The Resurrection of Mary Magdalen: Legends, Apocrypha, and the Christian Testament »

Schaberg takes a progressive feminist approach to the Christian Testament, analyzing legend, archaeology, and Gnostic/apocryphal traditions in an effort to expose the ways in which the memory of Mary Magdalene has been suppressed. Throughout the text, the writings of Virginia Woolf are presented as a counterpoint to the Magdalene's story. Schaberg teaches religious studies and women's studies at the University of Detroit Mercy. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Library Journal

Schaberg (The Illegitimacy of Jesus: A Feminist Theological Interpretation of the Infancy Narratives of Matthew and Luke) moves from contemporary feminist concerns, through the vast array of legend, apocryphal writing, and biblical reverberations, back to the "real" Mary Magdalene. She concludes that Magdalene was denigrated because she was a powerful woman, close to Jesus and perhaps to John the Baptist as well. At the same time, Schaberg searches for antecedents of the empty tomb and stories of John 20, in which Jesus appears to Magdalene: these she finds in the ascension of Elijah in 2 Kings 2, an association that suggests that Magdalene was Jesus' Elisha. Schaberg combines biblical scholarship, imagination, and feminist advocacy into a major work of methodological originality that reveals pervasive themes, such as the silencing of women who question the patriarchy. While there are numerous recent works on Mary Magdalene, Schaberg's book breaks new ground and is recommended for all libraries; required for seminary and feminist collections. Carolyn M. Craft, Longwood Coll., Farmville, VA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.