Book Reviewed: The Gospels of Mary: The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene, the Companion of Jesus by Marvin W. Meyer

The sacred smile of Mary This work of Marvin Meyer, a renowned Biblical scholar is about the gospel of Mary Magdalene in which he has provided a new translation of this gospel and her role as beloved disciple of Jesus. However, her prominence in early Christian communities and later church authoritarian structures marginalized her. The author discusses as how the related gnostic gospels such as Gospel of Philip, Gospel of Thomas, the Dialogue of the Savior, and Pistis Sophia supported Mary’s gospel. This book includes selections from canonized gospels, extracanonical history, and gnostic gospels to support the belief that Mary was an undisputed leader of the apostolic team. In early Christian texts, Mary Magdalene emerges as the closest and an insightful disciple of Jesus. Her teachings were focused on inner spiritual knowledge, the soul’s ascent, and the nature of true freedom. The soul’s journey upward through hostile powers requires to overcome fear, ignorance, and internal conflict. This is parallel to the teachings of Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism. The central theme is that salvation comes from inner understanding and not external authority. According to her gospel, there is no such thing as “sin” which sharply contrasts the teachings of the canon, and John the Baptist. Her teachings were revolutionary for those who read synoptic gospels (Mark, Luke, and Matthew) and John. The authors describe Mary’s role as a beloved disciple of Jesus among the Christian gnostic communities. But the latter-day bishops and church leaders marginalized her. The authors discuss the Mary centered gnostic texts like, Gospel of Philip, Gospel of Thomas, the Dialogue of the Savior, and Pistis Sophia. It emerges from this book that the church leaders including the 12 apostles were reluctant to accept a woman's leadership. Peter and Andrew directly challenged Mary’s authority. Mary Magdalene was loyal to Jesus throughout his life; she was present at the crucifixion, and the tomb of Jesus. Some Gospel accounts describe the male disciples running for their lives when Jesus was crucified, but Mary stays at the site of the execution. She becomes the first person to encounter the risen Christ and proclaim the good news of the resurrection. This is pivotal moment in the history of the Christian movement. Mary emerges from the shadows of history in the gospel of Mary and other gnostic scriptures, but early church leaders disliked the relevance of the message which contrasted the canonized gospels. They were building a strong faith for the future, and they were in no mood to accommodate alternative ideas. They made sure almost all gnostic texts including the gospel of Mary were destroyed, and gnostic communities were severely restricted from practicing the gnostic faith. There was no room for the gospel of Mary to grow and evolve into the canonized gospel of the New Testament. What we see from this study is the sacred smile of Mary fast disappearing from the landscape of the ministry of Jesus Christ. This paved the way for establishment of the canonized gospels, Pauline epistles, Acts and Revelation of the New Testament. This book is strongly recommended to readers interested in the gospel of Mary, the early Christian history, the extinct gospels, and the apocrypha. Mary’s rise to become the closest disciple of Jesus and the leader of pack of 13 (including the 12 apostles) is partly inspired by the Jewish women from Tanak (the Old Testament.) Examples include, Deborah, a judge, prophetess, and a military leader; Miriam, a prophetess; Esther, a political strategist; Huldah, a prophetess; Abigail, a diplomatic leader; and Ruth, a covenant leader.