Customer Reviews

Legends of Our Lady Mary, the Perpetual Virgin and Her Mother, Hanna

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I really do not know what stars to give this. It is a magnificent text that has been so long out of print. And the text is as remarkable as ever. If you are interested in the development of myths and legends of Mary this text is a must, truly a must. With it I would recommend The Glories of Mary which is rich in medieval legends of Mary. For the effort made to reprint the text of the Budge book, no stars are enough.

I am so sad though that, for whatever reason, the publisher did not reproduce the illustrations in color. Budge and those who supported his work went to such effort to bring these stunning illustrations to us, and with today's technology it should not have been difficult to honor their strenuous and costly work. But what is so very sad about this choice is that, except for the 100 year old copies of the Budge book, these deeply rich and profoundly beautiful illustrations become harder and harder to get a look at. If you are very lucky a few large libraries will lend one of these priceless color illustrated copies to another library. But I have not been able to find one who will (quite understandably) let this precious and fragile illustrated text out on interlibrary loan for some 30 years. It has been that long since I have laid eyes on these deeply moving paintings. These paintings reach deep into your heart with their expressive movement and large soul filled eyes. The color is unexpectedly deep and beautiful after so many years. I hope and pray that another publisher will do the complete job and publish the full colored illustrations.

All that being said - this material is stunning. It adds so much to the little we know of how Mary was seen in earliest Christianity. It will stun Christians and touch them deeply - I cannot imagine it otherwise.

If you think that the short and much to simple books being published as "the secret life of Mary' or some such thing are all there is than what your heart has yearned for is here - or a great deal of it is here. Read it, love it, let your heart sing in glory. By the way the "secret" gospels of Mary (not Mary the Magdaline) are far from secret and they form the basis of Medieval thought on Mary. These so called secret precious works on Mary are earlier than any of our the books of the New Testament, (except for Paul, naturally), and were in early Christianity considered as important and vital as any of the many other Gospels and material available at that time (it was a vast wealth of writing).

Come home to Her and to Her Mother. The work of Budge on Mary is beyond price and will fill your heart with wonder. Here you will find the Mother of Jesus as mighty a healer as Her son - She is a most Gentle Glory.

In fact, for those who search for a Goddess Mother in Mary - it will give you information that has been so long kept from us. The myths and legends are magnificent and I can see that they would enrich anyone who sees the Blessed Mother in the light of the Feminine Divine. "Well may such a Lady, Goddess Mother be." Medieval hymn.

It is a treasure and even without the colored pictures - it remains a treasure. Let it fill your heart.

The reasons why St Mary is highly respected by Christains is made very clear in this edition. The historical background is rich and rewarding if you are a person of faith.