The Lost Mary

Rediscovering the Mother of Jesus

De: James D. Tabor

Narrado por: James D. Tabor

A world-renowned historian of early Christianity and ancient Judaism lifts the veil on the life of Mary—revealing her revolutionary role as the matriarch of the Jesus movement

“A great leap forward in understanding and contextualizing Mary’s life, after two millennia of her being dismissed and rewritten by patriarchal power structures.” —James Cameron, creator of Avatar, Titanic, and The Terminator

“The Lost Mary unfolds in five radical claims. . . . Together these arguments are Tabor’s attempt to rescue Mary from pious abstraction and revolutionize our picture of her as one of the most consequential women in history. . . . In recovering her story, we discover not only the hidden roots of Christianity but also a model of resilience that speaks across time. Mary, Tabor shows, reminds us that behind every movement are women whose voices have been silenced, whose influence has been hidden in plain sight.” —Candida Moss, National Geographic

“Tabor restores her voice, her faith, her motherhood, and, most of all, her humanity, in this groundbreaking portrait that challenges everything we thought we knew about the origins of Christianity.” —Reza Aslan, author of Zealot


Mary, mother of Jesus, is the best known—and least known—woman in history. Revered and worshipped by millions, she remains a figment of the imagination, the ethereal subject of Raphaels and Botticellis, bathed in heavenly light, too virginal and pure to move among us.

But what about the real Mary? The young Jewish woman and single mother of eight—five boys and three girls. The defiant citizen of Roman-occupied Galilee who survived through one of the most dangerous periods of Jewish history—an ancient “game of thrones” that claimed the lives of three of her sons: Jesus and Simon by crucifixion, James by stoning. The historical Mary whose teachings and courageous example may in fact make her the “first founder” of what we now call Christianity.

This Mary has not only been lost to us—she has been systematically erased over the past two millennia by a theological, cultural, and political program intent on removing her from the human realm and marginalizing her womanhood, motherhood, and Jewishness.

In The Lost Mary, James D. Tabor corrects the record, laying out the results of his intensive textual and archaeological sleuthing over the past three decades, including new evidence regarding Mary’s genealogy (which may be hiding in plain sight in the New Testament!). Tabor’s quest for the historical Mary offers a transformative perspective on Jesus and his early followers, and recovers the nature and essence of earliest Christianity.

Mary finally tells her story

From the opening pages of Dr. James Tabor’s masterful work, The Lost Mary, the reader is drawn into a long-overdue resurrection of a woman who has been both honored and nearly invisible in our New Testament narrative. In bringing to life the mother of Jesus, “the most well-known, least-known woman,” as he aptly puts it, Dr. Tabor has written not just a book of scholarship, but a vivid, empathetic portrait of Mary the woman: young, vulnerable, courageous, and transformative.

What makes this book exceptional is three-fold:
Humanizing Mary’s journey.
Mary’s passage from girlhood to motherhood, from Nazareth to Sepphoris, and from private life to the global stage of faith, has often been glossed over. Dr. Tabor restores her dignity, her context, her fear and hope. He invites us to imagine the trials she must have faced in that era, cultural constraints, political unrest, familial upheaval, and the sheer magnitude of what it meant to become the mother of Jesus.

Unearthing the geographic and cultural context.
Through careful research, the author revives the significance of places like Rapphia and Sepphoris, offering us a richer, more textured world in which Mary lived. We begin to see what it might have meant for her to move, for example, from the quieter environs of a Galilean village to a more dynamic urban setting, and how those landscapes shaped her world.

Giving voice to “the name behind the name.”
Mary has often been confined to being an icon or a title rather than a full-fleshed individual. Dr. Tabor insists on seeing her as a woman with a story: hopes, questions, strength, anguish. He places her in the foreground rather than the footnotes, making her more than a name in history.

In short, this book accomplishes something rare: it educates, it stirs, and it honors. It asks readers to rethink what they know, and to recognize how incomplete our narratives often are when we fail to see the women who stood behind them. Thank you, Dr. Tabor, for weaving the story of what it must have been like to be THE Mary. May this book lead many more to understand that names in history deserve to be more than just names, they deserve lives thoughtfully remembered.

History and archeology resurrecting Mary

Lots of historical background providing valuable insight into Mary's important role as an influential key player into the revolution started by John the Baptist and continued by Mary's children

The Story Hidden in the Dark for so Long

What a fantastic opportunity for all of us to hear from a scholar who has spent his entire adult life researching early Christianity and Judaism, even to the point of joining archaeological digs in and around Israel, to find the earthly story of Jesus’ mother Mary and her family. I’ve listened twice and will continue to be amazed at this life changing information.

Great Realistic Look at the Biblical Mary

The author clearly identifies his sources, when he's on firm ground and when he's speculating. This is a critical reading of the Bible and other period texts, not a religious one. Great audio performance. Highly recommend.

Unknown history of the Virgin Mary and of Jesus’s siblings.

Eye-opening historical account of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, his disciples, and his siblings. A must for all of those seeking knowledge and the truth.

Insightful look at the Mary of history

Dr. Tabor has once again released a work that will have you flipping through your Bible. Lots of new insights into the very important role the matriarch of this holy family played, as did her less-famous children. Mary grew up in a world that terrified her, and she taught her children, Jesus included, how to really put the fear of God into Herod and his offspring.

The Historical Mary: Eye opening and fascinating

I have been listening to James Tabor for a while on YouTube and just started his books on Audible. What’s fascinating about James Tabor is his deep understanding of the foundations needed to truly grasp biblical characters — not only the Bible itself, but also the many forgotten or rediscovered books, as well as languages like Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek. In addition, he has spent many years participating in archaeological digs in Israel, so he understands the context and works like a detective, bringing these characters to life in a historical way.

An example from this book is the text most of us tend to skip when reading on our own — the long genealogies. I always thought they were boring, until now. He explains what they really reveal and who Mary/Maria/Miriam really was based on lineage, and why Jesus/Yeshua might have been seen as a genuine threat to Herod and the Roman state. It opened my eyes — and it likely will for you too.

I should say Dr. Tabor — James Tabor, Ph.D. — so you know he has the credentials and the decades of study needed to bring Mary to life and show the mother of Jesus in a way you’ve likely never seen before. Through historical evidence, you’ll also see that much of what you think you know about her may not be the true story, but later additions over the centuries. Yet Dr. Tabor is never dogmatic in his presentation; he leaves room for you to draw your own conclusions and believe what you believe. There is space for your own reflection and understanding.

I also love that this time he is the one narrating. He has a warm and engaging voice, and his passion for the subject truly comes through. I recommend following him on YouTube as well — he regularly posts new material, including videos from his archaeological digs in Israel, such as the story of where Mary may have been buried with her family. I’ll leave you with a cliffhanger: the grave bears her Jewish name alongside her son’s, and includes a few more names you might recognize.

Beautiful

Stunning insights into Mary’s real life that make her so much more relevant to strong, women leaders today.

Tabor pilled

I’m so Tabor pilled, but still believe in the virgin birth. Not as powerful as Jesus Dynasty but still a great book and performance.

Remarkable

Bwhat phenomenal insight!!!congratulations professor a nd thankryou
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I recommend this to anyone searching for insight into early Christianity