The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity

Mary Magdalene is one of the most influential symbols in the history of Christianity—yet, if you look in the Bible, you’ll find only a handful of verses that speak of her. How did she become such a compelling saint in the face of such paltry evidence? In her effort to answer that question, Cynthia Bourgeault examines the Bible, church tradition, art, legend, and newly discovered texts to see what’s there. She then applies her own reasoning and intuition, informed by the wisdom of the ages-old Christian contemplative tradition. What emerges is a radical view of Mary Magdalene as Jesus’s most important disciple, the one he considered to understand his teaching best. That teaching was characterized by a nondualistic approach to the world and by a deep understanding of the value of the feminine. Cynthia shows how an understanding of Mary Magdalene can revitalize contemporary Christianity, how Christians and others can, through her, find their way to Jesus’s original teachings and apply them to their modern lives.

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• The Holy Trinity and the Law of Three: Discovering the Radical Truth at the Heart of Christianity
• The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice
• The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
• Love is Stronger than Death: The Mystical Union of Two Souls
• Mystical Hope: Trusting in the Mercy of God (Cloister Books)
• The Wisdom Way of Knowing: Reclaiming An Ancient Tradition to Awaken the Heart
• The Gnostic Bible: Revised and Expanded Edition
• The Gospel of Philip: Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the Gnosis of Sacred Union
• Richard Rohr: Essential Teachings on Love (Modern Spiritual Masters)