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The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle
Lost for more than fifteen hundred years, the Gospel of Mary is the only existing early Christian gospel written in the name of a woman. Unlike the controversial Jesus' Wife gospel fragment, the Gospel of Mary does not claim Mary was married to Jesus. But it does show her to be an important disciple to whom Jesus' male disciples turn for advice and wisdom. Indeed, the apostle Peter specifically asks Mary to interpret the words of Jesus. Karen L. King tells the story of the recovery of this remarkable gospel and offers a new translation. This brief narrative presents a radical interpretation of Jesus' teachings as a path to inner spiritual knowledge. It rejects his suffering and death as a path to eternal life and exposes the view that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute for what it is - a piece of theological fiction. The Gospel of Mary of Magdala offers a fascinating glimpse into the conflicts and controversies that shaped earliest Christianity.
230 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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April 12, 2020
German theologian Christopher Markschies suggests 85% of Christian literature from the first two centuries is lost, this of course only includes the literature we know of.
In reading the Gospel of Mary for the 2nd time in over a decade I felt compelled to write an initial review. The following is a summary of how Mary's gospel came about. In a subsequent update I will provide a summary of the content of the text, and some considerations:
A Chance discovery in 1896 leads us to the Gospel of Mary through a manuscript dealer of antiquities at the market in Cairo. Sold to a German scholar named Dr. Carl Reinhardt. Sadly the gospel is missing the first six pages along with four more from the middle of the text. German Coptologist Carl Schmidt believed these pages were stolen or purposely destroyed. The manuscript itself was found protected inside its original cover. It was claimed to have been acquired by a local in the niche of a wall, however this is suspect due its excellent condition (excluding the missing pages.)
Originally composed in Greek it now only survives in Coptic the Egyptian Christian liturgical language, a fusion of the Greek alphabet with Demotic (an Egyptian script); therefore it is assumed the Coptics (Egyptian Christians) were those who preserved the text. The codex is dated to the 5th Century CE and included other books such as The Apocryphon of John, The Sophia of Jesus Christ, and The Act of Peter.
Today there are three surviving copies of the Gospel of Mary (the Coptic Codex, and two Greek fragments) dating from late antiquity. In many ways it seems fortunate we are able to read this text today. It was no small feat to get it to the press which took another four decades from its first discovery. First sent to press in 1912 only to see the first edition destroyed in a water leak. The project was stalled again as Europe descended into World War I. Following the war Carl Schmidt revived the project, but further complications arose when the work had to be retrieved from his estate in 1938 due to his death.
A new publisher by the name of Walter Till took over and incorporated a Greek fragment of the gospel dating to the 3rd century CE found in northern Egypt which had been acquired by Rylands Library in Manchester England in 1917. But printing would be delayed yet again and this time by World War II. Publishing finally occurred with reservations from Till in regards to the accuracy of his efforts in 1955.
Later a new fragment of the Gospel of Mary was discovered (see Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 3525) which was published in 1983:
See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
In reading the Gospel of Mary for the 2nd time in over a decade I felt compelled to write an initial review. The following is a summary of how Mary's gospel came about. In a subsequent update I will provide a summary of the content of the text, and some considerations:
A Chance discovery in 1896 leads us to the Gospel of Mary through a manuscript dealer of antiquities at the market in Cairo. Sold to a German scholar named Dr. Carl Reinhardt. Sadly the gospel is missing the first six pages along with four more from the middle of the text. German Coptologist Carl Schmidt believed these pages were stolen or purposely destroyed. The manuscript itself was found protected inside its original cover. It was claimed to have been acquired by a local in the niche of a wall, however this is suspect due its excellent condition (excluding the missing pages.)
Originally composed in Greek it now only survives in Coptic the Egyptian Christian liturgical language, a fusion of the Greek alphabet with Demotic (an Egyptian script); therefore it is assumed the Coptics (Egyptian Christians) were those who preserved the text. The codex is dated to the 5th Century CE and included other books such as The Apocryphon of John, The Sophia of Jesus Christ, and The Act of Peter.
Today there are three surviving copies of the Gospel of Mary (the Coptic Codex, and two Greek fragments) dating from late antiquity. In many ways it seems fortunate we are able to read this text today. It was no small feat to get it to the press which took another four decades from its first discovery. First sent to press in 1912 only to see the first edition destroyed in a water leak. The project was stalled again as Europe descended into World War I. Following the war Carl Schmidt revived the project, but further complications arose when the work had to be retrieved from his estate in 1938 due to his death.
A new publisher by the name of Walter Till took over and incorporated a Greek fragment of the gospel dating to the 3rd century CE found in northern Egypt which had been acquired by Rylands Library in Manchester England in 1917. But printing would be delayed yet again and this time by World War II. Publishing finally occurred with reservations from Till in regards to the accuracy of his efforts in 1955.
Later a new fragment of the Gospel of Mary was discovered (see Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 3525) which was published in 1983:
See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
December 28, 2013
Karen King begins with the translation of the Gospel of Mary of Magdala which was found in Egypt. The first 12 pages of the Gospel are missing, and what is there begins in the middle of a conversation between Mary and the Savior. It moves on to Mary comforting the Apostles after Jesus' crucifixion and from there to a dialog in which Peter asks her if she can give them any information which the Savior might have communicated to her. She does, but after telling them what she and Jesus talked about, both Peter and Andrew are angry and disbelieving. Only Levi offers any support.
The commentary that follows the translation takes the reader into the politics and the various positions of belief taken by different communities of Jesus' followers. We are reminded that the early Christians had neither a "New Testament" nor a written creed (eg. the Nicene Creed) when they were establishing the church. Many of them would be quite surprised by the direction that organized Christianity eventually took. The Gospel of Mary places emphasis, not on apostolic succession, but on personal steadfastness and faith in the Savior. It never brings up the idea of salvation, nor does it discuss the resurrection. The entire book takes place after the Savior has departed. Many of the apostles were concerned about His command to preach his gospel, believing that their lives would be forfeit, just as His was. Mary reminds them that our aim is to purify ourselves and our spirits so as to be able to be with Him in "the Good," and that our bodies are mere shells that house our spirits. Sin results from our attachment to the body and the pleasures it craves.
Rejected by the organized church, the Gospel of Mary demonstrates the accepted leadership of women among the early believers as well as placing emphasis not on sin and judgment but on steadfastness and purifying one's spirit to find the true Child of Humanity (in other words the Peace of Christ) in oneself.
The commentary that follows the translation takes the reader into the politics and the various positions of belief taken by different communities of Jesus' followers. We are reminded that the early Christians had neither a "New Testament" nor a written creed (eg. the Nicene Creed) when they were establishing the church. Many of them would be quite surprised by the direction that organized Christianity eventually took. The Gospel of Mary places emphasis, not on apostolic succession, but on personal steadfastness and faith in the Savior. It never brings up the idea of salvation, nor does it discuss the resurrection. The entire book takes place after the Savior has departed. Many of the apostles were concerned about His command to preach his gospel, believing that their lives would be forfeit, just as His was. Mary reminds them that our aim is to purify ourselves and our spirits so as to be able to be with Him in "the Good," and that our bodies are mere shells that house our spirits. Sin results from our attachment to the body and the pleasures it craves.
Rejected by the organized church, the Gospel of Mary demonstrates the accepted leadership of women among the early believers as well as placing emphasis not on sin and judgment but on steadfastness and purifying one's spirit to find the true Child of Humanity (in other words the Peace of Christ) in oneself.
August 5, 2024
I read this book in conjunction with an on-line course I took this summer. The Gospel of Mary of Magdala was the main book that was used in the course, although several other books were referenced and portions used in the lectures and discussion. The lectures and the class discussion made this book much more meaningful for me, but even if I were just reading it on my own, I know I would have really enjoyed the authors translation of the Gospel of Mary, and then her examination of the teachings in the book and it's impact on early Christian thinking. This was written before there was any cannon recognized as the books that would make up the Bible, and so must be read and examined with that in mind. I took this course, and read this book as I wanted to look more closely at women who have been leaders within the history of Christianity, and it certainly fulfilled that goal.
January 26, 2013
This is a fantastic book that discusses the various texts of the Gospel of Mary that have been found over the years. From the most complete dated to the 4th Century, to the fragments dated much earlier and situated in the early 2nd Century.
King situates the texts side by side for easy reference, and there are photographs of the original texts for those who wish to see them in their original languages.
King argues that scholarly opinion that the gospel is Gnostic in origin is not to be taken for granted. Indeed there are a number of factors that suggest influences outside of Gnosticism.
What this book does, if nothing else, is highlight the fact that there were groups of early Christians for whom women like Mary held a high and esteemed role. Her closeness to Jesus is attested in the text much to the chagrin of the male apostles. Take from that what you will.
What this book also does, is allow the reader to consider the elusive texts that mention women in the NT canon itself in rather a new light. Did women hold positions of leadership in some of the early christian groups? Was Mary an Apostle? What does that mean for tradition and practice in various religious groups today that deny women leadership roles of any significance and power within their communities on historical or theological grounds?
A must read for anyone interested in a woman's role within the Earliest Christian movements.
King situates the texts side by side for easy reference, and there are photographs of the original texts for those who wish to see them in their original languages.
King argues that scholarly opinion that the gospel is Gnostic in origin is not to be taken for granted. Indeed there are a number of factors that suggest influences outside of Gnosticism.
What this book does, if nothing else, is highlight the fact that there were groups of early Christians for whom women like Mary held a high and esteemed role. Her closeness to Jesus is attested in the text much to the chagrin of the male apostles. Take from that what you will.
What this book also does, is allow the reader to consider the elusive texts that mention women in the NT canon itself in rather a new light. Did women hold positions of leadership in some of the early christian groups? Was Mary an Apostle? What does that mean for tradition and practice in various religious groups today that deny women leadership roles of any significance and power within their communities on historical or theological grounds?
A must read for anyone interested in a woman's role within the Earliest Christian movements.
May 10, 2022
According to the master story Jesus passed down the true teaching to his male deciples during his lifetime. They were commissioned to go out and spread this teaching to the ends of the earth, but they did not understand it. And then they, the males, f’d it all up. The words Jesus spoke to Mary Magdalene, his best friend and female apostle, was the most valuable message of all, and that message was not allowed in the master story because those writing it wanted dominance; religious and political control of the masses. There is a lot of valuable information in this book, though the writing is complex.
October 12, 2018
Once I finished this book, I went and read some of the 5-star reviews to try and get a sense for what other people got out of this. The general understanding I picked up is that the Gospel of Mary is an interesting piece of history that's been largely forgotten, and that Karen King's analysis of the text provides interesting insight into its meaning. Those reviews aren't wrong; I understand what they mean and, as I was reading it, I found myself having some of those same thoughts on occasion.
But while I could see the historical value, I just couldn't bring myself to be interested in it. Instead of enjoying the history of it, I just found it to be completely, cosmically, and almost impossibly boring. Maybe it's because I've never been a religious person and so didn't get any of the references to contemporary understandings of the gospels, but this little book has managed to feel like one of the longest things I've ever read.
I wouldn't go as far as to not recommend it, though. If you're reading this review for some reason and are thinking the book sounds boring based on my description, I suggest you at least give it a shot and read a couple chapters. Maybe you'll find it a refreshing new take on everything you thought you knew about Christianity and your mind will be blown; maybe you'll be bored out of your mind. Can't know until you try it.
But while I could see the historical value, I just couldn't bring myself to be interested in it. Instead of enjoying the history of it, I just found it to be completely, cosmically, and almost impossibly boring. Maybe it's because I've never been a religious person and so didn't get any of the references to contemporary understandings of the gospels, but this little book has managed to feel like one of the longest things I've ever read.
I wouldn't go as far as to not recommend it, though. If you're reading this review for some reason and are thinking the book sounds boring based on my description, I suggest you at least give it a shot and read a couple chapters. Maybe you'll find it a refreshing new take on everything you thought you knew about Christianity and your mind will be blown; maybe you'll be bored out of your mind. Can't know until you try it.
August 8, 2022
Overall a sound, if not somewhat surfaced investigation of The Gospel of Mary of Magdala in terms of its origins and historic significance. The author takes liberties in extrapolating meaning from the text along certain themes, which kept me questioning her own self-awareness in her examination. For example, her only supporting evidences for the claim that the text is advocating for a genderless god is the use of the title "Good" in the text to refer to God, rather than "Father," and the idea (presented in the text) that transcending the body (i.e. the true self is spiritual) means the true self is ungendered. I did not see textual evidence to support that the true self as spiritual is the same as being void of gender or materiality.
July 7, 2008
Why did the men at the council of Nicea decide not to include this well known gospel when they constructed the bible? Was it the final attempt to disenfranchise women? Was it another way to keep Mary out of the preisthood? Mary, according to Jesus, was his most devout follower and most trusted diciple. Why was she left out? This gospel is all about Jesus' first woman apostle and his most loyal and trusted companion. Many have argued that she was to carry on his teachings, as she was his best student and he considered her his equal. What happened back in biblical times to cause the men to intentionally leave her out?
November 2, 2020
I'm rating this based on the Gospel of Mary of Magdala itself, not the translation of it, which I am not qualified to review.
I was really hoping that I would read something that felt inspired, like other gospels but different. I was very intrigued to think that Mary of Magdala may have written a gospel, and it sounded very believable to me that perhaps it was destroyed for bad reasons. However, on reading this, it is very clear it was something revisionist, written with gnosticism in mind, from a mindset that didn't even exist when Jesus was alive. Unfortunately, there's not much here that I consider very inspired. But there are a couple of gems.
I was really hoping that I would read something that felt inspired, like other gospels but different. I was very intrigued to think that Mary of Magdala may have written a gospel, and it sounded very believable to me that perhaps it was destroyed for bad reasons. However, on reading this, it is very clear it was something revisionist, written with gnosticism in mind, from a mindset that didn't even exist when Jesus was alive. Unfortunately, there's not much here that I consider very inspired. But there are a couple of gems.
December 31, 2021
a necessary companion to extant remnants of the gospel of Mary
February 6, 2015
Review: The Gospel of Mary of Magdala by Karen L. King
This book is must reading for every student of history and every Christian who is seeking the truth of the Jesus tradition and to understand the origins of the Christian Church. Of course, “every,” as used above, is a slight hyperbole: probably only 98% of those persons would not learn something valuable, while for many, the learning would be priceless.
The volume, like Caesar’s Gaul, is divided into three parts. The first, 36 pages, presents some background (chapter one), translations (chapter two), and explanations of some of the underlying concepts of the text (chapter three). The second part (fifty-five pages) explores specific concepts in the Gospel from the point of view of the Gospel. The reason I used italics above is that most readers will not have been exposed to the views expressed in the gospel. The topics, yes; the views, unlikely. The topics include such issues as the relationship of the body to the world, sin, judgment and law, the rise of the soul and the controversy surrounding Mary’s teaching.
The payoff—as in striking the lottery—resides in part three, just one hundred pages, where Dr. King examines the “Gospel of Mary in Early Christianity.” In five chapters, she discusses the Jesus tradition, that is, the very foundation of New Testament and all other Christian writings, and of the Christian Church itself, the relationship of the gospel to the writings of Paul, the first Christian whose writings became part of the New Testament, the relationship of the Gospel of Mary to the Gospel of John, the last gospel which became part of the New Testament, in addition to an examination of the term “Apostles,” followed by an inappropriately chapter entitled, “The History of Christianity.” It may be the longest chapter in the book, but not even Dr. King can relate the history of Christianity in thirty-six pages.
This last chapter may be described as the heart of the book, as the last few pages are the heart of the last chapter. If only one could understand the last section of the last chapter or the last chapter itself without the careful preparation of the preceding work, one—perhaps some fraction of the two percent who are not included in “everybody” above—would not have to read the entire work. But even they would be poorer for having missed the exquisite clarity of Dr. King’s writing and her evident scholarship. It would be remiss not to mention her careful consideration of gender issues, a genuine discovery.
Although this is a scholarly work, this is not a book just for scholars. If you are interested in the subject, you will very likely be rewarded reading this work.
Mr. Graziano is the author of From the Cross to the Church: the Emergence of the Church from the Chaos of the Crucifixion.
This book is must reading for every student of history and every Christian who is seeking the truth of the Jesus tradition and to understand the origins of the Christian Church. Of course, “every,” as used above, is a slight hyperbole: probably only 98% of those persons would not learn something valuable, while for many, the learning would be priceless.
The volume, like Caesar’s Gaul, is divided into three parts. The first, 36 pages, presents some background (chapter one), translations (chapter two), and explanations of some of the underlying concepts of the text (chapter three). The second part (fifty-five pages) explores specific concepts in the Gospel from the point of view of the Gospel. The reason I used italics above is that most readers will not have been exposed to the views expressed in the gospel. The topics, yes; the views, unlikely. The topics include such issues as the relationship of the body to the world, sin, judgment and law, the rise of the soul and the controversy surrounding Mary’s teaching.
The payoff—as in striking the lottery—resides in part three, just one hundred pages, where Dr. King examines the “Gospel of Mary in Early Christianity.” In five chapters, she discusses the Jesus tradition, that is, the very foundation of New Testament and all other Christian writings, and of the Christian Church itself, the relationship of the gospel to the writings of Paul, the first Christian whose writings became part of the New Testament, the relationship of the Gospel of Mary to the Gospel of John, the last gospel which became part of the New Testament, in addition to an examination of the term “Apostles,” followed by an inappropriately chapter entitled, “The History of Christianity.” It may be the longest chapter in the book, but not even Dr. King can relate the history of Christianity in thirty-six pages.
This last chapter may be described as the heart of the book, as the last few pages are the heart of the last chapter. If only one could understand the last section of the last chapter or the last chapter itself without the careful preparation of the preceding work, one—perhaps some fraction of the two percent who are not included in “everybody” above—would not have to read the entire work. But even they would be poorer for having missed the exquisite clarity of Dr. King’s writing and her evident scholarship. It would be remiss not to mention her careful consideration of gender issues, a genuine discovery.
Although this is a scholarly work, this is not a book just for scholars. If you are interested in the subject, you will very likely be rewarded reading this work.
Mr. Graziano is the author of From the Cross to the Church: the Emergence of the Church from the Chaos of the Crucifixion.
June 22, 2019
Based on an early 2nd century text which remained lost until the late 19th century, debunks the church-constructed myth of Mary Magdalene as a former prostitute and convincingly portrays her as the most adept of Jesus’s disciples. Coupled with Elaine Pagels' Gnostic Gospels, it’s a very interesting look into the power struggles that shaped the early church. Admirably avoids straying into a feminist agenda. Written for an academic audience, but easily accessible to the lay reader.
April 13, 2021
The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle by Karen L. King (Polebridge Press 2003) (229.8) (3522).
I've been reading about the early days of the Christian church. I learned that among the Gnostic Gospels is a fragmentary portion of an ancient document called “The Gospel of Mary of Magdala” which had been lost for over fifteen hundred years.
This is of course a writing about Mary Magdalene, who church liturgy has assigned the role of prostitute. Arguments abound among biblical scholars as to what her role in the story of Christianity should be. Was she just another reformed sinner? Was she Jesus' special friend? His lover? His wife?
Now that I've read the book, I have a less clear picture of who Mary Magdalene may have been.
In the first place, “The Gospel of Mary of Magdala” is only a fragment of the original document. The first six pages of the original Coptic writing are missing along with other segments. The whole recovered portion of this Gospel is only about a thousand words long.
To this casual scholar, the question is simply this: What can scholars and authorities discern from the existing material?
As it turns out, the answer is that scholars and experts can parse scads of hidden meanings and inferences from the writings that would be meaningless to most. For instance, the translated version of “The Gospel of Mary Magdala” - the actual Gospel - totals five-and-one-half pages of Karen L. King's two-hundred-thirty page volume. The author's notes, bibliography, and index total forty pages. This leaves a balance of a hundred-eighty-five pages of expert argument and commentary, all of which arose from considering five-and-a-half pages of ancient Coptic text.
This entire volume is dense and meaty. Whether Mary Magdalene was a strumpet or a saint will continue to be a source of controversy to Christian theologians.
My rating: 7/10, finished 4/13/21 (3522).
January 27, 2019
This book goes into some detail of early Christian views, and reinforces the fact that early Christian beliefs should not be categorized into 'Orthodoxy' and 'heresy' or 'Jewish Christianity' and 'Gnosticism' (winners vs. losers); but instead shows the great diversity of thought that evolved in the beginnings of Christianity (being first as a fluid that later hardened during the 3rd and 4th century with the canon and the Nicene Creed).
The book contains the translations of the fragmented Berlin Codex (Coptic), Papyrus Rylands 463 (Greek) and Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 3525 (Greek), and focuses on women in early Christianity, the idea of Jesus as a teacher (and the importance of understanding the teachings) rather than a savior (and judge & ruler) and how the Gospel of Mary of Magdala compares to the four canonical gospels.
Mary Magdalene is in the Gospel described as an apostle that was very close to Jesus, and who understood his teachings, compared to that of Peter and Andrew, who had failed to understand them. The conflict that arises between Peter (with Andrew) and Mary (with Levi) might show us a good glimpse of how the formation of Christianity was severely divided in belief.
The book contains the translations of the fragmented Berlin Codex (Coptic), Papyrus Rylands 463 (Greek) and Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 3525 (Greek), and focuses on women in early Christianity, the idea of Jesus as a teacher (and the importance of understanding the teachings) rather than a savior (and judge & ruler) and how the Gospel of Mary of Magdala compares to the four canonical gospels.
Mary Magdalene is in the Gospel described as an apostle that was very close to Jesus, and who understood his teachings, compared to that of Peter and Andrew, who had failed to understand them. The conflict that arises between Peter (with Andrew) and Mary (with Levi) might show us a good glimpse of how the formation of Christianity was severely divided in belief.
June 14, 2024
Books like this are really out of my comfort zone, but i’ve been doing my best to push that lately, especially in my reading. This was a good analysis and translation of the gospel of Mary Magdalene. I really appreciated the depth of analysis, although for me and my purposes, it was a bit too much. At the same time, though it was a concise book.
The loss of a star is because sometimes the author presents things as fact when it’s clearly just one way of viewing it, such as the way nature is beneath humanity. I know that’s part of Christian belief, but I think you can still expand on things like that as a Christian philosopher.
The loss of a star is because sometimes the author presents things as fact when it’s clearly just one way of viewing it, such as the way nature is beneath humanity. I know that’s part of Christian belief, but I think you can still expand on things like that as a Christian philosopher.
May 20, 2024
Both a fascinating historical read and a personally impactful book that made my head do a lot of thinking and my heart do a lot of feeling.
July 29, 2023
Of the several books on my MMag reading list for July '23, Dr King's book gets my highest recommendation. Well-organized, well-regarded, well-researched, scholarly, cogent, fairly progressive, readable, reasonable, credible--I resonate with this title the most.
June 22, 2019
A well researched and provocative look at the translation of the Gospel of Mary through historical and cultural lenses of early Christianity - long before the Councils of Nicaea establish the foundational doctrine of the Roman and Orthodox churches. This book helps explain some of the cultural reasons for a prevailing male rejection of women’s leadership roles in the church. What a pity that more churches do not study and embrace the teachings of Mary’s firsthand accounts of her exceptional time with the Lord.
February 20, 2022
Other than some unnecessary repetition that seemed to drag out the message, this book offers some insightful perspective on the errors of judging and categorizing texts from a modern perspective common to Christian theological tradition.
Also it recognizes the value of gospel texts outside of the canon as the beginning of a through line of the Christian tradition of wrestling with the truth as a community that continues to the present, and must continue if the tradition is to survive the moral development and awareness of human society from now into the future.
Creating a written canon artificially encodes and preserves the ideas of those in positions of power, but it does not erase the experiences and oral traditions of those identities and communities who are marginalized. This is evident from the survival of the arguments posed by a nearly 2000 year old text that falls outside of the accepted canon of Christian scripture. They are as relevant today as they were when they were originally written and circulated.
Also it recognizes the value of gospel texts outside of the canon as the beginning of a through line of the Christian tradition of wrestling with the truth as a community that continues to the present, and must continue if the tradition is to survive the moral development and awareness of human society from now into the future.
Creating a written canon artificially encodes and preserves the ideas of those in positions of power, but it does not erase the experiences and oral traditions of those identities and communities who are marginalized. This is evident from the survival of the arguments posed by a nearly 2000 year old text that falls outside of the accepted canon of Christian scripture. They are as relevant today as they were when they were originally written and circulated.
May 21, 2015
Karen King makes an elaborate case for the Gospel of Mary Magdala of which there is no complete manuscript. In fact, half of the suspected gospel is missing. Those being the first six pages and the middle five pages. How does one construct a complete document when so much is missing? King proves you cannot. She also cannot make a case for Mary of Magdala as "The First Woman Appstle." She draws on much of the canonical writings to fill in and then compare Mary's gospel. No doubt the Council of Nicaea excluded this gospel because it is incomplete, obviously not widely distributed, and found to be uninteresting among the early churches. King proposes no new insight into the conflicts or controversies of the Early Church.
March 30, 2014
This was easy to read and interesting as well. The author elaborates (as much as scholars have now been able to uncover) on the life of Mary of Magdala. All the facts are probably lost to time and history but this book makes a credible argument for how women went from equal partners in the new way to a greatly reduced role by the time the faith journey became Roman Catholicism.
I've read a bit about Mary and would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in or a devotion to the Apostle to the Apostles.
It was great Lenten Reading for me.
I've read a bit about Mary and would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in or a devotion to the Apostle to the Apostles.
It was great Lenten Reading for me.
February 14, 2015
I am fascinated by the historical Mary of Magdala and her role in early Christianity. I watch television documentaries on the discovery and meaning of the gnostic gospels. Karen L. King has the credentials as a biblical scholar to tackle this story. She gives the necessary context and background to this fragment of ancient text. There are still many mysteries to unravel in early Christian history. However, this entertaining study of this particular, biblical Mary goes a long way to understanding her important role in Jesus' teaching.
August 6, 2016
I liked the book. More then simply analizing the text of the gospel I think she does a good job of putting it all in context of the early church.
I was fortuniate enough to get to hear the the author give a lecture on Mary Magdalen and the church, and I have to say that I really liked her. So that is why I give this one 5 stars instead of 4.
I was fortuniate enough to get to hear the the author give a lecture on Mary Magdalen and the church, and I have to say that I really liked her. So that is why I give this one 5 stars instead of 4.
June 2, 2024
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 due to male guilt. The scholarship was great, but there was a not so subtle emphasis on feminist theology. Nothing wrong with that, but it made the book bog down for me in places. Not because I am not a feminist, but because I am no longer very much involved in the church.
December 10, 2020
After Ehrman's so-called historical portrayal of the magdalene using only the canonical scriptures as historical sources, this was amazing, talented, show-stopping.
May 20, 2017
This book has the Gospel of Mary in it and the rest of the book discusses that gospel. Parts of the Gospel of Mary are missing including the first six chapters. The book also points out that 85% of the Christian-oriented writings from the first two centuries are also gone.
There's also discussions about Jewish law and what part, if any, Gentiles were expected to obey. Also, just because some people were disciples does not mean that they automatically understand everything Jesus was trying to say.
The book notes that for a long time those who followed the Christian faith had no Bible to follow, no official leaders to follow, no church buildings and no first-hand experience of what Jesus actually said. The writings that did exist didn't always agree with each other, either.
One of the most interesting parts of the Gospel of Mary is when Mary is talking to the apostles and Andrew basically calls Mary a liar and says the things she is saying that Jesus taught her have some 'strange ideas' in them. Peter gets even nastier with her but finally Levi/Matthew comes to her defense.
Sin ends up being defined as people turning away from God and becoming overly concerned with the material world and 'passions.'
Another interesting thing is that Mary of Magdala was at the crucifixion and stayed whereas the apostles all headed for the hills, hiding.
The book discusses more about the difficulty people had, particularly Peter, with Mary being a woman. There was just as strong a prejudice against women back then as there is today. Women were not considered to be the equal of men and whatever they said wasn't to be believed as much as if some man said it.
The book also points out another very major problem. It seems that Jesus did not write down anything which means that everything that he said ended up being interpreted by others. This also means that the exact words he used were altered over time and it's quite possible that much of the original meaning was actually lost if not actually altered. The book also covers some of the problems in the Bible itself in how various gospels do not necessarily agree with each other.
You would think that the men who put the 'official' Bible together would have tried to make sure that was of a whole and parts didn't contradict other parts but apparently they just overlooked all of that.
The book also discusses how the personal of Mary was altered by a Pope who claimed Mary was actually a prostitute. This was a very convenient way to attack her character to make sure that anything she said would not be taken seriously.
There's also still a lot of argument over whether or not Jesus and Mary actually got married. At that time if you were a rabbi, such as was Jesus, getting married was something you pretty much expected to do.
There's lot of other very interesting information in this book. You do have to be open-minded about Christian history and theology, though, to get everything out of the book you could.
There's also discussions about Jewish law and what part, if any, Gentiles were expected to obey. Also, just because some people were disciples does not mean that they automatically understand everything Jesus was trying to say.
The book notes that for a long time those who followed the Christian faith had no Bible to follow, no official leaders to follow, no church buildings and no first-hand experience of what Jesus actually said. The writings that did exist didn't always agree with each other, either.
One of the most interesting parts of the Gospel of Mary is when Mary is talking to the apostles and Andrew basically calls Mary a liar and says the things she is saying that Jesus taught her have some 'strange ideas' in them. Peter gets even nastier with her but finally Levi/Matthew comes to her defense.
Sin ends up being defined as people turning away from God and becoming overly concerned with the material world and 'passions.'
Another interesting thing is that Mary of Magdala was at the crucifixion and stayed whereas the apostles all headed for the hills, hiding.
The book discusses more about the difficulty people had, particularly Peter, with Mary being a woman. There was just as strong a prejudice against women back then as there is today. Women were not considered to be the equal of men and whatever they said wasn't to be believed as much as if some man said it.
The book also points out another very major problem. It seems that Jesus did not write down anything which means that everything that he said ended up being interpreted by others. This also means that the exact words he used were altered over time and it's quite possible that much of the original meaning was actually lost if not actually altered. The book also covers some of the problems in the Bible itself in how various gospels do not necessarily agree with each other.
You would think that the men who put the 'official' Bible together would have tried to make sure that was of a whole and parts didn't contradict other parts but apparently they just overlooked all of that.
The book also discusses how the personal of Mary was altered by a Pope who claimed Mary was actually a prostitute. This was a very convenient way to attack her character to make sure that anything she said would not be taken seriously.
There's also still a lot of argument over whether or not Jesus and Mary actually got married. At that time if you were a rabbi, such as was Jesus, getting married was something you pretty much expected to do.
There's lot of other very interesting information in this book. You do have to be open-minded about Christian history and theology, though, to get everything out of the book you could.
August 7, 2024
I'm kinda like one of those guys that's really into WWII military history, but for early Christian history. You can blame my mom for that.
Anyways, this book was super interesting. The actual gospel itself is only a few pages long, but Karen King goes a long way in unpacking it and what we can learn from it about history. There were some parts that were admittedly above my level and I had to just kinda skim, particularly in some of the early chapters unpacking the theology presented in the gospel of Mary (the author is a Harvard professor of ecclesiastical history, so the book can be pretty academic). I still got a lot out of the book, though, especially in the later chapters where the author gets into the historical context of the gospel of Mary and the other early Christian writings that we know about. I especially loved how in depth she went into Mary Magdalene's history and her development as a literary/mythological figure (spoiler alert: she wasn't a prostitute!). If you're interested in theology or Christian/church history, you'll probably really enjoy this like I did.
Anyways, this book was super interesting. The actual gospel itself is only a few pages long, but Karen King goes a long way in unpacking it and what we can learn from it about history. There were some parts that were admittedly above my level and I had to just kinda skim, particularly in some of the early chapters unpacking the theology presented in the gospel of Mary (the author is a Harvard professor of ecclesiastical history, so the book can be pretty academic). I still got a lot out of the book, though, especially in the later chapters where the author gets into the historical context of the gospel of Mary and the other early Christian writings that we know about. I especially loved how in depth she went into Mary Magdalene's history and her development as a literary/mythological figure (spoiler alert: she wasn't a prostitute!). If you're interested in theology or Christian/church history, you'll probably really enjoy this like I did.
July 31, 2021
“The Gospel of Mary was written at a time when the truth of Christian teaching could not be settled by appeal to a commonly accepted rule of faith or canon of gospel literature, let alone an established leadership. The Gospel of Mary framed the issue as a matter of character: Who can be relied upon to preach the gospel? The argument for the truth of its teachings is based on a contrast between Mary’s character and Peters.
Peter represents the error of assuming that simply having heard the teaching of Jesus is enough to ensure that one has actually understood it…Mary, on the other hand, is consistently represented as the faithful disciple.”
Peter represents the error of assuming that simply having heard the teaching of Jesus is enough to ensure that one has actually understood it…Mary, on the other hand, is consistently represented as the faithful disciple.”
November 23, 2022
Here’s the thing—it all could have gone differently.
Given Jesus Christ’s life and teachings, there was ample material, ample precedent for a version of Christianity that honored women’s leadership (along with men’s), put primacy on spiritual maturity over succession or hierarchy, that focused on inner transformation over outward observances, that drew from extant spiritual traditions other than Judaism.
We could have had that. And the reasons we don’t have more to do with a Roman emperor 400 years after Jesus died than they do with Jesus himself.
It’s 🤯
And also 😥
With a teensy bit of 😫 and 😡
What could have been.
Given Jesus Christ’s life and teachings, there was ample material, ample precedent for a version of Christianity that honored women’s leadership (along with men’s), put primacy on spiritual maturity over succession or hierarchy, that focused on inner transformation over outward observances, that drew from extant spiritual traditions other than Judaism.
We could have had that. And the reasons we don’t have more to do with a Roman emperor 400 years after Jesus died than they do with Jesus himself.
It’s 🤯
And also 😥
With a teensy bit of 😫 and 😡
What could have been.
July 9, 2024
This was a very readable and scholarly book about the critical character in founding Christ's church, Mary Magdalene. The Gospel of Mary of Magdala is provided in the three existing textual fragments as translated by King from Greek and Coptic. It is accompanied with a review of the current understandings and the collected traditions and stories of perhaps the most important of person, man or woman, at the end of the Jesus Movement and the founding of Christ's church. King recovers and collects much about this saint whose contributions and stories have been prodigiously and systematically redacted from the patriarchal histories.
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