The Gospel of Mary Magdalene

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
Jean-Yves Leloup
Inner Traditions
ISBN: 08921911-1
Non-Fiction, Religion
Reviewed by Pamela Crossland

The Gospel of Mary, one of the Gnostic gospels, was first discovered in Egypt in 1896. The first several pages are lost, in the part that remains, the first section describes a dialogue between the risen Christ and the disciples on the nature of sin, that is it the mixing of the spiritual with the material. Christ departs leaving Mary to comfort the distraught men who are riddled with doubt. In the second section, missing four pages, Mary reveals to the disciples private revelation she has had from Jesus; first discussing how one see a vision and in the next available section describing how the enlightened soul rises past the four powers to eternal rest. Peter challenges her teaching, wondering why the Savior would entrust such knowledge to a woman and not his male followers. Levi chastised him, telling him to be a better man and go forth and preach truth.
It is frustrating to have sections of the text missing and one cannot help but wonder what has been left out. Leloups commentary is helpful indeed, and reminds us that the purpose ultimately to become Anthropos: fully human, the incarnation of that from which we were made. Powerful, almost Taoist in range, this is an important book and should be read by anyone interested in Mary Magdalene or the early Church.