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The Lost Gospel of Mary: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts Hardcover – April 1, 2007

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Frederica Mathewes-Green (Author)
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4.4 out of 5 stars 20 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 159 pages
  • Publisher: Paraclete Press (MA); First Edition edition (April 1, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1557255369
  • ISBN-13: 978-1557255365
  • Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #803,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsVery Well Done
By Charles R. Wiese on March 3, 2010
Format: Hardcover
Paraclete Press sent me a complimentary copy of The Lost Gospel of Mary by Frederica Mathewes-Green. The title might suggest a sensationalistic book which contains some supposedly lost gnostic writings that tell us about the real Mary--a Mary that is nothing like the Mary found in the Christian Scriptures. But that's not the case at all. Paraclete Press is probably trying to attract the attention of those who are interested in gnostic writings but the scholarship within the book is very good. The book contains three texts from the early church that are either about or addressed to Mary with lots of introductory material and commentary.

The first text is the longest and is my favorite. Most scholars refer to it as the Protevangelium of James. Frederica Mathewes-Green calls it the Gospel of Mary and her title is fitting. This was written sometime before AD 150 and is all about the life of Mary from her birth through the birth of Christ. In the early church some regarded it as canonical. It fills in some interesting information about her betrothal and supports the tradition that Mary remained a virgin through the birthing process. Frederica Mathewes-Green writes within the Eastern Orthodox tradition and offers a pretty balanced view of how we should regard this document. I don't see anything in this text that contradicts the Scriptures--just some filling in of details. I'm suspicious of a few of the details in the story but the bulk of it seems believable. There are a few translations of this text floating around the internet but this translations is the easiest read and has lots of helpful notes.

The second text is a prayer addressed to Mary, asking her for protection that was written around AD 250. This text does not really tell us about Mary and who she is.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsWell-written, researched and rational Marian treatment.
By JordanJasper on October 18, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Mathewes-Green writes from an Orthodox Christian perspective with admirable flair and considerable insight that helps readers grasp the humanity and impetus behind her subject matter. Her tones are hardly lofty or antiseptic in a scholarly way, but her remarks are probation and revealing. Here she offers glimpses and personal translations of three of the most ancient Marian texts in Christian history: the Protevangelium (c. 140 CE), the Sub Tuum prayer to Mary (c. 250 CE) and The Akathist hymn by "Romanos" (properly dated to the 6th Century). People interest in detailed footnotes and scholarly debates should look to more forensic treatments of these three ancient Christian texts. Here, FM-G seeks to explore the socio-cultural and spiritual purposes and traditions that may (or may not) have motivated the communities that produced such texts and she ponders the more obvious ramifications and issues, comparing them (where relevant) to contemporary understandings and questions regarding ancient Marian traditions. She does this thoughtfully and with clear language and admirable consideration. This is a fine addition to any library of books dealing with the most ancient periods of Christian theological history and pious practice, especially when considering that both the Protoevangelium and the Sub Tuum prayer were in use long before Constantine, the advent of the Nicene Fathers, and even before the "Bible" itself was compiled with any wide-reaching canonical authority ... to say nothing of the fact that Bibles (as we know them today) did not even exist in Christianity for many more centuries to come.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe book that tells us "the rest of the story..."
By Desert Rose on October 23, 2010
Format: Hardcover
Christianity is derived from two sources: Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. All too often, Scripture is emphasized more so than tradition. In this book Ms. Mathewes-Green introduces us to the Sacred Tradition behind Mary and the events leading up to the birth of Christ. I really appreciated the way she outlined the Protoevangelium and made it easy for people to understand. This 'pre-gospel' written by James the brother of Jesus is not one that is accepted by Protestants and even some Catholics get 'nervous' about it, but I feel that even though it is not a part of the recognized "canon" it is still a very interesting and useful source for Christians to understand why the Theotokos the Virgin Mary is important for us to respect, and it demonstrates in detail how her example of obedience to God is a good example for all of us to follow.
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5.0 out of 5 starsWhy we love the Holy Virgin and Mother of God
By David Withun on April 7, 2011
Format: Hardcover
I'm very disappointed with myself for waiting so long to read this wonderful book. Khouria Frederica introduces us to three ancient texts, the "Protoevangelion of James" (circa 150 CE), the "Sub tuum praesidium" (circa 250 CE), and the "Akathist to the Theotokos" (circa 520 CE), each of them exemplifying some important aspect of early Christian Mariology and Marian devotion. She offers her own (very well done) translation and her own (very illuminating) notes on each of these texts in this book. She also offers some basic information that goes a long way in aiding an understanding of early Christian and Orthodox veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I recommend this book especially to those who are already Orthodox or who are considering Orthodoxy but are struggling to understand the Church's love for the Holy Virgin. This is by far the best introduction I have read to an Orthodox understanding of the Holy Mother of God. I hope more people will read this excellent book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great item, Fast shipping. Thank you.

Published 6 months ago by David Grider
5.0 out of 5 starsmike

Excellent information about devotions to Mary the mother of God. It is worth the read. I recommend it. God bless.

Published 20 months ago by MIke
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Beautiful--really enjoyed this!

Published 21 months ago by Mrs.judy f. little
5.0 out of 5 starsFantastic read!

I could not put it down! The only time I stopped reading was when I sat and pondered what she'd translated.
Yesterday I read The Real Mary by Scot McKnight. Read more

Published on February 27, 2014 by Robert F. Phillips
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellence !

this book not only met my expectations ! IT EXCEEDED them !!! THANK YOU so much !!! It arrived sooner than I thought it would, it was a better quality book than I expected and... Read more

Published on December 1, 2013 by Brandi Johnson
5.0 out of 5 starsexceeded my expectations

While I was already a huge fan of FMG, this book exceeded my expectations. The detail put into research of the different ancient texts was very thorough. Read more

Published on November 19, 2013 by lucyjane
5.0 out of 5 starsThe Lost Gospel of Mary

This book made a significant contribution to my pilgrimage from West to East, helping me love and appreciate Saint Mary; a concept previous foreign to me as an evangelical... Read more

Published on March 29, 2013 by David French
5.0 out of 5 starsGoing back in time

We have to go back in time and read the true gems of theology like these three ancient writings, in order to understand how genuine is our veneration of Mary. Read more

Published on December 29, 2012 by Dan S G
5.0 out of 5 starsThe Lost Gospel of Mary: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts

I bought the book because our parish was having a deeper look at Mary and our priest chose this book. Read more

Published on August 19, 2010 by japc

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