Living Resources on Mary Magdalene
A Working Bibliography for The Magdalene Thread (111+ Sources & Counting!)
Welcome to a treasure trove of diverse perspectives on Mary Magdalene, and all her legend and legacy touches.
As an alternative to the classic bibliography, we have opted to create a living, breathing list of wisdom written by brilliant scholars and researchers. From the Bible we choose to use to articles with the latest textual research, every entry here is a source of inspiration and information for us at The Magdalene Thread.
As we mentioned in our manifesto, the conversation around Mary is diverse in a multitude of ways, spanning a wide breadth from chosen focus to quality of evidence.
While we are stay-at-home mothers, each of us (Alicia & Kelly) come from scholarly backgrounds. Alicia received her Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from University of Pennsylvania, and her BS in Arts Administration with a Dance Minor from Wagner College. Kelly received her BA in History and Literature from Harvard. While we choose to see goodness in all the resources available on Mary, we are devoted to historical accuracy and we hold a high bar for the way we filter the information we share.Â
Much of the time, sources on Mary stay in the worlds they came from—from academia to the esoteric—and our intention is to bring all voices forward with love and discernment. Each text we hold with gratitude and pull from it the threads of information we then carefully weave into the larger story we are slowly creating over podcast episode and articles.
This is a living and breathing document–with every episode we will update the below list with additional sources that have come into what has been written and spoken through The Magdalene Thread.Â
Below is our living source list, that will be updated with each episode and article, shared in alphabetical order (of source name):
Sacred ScriptureÂ
The Cloud of Unknowing (Anonymous)
Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus’s Greatest Miracle by James Martin, SJ
The Genius of John: A Composition-Critical Commentary on the Fourth Gospel by Peter F. Ellis
The Gospel of Mary Magdalene by Jean Yves Leloup
The Gospel of Philip: Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the Gnosis of Sacred Union by Jean-Yves Leloup
The Gospel of Thomas: The Gnostic Wisdom of Jesus by Jean-Yves Leloup
The Good Wine: Reading John from the Center by Bruno Barnhart
The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels
The Interior Castle by Theresa of Avila
The Luminous Gospels: Thomas, Mary Magdalene, and Philip by Lynn C. Bauman, ward J. Bauman & Cynthia Bourgealt
Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle by Karen King
The Mirror of Simple Souls by Marguerite Porete
A New New Testament: A Bible for the Twenty-first Century Combining Traditional and Newly Discovered Texts, compiled and edited by Hal Taussig
The Oldest Gospel and the Formation of the Canonical Gospels, by Matthias Klinghardt
Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, & Politics in the Book of Revelation by Elaine PagelsÂ
The Song of Songs: The World’s First Great Love Poem by Chana Bloch and Ariel Bloch
The Works of John Cassian by John Cassian
Written That You May Believe: Encountering Jesus in the Fourth Gospel by Sandra M. SchneidersÂ
Mary Magdalene
14 Steps to Awaken the Sacred Feminine: Women in the Circle of Mary Magdalene by Joan Norton and Margaret Starbird
Magdalene’s Lost Legacy: Symbolic Numbers and the Sacred Union in Christianity by Margaret Starbird
Mary Magdalene: A Visual History by Diane Apostolos-Cappadona
Mary Magdalene, Bride in Exile by Margaret StarbirdÂ
The Mary Magdalene Cover-Up: The Sources Behind the Myth by Esther De Boer
Mary Magdalene: A Cultural History by Philip C. Almond
Mary Magdalene: Lost Goddess, Lost Gospels by Jan McDonald
Mary Magdalene: Myth and Metaphor by Susan Haskins
Mary Magdalene Revealed: The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel & the Christianity We Haven’t Tried Yet by Meggan WattersonÂ
Mary Magdalene Understood by Jane Schaberg with Melanie Johnson-Debaufre
The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity by Cynthia BourgealtÂ
The Mystery, Biography & Destiny of Mary Magdalene: Sister of Lazarus John & Spiritual Sister of Jesus by Robert Powell
The Other Goddess: Mary Magdalene and the Goddesses of Eros and Secret Knowledge by Dr. Joanna Kujawa
The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene: Legends, Apocrypha, and the Christian Testament by Jane SchabergÂ
The Secrets of Mary Magdalene: The Untold Story of History’s Most Misunderstood Woman by Dan Burnstein and Arne J. De Keijzer
Venus in Sackcloth: The Magdalen’s Origins and Metamorphoses by Marjorie M. Malvern Ph.D.
The Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail by Margaret Starbird
Religion, Spirituality & Mythology
Adam, Eve, and the Serpent by Elaine Pagels
After Jesus Before Christianity: A Historical Exploration of the First Two Centuries of Jesus Movements by Erin Vearncombe, Brandon Scott, and Hal Taussig
Choosing the Better Part? Women in they Gospel of Luke by Barbara E. Reid
City of God, by Augustine of Hippo
The Cosmic Serpent by Jeremy Narby
Eve Isn’t Evil: Feminist Readings of the Bible to Upend Our Assumptions by Julie Faith Parker
Eye of the Heart: A Spiritual Journey into the Imaginal Realm by Cynthia Bourgealt
The First Love Stories: From Isis and Osiris to Tristan and Iseult by Diane Wolkstein
Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine by Joseph CampbellÂ
Goddess in the Gospels: Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine by Margaret Starbird
A History of Religious Ideas, Anthology including Vol. 1: From the Stone Age to the Eleusinian Mysteries, Vol. 2: From Gautama Buddha to the Triumph of Christianity, Vol. 3: From Muhammad to the Age of Reforms by Mircea Eliade
Holy Blood Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln
The Holy Place: Saunière and the Decoding of the Mystery of Rennes-le-Château by Henry LincolnÂ
Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer
by Diane Wolkstein Samuel Noah Kramer
In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins by Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza
The Invention of God by Thomas Römer, translated by Raymond GeussÂ
The Jesus Mysteries: Was the "Original Jesus" a Pagan God? by Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy
The Jesus Papers: Exposing the Greatest Cover-up in History by Michael Baigent
Judas and Jesus: Two Faces of a Single Revelation by Jean-Yves Leloup
Key to the Sacred Pattern: The Untold Story of Rennes-le-Château by Henry Lincoln
The Living Goddesses by Marija Gimbutas (Author) & Miriam Robbins Dexter (Editor)
The Lost Art of Resurrection: Initiation, Secret Chambers, and the Quest for the Otherworld by Freddy Silva
Jesus and the Lost Goddess: The Secret Teachings of the Original Christians by Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy
The Lost Teachings of the Cathars: Their Beliefs & Practices by Andrew Phillip Smith
Mary and Early Christian Women: Hidden Leadership by Ally Kateusz
The Masks of God, Anthology on Ancient Mythology including Primitive Mythology, Occidental Mythology, Oriental Mythology, and Creative Mythology by Joseph CampbellÂ
The Oak King, the Holly King and the Unicorn: The Myths and Symbolism of the Unicorn Tapestries by John WilliamsonÂ
The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics by Elaine Pagels
Patterns in Comparative Religion by Mircea EliadeÂ
Put the Blame on Eve: What Women Must Overcome to Feel Worthy by Melinda J. Rising, Ph.D.Â
The Perfect Heresy: Life and Death of the Cathars by Stephen O’Shea
Peter, Paul, & Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend by Bart D. Ehrman
Religious Dissent in Late Antiquity, 350–450 by Maijastina Kahlos
The Rock and the Tower: How Mary Created Christianity by S. P. Laurie
The Sacred Embrace of Jesus and Mary: The Sexual Mystery at the Heart of the Christian Tradition by Jean Yves Leloup
Sacred Nature: Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World by Karen Armstrong
The Tarot Trumps and the Holy Grail: Great Secrets of the Middle Ages by Margaret Starbird
Thou Art That: Transforming Religious Metaphor by Joseph Campbell
The Unicorn Tapestries by Margaret B. Freeman
Was Jesus Married? The Distortion of Sexuality in the Christian Tradition by William E. Phipps
Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
The Yellow Cross: The Story of the Last Cathars’ Rebellion Against the Inquisition 1290-1329 by René Weis
Words and Translation
Aramaic Light on the Gospel of John by Dr Rocco A Errico, Dr George M Lamsa
Aramaic and Unchanged Near Eastern Customs by Rocco A. Errico and George M. Lamsa
(M)Adam: Adam’s Rib Reframed, created by Lizzie Bernie DeGear
Prayers of the Cosmos: Reflections on the Original meaning of Jesus’s Words by Neil Douglas-Klotz
The Power of the Word: Scripture and the Rhetoric of Empire by Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza
Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus: The Hidden Teachings on Life & Death by Neil Douglas-Klotz
Articles, Podcasts & Video
As you will see, we recommend many of Diane Butler Bass articles & sermons, listed in alphabetical order - but if you want to dive in, This is where to find The Cottage on Substack:
A homily of Gregory the Great and Mary Magdalene (Text of Homily 33) by Roger Pearse (2020)
Augustine’s Literal Adam, by Peter Sanlon, The Gospel Coalition (2011)
Christ Is Risen: The Nonsense of a Hysterical Woman, CBE International
The Curse of Eve: A Jewish Perspective on Women in Society, by Tova Bernbaum, Chabad.org
Early Christianity’s Concept of Sexuality, CBE International
Eve: Apocrypha, by Alice Ogden Bellis, Jewish Women’s Archive
Eve Disobeys. Mary of Magdala Obeys. A Reversal?, Bible Bits (2020)
Eve: Midrash and Aggadah, by Tamar Kadari, Jewish Women’s Archive
Elizabeth Schrader on Preaching John 11 by Diana Butler Bass (2023)
Hidden in Plain Site by Diana Butler Bass (2023)
How Many Books in the New Testament Were Forged? by Bart Ehrman (2019)
How St. Augustine Invented Sex, by Stephen Greenblatt, The New Yorker (2017)
I Have Seen the Lord by Diana Butler Bass (2023)
In Memory of Her by James Tabor (2017)
Mary Magdalene and the Anointed One by Diana Butler Bass (2022)
Mary Magdalene and the Women Disciples in the Gospel of Luke By Barbara Reid
Mary Magdalene's Turn: Text Criticism and Reception History of John 20:16 by Michael Peppard, Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses (2020)
Mary or Martha?: A Duke scholar's research finds Mary Magdalene downplayed by New Testament scribes by Eric Ferreri, Duke Today (2019)
Mary the Tower by Diana Butler Bass
The Meaning of 'Magdalene': A Review of Literary Evidence by Elizabeth Schrader Polczer & Joan Taylor, Journal of Biblical Literature140:4 (2021)
Passion and Paradox: The Myths of Mary Magdalene in Music, Art and Culture by Kaylee Asbo, PhD of Philosophy
'Rabbouni,' which means Lord: Narrative Variants in John 20:16 by Elizabeth Schrader Polczer and Brandon Simonson, TC: A Journal of Biblical Textual Criticism 26 (2021)
Researcher: Artifacts show that early church women served as clergy by Sarah Mac Donald, National Catholic Reporter (2019)
A Retrieval of the Traditional View of Mary Magdalene From the Fringes of Theology by Clement Harrold, Church Life Journal from University of Notre Dame (2023)
Signs of Mary Magdalene in John 11 Interview with Elizabeth Schrader Polczer with Amy Frykholm, The Christian Century (2023)
The Religious Mind and the Evolution of Religion by Matt J. Rossano, Review of General Psychology, (2006).
The Rise and Rise of the Queen of Heaven by David F. Lloyd, Vision (2005)
There’s Something About Mary… Magdalene (Part 1) by James Tabor (2016)
There’s Something About Mary… Magdalene (Part 3) by James Tabor (2016)
They Were Afraid By Diane Butler BassÂ
Understanding Asherah—Exploring Semitic Iconography by Ruth Hestrin, Biblical Archeological Society Library (1991)
Under the Banner of Love: Mary Magdalene Author of the Fourth Gospel by Robin Jones
Was Martha of Bethany Added to the Fourth Gospel in the Second Century? by Elizabeth Schrader Polczer, Harvard Theological Review 110:3 (2017)
Was Mary Magdalene the same person as Mary of Bethany? by Jeffrey Bütz on Tabor Blog (2020)
Was Salome at the Markan Tomb? Another Ending to Mark's Gospel by Elizabeth Schrader Polczer Comparative Oriental Manuscript Studies Bulletin 8:2 (2022)
What Intense Rituals Signal to Your Brain, by Brian Gallager, Nautil.us (2023).
When Did We Get the Final Canon of the New Testament? by Bart Ehrman, The Bart Ehrman Blog (2022)
Who framed Mary Magdalene? By Heidi Schlumpf by U.S. Catholic.Com (2016)
Who Was Mary Magdalene? by James Carroll, The Smithsonian (2006)
Why the Early Church Thought Mary Was the New Eve, by Joe Heschmeyer, Catholic.com (2024)
Woman with the Alabaster Box by Shane Clayton
Women Erased: The Magdalene Mystery with Elizabeth Schrader and Joan TaylorÂ
News Articles  Â
Pope Francis I on Mary as the Apostle of HopeÂ
*In the spirit of full disclosure, as Amazon affiliates we receive a small commission on all books purchased with Amazon links.
We invite you to leave a comment with your favorite resource on Mary Magdalene that you would recommend to us, or others on this journey!