The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene: Legends, Apocrypha, and the Christian Testament [Hardcover]

Jane Schaberg (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0826413838 | ISBN-13: 978-0826413833 | Publication Date: June 7, 2002

The controversy surrounding Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code has intensified interest in Mary Magdalene and Jane Schaberg provides an authoritative source for a deeper understanding and re-assessment of this popular figure. Within a progressive feminist framework, The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene approaches Christian Testament sources through analysis of legend, archaeology, and gnostic/apocryphal traditions. This is the story of the suppression and distortion of a powerful woman leader - Schaberg presents Mary Magdalene as successor to Jesus in a challenging alternative to the Petrine primacy. A work of controversial and creative scholarship. >

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Schaberg (The Illegitimacy of Jesus: A Feminist Theological Interpretation of the Infancy Narratives of Matthew and Luke) moves from contemporary feminist concerns, through the vast array of legend, apocryphal writing, and biblical reverberations, back to the "real" Mary Magdalene. She concludes that Magdalene was denigrated because she was a powerful woman, close to Jesus and perhaps to John the Baptist as well. At the same time, Schaberg searches for antecedents of the empty tomb and stories of John 20, in which Jesus appears to Magdalene: these she finds in the ascension of Elijah in 2 Kings 2, an association that suggests that Magdalene was Jesus' Elisha. Schaberg combines biblical scholarship, imagination, and feminist advocacy into a major work of methodological originality that reveals pervasive themes, such as the silencing of women who question the patriarchy. While there are numerous recent works on Mary Magdalene, Schaberg's book breaks new ground and is recommended for all libraries; required for seminary and feminist collections. Carolyn M. Craft, Longwood Coll., Farmville, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

'Jane Schaberg's The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene is a giant leap forward in the study of this mysterious woman. And the Virginia Woolf material adds a fruitful cross-pollination. I wish there were more such exploratory ventures.' (Gail Godwin, novelist and librettist of Magdalen at the Tomb )

'This is a marvelous book: critical, theoretical, sophisticated, historical, and spiritual in the best sense of the word. A landmark work in feminist cultural and Christian Testament studies. Writing in a lucid and engaging style, Schaberg makes a compelling case for Mary of Magdala's theological resurrection. A must reading for anyone working in the field.' (Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza )

'Jane Schaberg's book offers readers a journey of intellectual discovery. Its creative juxtaposition is both unusual and effective. The use of the writings of Virginia Woolf as a counterpart to the major theme of the book, Mary Magdalene, in Scripture and tradition, pioneers a new interpretative approach ot the study of Chrstian origins, which rehabilitates both a marginal figure and also religious themes that all too often fail to receive their proper acknowledgment in historical enquiry.' (Christopher Rowland, Dean Ireland's Professor of Exegesis of Holy Scripture, Queens College, Oxford )

"The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene is an extraordinary contribution to Biblical scholarship and to the ongoing history of feminist revision of western culture. Scrupulously researched, passionately and carefully argued, profoundly original in the double sense of returning to origins and creating something new, it is a work of 'the exegetical imagination' in the service of 'the renewal of the world' as well as the Word."--Alicia Suskin Ostriker

"Schaberg combines biblical scholarship, imagination, and feminist advocacy into a major work of methodological originality that reveals persuasive themes. Schaberg's book breaks new ground and is recommended for all libraries; required for seminary and feminist collections." --Carolyn M. Croft, Library Journal, June 15, 2002

Schaberg takes a progressive feminist approach to the Christian Testament, analyzing legend, archaeology, and Gnostic/apocryphal traditions in an effort to expose the ways in which the memory of Mary Magdalene has been suppressed. Throughout the text, the writings of Virginia Woolf are presented as a counterpoint to the Magdalene's story. --Reference & Research Book News, November 2002

"Among the plethora of recent books on Mary, Schaberg's stands out for its careful research, its literary artistry and its reflections on the meaning of it all...She is undaunted by the paucity of solid historical information, turning over every pebble of evidence about Mary Magdalene and examining it meticulously under her critical lenses. Schaberg is also a poet, which is evident in every lovely turn of phrase and precise expression...[Virginia] Woolf's presence adds a dimension to the book that wonderfully enriches its feminist texture and critical, reflective gaze...If readers are looking for one book to read on the historical Mary Magdalene, this is the book they should read." --Karen L. King, The Women's Review of Books, March 2003

"Written with literary flair, this is a fascinating and challenging book."
--Birger A. Pearson, Religious Studies Review, April 2003

“Among the plethora of recent books on Mary, Schaberg’s stands out for its careful research, its literary artistry and its reflections on the meaning of it all. If readers are looking for one book on the historical Mary Magdalene, this is the book they should read.” —Karen L. King, Women’s Review of Books (Women's Review Of Books )

“Schaberg combines biblical scholarship, imagination, and feminist advocacy into a major work of methodological originality that reveals persuasive themes. Schaberg’s book breaks new ground and is recommended for all libraries; required for seminary and feminist collections.” —Library Journal (Library Journal )

“Written with literary flair, this is a fascinating and challenging book.” —Religious Studies Review (Religious Studies Review )

“This book may well become the source on Mary Magdalene and is critical reading for any biblical scholar or theologian. Schaberg also departs from the common interpretations traditionally handed down and gives a fresh approach to understanding this woman who was companion and minister alongside Jesus.” —Diana Wear, NewWomen NewChurch (New Woman )

“Readers interested in a book bursting with information about Mary Magdalene will find Jane Schaberg’s book a must-read. This powerfully packed volume offers a feast for those interested in a wide range of subjects on this significant early Christian figure. Schaberg no doubt succeeds in her goal for the book a as a whole “to bridge historical criticism and literary criticism, the scholarly and the personal,” an undertaking she accomplishes with a rare flair and originality. The strengths of this book include how impressively well-read Schaberg is upon this topic of Mary Magdalene among others. I find what she has offered us to be an enriching and satisfying banquet from which readers will not go away hungry.” –Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Fall 2005

“Read this worthy sequel to The Illegitimacy of Jesus for an exhilarating look at what imaginative reconstructions do to challenge theological givens. Written in partnership with Virginia Woolf, Jane Schaberg trains her scholarly eye on the woman who gave voice to Jesus’ resurrection.” –WATERwheel, 2005 (Waterwheel )

"...But the most searching and passionately argued of the books in this category is "The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene: Legends, Apocrypha, and the New Testament" (2002), by Jane Scaberg, a professor at the University of Detroit Mercy."- The New Yorker, February 13 & 20, 2006 (New Yorker, The )

"...Shaberg does believe in the rhetoric she sues or the game she plays- that is, in history. She believes in the historical women at the empty tomb and in the Gospel of Mary with its vision of a collective human community beyond social constructs of gender.... The resulting disjoint- between her creative use of Woolf and her historical reconstruction- is Schaberg at her best. That gap calls readers to her gospel of the communal Human One far more effectively than her polemical work, however necessary, does."- Richard Walsh, The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 2, Number 2, 2006

"In her groundbreaking work on Mary Magdalene, Jane Schaberg offers scholars of Bible and church history a view of Mary Magdalene that flows from careful, critical, and provocative research aimed at uncovering the nobility of a woman whose legendary history has all too often marred the truth of her beauty... Schaberg has given students, scholars, and an educated public a gem that will define Christianity and change the course of legend for years to come."- The Journal of Religion, Vol. 85, 2005

(Journal Of Religion )

Schaberg takes a progressive feminist approach to the Christian Testament, analyzing legend, archaeology, and Gnostic/apocryphal traditions in an effort to expose the ways in which the memory of Mary Magdalene has been suppressed. Throughout the text, the writings of Virginia Woolf are presented as a counterpoint to the Magdalene's story. --Reference & Research Book News, November 2002

“…But the most searching and passionately argued of the books in this category is “The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene: Legends, Apocrypha, and the New Testament” (2002), by Jane Scaberg, a professor at the University of Detroit Mercy.”- The New Yorker, February 13 & 20, 2006 (New Yorker, The )

"…Shaberg does believe in the rhetoric she sues or the game she plays- that is, in history. She believes in the historical women at the empty tomb and in the Gospel of Mary with its vision of a collective human community beyond social constructs of gender…. The resulting disjoint- between her creative use of Woolf and her historical reconstruction- is Schaberg at her best. That gap calls readers to her gospel of the communal Human One far more effectively than her polemical work, however necessary, does."- Richard Walsh, The Bible and Critical Theory, Vol. 2, Number 2, 2006

"In her groundbreaking work on Mary Magdalene, Jane Schaberg offers scholars of Bible and church history a view of Mary Magdalene that flows from careful, critical, and provocative research aimed at uncovering the nobility of a woman whose legendary history has all too often marred the truth of her beauty… Schaberg has given students, scholars, and an educated public a gem that will define Christianity and change the course of legend for years to come."- The Journal of Religion, Vol. 85, 2005

(Journal Of Religion )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 375 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (June 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826413838
• ISBN-13: 978-0826413833
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #390,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #75 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Apocrypha

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mary Magdalene for the Non-Theologian, November 26, 2002

By 

Judith M Shimkus (St Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene: Legends, Apocrypha, and the Christian Testament (Hardcover)

I can only write this review from a non-theological point of view. I am a systems-programmer, not a scholar. Having been brought up Roman Catholic, then fallen far, far away into what might be called "unorthodox deism", I am astonished by the difference between the canonical New Testament texts I was taught, and the views Jane Schaberg expresses. So, the canonical Matthew, Mark, Luke and John aren't "history"? This is refreshing, because taken as history they don't make all
that much sense. The additional frequent allusions to the documents from Nag Hammadi and other apocrypha point the way to "the way things might have been different" from the canonical teachings, and help to look at the historical Jesus as a real person, not a simpering victim of Augustinian prudery.
This last helps support Schaberg's postulation that Mary Magdalene, among other women, may have been not distant followers of Jesus but intimate companions and the true proclaimers of his message to the apostles and to the world.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Schaberg's Magdalene, September 19, 2002

By 

Ralph D. Cushing (grosse pointe, mi United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene: Legends, Apocrypha, and the Christian Testament (Hardcover)

Schaberg's book is a challenging read, but should be accessable to one who reads feminist/womanist authors, Biblical scholars or both. She has meticulously reviewed and analysed the literature and film on or related to Mary Magdalene. She has summarized the limited archaeological work done at Migdal.
Perhaps I have been afraid of Virginia Woolf. Now I will read her work, and try to compare it with the work of Mary Ann Evans. I have been interested in what Evans says about religion.
I find Schaberg's discovery of allusion to 2 Kings 2 in John 20 to be breathtaking... I will be spending a lot of time with this book.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tour de Force on Mary Magdalene/Virginia Woolf, August 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene: Legends, Apocrypha, and the Christian Testament (Hardcover)

This is a masterful book. The scholarship is impressive, but it is the combination of solid learning with the personal that is unusual and engaging. Schaberg is fearlessly feminist, but this is not a polemic. She is persuasive and at times even poetic. For those interested in Mary Magdalene or Virginia Woolf this book is a must-read, but everyone interested in the origins of Christianity and the impact of patriarchy on human institutions will find a great deal of interest here.