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Maria Magdalena
Wer ist der Jünger, der beim Abendmahl Jesus am nächsten sitzt? Oder ist es eine Frau? Marianne Fredriksson hat ein ergreifendes Buch über Maria Magdalena geschrieben, die Frau, die Jesus am nächsten war.Lange nach dem Tod von Jesus von Nazareth bekommt Maria Magdalena Besuch von zwei seiner Jünger. Sie wollen Marias Erinnerungen hören, da sie Jesus doch am nächsten gewesen und von ihm am meisten geliebt worden sei. Und so beginnt Maria, ihre Geschichte zu erzählen. Aber während sie von ihren Erinnerungen spricht, wird ihr bewusst, dass die Jünger die Lehre Jesu heimlich verändern wollen...
283 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
20 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Marianne Fredriksson
47 books218 followersMarianne Fredriksson was a Swedish author who worked and lived in Roslagen and Stockholm. Before becoming a novelist, she was a journalist on various Swedish newspapers and magazines, including Svenska Dagbladet.
Fredriksson published fifteen novels, most of which have been translated into English, German, Dutch and other languages. Most of her earlier books are based on biblical stories. A central theme in her writings is friendship because, as she maintained, "friendship will be more important than love" in the future.
Fredriksson published fifteen novels, most of which have been translated into English, German, Dutch and other languages. Most of her earlier books are based on biblical stories. A central theme in her writings is friendship because, as she maintained, "friendship will be more important than love" in the future.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
September 15, 2018
1997. I read "Volgens Maria Magdalena".
Fredriksson [Swedish author] became VERY famous among Dutch readers in 1998 with her book Anna, Hanna and Johanna: Good book bringing to life three generations of women in Sweden.
This one does a great job of making the first century AD come to life for me. Roman rulers, Greek traders, Greek as lingua franca of the whole Near Eastern coast; Jews, early Christians, Jewish Christians, and all those who worshipped the multiple gods of Greece and Rome [and earlier ones].
You follow Jesus around in his final year of life, as seen through the eyes of Mary of Magdala. Fredriksson brings in lots of stories familiar to us from the New Testament, but now in a different light. The bulk of the book shows us something of the confusion of beliefs in the couple of decades right after Jesus' death, and the great struggle for power and authority in setting up an established church that later resulted in the hierarchy headed up by the pope.
Fredriksson is trying to explain how it could happen that Jesus' actual messages got so lost and distorted right from the get-go. In this novel we hear Mary Magdalene trying to put into words what the messages were that came through to her, and hear her thoughts on why the disciples and Paul and others had such a mental block against hearing what Jesus was actually saying.
I learned a great deal about early Christians. Going on after that to read some of Elaine Pagel's book, it all began to make a lot of sense. [greed for power]
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September 2018 I read the English translation of the book and just loved it. I did remember reading a fictionalized account of Mary Magdalene earlier, but thought it might have been by a different author. This time the story -- and the storytelling -- seem to me wonderfully done. So simply written, short sentences. All the time conveying what a struggle it was to put strong emotional experiences into words, and Jesus' messages.
"I think that Jesus meant that instead of being paralyzed by guilt, we could reconcile ourselves to it. Forgive ourselves, and thus our fellow human beings." 128
Barnabas and Paul: "But a church can't be built without definite rules and clear messages." Mary kept reminding them that Jesus said not to make rules and laws of his preaching, but the apostles could not understand this. Fredriksson shows us how hard Mary tries to convey ideas to them and how it just does not come through. They just don't get it.
Goodreader Harry Meier has an interesting take on the book:
"It sort of seems by the time we get to the end of the novel that Mary and Jesus were secular Swedes with a love-hate relationship with religion and more or less just wanting people to follow their inner illumination and be nice to one another."
Fredriksson [Swedish author] became VERY famous among Dutch readers in 1998 with her book Anna, Hanna and Johanna: Good book bringing to life three generations of women in Sweden.
This one does a great job of making the first century AD come to life for me. Roman rulers, Greek traders, Greek as lingua franca of the whole Near Eastern coast; Jews, early Christians, Jewish Christians, and all those who worshipped the multiple gods of Greece and Rome [and earlier ones].
You follow Jesus around in his final year of life, as seen through the eyes of Mary of Magdala. Fredriksson brings in lots of stories familiar to us from the New Testament, but now in a different light. The bulk of the book shows us something of the confusion of beliefs in the couple of decades right after Jesus' death, and the great struggle for power and authority in setting up an established church that later resulted in the hierarchy headed up by the pope.
Fredriksson is trying to explain how it could happen that Jesus' actual messages got so lost and distorted right from the get-go. In this novel we hear Mary Magdalene trying to put into words what the messages were that came through to her, and hear her thoughts on why the disciples and Paul and others had such a mental block against hearing what Jesus was actually saying.
I learned a great deal about early Christians. Going on after that to read some of Elaine Pagel's book, it all began to make a lot of sense. [greed for power]
----------------
September 2018 I read the English translation of the book and just loved it. I did remember reading a fictionalized account of Mary Magdalene earlier, but thought it might have been by a different author. This time the story -- and the storytelling -- seem to me wonderfully done. So simply written, short sentences. All the time conveying what a struggle it was to put strong emotional experiences into words, and Jesus' messages.
"I think that Jesus meant that instead of being paralyzed by guilt, we could reconcile ourselves to it. Forgive ourselves, and thus our fellow human beings." 128
Barnabas and Paul: "But a church can't be built without definite rules and clear messages." Mary kept reminding them that Jesus said not to make rules and laws of his preaching, but the apostles could not understand this. Fredriksson shows us how hard Mary tries to convey ideas to them and how it just does not come through. They just don't get it.
Goodreader Harry Meier has an interesting take on the book:
"It sort of seems by the time we get to the end of the novel that Mary and Jesus were secular Swedes with a love-hate relationship with religion and more or less just wanting people to follow their inner illumination and be nice to one another."
August 1, 2016
I found the concept amazing but it didn't play out like I expected. The writing feels clunky but I'm not sure if that's because of the author or the translator. I literally fell asleep everytime I tried to read it so the whole process took longer than I would have liked.
January 25, 2016
Another stellar Marianne Fredriksson book. I think this one and 'Simon's Family' are my favorites. I normally intensely dislike books pertaining to Christianity, yet this book was different, it was so so good. Almost makes me want to delve into the Gnostic gospels again. It is always encouraging to be presented with an image of Christianity full of tolerance and egalitarianism (what the Bible is diametrically opposed to). Although this was fiction, I like to imagine it contained the spirit of truth.
July 6, 2020
Det här är den första Fredriksson jag läst på minst 25 år! Kärt återseende! Den behagliga berättartonen, de omsorgsfullt utmejslade miljöerna och starka kvinnoporträtten känns igen - Fredriksson har stått sig väl. Berättelsen om Maria Magdalena är lika aktuell nu som alltid - en viktig kommentar till gängse religionshistoria!
April 3, 2015
Loksins finn ég þessa bók aftur, ég las hana fyrir mörgum árum en hefur lengi langað til að lesa hana aftur en mundi hvorki nafn né höfund. Greinilegt að Marianne höfðar til mín því þær þrjár bækur sem ég hef lesið fá allar fullt hús stiga frá mér.
Nú les ég þessa bók aftur og læt ykkur vita ef skoðun mín hefur breyst.
Nú les ég þessa bók aftur og læt ykkur vita ef skoðun mín hefur breyst.
March 12, 2008
A completely different Mary Magdalene and Jesus than in the Bible. This is a more believable story in my humble opinion.
October 2, 2021
Offenbar faszinieren mich Neuerzählungen aus einer anderen Perspektive, besonders wenn es der Blickwinkel einer Frau in einem männerdominierten Kontext ist. Und Fredriksson hat es geschafft, gut recherchierte Erkenntnisse und Erdachtes zu einem lesenswerten Roman zu verknüpfen. Manche widergegebene Diskussion war mir zu kleinteilig, manches Detail zu häufig wiederholt, insgesamt war ich jedoch gut unterhalten und habe das eine oder andere recherchiert.
Neben all den Denkanstößen und gesetzten Zeichen, die angesichts des Themas sicherlich hitzige Diskussionen hervorrufen können, haben mich vor allem die Personenzeichnungen fasziniert. Die Charaktere bauen sich innerhalb der ruhigen Erzählweise auf und schaffen Einblicke, dennoch blieb eine Distanz, die mir entgegenkam. Fredriksson gelingt der Drahtseilakt, Maria Magdalena und andere biblische Figuren mit Leben zu füllen und dennoch sachlich einen Aspekt zu einer Debatte hinzuzufügen, die trotz des Alters des Buches aktuell ist.
Neben all den Denkanstößen und gesetzten Zeichen, die angesichts des Themas sicherlich hitzige Diskussionen hervorrufen können, haben mich vor allem die Personenzeichnungen fasziniert. Die Charaktere bauen sich innerhalb der ruhigen Erzählweise auf und schaffen Einblicke, dennoch blieb eine Distanz, die mir entgegenkam. Fredriksson gelingt der Drahtseilakt, Maria Magdalena und andere biblische Figuren mit Leben zu füllen und dennoch sachlich einen Aspekt zu einer Debatte hinzuzufügen, die trotz des Alters des Buches aktuell ist.
July 14, 2023
Mooi idee om het verhaal van Jezus vanuit de ogen van Maria Magdalena te schrijven. Wat mij betreft had Jezus nog wat minder mystiek omschreven mogen worden en had meer gefocust mogen worden op de band die Maria en Jezus als mens tot mens met elkaar hadden. Maar goed, voordat ik met iemand in een gelovige discussie kom...
Soms wat te onduidelijk met gekke woordkeuzes, waardoor ik té vaak terug moest lezen om te weten waar het verhaal heen was gesprongen op de tijdlijn en welk personage aan het spreken was.
Soms wat te onduidelijk met gekke woordkeuzes, waardoor ik té vaak terug moest lezen om te weten waar het verhaal heen was gesprongen op de tijdlijn en welk personage aan het spreken was.
December 22, 2019
A fictional story of the life and death of Christ as told by Mary Magdalene, the woman who probably knew him best. If you're interested in alternative views of Christianity, you'll enjoy this book. And if not, it's a good story nonetheless.
Read
November 26, 2007This is a whole different Maria from the Maria that the church tells, about, AND a whole different Jesus, but I adored this book.
August 11, 2013
This is the biography of Jesus according to Mary Magdelene. It is a kind of thought experiment that takes its point of departure from a quotation from Simone Weil who said that the origins of Christianity are no longer able to be reconstructed and have their source in a mystery. In the preface Fredriksson (a Swedish author who won a big award for the novel) explains that she was motivated in writing the book to tell a story based on historical witness that runs counter to the Gospel stories, which she argues reflect a largely male perspective governed by the male disciples of Jesus as well as Paul. This counter narrative she finds in the Gospel of Mary -- a Gospel that was discoverd with the Nag Hammadi texts in 1947. Jesus appears to Mary after the crucifixion and delivers to her a series of revelations she is to bring to the male disciples, who find it difficult to believe the testimony of a woman. The novel, like the Gospel, effectively she pits Mary against Peter, as well as Paul (who doesn't appear in the Gospel of Mary). Both in one way or another offer an account of Jesus that places rules and regulations at the centre of the story. In the case of Peter, Fredriksoon relies largely on 1 Peter (although historically it is a topic of much debate whether Peter wrote 1 Peter and I side with those who say he didn't). Important here is the table of rules commanding women and slaves to be obedient to husbands and masters. In the case of Paul, Fredriksson presents a construction of the historical Paul based on every letter attributed to the apostle in the New Testament -- including 1 Timothy, which commands women to remain silent in the churches, and to have exercise no authority over men on account of Eve being responsible for the temptation of Adam to eat the forbidden fruit, wherefore women are to be saved by bearing children. It is unlikely that Paul wrote 1 Timothy (or 2 Timothy and Titus for that matter), so the Paul Fredriksson creates is truly a fiction. Mary's law-free Gospel Fredriksson derives from what rightly is understood as a debate amongst the first followers of Christ concerning the continuing validity of the Law in a new emerging religious movement. Quite incorrect is Fredriksson's view that Paul and Peter took the same side and even that Paul encouraged an understanding of the Law that more or less saw a continuation of Older Testament precepts and regulations. Paul in fact was probably much closer to Fredriksson's Mary than the story allows.
Mary's own story begins intriguingly enough with becoming an orphan due to a Roman round-up of agitators rightly or wrongly believed to be associated one Judas the Galilean whom the first-century Jewish historian, Josephus, describes as one of several messianic pretenders in the decades leading up to the conflagration that was the Jewish War of 66-70/2, when the Jews rose up against the Romans and were squashed and their Temple destroyed. She was sold into slavery, became a prostitute, and finally became the concubine of Greek named Leonidas who becomes a Christian and heads to Corinth with her and his household, where he dies, and thus Mary finds herself a free woman. .
Mary and the female followers of Jesus are scandalized by what Peter and Paul are doing to the message of Jesus. Mary wants to set the record straight and Fredriksson draws on the Gospel of Mary (a very early Gospel that some argue in fact is contemporary with the period of composition of the biblical Gospels, namely in the second half of the first century). Mary's Jesus is largely the Jesus of contemporary Jesus scholarship: Torah is interpreted in the light of the advent of the Kingdom of God, not vice versa; the Kingdom of God is within and around, not entirely in the future; the needs of compassion and humanity trump religious and ritual rules; Jesus hangs around with outcasts; Jesus says things that are scandalous like only those who do God's will are his mother, brothers and sisters and the dead should be left to bury the dead.
It is now a cultural commonplace that Mary was both a prostitute and Jesus' lover. That is what she is here as well. The former is a creation of Christian legend -- largely iconographical tradition -- and the second is the product of fictions like Jesus Christ Superstar. Mary tells us that Jesus never cast seven demons out of her and that someone made that up. Mary is Jesus' girl and we are left to figure out the rest.
Fredriksson follows recent scholarship that sees the problems Paul had with the church in Corinth arising from a contest over authority with women who claim a kind of Wisdom christology -- namely that even as Jesus was an prophet inspired by Divine Wisdom (Sophia), so the women in Corinth are laying claim to the same powers. It is worth stating that this is tendentious scholarship.
All of this is to say that Fredriksson has both done and not done her homework.On the one hand, hHer Jesus is in varying degrees consistent with the Jesus of the Jesus Seminar. Her Paul, however, deviates wildly contemporary scholarship. Further, her view of first century Judaism is distressingly out of joint with what scholars today would say about it: her Judaism rehearses the Christian trope of first century Jews following the Law slavishly, anxious that they could never measure up, and thus always living under the burden of guilt. This bears no relation to what Jews in the first century believed or how they lived, and has far more in common with Augustine and Luther than anything contemporary with Jesus and Paul. The Teaching of Contempt thus haunts Fredriksson's account, which is ironic given that she has set out to write a liberating narrative about Jesus. Peter and Paul are masculinist Jews who replace one set of legal requirements with another; Mary and her female associates represent a religious worldview free from Laws and requirements, a kind of faith directed by the inner light of truth that everyone allegedly has. It sort of seems by the time we get to the end of the novel that Mary and Jesus were secular Swedes with a love hate relationship with religion and more or less just wanting people to follow their inner illumination and be nice to one another.
I was extremely annoyed the way Fredriksson took the four Gospels, put them in a blender and pressed "Puree." And further once again we have Jesus speaking in King James English (though inconsistently so; sometimes he doesn't!). The novel is severely weakened by this form of Gospel verisimilitude. Fredriksson didn't need to do this; she could simply have had Mary remember things that Jesus said and the sorts of things he did without taking us laboriously through Gospel stories. My finger on my Kindle was twitching to get to the next page through these bits and I have to say I did a good deal of eye-rolling.
What I find most interesting about this story is the way of secular but religiously sensitive author has mined the Jesus tradition for a story believable and useful as a religious perspective in her own social context. What Fredriksson does with Jesus (and he Gospel of Mary for that matter) is exactly what early followers of Jesus did, when they wrote their own narratives using the words of Jesus (either what he really said, or what they believe he would have said). That is, she recasts Jesus words and his message to speak to a new context where Jesus continues to have significance historically, in this case, in Fredriksson's setting. One can't help but remain sceptical about the kind of religious individualism Fredriksson has Mary champion. In other words, Fredriksson's Mary and Jesus are no less a creation of her present than the Jesus of the Gospels was of the Gospellers' own historic present. Religion is fascinating for the way the stories it tells and retells about the past are significantly shaped by the present in which they are told. Fredriksson's account reveals the degree to which the Jesus story fascinates even in the most secular of contexts.
Mary's own story begins intriguingly enough with becoming an orphan due to a Roman round-up of agitators rightly or wrongly believed to be associated one Judas the Galilean whom the first-century Jewish historian, Josephus, describes as one of several messianic pretenders in the decades leading up to the conflagration that was the Jewish War of 66-70/2, when the Jews rose up against the Romans and were squashed and their Temple destroyed. She was sold into slavery, became a prostitute, and finally became the concubine of Greek named Leonidas who becomes a Christian and heads to Corinth with her and his household, where he dies, and thus Mary finds herself a free woman. .
Mary and the female followers of Jesus are scandalized by what Peter and Paul are doing to the message of Jesus. Mary wants to set the record straight and Fredriksson draws on the Gospel of Mary (a very early Gospel that some argue in fact is contemporary with the period of composition of the biblical Gospels, namely in the second half of the first century). Mary's Jesus is largely the Jesus of contemporary Jesus scholarship: Torah is interpreted in the light of the advent of the Kingdom of God, not vice versa; the Kingdom of God is within and around, not entirely in the future; the needs of compassion and humanity trump religious and ritual rules; Jesus hangs around with outcasts; Jesus says things that are scandalous like only those who do God's will are his mother, brothers and sisters and the dead should be left to bury the dead.
It is now a cultural commonplace that Mary was both a prostitute and Jesus' lover. That is what she is here as well. The former is a creation of Christian legend -- largely iconographical tradition -- and the second is the product of fictions like Jesus Christ Superstar. Mary tells us that Jesus never cast seven demons out of her and that someone made that up. Mary is Jesus' girl and we are left to figure out the rest.
Fredriksson follows recent scholarship that sees the problems Paul had with the church in Corinth arising from a contest over authority with women who claim a kind of Wisdom christology -- namely that even as Jesus was an prophet inspired by Divine Wisdom (Sophia), so the women in Corinth are laying claim to the same powers. It is worth stating that this is tendentious scholarship.
All of this is to say that Fredriksson has both done and not done her homework.On the one hand, hHer Jesus is in varying degrees consistent with the Jesus of the Jesus Seminar. Her Paul, however, deviates wildly contemporary scholarship. Further, her view of first century Judaism is distressingly out of joint with what scholars today would say about it: her Judaism rehearses the Christian trope of first century Jews following the Law slavishly, anxious that they could never measure up, and thus always living under the burden of guilt. This bears no relation to what Jews in the first century believed or how they lived, and has far more in common with Augustine and Luther than anything contemporary with Jesus and Paul. The Teaching of Contempt thus haunts Fredriksson's account, which is ironic given that she has set out to write a liberating narrative about Jesus. Peter and Paul are masculinist Jews who replace one set of legal requirements with another; Mary and her female associates represent a religious worldview free from Laws and requirements, a kind of faith directed by the inner light of truth that everyone allegedly has. It sort of seems by the time we get to the end of the novel that Mary and Jesus were secular Swedes with a love hate relationship with religion and more or less just wanting people to follow their inner illumination and be nice to one another.
I was extremely annoyed the way Fredriksson took the four Gospels, put them in a blender and pressed "Puree." And further once again we have Jesus speaking in King James English (though inconsistently so; sometimes he doesn't!). The novel is severely weakened by this form of Gospel verisimilitude. Fredriksson didn't need to do this; she could simply have had Mary remember things that Jesus said and the sorts of things he did without taking us laboriously through Gospel stories. My finger on my Kindle was twitching to get to the next page through these bits and I have to say I did a good deal of eye-rolling.
What I find most interesting about this story is the way of secular but religiously sensitive author has mined the Jesus tradition for a story believable and useful as a religious perspective in her own social context. What Fredriksson does with Jesus (and he Gospel of Mary for that matter) is exactly what early followers of Jesus did, when they wrote their own narratives using the words of Jesus (either what he really said, or what they believe he would have said). That is, she recasts Jesus words and his message to speak to a new context where Jesus continues to have significance historically, in this case, in Fredriksson's setting. One can't help but remain sceptical about the kind of religious individualism Fredriksson has Mary champion. In other words, Fredriksson's Mary and Jesus are no less a creation of her present than the Jesus of the Gospels was of the Gospellers' own historic present. Religion is fascinating for the way the stories it tells and retells about the past are significantly shaped by the present in which they are told. Fredriksson's account reveals the degree to which the Jesus story fascinates even in the most secular of contexts.
December 15, 2024
(...) her self-appointed task of giving other people interpretations of what Jesus had taught was meaningless, a single cry in the darkness
Third book in my most recent new-testament-retellings binge, after The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ and The Testament of Mary, and definitely one I found most engaging. Did not get under my skin quite like Fredriksson's Night Wanderer (Kto kráča v temnotách) all those years ago when I read it for the first time, but still a superb feat of imagination. And of adaptation - there are definite allusions to the Gospel of Mary and some other non-canonic apocrypha, which I might not have caught had I not - incidentally - come across Peter, Paul & Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History & Legend earlier this year.
Some minor gripes with the (at times) clunky translation, but the story gets going I got completely lost in it and did not mind the characters who were citizens of the Roman empire referring to it as "the Roman empire" (I mean, wouldn't they just say "empire"?) or to Mary Magdalene as literary "Mary Magdalene". Otherwise however, the setting was done believably, with references to Greek as the lingua franca, Aramaic and very well done depictions of the everyday cruelties and joys of the times. The Jesus character was a little (maybe more than a little) out there, but it did not chafe much, as the focus was so much on Mary Magdalene .
I realize that what I've written so far does not do much to explain my very favourable rating, but the book is really quite superb for what it is, i.e. one of the gazillion reimaginings of the 2000-year-old tale that no one really knows the truth about. I hate referring to art as "brave" but that's exactly what According to Mary Magdalene is. Her voice and her thoughts felt real to me, and not only because of the author's obviously diligent research of biblical apocrypha.
July 31, 2024
Denna bok, som jag lyssnade på, är en berättelse som ger ett inlevelsefullt porträtt av Maria Magdalena, som var den främsta av Jesus lärjungar, och den tid hon levde i. Boken, som jag lyssnade på, tar sin början i Marias uppväxtmiljö, vars inramning och detaljer antagligen inte skiljer sig åt från många andra judars levnadsöden från den tiden i det området där också Jesus verkade och levde i. Att vara född som flicka och inte som pojke, att gömd få se sina familjemedlemmar mördas av romerska banemän och sedan gömma sig i bergen skiljer sig nog inte nämnvärt från liknande dåtida samtidsskildringar från denna historiska epok.
Vad som dock är utmärkande och vad som också är bokens raison d´être, så som jag uppfattar det, är hennes samtal och möte med Jesus i Galileen. Hennes fascination över dennes underverk, och inte minst av dennes milda, ödmjuka och visa framtoning. Lägg där till en imponerande rättframhet och ett fagert yttre så påminns läsaren om Jesus starka sex appeal. Deras samtal och inte minst den ömsesidiga attraktion som uppstår dem emellan är gripande och omtumlande.
Jesus och Maria Magdalena görs till verkliga person i en skönflytande prosa i denna bok. Att ha sex med Guds son klingar onekligen starkt på allas CV. Av boken framgår att Maria Magdalena var en framträdande gestalt i Jesus entourage, och om det inte vore för den efterkommande patriarkala historien så hade säkerligen Maria Magdalena förärats med ett eget evangelium i den antologi, som vi nuförtiden känner till som Bibeln.
Vad som dock är utmärkande och vad som också är bokens raison d´être, så som jag uppfattar det, är hennes samtal och möte med Jesus i Galileen. Hennes fascination över dennes underverk, och inte minst av dennes milda, ödmjuka och visa framtoning. Lägg där till en imponerande rättframhet och ett fagert yttre så påminns läsaren om Jesus starka sex appeal. Deras samtal och inte minst den ömsesidiga attraktion som uppstår dem emellan är gripande och omtumlande.
Jesus och Maria Magdalena görs till verkliga person i en skönflytande prosa i denna bok. Att ha sex med Guds son klingar onekligen starkt på allas CV. Av boken framgår att Maria Magdalena var en framträdande gestalt i Jesus entourage, och om det inte vore för den efterkommande patriarkala historien så hade säkerligen Maria Magdalena förärats med ett eget evangelium i den antologi, som vi nuförtiden känner till som Bibeln.
December 11, 2024
Wat. Een. Boek! Het verhaal sleurt je mee in het denken van de eerste christenen, maar dan bekeken via een blik die men maar al te vaak vergeet: de vrouwen. Het vertelt over de jeugd van Maria Magdalena, een vrouw die vaak gereduceerd wordt tot een prostituee, en over haar relatie met Jezus. Zij werd in het vroege christendom aanzien als een soort van heldin, een vrouw met ballen, en dat wordt hier heel mooi voorgesteld hoe dit dan zou zijn in het echt. Maar al te vaak worden de blikken van de vrouwen vergeten, maar Jezus zelf zegt dat man en vrouw gelijk staan - een idee dat door duizenden jaren aan masochisme en een patriarchale samenleving werd verbannen naar het achterhoofd van de onwetenden. Dit boek wendt zich duidelijk van dat eeuwenoud idee af en toont de invloed van vrouwelijke figuren - Maria Magdalena, moeder Maria, Salome, en nog vele anderen. Hoewel het fictie is, zou het evengoed hebben kunnen plaatsvinden. Een echte aanrader voor mensen die het christendom eens van een andere hoek willen bekijken.
May 20, 2018
This is a fictional book but is based very much on things that, according to the Gospels, really did happen. Mary Magdalene is at the time an older woman and ends up writing down her memoirs. She is married to Leonidas. Her childhood years were incredibly harsh, her entire family being killed by Roman soldiers.
Leonidas ends up finding her alone and starving and takes her under his protection. He places her with a friend who happens to run a brothel. Mary is brought up there but is not forced to become a prostitute.
A lot of the book deals with her time with Jesus from her own viewpoint. Sometimes Peter shows up to ask her things.
The book has her living in Antioch so this is not an she-ended-up-in-France type of story. She has had no children.
The strength of the book is in the way her story is told. It's very interesting.
Leonidas ends up finding her alone and starving and takes her under his protection. He places her with a friend who happens to run a brothel. Mary is brought up there but is not forced to become a prostitute.
A lot of the book deals with her time with Jesus from her own viewpoint. Sometimes Peter shows up to ask her things.
The book has her living in Antioch so this is not an she-ended-up-in-France type of story. She has had no children.
The strength of the book is in the way her story is told. It's very interesting.
December 2, 2017
I just finished my second reading of this book. I first read it several years ago (before Goodreads). I remember liking it. My mother gave it to me (along with other books by the same author, which I also enjoyed). I still like it, but it's kind of blasphemous, and also prejudice. I think it's done deliberately, to make a point. The author made the characters too "modern" to be believable for those times. But I think she had to do that, in order to keep the reader's interest. The premise of this novel is great, and I enjoyed seeing a different perspective on the stories about Jesus that I grew up with.
May 27, 2024
En oikein tiedä mitä ajatella. Kiinnostava konsepti, mutta luulen että olisin saanut tästä enemmän irti, jos yleensäkään tuntisin alkuseurakuntien historiaa ja ajan käytäntöjä paremmin.
En ihan hirveästi pitänyt kirjoitustyylistä, paljon mitään sanomatonta kuvailua ja lyhyitä lauseita. En myöskään hahmottanut ihan täysin, miksi kirjaa kuvailtiin niin sensuellisti jne. Mutta ehkä 1990-luvun lopulla avoimesti seksistä pitävä nainen oli vielä asia, joka herätti kuhinaa.
Muuten ajatus siitä, miltä Raamattu ja kristinuskon eri variaatiot tänä päivänä näyttäisivät, jos naisten kertomukset olisi kelpuutettu niihin mukaan, on kiinnostava.
2 tähteä.
En ihan hirveästi pitänyt kirjoitustyylistä, paljon mitään sanomatonta kuvailua ja lyhyitä lauseita. En myöskään hahmottanut ihan täysin, miksi kirjaa kuvailtiin niin sensuellisti jne. Mutta ehkä 1990-luvun lopulla avoimesti seksistä pitävä nainen oli vielä asia, joka herätti kuhinaa.
Muuten ajatus siitä, miltä Raamattu ja kristinuskon eri variaatiot tänä päivänä näyttäisivät, jos naisten kertomukset olisi kelpuutettu niihin mukaan, on kiinnostava.
2 tähteä.
January 11, 2019
Inte lika mäktig som "den som vandrar om natten", "enligt Maria Magdalena" ger mig inte fullt ut samma känsla av att tappa andan, men nästan. Mycket fin. Tycker om. Kanske inte en bok jag vill läsa om så som "den som vandrar om natten" som jag tror jag kommer läsa om många gånger i livet, men ngn gång till kan jag gott tänka mig att läsa denna. Så jag rekommenderar den definitivt. Och "den som vandrar om natten"!
December 15, 2023
I absolutely love the concept for this book, which is Mary Magdalene's life before and after Jesus. The book draws heavily from the gnostic gospel, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, and emphasizes very well how the direction of early Christianity was not pre-destined to be what it is today, but how much diversity there was in Christian thought in the first century. The role of women in the early church, which was massive, is also displayed so well here, and I commend Fredriksson for that. I also do like that Mary's adopted father/legal husband (it's messy but makes sense in the text and is not weird, it's very sweet actually) was a gay man. I think it's really important to show on full display that Jesus and his core followers never said a thing against LGBTQ people and that if anything he would have been accepting of them as he was literally everyone. That was a big plus for me.
Where this book lost me really was pacing. Parts of it were very interesting, mostly the chapters focusing on Mary telling and recording her experience with Jesus' ministry to Peter and Paul and her actual memories of her time with him. These parts shine through the rest of the book, which frankly is very boring. Mary's early childhood at the brothel is fine, but I'm not a huge fan of the perpetuation of the myth of Mary Magdalene being a prostitute, which was likely not the case. Fredriksson may handle it well and overall shows sex work very positively, but it's just a little old to me and most of her time there was uninteresting. Most of the chapters dealing with the drama with her in-laws were painstaking to read, and the ending was just so incredibly rushed and unearned. Also, and this may mostly be a translation issue since this book was originally not published in English, but the writing was often very stilted and difficult to get through.
One last thing I did appreciate was the depiction of Jesus and his ministry. Fredriksson both retained the mythic and otherworldly qualities of Jesus while making it very clear that he was also just a man. Her interpretation of him did not hide it's disdain for the myths of the virgin birth, of being the messiah and literal son of God, and instead focused on the power in Jesus' oration and his kindness and acceptance of all. I did really appreciate how Mary's experience as a sex worker in the past was not discussed between her and Jesus beyond their initial meeting at all, and how their romantic and physical relationship were based in natural mutual respect never interrogated her past as a sex worker. His love for her was very sweet, and seeing him become more and more wary and tired throughout the narrative and Mary do more and more to care for him was sweet. I also liked how Fredriksson discussed the "virgin birth" in the sense that she denies it validity in the text. When Mary meets Mary (Jesus's mother that is), it is very clear that Mother Mary does not understand where her son's power comes from and is very afraid of it. She did not expect her son to be born as he is and if anything is afraid of it because she knows it threatens his safety. Her mention of only being 15 when she had him, and the possible implication of his conception being due to sexual assault, is a well-done interrogation of the virgin birth myth and presentation of an alternative to the myth-making that most scholars agreed occurred in the writing of Jesus' birth and conception. It tied well too to Mary's own conception herself, which is implied through her distinctively European appearance to also have originated from a Roman soldier sexually assaulting her Palestinean Jewish mother. They overall were excellent foils and I am truly a sucker for explorations of the relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus.
Overall, I liked this book conceptually and in pieces. Fredriksson obviously did her scholarly research and wrote an excellent alternative history to that of the Bible itself of the early days of Christianity, but it is impossible to ignore the long expanses of nothing happening and the mediocre writing. Would only recommend to who are EXTREMELY into biblical fiction.
Where this book lost me really was pacing. Parts of it were very interesting, mostly the chapters focusing on Mary telling and recording her experience with Jesus' ministry to Peter and Paul and her actual memories of her time with him. These parts shine through the rest of the book, which frankly is very boring. Mary's early childhood at the brothel is fine, but I'm not a huge fan of the perpetuation of the myth of Mary Magdalene being a prostitute, which was likely not the case. Fredriksson may handle it well and overall shows sex work very positively, but it's just a little old to me and most of her time there was uninteresting. Most of the chapters dealing with the drama with her in-laws were painstaking to read, and the ending was just so incredibly rushed and unearned. Also, and this may mostly be a translation issue since this book was originally not published in English, but the writing was often very stilted and difficult to get through.
One last thing I did appreciate was the depiction of Jesus and his ministry. Fredriksson both retained the mythic and otherworldly qualities of Jesus while making it very clear that he was also just a man. Her interpretation of him did not hide it's disdain for the myths of the virgin birth, of being the messiah and literal son of God, and instead focused on the power in Jesus' oration and his kindness and acceptance of all. I did really appreciate how Mary's experience as a sex worker in the past was not discussed between her and Jesus beyond their initial meeting at all, and how their romantic and physical relationship were based in natural mutual respect never interrogated her past as a sex worker. His love for her was very sweet, and seeing him become more and more wary and tired throughout the narrative and Mary do more and more to care for him was sweet. I also liked how Fredriksson discussed the "virgin birth" in the sense that she denies it validity in the text. When Mary meets Mary (Jesus's mother that is), it is very clear that Mother Mary does not understand where her son's power comes from and is very afraid of it. She did not expect her son to be born as he is and if anything is afraid of it because she knows it threatens his safety. Her mention of only being 15 when she had him, and the possible implication of his conception being due to sexual assault, is a well-done interrogation of the virgin birth myth and presentation of an alternative to the myth-making that most scholars agreed occurred in the writing of Jesus' birth and conception. It tied well too to Mary's own conception herself, which is implied through her distinctively European appearance to also have originated from a Roman soldier sexually assaulting her Palestinean Jewish mother. They overall were excellent foils and I am truly a sucker for explorations of the relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus.
Overall, I liked this book conceptually and in pieces. Fredriksson obviously did her scholarly research and wrote an excellent alternative history to that of the Bible itself of the early days of Christianity, but it is impossible to ignore the long expanses of nothing happening and the mediocre writing. Would only recommend to who are EXTREMELY into biblical fiction.
July 28, 2024
es war eine so schöne reise und nochmal ein ganz neuer blick auf die geschichte zwischen magdalena und jesus! ich habe selten ein so lebhaft schön beschriebenes buch gelesen wie dieses. mal was ganz anderes wie die menschen in ihrem wesen so gut beschrieben und erfasst werden! die storryline unterstreicht diese erstklassige literatur nur nochmals mit einem neuen blick auf liebe. manchmal etwas übertrieben und unrealistisch aber wir leben auch heute einfsch in einer anderen zeit!
August 15, 2025
A fascinating alternative story of Mary Magdalene. A fictional story that depicts the relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus, potentially offering a version closer to the truth. Who knows? The prose is serene and touching, and the story feels real and palpable. The story lingers with me years after finishing it the first time, as this is a book I've returned to, contemplating its meaning. Fredriksson was a brilliant author, and this is among her finest works.
June 28, 2024
somehow the most unrealistic thing was Greeks having a problem with male homosexuality. The romantization of sex work if done under the right madam was unnecessary. And the rampant antisemitism way over the top. Like, you can criticize old ways of thinking and prejudices without bashing an entire system of beliefs. idk just messy.
December 17, 2017
Dit boek was veel mooier dan ik verwacht had. Ik heb het boek (grotendeels) gelezen terwijl ik naast de kerstboom zat en ik zag het verhaal echt voor me. Het is op zo’n (goede) manier geschreven, dat je als lezer verwacht dat het echt zo geweest is.
February 2, 2019
This was an intriguing book written about the Life of Jesus through Mary Magdalene’s eyes. Though it was controversial to many, I enjoyed reading the different perspective and how the Apostles sought her out for her memories as her time as one of Christ’s most beloved.
July 21, 2020
Ben ontroerd. Dit boek laat goed zien hoe zelfs de beste bedoelingen verkeerd begrepen worden en aangehaald worden om eigen macht te vergroten. En hoe vrouwen blijvend onderdrukt worden door hen die macht willen.
July 21, 2024
Boeiend boek, waarin de Bijbelfiguren een menselijke uitstraling hebben en aldus toegankelijker zijn. Ook de relatie met Jezus en de bewondering van Maria Magdalena maken het intrigerend. Een voorbode van de Da Vinci Code?
February 1, 2020
A beautiful, hopeful book, and way more than just a novel. Full of wisdom and truth. Go read it.
June 27, 2020
In office back wall right side bottom shelf.
June 22, 2021
Excellent storytelling.
September 15, 2021
Tycker om Marianne Fredrikssons språk och böcker som väcker nya tankar och perspektiv. Det här är en bok som stannat kvar.
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