Did you like The Red Tent? Uh, who didn't like The Red Tent?
I actually re-read it when I was pregnant with my first child and having horrible "morning" sickness. I tried to find something - anything - in the Bible that might give me solace, or at least some insight into how the women of Biblical times handled their pregnancies. Look, I've got a fancy degree in theology so I know 99.9% of the Bible was written by men, but come on - not even anything on the Virgin Mary? There's more written about Joseph's lineage and angel dream than Mary's pregnancy or birth. "And she gave birth to a son and wrapped him in cloths." Um, I'm pretty sure there was a bit more going on there.
I actually re-read it when I was pregnant with my first child and having horrible "morning" sickness. I tried to find something - anything - in the Bible that might give me solace, or at least some insight into how the women of Biblical times handled their pregnancies. Look, I've got a fancy degree in theology so I know 99.9% of the Bible was written by men, but come on - not even anything on the Virgin Mary? There's more written about Joseph's lineage and angel dream than Mary's pregnancy or birth. "And she gave birth to a son and wrapped him in cloths." Um, I'm pretty sure there was a bit more going on there.
Frustrated, I turned to Anita Diamant's gripping tale of Dinah and all her aunties trudging through the Levant under the yoke of a patriarchal, fiercely holy tribe that would become Israel.
In a similar way, so many (dare I say all? Probably an over-statement) stories of the life and times of Jesus are focused on the men involved. Never mind the fact that the women who followed Jesus risked so much more than their male counterparts to do so, never mind the fact that it was a woman who carried and bore him, women who stood by Him through his trial and execution and women who first discovered the empty tomb and first saw the risen Christ.
Still, all we get is the male perspective. Well, no longer.
In Margaret George's Mary Called Magdalene, we finally have a riveting, believable, heart wrenching, and spot on interpretation of one of the most fascinating women from the heart of Jesus' inner circle. Written with, as always, George's impeccable research, this immersive first person perspective will give even those who are not of the Christian faith a woman who's story, who's struggle, who's devotion to her beliefs and her family, who's woman-ness, transcends the centuries and the faiths.
This book has been call "the diary of a soul" and for good reason. I hope you enjoy diving into a world two thousand years ago and finding how one woman's journey can resonate through the years like a tuning fork to your own.
As with all my recommendations, I'd love to hear what you think of the book, so post a comment or send me an email. And in the meantime, Happy Passover, Easter and just plain spring to you all.
In a similar way, so many (dare I say all? Probably an over-statement) stories of the life and times of Jesus are focused on the men involved. Never mind the fact that the women who followed Jesus risked so much more than their male counterparts to do so, never mind the fact that it was a woman who carried and bore him, women who stood by Him through his trial and execution and women who first discovered the empty tomb and first saw the risen Christ.
Still, all we get is the male perspective. Well, no longer.
In Margaret George's Mary Called Magdalene, we finally have a riveting, believable, heart wrenching, and spot on interpretation of one of the most fascinating women from the heart of Jesus' inner circle. Written with, as always, George's impeccable research, this immersive first person perspective will give even those who are not of the Christian faith a woman who's story, who's struggle, who's devotion to her beliefs and her family, who's woman-ness, transcends the centuries and the faiths.
This book has been call "the diary of a soul" and for good reason. I hope you enjoy diving into a world two thousand years ago and finding how one woman's journey can resonate through the years like a tuning fork to your own.
As with all my recommendations, I'd love to hear what you think of the book, so post a comment or send me an email. And in the meantime, Happy Passover, Easter and just plain spring to you all.
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