The Secret Teachings of Mary Magdalene

Book excerpt: This in-depth commentary on the lost material of The Gospel of Mary Magdalene presents Jesus’ most important—and misunderstood—disciple as you’ve never seen her before Discovered in fragments in Egypt in 1945, The Gospel of Mary remains one of the most controversial texts of early Christianity. This translation of Mary’s teachings, from the original Greek and Coptic, offers a unique new perspective: authors Claire Nahmad and Margaret Bailey utilized “inner listening” to uncover lost material, and they present Mary’s ideas in the form of a dialogue between the (risen) Savior and His disciples. Most importantly, The Secret Teachings of Mary Magdalene includes a description by Mary of special revelations given to her by Jesus. Nahmad and Bailey argues that Mary was not just the consort of Christ but the feminine Christ herself, and in their view, the partnership between Jesus and Mary exemplifies the crucial balance of male and female in spiritual and corporeal life. It’s an interpretation that uncovers a rich subtext in Mary's words, offering wisdom on an extraordinary range of concerns—from the origins of the human race to the pathway to Christlike consciousness.