Unveiling Mary Magdalene
Discover the Truth About a Not-So-Bad Girl of the Bible
by Liz Curtis Higgs
Overview
From the Publisher
Unveiling Mary Magdalene opens with the fictional journey of Mary Margaret Delaney, a madwoman adrift in modern Chicago. Her moving story, closely paralleling the biblical account, is followed by a verse-by-verse study of the first-century Mary Magdalene and her life-changing encounters with the Christ.
My thoughts
I first came across this author when I bought a book she'd written about Scotland. I didn't know at the time that she had a substantial series of religious books as well until I saw the advertisement in the back of the Scotish book. Having enjoyed the travel book, I thought I'd give one of the other books a try. I found one at Bookins.com, where I only have to pay shipping, thus if I didn't like the book I wasn't really out anything. I wasn't convinced I was going to like the fictional story followed by the biblical account.
As it turns out, I loved the presentation. The fictionalized, current-day Mary Magdalene story was a little disturbing and uncomfortable, but I suspect that was the point. I didn't care for the end of the story at all but I understand why the author went that route. I was slightly disappointed when I got to the end of the story, and my hesitation about the book crept back in when I started the biblical part of the book.
To my delight and surprise, I enjoyed the Bible study very much! The author did a very good job of researching the life of Mary Magdalene and explaining the complexities inside a brief bit of scripture. At times she goes into the definition of words to show us the power of a particular word or phrase, and she takes the customs of the time into account in offering explanations of behaviors. I was quite impressed with her seriousness, and yet found myself laughing often at her enthusiasm or clever use of language.
I am picky about religious books because many of them fall short for me, but I will be looking for more books by Liz Curtis Higgs. Next up I think I'd like to try one of her Bad Girls of the Bible series next!
Favorite Passage
It's clear why Mary Magdalene wanted to be with Jesus and the other women - they were the only ones who understood what she'd lived through. They wouldn't judge her for her past or ask her to share painful details. If you've been to Hades and back, beloved, you may find yourself drawn to other women who've also seen the inside of a jail cell or the bottom of a shot glass. Women who don't ask, "What was it really like?" or "How 'bout them demons?"
