Discover the Gospel truth about the most myth-understood woman of the New Testament. Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute? An adulteress? The wife of Jesus? An ancient goddess? Liz Curtis Higgs, best-selling author of Bad Girls of the Bible and Really Bad Girls of the Bible, combines heartfelt contemporary fiction with extensive biblical research to bring to life the real Mary Magdalene of the Bible. With her own eyes, she saw him. With her own ears, she heard him. With her own hands, she touched him. Unveiling Mary Magdalene opens with the fictional journey of Mary Margaret Delaney, a madwoman adrift in modern Chicago. Her moving story, closely paralleling the biblical account, is followed by a verse-by-verse study of the first-century Mary Magdalene and her life-changing encounters with the Christ.
“Liz has done it again! What hope and promise this will bring.” — Kay Arthur
“The unforgettable portrait of a courageous woman.” — Rebecca St. James
"While Jesus no doubt redeemed Mary Magdalene's soul, Higgs has nobly rehabilitated her reputation." -- Publishers Weekly, August 27, 2001
From the Author
Here’s the truth: Mary Magdalene has been knocking at the door of my heart for ages. She got squeezed out of BAD GIRLS OF THE BIBLE when I realized I needed more time to research her complex story. Then she was dropped from the roster for REALLY BAD GIRLS OF THE BIBLE because Tamar and Bathsheba took up more than their allotted pages. (Pushy, huh?) Now I know the real reason why Mary Magdalene waited so patiently in the wings: She deserves a book all her own!
Come meet the genuine Mary Magdalene of the Bible–not the scarlet-draped legend–and follow her one-of-a-kind story of deliverance and dedication, despair and declaration. Of all the books I've written, this one is my favorite. It was previously published as MAD MARY (2001), but alas, people kept asking, "Which Mary, and who is she mad at?!" And so, a new title and a new look, but the same content, the same book.
As with my other Bad Girls books, this one opens with a contemporary, fictional take on the biblical character. Once Mary Margaret Delaney’s story has prepared our hearts for learning, we’ll leave her in the Windy City and go verse by verse through Mary of Magdala’s ancient biblical tale, tossing aside modern myth-conceptions as we embrace the real Mary Magdalene. Prepare to be amazed by this eye-opening sister!
Liz Curtis Higgs has been telling tales since she attempted her first novel--handwritten in a marble notebook--at the tender age of ten. Award-winning careers in radio broadcasting, public speaking, nonfiction writing, and children's books honed Liz's storytelling talents, bringing her back to her first love, storytelling.
She is the author of 28 books, with more than 3 million copies in print, including two contemporary novels, one novella, and six historical novels, among them her latest Scottish saga, Here Burns My Candle and Mine Is the Night, a New York Times bestseller.
Her popular nonfiction books include the Bad Girls of the Bible series of books, workbooks, and DVDs, with more than one million copies in print.
And she has written five books for young children, including perennial favorite, The Pumpkin Patch Parable.
Her children's Parable Series received an ECPA Gold Medallion for Excellence, her nonfiction book Embrace Grace won a Retailers Choice Award, and her novel Whence Came a Prince received a Christy Award for Best Historical Novel. Liz was an award-winning columnist for Today's Christian Woman for a decade. Her articles have also appeared in Faith&Friends (Canada), WomanAlive (Great Britian), and Enhance (Australia). More than 4,500 churches nationwide are using her video Bible study series, Loved by God.
A gifted professional speaker, Liz has presented more than 1,600 inspirational programs for audiences in all fifty United States and fourteen foreign countries. When the National Speakers Association honored her with the Council of Peers Award for Excellence, Liz became one of only 32 women in the world named to their CPAE-Speaker Hall of Fame.
Feature articles about Liz have appeared in more than 250 major newspapers and magazines, as well as on Salon.com, Beliefnet.com, and Spirituality.com. She has been interviewed on more than 600 radio and television stations, including guest appearances on PBS, A&E, MSNBC, NPR, TBN, CBC Canada, BBC Radio Scotland, Rhema Broadcasting New Zealand, Radio Pulpit South Africa, Focus on the Family, Life Today, 100 Huntley Street, Midday Connection, and Janet Parshall's America.
On the personal side, Liz is married to Bill Higgs, Ph.D., who serves as Director of Operations for her speaking and writing office. Liz and Bill enjoy their old Kentucky home, a nineteenth-century farmhouse in Louisville, and are the proud (and relieved) parents of two college grads, Matt and Lilly. Visit Liz's Web site: http://www.LizCurtisHiggs.com
This review is from: Unveiling Mary Magdalene: Discover the Truth About a Not-So-Bad Girl of the Bible (Paperback)
?The Story?. On an icy Chicago day, Pastor Jake Stauros of Calvary Fellowship sees the desperate mumbling woman in her Goodwill wardrobe struggling to walk so he offered her help. Mary Margaret Delaney pretends to ignore his kindness and just keeps slipping, and incoherently saying ?Luna?. Jake truly wants to help her, but wonders how to reach Mary Margaret without a miracle as she acts as if demons possess her mind, and soul. Yet with God?s help he has assisted several rag tag muffins now part of the Calvary Fellowship. He will continue to pray for Mary Margaret, show her she is not alone, and optimistically hope she will join them. Mary Margaret?s story is a brilliantly written modern day parable paralleling that of Mary Magdalene so that readers can place a contemporary context on perhaps the bible?s ?baddest girl?.
?The Study?. Will the real Mary Magdalene stand up? Was she a courageous individual who followed Jesus and quickly became more than just a believer, but the person who was honored with being the first to see his reappearance? Was she a prostitute, Jesus? earthly lover or was that bad PR by a male dominated medieval church? Was she possessed by demons? Liz Curtis Higgs answers all the above and more with a thought provoking, well researched look at the New Testament. Using specific references that are easy to follow, Ms. Higgs furbishes a powerful intriguing case of who was the real Mary Magdalene.
UNVEILING MARY MAGDALENE is a terrific two-part combo that provides a wonderful novelette with an insightful biblical study that enables the audience to come away with a full understanding of one of the bible?s ?goodest? girls.
Harriet Klausner
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This review is from: Unveiling Mary Magdalene: Discover the Truth About a Not-So-Bad Girl of the Bible (Paperback)
Wow! This book is fabulous. Written with typical Liz humor and deep insight, this book is a must for anyone who wants to really understand Mary Magdalene. Liz lets us know why most of our perceptions about Mary Magdalene are erroneous. She also has that wonderful ability to modernize the story for us. We see a fictional modern woman and situation juxtaposed against the scriptural Mary. This really brings Mary to life. If you've read the DaVinci Code, you'll want to compare the two Marys represented.
I can also recommend Bad Girls of the Bible and Really Bad Girls of the Bible by the same author, who describes herself as a "former bad girl." Funny, moving, and meaningful.
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I bought this book because I love Liz's sense of humor and thought that was what I was buying. I took it on vacation with me and read the novel portion of the book and was pleasantly surprised that it was a well written novel with a very serious side (it made me cry on the airplane). I enjoyed it so much that I am going to suggest it as a book/bible study at church. Liz is a multi-talented sister and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase anything that she wrote.
Karen Lancto
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