The Magdalene Mystique: Living the Spirituality of Mary Today - Adam, Betty Conrad. Morehouse, 2006. 165p. $14.00, paperback. ISBN-10: 0-8192-2231-3. ISBN-13: 978-0-8192-2231-2. www.morehousepublishing.org 226’.092 Mary Magdalene, Saint. Gospel of Mary.

The popularity of Mary Magdalene has grown since Dan Brown’s novel The DaVinci Code was published a few years ago. But fiction aside, who was the real Mary Magdalene, and what can we learn from her? Betty Conrad Adam is an Episcopal priest in Houston and serves as a spiritual director of the Magdalene Community. With extensive biblical knowledge based on solid scholarship, she examines the Gospel of Mary, discovered in a Cairo marketplace in the late nineteenth century.

Adam explores who the real Magdalene was, her role among Christ’s followers, and what became of her after Christ died. Adam also examines the present-day spiritual community of believers who study the Gospel of Mary, seeking a life of spiritual justice and equality for Christians. A description of a typical service of the Magdalene Community is included.

For readers who are not familiar with the Gospel of Mary, the appendix contains a comparison of three translations of important verses as well as notes and an extensive bibliography. This is an excellent book for those wanting to go beyond popular fiction and learn more about Mary Magdalene.

Mary Lou Henneman
Boardman United Methodist Church
Boardman, Ohio