According to Mary Magdalene
Encyclopedia
According to Mary Magdalene ' onMouseout='HidePop("43667")' href="/topics/1997_in_literature">1997
) is a novel
by the Swedish
novelist Marianne Fredriksson
. It attempts to portray the life of the biblical figure of Mary Magdalene
as told by herself. The author claims to have based the book on Gnostic manuscripts, such as the Gospel of Mary
, that were discovered in recent times. The English
version was published 2003.
and on the beginnings of the Christian Church
. Since it presents Jesus
as merely a human being and deviates from the orthodox
biblical portrayal of the Son of Man
, the novel was severely criticised by mainstream
Christians.
1997 in literature
The year 1997 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Tom Clancy signs a book deal with Pearson Custom Publishing and Penguin Putnam Inc. , giving him US$50 million for the world-English rights to two new books . A second agreement gives him another US$25 million for a...
) is a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
novelist Marianne Fredriksson
Marianne Fredriksson
Marianne Fredriksson, née Persson was a Swedish author who worked and lived in Roslagen and Stockholm...
. It attempts to portray the life of the biblical figure of Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
as told by herself. The author claims to have based the book on Gnostic manuscripts, such as the Gospel of Mary
Gospel of Mary
The Gospel of Mary is an apocryphal book discovered in 1896 in a 5th-century papyrus codex. The codex Papyrus Berolinensis 8502 was purchased in Cairo by German scholar Karl Reinhardt....
, that were discovered in recent times. The English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
version was published 2003.
Plot introduction
The story offers a feminist perspective on the person of ChristChrist
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
and on the beginnings of the Christian Church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
. Since it presents Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
as merely a human being and deviates from the orthodox
Orthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
biblical portrayal of the Son of Man
Son of man
The phrase son of man is a primarily Semitic idiom that originated in Ancient Mesopotamia, used to denote humanity or self. The phrase is also used in Judaism and Christianity. The phrase used in the Greek, translated as Son of man is ὁ υἱὸς τοὺ ἀνθρώπου...
, the novel was severely criticised by mainstream
Orthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
Christians.