The Gospel of Mary Magdalene (Paperback)

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene (Paperback) by Jean-Yves Leloup (Editor)

Product details
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: Inner Traditions Bear and Company; 1st U.S. Ed edition (28 Mar 2002)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0892819111
ISBN-13: 978-0892819119
Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 0.3 cm

Product Description
KJ, Napra ReView, May/June 2002

There are some fascinating glimpses at gender politics between the earliest followers of Jesus and the enigmatic personage of Mary Magdalene. Book DescriptionRestores to the forefront of the Christian tradition the importance of the divine feminine.* The first complete English-language translation of the original Coptic Gospel of Mary, with line-by-line commentary.* Reveals the eminence of the divine feminine in Christian thought.* Offers a new perspective on the life of one of the most controversial figures in the Western spiritual tradition.

Perhaps no figure in biblical scholarship has been the subject of more controversy and debate than Mary Magdalene. Also known as Miriam of Magdala, Mary Magdalene was considered by the apostle John to be the founder of Christianity because she was the first witness to the Resurrection. In most theological studies she has been depicted as a reformed prostitute, the redeemed sinner who exemplifies Christ's mercy. Today's reader can ponder her role in the gospels of Philip, Thomas, Peter, and Bartholomew--the collection of what have come to be known as the Gnostic gospels rejected by the early Christian church. Mary's own gospel is among these, but until now it has remained unknown to the public at large.

Orthodox theologian Jean-Yves Leloup's translation of the Gospel of Mary from the Coptic and his thorough and profound commentary on this text are presented here for the first time in English. The gospel text and the spiritual exegesis of Leloup together reveal unique teachings that emphasize the eminence of the divine feminine and an abiding love of nature over the dualistic and ascetic interpretations of Christianity presented elsewhere. What emerges from this important source text and commentary is a renewal of the sacred feminine in the Western spiritual tradition and a new vision for Christian thought and faith throughout the world.

Synopsis

Orthodox theologian Jean-Yves Leloup's translation of the Gospel of Mary from the Coptic and his thorough and profound commentary on this text are presented here for the first time in English. The gospel text and the spiritual exegesis of Leloup together reveal unique teachings that emphasise the eminence of the divine feminine and an abiding love of nature over the dualistic and ascetic interpretations of Christianity presented elsewhere. What emerges from this important source text and commentary is a renewal of the sacred feminine in the Western spiritual tradition and a new vision for Christian thought and faith throughout the world.

About the Author

Orthodox theologian Jean-Yves Leloup is the founder of the Institute of Other Civilization Studies and the International College of Therapists. His other books include Absurdity and Grace, Lack and Fullness, and a commentary on the Gospel of Thomas. He lives in France.

Pistis Sophia: The Gnostic Tradition of Mary Magdalene, Jesus, and His Disciples (Paperback)

Pistis Sophia: The Gnostic Tradition of Mary Magdalene, Jesus, and His Disciples (Paperback) by G. R. S. Mead (Author)

Product details
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Dover Publications (11 Mar 2005)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0486440648
ISBN-13: 978-0486440644
Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 13.7 x 2.3 cm

The Fall of Sophia: A Gnostic Text on the Redemption of Universal Consciousness (Paperback)

The Fall of Sophia: A Gnostic Text on the Redemption of Universal Consciousness (Paperback) by Violet MacDermot (Author, Translator)

Product details
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Lindisfarne Press (1 Sep 2001)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1584200006
ISBN-13: 978-1584200000
Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 15.1 x 1.5 cm

Product Description
Synopsis: A fresh translation of the Pistis Sophia from the Coptic and a discussion of its historical setting. Sophia is one of the great symbols of the divine feminine in world civilization and the personification of divine Wisdom. In Gnosticism, the secret teaching of ancient Christianity, she represents the consciousness that all of us share, but which became trapped in the material world as a result of the Fall. One of the most sublime Gnostic texts is the Pistis Sophia or "Faith Wisdom", a great allegory in which the resurrected Christ tells how he freed the divine Sophia from her imprisonment to powers of spiritual wickedness. In this profound yet accessible work, Violet MacDermot provides a fresh translation of the Pistis Sophia from the Coptic and discusses it in its historical setting. She also shows how the story of Sophia is one in which we too can share in spiritual liberation. Her engaging discussion relates this work not only to ancient teachings, but to the thought of C G Jung, Emanuel Swedenborg and the Kabbala.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Participating in the "Gnostic Renaissance", 15 Oct 2007
By calmly - See all my reviews

Violet MacDermot translated the Pistis Sophia from the original Coptic text found in Nag Hammadi, Egypt into English as part of the Coptic Gnostic Library effort. Her translation of Books One and Two that focus on the fall of Sophia are reprinted here. MacDermot here supplements her translation with essays on Sophia's story and the significance of the Pistis Sophia and the Gnostic spirit in general in Western history. The foreword by Stephen Hoeller, "Sophia and the Gnostic Renaissance" adds further to understanding the place of the Pistis Sophia and the ancient Gnostic enterprise in human history.

MacDermot observes that the Gnostic Christians have views that conflict both with that of orthodox Christianity and materialism. Orthodox Christianity seemed to Gnostic Christians demanding of faith and obedience and fearful of self-knowledge. Science today seems too mechanical. From a Gnostic Christian viewpoint, if orthodox Christians complain about science's materialism, it often seems out of a desire to replace it with literalism. Gnosticism offers a third way, one that remembered favorably the ancient Western mythological wisdom of the Persians, Egyptians and Greeks and is today compatible with Eastern wisdom traditions such as Buddhism.

MacDermot follows the spirit of Gnosticism into modern times, presenting a summary of Emmanuel Swedenborg, Otto Weininger, Vladimir Solovyov, Auguste Comte, Rudolf Steiner, Lewis Mumford, Patrick Geddes, Dimitrije Mictrinovic, and Carl Jung, a wealth of leads who presented an organic vision of life. A bibliography of their works and others is included. One can see how the work of the early Gnostics is compatible with and has contributed to similar thought of more recent times

The Fall of Sophia itself is presented as a mythic way to explain the transition from collective consciousness to individual self-consciousness that occurred in the first few centuries of the Common Era. After Jesus finds Sophia fallen, Jesus and his disciples interpret the repentences of Sophia as she finds herself beset upon by evil powers within a chaotic realm. Jesus helps restore Sophia and then shares the mystery of the Ineffable, which can make one a ruler with Jesus, of this world and yet not of this world. By the middle of this story, you may feel like Sophia, overwhelmed by the evil powers. By the end of this story, you may share with the disciples, in an appreciation of the richness of your spirit, something materialism and literalism do not convey.

Macdermot has provided an exquisite context in which to understand the Fall of Sophia and its relationship to some recent thought. If you choose then to read more of the Gnostic texts and/or more of the more recent thinkers Macdermot presents, you may become a participant in a "Gnostic Renaissance" that might transform our challenged society.

Since I first read this book a month ago, it has weighed on my mind. What I had found to be some repetitiveness upon first reading, I'm realizing was a careful reiteration to convey the teaching forcefully.

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