Product Description

Are the roots of Christianity partly based on spin and propaganda? Acting as a historical detective, the author strips away the layers of deception and propaganda that surround the Christian story in a quest to find the real Mary Magdalene, asking these questions: was she a reformed prostitute who spent the rest of her life in penitence, as the Church has claimed? Was she merely one of the women who followed Jesus, at a respectful distance, and of no real account compared to the male disciples? Was she even a Jewish woman from the shore of lake Galilee? Using both scholastic and heretical sources - and a very heavy dose of common sense - the author discovers that virtually everything that the Church has ever led us to believe about Magdalene is not only wrong, but part of a deliberate conspiracy to cover up some uncomfortable facts. From the scriptures - both biblical and non-canonical, besides other historical traditions such as the secret inner circle of the Knights Templar - a very different Magdalene emerges: not only was she Jesus' sexual companion, but also the "Apostle of the Apostles", and his true successor. And far from being Galilean, she was probably a black woman from Ethiopia, who bore Jesus' mixed race child. Yet the story does not stop there: was Jesus really a Son of God or even the epitome of goodness - or, as the evidence strongly suggests - did he have a dark side that proved fatal to John the Baptist?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #180747 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From the Author
When I gave the film-makers of 'The Da Vinci Code' permission to use my book 'Mary Magdalene: Christianity's Hidden Goddess' for set-dressing, I had no idea it would be the only real book - as opposed to those by the fictional character Robert Langdon - which is featured in the entire movie! (And, by the way, so am I, in a cameo with my colleague Clive Prince, see below, in the scene on the bus.)

Certainly my Magdalene book reflects the central theme of the movie/book to perfection - as indeed, it should, being a sort of sequel (or maybe even a prequel) to 'The Templar Revelation', co-authored with Clive Prince, which Dan Brown recently acknowledged in his High Court witness statement to have given him 'everything I needed for my Big Idea'.

In this case, the Big Idea is the significance of the Sacred Feminine, and the true status of Mary Magdalene as Christ's lover - NOT wife - and head Apostle, above even Saint Peter.

In my view, the Magdalene is the most important woman in history. A feisty, intelligent and very modern woman (who may have been black), who not only worshipped the Great Mother but actively represented her, with Christ's full approval.

The Church has indeed suppressed the truth about her, but now we're all searching for the real Magdalene, who Christ himself declared would be celebrated wherever the Gospel is preached. It's a pity that the Vatican deliberately ignored Jesus' own words in order to rewrite her as a snivelling ex-prostitute.

It's time now for the Magnificent Magdalene to make a come-back.

Lynn Picknett

About the Author
Lynn Picknett is author of Mary Magdalene: Christianity's Hidden Goddess and (with Clive Prince) Turin Shroud: How Leonardo da Vinci Fooled History and its sequel, The Templar Revelation. She is also a lecturer and consultant on UFOs and the paranormal (Meridien/Anglia TV, Talk Radio, LBC, the Museum of Photography and the British UFO Research Association). She lives in London.

Customer Reviews

Just because there are conspiracy theories, that doesn't mean that there are no conspiracies
I think it is very unfair to dismiss this book as yet another example of a loopy conspiracy theory. Lynn Picknett is not David Icke. And her book is intelligent and challenging. I am not competent to judge all her claims about Mary Magdalen, Jesus Christ, and John the Baptist. She may turn out to be wrong about important aspects of all three of these world historical individuals. But I would like to make just one point. Anybody who believes that the evolution of the Old and New Testaments was not driven by conspiracy, politics, brutality, and bigotry has simply not been paying attention. The New Testament in particular was authorised by a committee/cabal determined to present a particular view. If it were not for the heretical/alternative documents that have been unearthed over the centuries, and for the scholars and writers who have interpreted these documents for us, ordinary people would have had very little idea just how spun and partisan are all four of the so-called canonical gospels. And anybody even slightly familiar with the Roman Catholic Church's way of dealing with difference must accept that historically the Church has been as brutal as any warlord, as oppressive as any totalitarian regime, and as mendacious as any criminal organisation. This does not mean that there have been no shining examples of decency within the Church. Nor does it mean that the present-day RC Church has not changed very much for the better. But to dismiss Lynn Picknett's analysis of Christianity's shortcomings as a nothing more than an example of conspiracy theory is simply to be trite.

Really makes you think!
I have really enjoyed this book, despite being full of a great deal of facts and theories it was very easy to read, not hard going at all. On the subject matter, it certainly presents some very interesting ideas on the true nature of the bible. I have found myself wanting even more answers about this subject matter. If your looking for answers there are certainly some in here to ponder.

Well written, very instructive!
First, I like the way the author exposes her ideas. Second, even if the content were mere fiction, the book is a good read. Definitely, this book is an alternative way to official Christianity, and lets us realize that there is much more to what we have been conventionally taught.