Anyone else fascinated by Mary Magdalene? I always have been, and especially since texts have been discovered which are purported to be gospels according to Mary. While I'm not convinced there was a real historical Jesus, it's fascinating for me to read books that suggested that Mary and Jesus were married and perhaps could have been equal leaders in the new religion, with a more egalitarian and wholesome outlook on sexual intimacy and spiritual intellect.
I'm currently listening to "The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity" By: Cynthia Bourgeault for free on Audible through the end of July, for me anyway, and curious if anyone else has read/listened to it? If so, what are your thoughts?
I still have a few hours to go, but my phone is in a bag of rice at the moment, so I'll continue listening when my phone is dry.
I love reading about Mary of Magdala, and the ideas surrounding this hidden figure. I sure wonder what Christianity had been like if it had been allowed to have a feminine side to it.
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3 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Well, I finished the book. The last half wasn't as riveting as the first half, but still, not a bad listen for free. I'm glad more interest in being paid to the hidden/lost feminine perspective of Christianity. While I feel strongly that humanity has surpassed the time when Christianity could be of any value, it does make one wonder where we'd be if there had been a respect for women and equality all this time. Perhaps the next mythos to control 1/3 of the world will be more egalitarian. 
Julie808
Level 8
Aug 6, 2022
0
The concept of a mary and virgin birth was around thousands of years prior to the advent ofchristianity
Redneckliberal
Level 7
July 25, 2022
0
Yes, but the subject of the book and many others like it is the question about whether the proponents of biblical Christianity purposely shut out the feminine counterpart of Jesus in the story, creating a misogynistic religion rather than perhaps the more egalitarian religion that might have been. Whether based on historical figures, previous mythologies or a mixture of both, it's curious to wonder if there was a purposeful suppression of a feminine voice.
Especially fascinating given doubt about the historicity of the putative Jesus.
waitingforgodo
Level 8
July 25, 2022
1
Yes, but even the idea that these texts were written and not included in the final bible gets a person to thinking "what if" there was a feminine voice, or if the Jesus figure (mythical, morphed or historical) had formed a partnership and Christianity had a more egalitarian and healthy view of women, how different might the world be today? That's what the author is presenting.
I struggle with whether there were actual historical figures or these were just stories made up to fit the purpose of the powers that were at the time, but true or not the biblical stories are woven into our society.