rocker here.

I want to stress it’s not her subject matter that disturbs me—it’s her inability to practice sound scholarship. If anything, this book should be used as an example of how NOT to conduct Biblical research. The fact that this author is allowed to TEACH—much less publish—such whimsical garbage is a travesty. She moves in a small, tight circle of like-minded individuals. And it’s a shame—because there’s something to be said about examining the New Testament from a different spiritual perspective. But the perspective should be grounded in the real world and accountable to peer review. The Da Vinci Code was classified as fiction; this work is honestly classified as “theology.” What the hell, Bourgeault, what the hell.

This image of a single sacramental action, performed by a single woman (not two separate women), and a woman who is remembered as Jesus’s apostolic companion and at the same time his beloved koinonos, carries great spiritual power—perhaps too much power for the comfort zone of the early church! That may well have been one of the earliest un-doings of primitive Christianity, argues Bruce Chilton: to obscure the original unbroken connection between Mary Magdalene’s presence at Bethany and her presence in the garden of the resurrection, for it gave both her and the ritual of anointing with which she was so closely associated far too much spiritual authority. In a brilliant and fascinating argument he makes his case that the early gospel writers knew full well that the woman who anointed Jesus at Bethany was Mary Magdalene, but deliberately chose to obfuscate this point so as to sabotage her claim to apostolic legitimacy and the basis on which this claim rested.

[Kayla Joy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I went into this book knowing I’d likely disagree with some elements of the author’s conclusion or methodology, but intrigued to listen to her case and learn more about Magdalene scholarship. Well, I certainly pray that this is not the pinnacle of that field.

The author repeatedly tortures the logical relationship between possible fact and dramatic conclusion. This she seems to find exciting theological revelation instead of a series of breathtaking flights from Occam’s razor with nothing but the most indulgently creative relationship to the actual texts.

She begins the book by stating that she wants to practice “good intellectual hygiene” and not make conclusions based on disputed facts and then proceeds to read her own wildly unsupported interpretation of the texts as facts to support even grander conspiracies. I genuinely felt that she was abusing the text sources of the Gnostic Gospels to her own ends, never mind the canonical ones.

Furthermore, it's confounding (read: personally annoying) that such an intelligent and educated clergy-woman never considered that the celibacy of Christ might be a theological necessity because God and a human can never be equals (seriously, there's the ultimate definition of “problematic” power imbalance) and not just because celibate church fathers thought sex was icky.

She also repeatedly implies that if someone finds her religious inferences or mystical perceptions insufficiently persuasive it must be because they cannot see the truth clearly 🙄

In summary, I actually found her assertion that Mary and Jesus had a sexual relationship to be the least offensive thing about this book.

Glad I didn't pay for it.


P.S.

I forgot to say that this is primarily a mystical text, not a historical or scholarly one. This was definitely not made clear in the book description—if it were, I’d have avoided reading it regardless of theology. But, I loathe 98% of all mysticism; your mileage may vary.

[Erik Graff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Taking off from Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Da Vinci Code this appropriation of Mary of Magdala represents yet another ideosyncratic attempt to make the bible and the Christian tradition relevant to the concerns of its author and others like her. To my taste, however, there is too much hermenuetic of the wishful thinking sort here, not enough scholarship. Tying together such late texts as the Gospels of Philip and Mary with the earlier canonicals is too much of a stretch for me. A case can be made for the Gospel of Thomas as having deep historical roots, but no case is made for Philip or Mary.

Post script: One of the reasons I disliked this book and the theology of love it propounds is that I don't believe we can, most of us, depend on that emotion. While it is all well and good that erotic love can, if present, be sublimated or otherwise turned to the good, too often that energy is simply not present. For me the ethical concern has always been about identifying the good and practicing it even when one has no desire to do so.

[Julia Mikes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I read about Mary Magdalene that wasn’t really about Mary Magdalene. I read her gospel last year, one among the Gnostic Gospels and I was taken aback at how abstract and scholarly it was even among the rest of the gnostic texts. I am aware that she may only be the honorary author of it but still, I couldn’t reconcile the image of the reformed prostitute at the outer limits of Christ’s entourage with the depth and philosophy of the gospel associated with her. So I set out to find out what we know about her, or at least what we can guess. We don’t really know much, as expected but turns out we can imagine quite a bit. After very little research I found that there’s absolutely no evidence of her being a prostitute. I figured that much after the Dan Brown craze but in this particular book I found that she may be much more than another apostle - which by itself would be a reforming idea, but the whole Christianity looks and feels different when we put her back in it. It feels like a whole chunk of it was missing and now it’s finally coming together. Could it be that we misunderstood the whole message this long? Reminds me of GK Chesterton’s assessment:
“Christianity isn’t a failure; it just hasn’t been tried yet.”
I feel like I will ponder this for a long time.

[Ephrem Arcement · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a highly provocative interpretation of Mary Magdalene that focuses almost exclusively on gnostic texts. When treating the canonical text (most especially the Gospel of John and the Song of Songs), Bourgeault opts for the more imaginative (in case of the former) and erotic (in case of the latter) approaches. While the book has some interesting insights, and the insistence on the wisdom tradition is appreciated, Bourgeault's focus, even fixation, on sex is most unfortunate and obscures and deprives Mary Magdalene of much of her meaning, which comes through richly enough in a thorough exegesis of the canonical text itself, which is almost totally neglected in this work.

[James Rivett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the The Meaning of Mary Magdalene easy to read and straightforward to comprehend. It has a very conversational style, which suits the fact that so much of the research is based on the author's personal opinion.
I did find the content fascinating in most chapters and definitely thought-provoking, although some parts of the book were based solely on corroboration from a very small and obviously close group of Bourgeault's associates and there was not much broader support. That said, I did appreciate the detailed referencing that allowed me to crosscheck and read around what was written.
I can understand books like this can and do challenge a lot of Christians, especially as it promotes the gnostic texts of Nag Hammadi over the New Testament, but there has always been theological debate around the gospels and their accuracy and divergence. I think it is also important to remember that this book is not really about arguing a change to historical fact, belief or truly promoting the idea of a theological conspiracy to suppress secrets of Mary Magdalene's life, relationships or role in Christianity. What it does do is remind us that there are more sources of information than just biblical records, that's been known since before the council of Rome (in 382) and final confirmation of biblical texts at the council of Trent (1545- 1563). Let's be honnest the various branches of Christianity disagree on many many things, not least what is canonically accept. Within that is the past and present roles of women within the church and ministry. More sources mean more opinions and interpretation, so more debate. That should be a good thing. After all, many reviewers have criticised this book for being simply Cynthia Bourgeault's own opinion and belief, but isn't that the cornerstone of all religion, having faith in your beliefs?

[Anne Pak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty wild stuff, even for progressive Christians. Very thought provoking. Lots of research went into this. I had trouble tracking some of it and I didn't always draw the same conclusions as the author, but I definitely agree Mary Magdalene should have a more prominent role in Christianity. There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus intendedto establish a more equitable religion and not the patriarchal ones that are so common today.

[Tina Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Meaning of Mary Magdalene is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful and remarkable books I have ever read. It has an extraordinary depth of richness, beauty and meaning. Much more than an exploration of how the patriarchy came to dominate Christian teachings, who Mary Magdalene really was and what her role was/is in Jesus’s life and in Christian theology, the book also speaks to Christianity's origins as a path of wisdom/inner transformation, and explores how Jesus and Mary awakened spiritually and what the union of their awakened consciousness brought to the world. Bourgeault's book reflects her fierce intellect, her theologian's grasp of canon, and her personal journey as a mystic--the work is not only meticulously researched, but beautifully written. I have marveled at the scholarship, and wept many times as passages moved me. I, too, am a mystic, and "traditional" Christianity's patriarchal structure and lynchpin canon that God created us as separate beings from Him never resonated with me. My inner knowing is that we are not only made BY God, but OF God. And, as Bourgeault eloquently states in the book, God/Love is not an object; It is always the subject. These are only a few of my first impressions, as this is a book that begs to be reread and mined anew for further insights.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention that, in the audiobook version, Gabra Zackman's narration is outstanding; her voice emotes all of the nuance and emotion of this beautiful work.

1/30/24: I’ve just re-read this book and find that my feelings are not as glowing the second time around. Specifically, what the author is describing in this book is the path of spiritual awakening, and the purpose of life. However, she struggles to make some of the pieces fit within her deeply entrenched Christian beliefs and framework. In truth, there are many paths to God, and I find her Christian framework limiting and at times off base in her larger attempt to discuss the purpose of existence.

Paul Selig’s channeled books and ACIM are much more resonant with my own journey, but there is some beautiful and inspiring writing to be found here. And she is spot on about how much the Divine Feminine is needed in our world.

[Kristen Kellick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this as "research" for Nanowrimo next month. What I didn't expect was for it to affirm my personal take on Magdalene and her significance in early Christianity: that focusing on whether or not she and Jesus were actually married and/or had sex is totally missing the point. The author is an Episcopal priest, and while she does explore unorthodox ideas, she uses church canon as her starting point for evidence to support her thesis.

If you're curious about the idea of Mary Magdalene having a real, legitimate place in orthodox Christianity without wanting to buy into a lot of The DaVinci Code-based hype, this is a good place to start. And it was just published this year, 2010, so it's pretty well up-to-date.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not for everyone. But for those willing to consider the "tradition behind the tradition," including texts from the gospels of Thomas, Mary Magdalene, and Philip, Cynthia Bourgeault opens up new considerations for both the place of Mary Magdalene and what discipleship with Jesus means for all people since. The author also engages in depth work with the canonical gospels, the Gospel of John in particular, and ably reviews a great variety of literature, scholarship, liturgical practices, spiritual disciplines and more, bringing them all to bear not only on Mary Magdalene herself, but even more on Jesus, recovering a spiritual imagination that has long been dormant. I thoroughly appreciate her approach and invitation to renew our own discipleship and spiritual lives, our churches, and our world.

[Valerie Campbell Ackroyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way over my head. I enjoyed the historical aspect and the Gospel references. And I was intrigued by the (for me) introduction to some of the apocryphal gospels (Philip and Mary Magdalene, Thomas.) But then about halfway through I found It became way too mysterious for me, way too, for lack of a better word, “deep.” She was using mystical terms and events I wasn’t familiar with. I think I need a primer to read this but right now I have other spiritual avenues I want to explore, to get right with—like focusing on kindness in the Gospels and how to live a more Christlike life—and Christian sexuality and union is a bit “past it” for me at my age. It’s deep stuff, earthy stuff. I wasn’t repelled by her theories, just not that interested.

[Al Gritten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent exploration of the real Mary Magdalene and not the stereotypes spread by the church for many years or the innuendo of some pop religion and pseudo historical books. The book is very readable but it is an academic work so it is not to be read like a novel. Bourgeault explores several different texts including both the biblical accounts as well as the non-biblical. She addresses detractors and those who would cast her as either a prostitute or as something other than what she was - one of the first proclaimers of the gospel and the one who has been identified often as the apostle to the apostles. If you are interested in an academic approach and are willing to do the work, this one will give you a whole new perspective on following Jesus and on who Mary was.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book far exceeded my expectations! It took me into a breadth of academic research undertaken in the last couple of decades and with the added dimension of calling on spiritual experience throughout the ages. Truely enlightening and inspiring.

[Welles Bristol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author’s thoughts on the role of Mary of Magdala in the early church have breathed new life into my faith.

Why should religion be all masculine? Feminine balance is so desperately needed and refreshing.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this has many fascinating ideas to ponder, the reader should know that it reads most like a college textbook.

[Jennifer Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating!

[Emily Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book a month ago and have not stopped thinking about it since then. It’s changed everything for me.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Years ago I was curious about the gospels that the Niocene removed to create the bible and I read a collection of the found fragements. This book was one of those recommendations that come by way of a good wandering conversation and it better illuminated the conflict felt anew by those who discover and understand the blasphemous and egotiscal hands that cut words of humanity and tolerance and inclusiveness from the history of Jesus.

Yet, truth is stonger and more enduring than lies. Centuries later each youthful generation questions norms and embraces a bit more of such eternal truths.

btw: I have long thought that the correct pronounciation of bible is bi(short i)-ble and point a finger at the version called St James with it's use of "Lord" in place of "God" or some-such naming was really a hammer to remind the paens & serfs of the fiction of nobility's wannabe divinity.

Furthermore, I find it irksome the absence of routine recognition, that any english-language translation of the bible eons from the original arabic or hebrew word...and how many times it bounced between greek and aramaic and latin, before translation into any romantic language may be unknown. And with every translation, more skewing to translator's and their time's POV.

[Gaylene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reawaken to the power of the imaginal. This book is about a more esoteric relationship with a living soul of Jesus.

The first part of the book starts off very slowly and carefully but at the end of the book all caution is cast to the wind. The author begins talking about experiencing Jesus as the people did who first were there when the resurrection took place.

"They experienced Jesus as present; alive, palpable, vibrantly connected; their experience was that the walls between the realms are paper thin and that our embodiment is no obstacle to the full and intimate participation in relationship with Jesus here and now. The kingdom of heaven is not later, it is lighter; it exists right here, right beneath our noses, in a more subtle but expansive presence that is ours the moment we move beyond our egoically generated space time continuum and directly encounter the Source. From this imaginal plane of reality, reality floods back into our own world and fills us with grace, presence and creativity. Here we discover God is not only for us, but with us."

[Kaelynn Judd · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a wild ride. When I chose to read this book, I assumed it would be a historic look at the life of Mary Magdalene and a discussion about her importance in the life of the Church. This book however takes a much different direction. The author leaves behind canonical Christianity and explores a variety of different views on Mary and her relationship with Jesus.

Although the author is passionate about this subject, I found her conclusions to be far too much of a stretch. A lot of the book is based on the author's opinions rather than facts. The text also gets a bit circular and uneccesarily complicated.

Don't get me wrong, you can find some thought provoking questions and some hidden gems in the pages of this book, but it isn't enough for me to return to the book in the future.

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I am trying to be a good sport and read whatever the Church book group votes for this year's list. However, the mystical baloney is getting pretty deep here. Actually one star may be too high a rating. First off you have to believe in mysticism (I don't) to give this book any credibility. Then it helps to pile on endless jargon-babble, crazy 19th-century Russian mystics, massive name-dropping, cherry-picking of pop-psychology, selections from gnostic and apocryphal scriptures, and mix it together with a whole lot of Mary Magdalene bullshit and you too can make up your own personal version of Christianity! What a waste of eight hours of my life.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I WANTED to like this book. I stopped reading it about 1/3 through. I was LOST. I grew up Catholic and was educated by the Catholic school system.
I found it hard to understand what was being talked about... I spent too much time looking up the meanings of things. Not that is a bad thing... but I got LOST!
I have started reading another book on Mary Magdalene, in the hopes of getting some what of a better background that will make coming back to this book possible.
IMO, this book is for people who have a FIRM understanding of Christianity.. which I THOUGHT I had.. but was proved wrong.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if Jesus was married, and what if he was married to Mary Magdalene. This book is what that marrage might have been like. Cynthia Bourgeault uses canonized and un-canonized scripture to present here theory. Not only is the book an easy read by the information is presented clearly. It gives a person a lot to think about.