The Gospels of Mary. The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene the Companion of Jesus. Marvin Meyer |
I'm enjoying this little book by Marvin Meyer (who passed away about 10 or so years ago). He is one of my favorites among Religion scholars. Note that Gospels is plural in the title. This book is a convenient compilation of all the snippets in ancient texts, both Gospels and Apocrypha, which relate directly to Mary Magdalene. All in all the earliest references to her total about 40 to 50 pages of material. That's it.
There is an actual Gospel of Mary Magdalene dating to the 1st or 2nd Century. It is very fragmentary, with pages missing from the beginning and the end as well as a lost chunk in the middle. It well worth a read, very esoteric, speaking of the inner self and the ascension of the soul. Parts of it are included here, but the complete text has been translated and published elsewhere several times.
Mary Magdalene, Jesus's Closest Disciple
Marvin Meyer, one of the foremost scholars of the Gnostic Gospels:
-translates and introduces the Gnostic and New Testament texts that together reveal the story and importance of Mary Magdalene
-includes new translations of the Gospels of Mary, Thomas, Philip, and related texts about Mary Magdalene
-discloses, with Esther A. De Boer, the long-suppressed story of Mary's vital role in the life of Jesus and in the formative period after his crucifixion
presents as authentically as possible the real Mary Magdalene