What do you think?
Rate this book
De-coding Mary Magdalene: Truth, Legend, And Lies
Examines myths and misconceptions about Mary Magdalene and her role in early Christian history and draws on scripture and modern scholarship to reveal her as an important witness to the resurrection who has been revered for centuries by the Church.
- GenresHistory
141 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2006
1 person is currently reading
38 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 12, 2019
A very interesting overview of Mary Magdalene. This tracks what we do know from the Gospels about her - which is very little. Most interesting is the tracking of legends and devotions surrounding her from the early Gnostics and then the devotional practices regarding her. Pope Gregory the Greats conflation of Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, and the repentant women has shaped traditions regarding her in the Latin Rite of the Church. Interestingly the Eastern rites never fell into this mistake.
So fascinating to see how the Golden Legend developed and despite the problems with it formed various devotional practices and were widespread including influencing Mendicant orders.
This book also addresses the attention Mary Magdalene has been getting from non-Christian sources trying to reframe her story or indulging in Da Vinci Code silliness. She doesn't spend much time addressing this but does cover the supposed scholarship of this movement and the obvious errors in the narrative they are using.
The book is also partly a call for us to really consider devotion to the Mary Magdalene of the Gospels.
So fascinating to see how the Golden Legend developed and despite the problems with it formed various devotional practices and were widespread including influencing Mendicant orders.
This book also addresses the attention Mary Magdalene has been getting from non-Christian sources trying to reframe her story or indulging in Da Vinci Code silliness. She doesn't spend much time addressing this but does cover the supposed scholarship of this movement and the obvious errors in the narrative they are using.
The book is also partly a call for us to really consider devotion to the Mary Magdalene of the Gospels.
September 5, 2019
First off, there is something very annoying about this bo-ok. There are too ma-ny wor-ds that are pri-nt-ed like this. Didn't anyone bother editing the book at all? This continues all through the book.
Another is the author's attitudes. Basically, the author is saying that if a book (such as this one ) is not used in a university then whatever the person is saying is not worth listening to. For me, that is indicating an intellectual snobbery that I really don't like.
Some of the main points this book makes include:
The statements that Peter really did not like Mary Magdalene at all are just part of a conspiracy.
There never has been a patriarchal conspiracy against her.
Roman Catholics have lost interest in her.
The things taken out of Mary were actually demons and not mental problems or illnesses.
Various topics are discussed such as questions for reflection, conspiracy theories, false history and wishful thinking.
The Gnostic gospels were written well after the canonical gospels. They are also ambiguous.
The author discusses differences between Western and Eastern Christianity.
The author believes Mary ended up in Ephesus and died there.
There is no evidence of any distinctive circle of Christians focused around Mary Magdalene.
You should read the official scriptures to find out what really happened. (This is interesting since the 'official' scriptures we have now are really translations of translations and, in some cases, you can add another layer of translations. Also, I have read in another book that looked into that topic that scribes were not perfect. They made mistakes in copying from another book. Further, since the books were being translated from one language to another there were some terms which just could not be translated with the exact meaning in the original language. Then there is also a problem that in some cases the scribes made additions or deletions on their own based on the current religious political flow. )
(Even with what we have today there are differences between various groups of just exactly what books make up the 'official' Bible.)
She talks about Templar-based conspiracy theories.
The author also makes a lot of criticisms of one particular author.
She talks about the various relics of Mary Magdalene and where they ended up. I understanding that having relics is a big thing but, to me at least, it's a barbaric practice that shows no respect for the dead person. How would any regular person feel if someone came along and dug up bones from a family member and then hauled them off for display somewhere. I don't think they would be very happy.
I think there are some good things in the book but the lack of proper editing and the emphasis on conspiracy theories seems a little much.
Another is the author's attitudes. Basically, the author is saying that if a book (such as this one ) is not used in a university then whatever the person is saying is not worth listening to. For me, that is indicating an intellectual snobbery that I really don't like.
Some of the main points this book makes include:
The statements that Peter really did not like Mary Magdalene at all are just part of a conspiracy.
There never has been a patriarchal conspiracy against her.
Roman Catholics have lost interest in her.
The things taken out of Mary were actually demons and not mental problems or illnesses.
Various topics are discussed such as questions for reflection, conspiracy theories, false history and wishful thinking.
The Gnostic gospels were written well after the canonical gospels. They are also ambiguous.
The author discusses differences between Western and Eastern Christianity.
The author believes Mary ended up in Ephesus and died there.
There is no evidence of any distinctive circle of Christians focused around Mary Magdalene.
You should read the official scriptures to find out what really happened. (This is interesting since the 'official' scriptures we have now are really translations of translations and, in some cases, you can add another layer of translations. Also, I have read in another book that looked into that topic that scribes were not perfect. They made mistakes in copying from another book. Further, since the books were being translated from one language to another there were some terms which just could not be translated with the exact meaning in the original language. Then there is also a problem that in some cases the scribes made additions or deletions on their own based on the current religious political flow. )
(Even with what we have today there are differences between various groups of just exactly what books make up the 'official' Bible.)
She talks about Templar-based conspiracy theories.
The author also makes a lot of criticisms of one particular author.
She talks about the various relics of Mary Magdalene and where they ended up. I understanding that having relics is a big thing but, to me at least, it's a barbaric practice that shows no respect for the dead person. How would any regular person feel if someone came along and dug up bones from a family member and then hauled them off for display somewhere. I don't think they would be very happy.
I think there are some good things in the book but the lack of proper editing and the emphasis on conspiracy theories seems a little much.
March 9, 2010
A readable and excellent overview of the controversies surrounding this famous saint, the "Apostle to the Apostles." The author favors the Ephesus tradition (that Mary Magdalene spent her last days with the Virgin Mary in Ephesus, Turkey, with John) rather than the Provence tradition (that she preached and died in Provence, France). I find the arguments compelling in both directions, and am doing further research on this fascinating topic for my current novel-in-progress. Ms. Welborn also falls into the camp that Mary was not the woman taken in adultery, or the one who washed Christ's feet, or the sister of Martha, the position of both the Western church today as well as the Eastern. Since these are indeed later traditions, I would not quarrel with this. On the other side, Michael Donley in The Cofin and the Cave argues for Mary being all of the Marys mentioned.
Both writers agree that absolutely no evidence exists for Mary being married to Christ or that she was ever in any way considered a goddess, or a royal bloodline, all fictions.
We hope to visit some of the sites in Provence that are associated with the Magdalen this summer of 2010. Watch for reports in http://mytravels.christinesunderland.com
Both writers agree that absolutely no evidence exists for Mary being married to Christ or that she was ever in any way considered a goddess, or a royal bloodline, all fictions.
We hope to visit some of the sites in Provence that are associated with the Magdalen this summer of 2010. Watch for reports in http://mytravels.christinesunderland.com
May 14, 2014
St. Mary Magdalene is one of the least known figures in Biblical history. It has been speculated that she was the wife of Jesus, his lover, the first "true" leader of the Church, and so on. This book provides a history of St. Mary and discusses her impact on the early Church. It delivers on both orthodoxy and historicity. A great book for all Christians and those interested in Church history.
January 2, 2016
As others said a very readable overview of the story of Mary Magdalene. I got this for part of a project I was writing about Mary and it was great to use to teach my youth group about this wonderful lady.
May 23, 2016
Good little read separating fact from fiction but Welborn lost me with all the New Eve stuff. Definitely a stretch the way she explained it and it took away from the Blessed Mother's (more appropriate and traditional) taking of that title.
March 6, 2012
This is a nice concise book on the story of Magdalene. I found it useful in leading a retreat and participants liked it as well.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews