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by Lesa Bellevie
The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, by Jean-Yves Leloup (Inner Traditions, 2002)
Jean-Yves Leloup has written a stunning commentary on the ancient Gnostic text, The Gospel of Mary. Discovered in the
late 1800's and published with the more recently discovered Nag Hammadi Library, The Gospel of Mary has puzzled many
readers because of its missing pages and esoteric language. This book will take much of the mystery out of this text for
general readers and scholars alike.
Most notable, I think, is the translation of "anthropos" as "human" rather than "man." This was a problem with the Gospel
of Thomas as well; Jesus and the disciples make comments about women turning into men before they can find the Kingdom of
God. At best, these comments were mystifying, and more than a few women found them to be shocking. With this translation,
however, Leloup encourages us to think of the comments as meaning that women (and men) must become more spiritually aware
before understanding the mysteries of Jesus' teachings.
There is a little bit for everyone in this book, ranging from the original Coptic with facing English translation to an
in-depth line by line commentary. It's more than enough to stimulate debate about Christianity's early developments,
particularly relating to the authority of women.
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