Mary Magdalene, Bride in Exile
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4.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
An in-depth investigation of the facts and mythology surrounding the historical Mary Magdalene
• Reveals new details about the life of the beloved of Jesus
• Illustrated with rare and unusual imagery depicting Mary’s central role in Christianity
• By the author of the bestselling The Woman with the Alabaster Jar
The controversy surrounding Mary Magdalene and her relationship to Jesus has gained widespread international interest since the publication of Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code, which specifically cites Margaret Starbird’s earlier works as a significant source. In Mary Magdalene, Bride in Exile Starbird examines the many faces of Mary Magdalene, from the historical woman who walked with Jesus in the villages of Judea to the mythic and symbolic Magdalene who is the archetype of the Sacred Feminine. Starbird reveals exciting new information about the woman who was the most intimate companion of Jesus and offers historical evidence that Mary was Jesus’ forgotten bride.
Expanding on the discussion of medieval art and lore introduced in her bestselling book The Woman with the Alabaster Jar, Starbird sifts through the layers of misidentification under which the story of the Lost Bride of Christ has been buried to reveal the slandered woman and the “exiled” feminine principle. She establishes the identity of the historical female disciple who was the favored first witness of the Resurrection and provides an interpretation of Mary’s true role based on prophecy from the Hebrew scriptures and the testimony of the canonical gospels of Christianity. Balancing scholarly research with theological reflection, she takes readers deeper into the story and mythology of how Magdalene as the Bride embodies the soul’s own journey in its eternal quest for reunion with the Divine.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Capitalizing on the success of her bestseller The Woman with the Alabaster Jar (which was plugged in The Da Vinci Code), Starbird revisits the Mary Magdalene myth, hoping to separate truth from fiction, and from all-out fallacy. In an effort to reclaim Mary as the exiled Bride, and to reassert belief in the ultimate sacred union of Mary and Jesus, of "God incarnate in flesh, both male and female," she provides a suggestive if somewhat muddled argument. One of the most intriguing stories comes via a second-century prayer rug that seems to support the Grail legend in which the exiled family (namely Mary, her sister and possibly a daughter of Jesus) escaped from Palestine in a tiny boat. Explorations of Sarah the Egyptian, the Merovingian fish as well as Isis reveal logical connections to various Mary stories. Moreover, references to artistic depictions of the Magdalene illustrate the historic symbolism long associated not only with Mary but with Christianity itself. After 30 years of studying the Magdalene stories, no one can fault the author's dedication. Unfortunately, she is distractingly unsure of her audience, and few outside academia will find this as captivating a read as it could have been. The book includes an hour-long audio CD of the author's presentation on the sacred intimacy between Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
