Mary, Called Magdalene

De: Margaret George

Narrado por: Kate Reading

The New York Times best-selling author of Elizabeth I brilliantly reimagines the story of the most mysterious woman in the Bible.

Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute, a female divinity figure, a church leader, or all of those? Biblical references to her are tantalizingly brief, but we do know that she was the first person to whom the risen Christ appeared - and the one commissioned to tell others the good news, earning her the ancient honorific "Apostle to the Apostles". Today, Mary continues to spark controversy, curiosity, and veneration. In a vivid re-creation of Mary Magdalene's life story, Margaret George convincingly captures this renowned woman's voice as she moves from girlhood to womanhood, becomes part of the circle of disciples, and comes to grips with the divine. Grounded in biblical scholarship and secular research, this fascinating historical novel is also, ultimately, "the diary of a soul".

©2003 Margaret George (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“The premise of Ms. George’s novel is intriguing...With rigorous research, [she] paints the landscape and rituals of Judea.” (The New York Times)

“[An] expansive, thoughtful novel.” (San Francisco Chronicler)

Rich and Moving

Lovely narration and compelling story, thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring and insightful. I'm so glad I found the book at Goodwill. I was guided to it.

Compelling and personal insight into the experience of being a 1st-century disciple of Jesus

This book is a well-written historical/biblical fiction that portrays what the life of a disciple of Jesus and a 1st-century woman living in Palestine might have been like. It is steeped in quality research and is a great learning tool, both about the historical context of the New Testament and about biblical narratives themselves. Because the Bible was a product of its time, two truths affect our modern reception: it does not set out to explain its own time and place that is foreign to us, and it often gives minimal details about people who were less socially significant at the time (i.e. in particular here, women.) This book does a fine job fleshing out those two gaps for modern readers, bringing the biblical narrative to life. As the author explains expertly in the afterword, she has crafted this novel from biblical references, historical research, and creative imagination where needed (primarily, as Margaret George mentions, about the personal details of Mary Magdalene’s life and childhood).
As a Christian seminarian and budding biblical scholar, I am wary of attempts to harmonize the four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John) into one story of Jesus’s life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Each gospel writer had different perspectives, audiences, and focuses in the way they chose to tell the story of Jesus, so I find it confessionally important to maintain their distinctions and even hold in tension some of their contradictions. This novel’s genre allows for some harmonization, but in my nerdy and picky preferences I would’ve liked it to follow one gospel writer’s narrative arc. However, as George writes in the afterword, she is limited by the fact that Mary Magdalene is only referenced 5 times in the New Testament.
I listened to this book on 1.5 (and sometimes 1.75) speed. I’m a fast auditory processor, so that may be why that worked for me.

Riveting storytelling

It transported me. Highly recommend it as someone that has always been interested in this period

Well Done!

Would you listen to Mary, Called Magdalene again? Why?

Yes- there is so much real- geographical historical data and so many important messages that I know I must hear it again. "He who has ears, let them hear."

What did you like best about this story?

A bit of history, a bit of speculation but all in all- a wonderful journey!

Which character – as performed by Kate Reading – was your favorite?

Mary and then, unfortunately....Judas...!

Who was the most memorable character of Mary, Called Magdalene and why?

Jesus and Blessed Mother. I also loved meeting Jo-Anna and Susanna.

Any additional comments?

Mary Magdelene has been my Patron Saint for a very long time. This book helps bring to life part of her amazing, yet still somewhat mysterious life on earth and relationship as a true disciple of Christ.

Well worth the 30 hours!

My best friend had always included this book in her "my favorite books" list, but I shied away from the print version because of its length. I decided to finally give it a chance with the audio version, and I'm so glad I did. Fabulous story and narration too! I highly recommend it!

Heartfelt

Never before have I been so sad to come to the end of a book. After 30 hours of listening, I wanted more, listen more, learn more. This book opened my eyes to the women of the Bible. How their lives might have been. Kate Reading put you in the right mood for every event in this Audible book. Thank you. Mary,
Called Magdalene is outstanding. The research and stories from the Bible were so true. Mary came to life. But what I will remember the most, will be the fact that this book just tells how Jesus made no difference between man or woman. He saw them equal and loves them dearly. It has again inspired me to realise that even I can be perfect in His eyes. We have now formed a Women Bible-study group to research the women of the Bible. Thank you Margaret for giving us this gift.

Good story, but flawed

I actually contacted Margaret George about this book. I really enjoy her books. She is one of my favorite authors. However, I was disturbed because of some of what I consider to be, major flaws in this novel.

I will admit I am not the average reader. I am an academic, a scholarly researcher, with a Ph.D. Ms. George explained her decisions to write the things I had problems with. She told me she had written a novel and that was a novelist and an entertainer, not a scholar. The decisions were based on that and her need to please her target audience. I told her that I understood this completely.

Now, these are my problems:

The names of her main characters: Jesus and Mary were not called by these names in their lifetime. They were Jews. They would have been Joshua and Miriam.

The disciples and Jesus call themselves Christians. Christianity did not come into being until at least 100 years after the death of Jesus. They were all Jews who did not intend to start a new religion, but to reform Judiasm.

There were no synagogues. Formal worship was carried out in the Temple in Jerusalem by priests. Other worship was carried out in the home. Rabbis are teachers, not in any way equivalent to priests. Anyone can lead a service in Judiasm. Synagogues emerged after the destruction of the second temple of Solomon in 70 CE.

I did enjoy this book. I especially liked how Ms George explained "Mary"s" personality and her innate goodness. I thought that her description of how she became a disciple aand her prominence in the movement was excellent storytelling. The rejection the character experienced by her family was very realistic and common in extremely observant Jewish families, even today.

I have listened to this book, twice and plan on listening to it again. I have also purchased it in print format. I recommend it. It is a good book, however I did have some misgivings as a scholar and a Jew.

Margaret George must have a time machine!

This was an enthralling story. it brings to life one of history's true heroines. Kate Reading does a magnificent job with the narration. I can only highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

A most believable story

Having minimal absolute facts about Mary Magdalene, the author, Margaret George has created a most believable and inspiring story of one of Jesus’s and early Christianity’s most influential disciples. The story allows you to go back in time and imagine what life was like in that first century, in the time of Jesus, and see the roots of Christianity take hold. The author took probable events and made them blossom into Intriguing stories. I especially appreciated how the author’s portrayal throughout the novel incorporated actual stories and quotations from the New Testament.

Paints a new picture of Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdelene is an important part of the Jesus story, and one of my favorites. This telling of her life made for a good listen as the author and story teller gave Mary a background not given to her in the Christian holy scriptures. Many folks regard her as a prostitute, this story gives her some depth. Some of the descriptions of Jesus were distracting, while probably not out of the realm of possibility. It is important to remember that this is a story, not meant to be a literal telling. The chapters describing her childhood were entertaining and also gives the listener a good background on Jewish practices and customs. As Mary ages, and eventually joins Jesus on his travels to heal and teach, As one of his disciples, Margaret George reminds the listener of her role. The parables we read in the Gospels are retold in ways that paint a picture of Jesus' ministry in a new way. Specifically, in chapter 32 Jesus speaks about the role of money in the lives of the Levites. We also get to know Judas, the disciple known to betray Jesus.
This detailed narrative is good for any reader who is looking for a (long) listen as long as they remember that this is storytelling of sacred stories.