The Sacred Embrace of Jesus and Mary: The Sexual Mystery at the Heart of the Christian Tradition » (Translatio)

Jean-Yves Leloup is a theologian and founder of the Institute of Other Civilization Studies and the International College of Therapists. His books include Jesus and Judas, The Sacred Embrace of Jesus and Mary, The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, The Gospel of Philip, and The Gospel of Thomas. He lives in France.

Of the major religions, Christianity is the only one that has rejected sexuality as a path that can lead to enlightenment and salvation. Jean-Yves Leloup contends that the sacred nature of the embrace shared by man and woman is a true reflection of humanity made in God’s image and can be, as Christ intended, a powerful path of transfiguration.

Publishers Weekly

Practiced and thorough with his extrapolation of the sacred texts, Leloup (founder of the Institute of Other Civilization Studies and the International College of Therapists and author of The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, The Gospel of Philip and The Gospel of Thomas) addresses the current debate about the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Far from the popular fictional depictions of this relationship, Leloup's work approaches the topics of love and sexuality with a lifetime of study, from the ancient Hebrew and Greek texts through the Christian Gnostic Gospels, before addressing the specifics of the relationship of Jesus and Mary. Leloup spends as much time dissecting the textual attitudes regarding sexual relations as he does examining the contextual sexuality of Jesus and the parameters of his relationship with Mary. This thoughtful and detailed discussion has a more academic tone than some of his other books and may seem daunting, but fans of Leloup and true seekers of the meaning of love, the holiness of sexuality and the deeper aspects of the relationship between Jesus and Mary won't be disappointed. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.