Rating: 
Summary: Skip this Edition - Get the Karen King Edition
Review: Leloup's edition of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene is of minimal value in light of the new publication of an authoritative edition by Karen King: The Gospel of Mary of Magdala. Karen King's edition offers both a far superior translation of the original text, and a superb commentary on importance and interpretation of the Gospel of Mary. If you do choose to purchase this Leloup edition, please be sure and also pick up a copy of King's new edition. Then judge for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: An open door for open minds
Review: Leloup's translation and explanation of the Gospel of Mary is superb. He does an admirable job of making the context for the gospel live for the modern reader. For anyone seriously interested in exploring the gnostic gospels, this is a wonderful place to start.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but not Worth the Hype
Review: Let's be honest here and cut through the chase. In this age of rampant conspiracy theories and films that excite the imagination the idea of a secret coverup by the church to defame these wonderful works makes a tempting plot. And there is just enough truth to make it sound feasable. But before you all tell me how closed minded I am, let me offer a few alternatives. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO LEARN ABOUT GNOSTICISM: Research it throughly from BOTH sides, and keep an open mind. This was a major struggle in the early church. A lot of scholarly work is available from different perspectives. Gnosticism is alive and well today, as is orthodox Christianity. Many good books are available on Amazon. IF YOU REALLY WANY TO READ ONE OF THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS:
I suggest you choose the Gospel of Thomas. It is easy to find and has a lot more meat. The Gospel of Mary Magdalene has only 161 lines and about 175 pages of author added commentary and filler to stretch it out. The Gospel of Magdalene is not a complete work. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DEBATE OVER MARY:
I suggest you purchase the video, "Mary Magdalen: An Intimate Portrait" It is sold by Amazon. I reviewed it and find it to be a balanced, serious attempt at honesty without dodging extreme views on any side of the debate. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO STUDY THE "LOST BOOKS OF THE BIBLE":
I suggest you begin with the "Shepherd (Pastor) of Hermas" This book was so accepted in the early church that it can still be seen in our earliest known New Testament, Codex Sinaiticus, dating back to the 4th century. Then, after inclusion, it was removed, because it flunked the test of "Apostolic Authority". Other major very early works include the Didache, and Apostolic Constitutions. These will open plenty of scholarly debate. IF SOMETHING INSIDE YOU STILL SAYS YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE THIS BOOK:
Then download it over the net. The book isn't much longer than this review and it is in the public domain.
Rating: 
Summary: Literary Armageddon
Review: Nearly all knowledgeable Biblical scholars realize there have been a wide range of writings attributed to Jesus and his Apostles..... and that some of these were selected for compilation into the book that became known as the Bible.....and that some books have been removed from some versions of the Bible and others have been re-discovered in modern times.
The attention focused on Gnosticism by Dan Brown's DaVinci Code may be debatable, but the fact is that increased attention on academics tends to be predominately positive, so I welcome those with first-time or renewed interest. At least first-timers to Gnosticism are not pursuing the oh-so-popular legends of the Holy Grail, Bloodline of Christ, and Mary Magdalene.
This is great......I seldom quote other reviewers, but there is one reviewer of Pagels' books who confided that he had been a Jesuit candidate and had been required to study a wide range of texts but was never was told about the Nag Hamadi texts. He said:
"Now I know why. The Gospel of Thomas lays waste to the notion that Jesus was `the only begotten Son of God' and obviates the need for a formalized church when he says, `When your leaders tell you that God is in heaven, say rather, God is within you, and without you.' No wonder they suporessed this stuff! The Roman Catholic Church hasn't maintained itself as the oldest institution in the world by allowing individuals to have a clear channel to see the divinity within all of us: they need to put God in a bottle, label the bottle, put that bottle on an altar, build a church around that altar, put a sign over the door, and create rubricks and rituals to keep out the dis-believing riff-raff. Real `Us' versus `them' stuff, the polar opposite from `God is within You.' `My God is bigger than your God' the church(s)seem to say. And you can only get there through "my" door/denomination. But Jesus according to Thomas had it right: just keep it simple, and discover the indwelling Divinity `within you and without you.'"
Here are quickie reviews of what is being bought these days on the Gnostic Gospels and the lost books of the Bible in general:
The Lost Books of the Bible (0517277956) includes 26 apocryphal books from the first 400 years that were not included in the New Testament.
Marvin Meyers' The Secret Teachings of Jesus : Four Gnostic Gospels (0394744330 ) is a new translation without commentary of The Secret Book of James, The Gospel of Thomas, The Book of Thomas, and The Secret Book of John.
James M. Robinson's The Nag Hammadi Library in English : Revised Edition (0060669357) has been around 25 years now and is in 2nd edition. It has introductions to each of the 13 Nag Hammadi Codices and the Papyrus Berioinensis 8502.
The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (0140278079) by Geza Vermes has selected works....a complete work is more difficult to achieve than the publisher's marketing concept indicates. His commentary generates strong reactions.
Elaine Pagels has 2 books (The Gnostic Gospels 0679724532 and Beyond Belief : The Secret Gospel of Thomas 0375501568) that have received considerable attention lately. For many, her work is controversial in that it is written for popular consumption and there is a strong modern interpretation. She does attempt to reinterpret ancient gender relationships in the light of modern feminist thinking. While this is a useful (and entertaining) aspect of college women's studies programs, it is not as unethical as some critics claim. As hard as they may try, all historians interpret the past in the context of the present. Obviously there is value in our attempts to re-interpret the past in the light of our own time.
If you want the full scholarly work it is W. Schneemelcher's 2 volume New Testament Apocrypha.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and thoughtful, at times inspiring
Review: The existence of the Gospel of Mary was brought to light in Cairo in 1896. Some fifty years later, what are now known as the Gnostic gospels were discovered in Nag Hammadi, Egypt. Jean-Yves Leloup provides here a fascinating interpretation and commentary of the Gospel of Mary, with a few rewarding diversions into other texts, including some surprising revelations, and his alternate translation of excerpts from other gospels. At the heart of this work is what amounts to a map of human spiritual potential, the essence of Jesus' goal as found in the Gospel of Mary, presented as a way of guiding those who would follow to become fully human.
The material is presented in two parts. Part One is the Coptic text and translation, presented in a simple layout of each page of Coptic text on the left, with the English translation (from French by Joseph Rowe, with some comparison to other translations) on the facing right-hand page. The original pagination is retained and line numbers are added, which correspond roughly, though not exactly, to the original. The text is brief, and there are several missing pages. Of the 19 original pages of script only 9 remain intact. I count 1,145 translated words in all. Though brief and fragmented, this is powerful reading. This gospel presents Mary as closer to her Teacher than is usually evident in the New Testament. It also suggests that her vision of the resurrected Jesus, who's often referred to in this gospel as the Teacher, was of a more spiritual than physical nature.
Part Two is the text with Leloup's commentary, which covers not only his interpretive theories regarding the text of the gospel, but much more. In explaining his reasons for his translation of certain passages and specific words, he also goes into his opinion on the translation of bits of the canonical gospels, retranslating the Beatitudes into a more empowering form by replacing "Blessed are" to create an inspiring and motivating challenge to action in this world, rather than awaiting rewards in the afterlife.
I'm personally intrigued by his translation of portions of the Gospel of Thomas, an added bonus in this comprehensive work. I won't go into all the points of interest I came across in this thoughtful translation and commentary. Let me simply conclude that I recommend it to anyone concerned with learning more about the non-canonical gospels, Christian or Gnostic history, Mary Magdalene and Jesus, the divine feminine, or nuances in translation of the gospels.
Rating:
Summary: The Apostles Apostle.
Review: The Gospel according to Mary is a most welcome addition to the many once suppressed scriptures of early Christianity, discarded by Constantine and his councilman at Nicaea in the third century CE. The reasons for the exclusion of some texts over others would be an in-depth study of its own. In any event, the Naga Hammmadi texts, including the now famous Gospel of Thomas and Phillip, has not only shed new light on the history of Christianity, but has deepened our understanding of Christ's teachings, informing our faith and belief. Although the Gospel of Mary Magdalene has come to us in fragments, (parts of the text are missing) Leloup has proved himself an informed and intuitive exegete, giving us access to the meaning within the scripture. As Jacob Needleman expresses in his well written Forward: "One of the most remarkable aspects of 'The Gospel of Mary Magdalene' is that the more it shows us about the meaning of Christianity, the more the mystery deepens." This, to my mind, is the all-important aspect of spirituality, and that is our search is an on-going journey, in which the more the hidden is revealed, the greater the mystery becomes. The figure of Mary Magdalene appears not only in the New Testament but also in the so-called Gnostic Gospels. She is referred to as the 'apostles apostle' because she was a witness to Christ's death and the first He appeared to upon his resurrection. The figure of the Magdalene has appeared throughout the world in the form of myth, history and legend over the last two thousand years. The suppression of her importance within the church is a mystery, and the fact that this gospel was discovered a century ago in Egypt, its existence excluded to a small circle of scholars, and only now has come into the mainstream, is also a mystery. After reading this text, it became apparent that The Gospel according to Mary is that important feminine perspective of Christianity that has been missing for the last twenty centuries. It is that missing piece of doctrine that now gives us a fuller picture of Christ's ministry and his teachings. As Leloup writes at the end of the text, The Gospel of Mary need not be "set up in opposition to other gospels or sacred scriptures, or against recent anthropological or scientific research." This gospel, in other terms, does not contradict orthodox, but compliments Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, including Thomas and Phillip, in such a way that enhances our understanding, belief and relationship with the Divine. This wonderful text is very accessible and can be read in one sitting. However its contents demand more focused reading and engagement in order to gain greater understanding of its many levels.
Rating:
Summary: Draw Some Conclusions of Your Own First
Review: The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
Jean-Yves Leloup
Forward by Jacob Needleman
Scholarly and contemplative this translation of the Gnostic Text as well as the commentary seems to warrant continued study of the scripture. The gospel itself is brief as are the author's comments. The book has the flavor of psychology and academia leaving most readers looking for something more pertinent to life today. I did like Leloup's comments on the value of the Divine Feminine and the Imaginal, a feminine domain. First read the Gospel of Mary Magdalen on line drawing some intuitive conclusions of your own. Then use this or other works to broaden your vision.
Rating:
Summary: A Hidden Rose on the Cross+++
Review: The Gospel of Mary Magdalene as transilated, interpeted and expanded by Jean-Yves Laloup seems to be a Crossroads whereon "Christian", "Gnostic", "Exoteric", "Esoteric", "Masciline", "Feminine" and "Personal" Traditions Meet. The Gospel of Mary Magdaline would seem to NOT be a formal part of any particular Tradition having been found "in Cairo by C. Reinhardt and preserved since 1896 in the Egyptology section of the National Museum of Berlin". And in Coptic [not Greek or Aramaic] and apparently hard to date altho likely an "early text". Also I greatly enjoy the Skill and Style of Jean-Yves Laloup--especially the way the text was in digestable portions enhanced by expanded interpetations aided by wonderful charts and diagrams. A Hidden Rose on the Cross+++
Rating:
Summary: Illuminating Wisdom for the 3rd Millenium
Review: The truth, grace and wisdom of Mary Magdelene's teachings are now brought forth in this historical, transcendental and empowering book. It may very well shift the Occidental fabric of this world. The feminine compliment is here. Amen!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and inspiring.......
Review: Think you know everything there is to know about Christianity? Well unless you have read THE GOSPEL OF MARY MAGDALENE, you don't. This book is a translation of the ancient scroll in Coptic Greek found in Egypt-before the Nag Hammadi scrolls were discovered and translated. Mary's gospel was translated by Jean-Yves Leloup into French and then into English by Joseph Rowe, who provides copious notes and footnotes.
The translation has two parts. The first part is a full translation of what remains from the original gospel text by Miriam of Magdala--whom many believe to be Mary Magdalene. The second part includes a section by section translation and commentary.
I enjoyed this book immensely, and found it inspiring and beautiful, reading a little bit every day. Readers of THE ALABASTER JAR will not be disappointed. This text is a message of love and hope from one who was close to 'The Teacher'. The reviewer who discounted the book is blind--in my humble opinion. MM is a devotional in which Mary shares what she experienced with Yeshua whom the apostles called Jesus. She inspires me to repeat her words--"Let he or she who has eyes SEE."
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