Marvin Meyer on the Gospels of Mary

This is from the Religion Press Release Service (and talk about trying to milk the publicity from The Da Vinci Code!):

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THE GOSPELS OF MARY - MARVIN MEYER, THE FOREMOST SCHOLAR OF THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS, TRANSLATES AND INTRODUCES THE GNOSTIC AND NEW TESTAMENT TEXTS THAT REVEAL THE STORY AND IMPORTANCE OF MARY MAGDALENE.

Contact: Laina Adler (415) 477-4409
laina.adler@harpercollins.com

Almost a year after the original publication of The Da Vinci Code comes THE
GOSPELS OF MARY, the ultimate resource for those who have deciphered the code but now seek the texts and truth behind it. Written and translated by Gnostic text expert Marvin Meyer, THE GOSPELS OF MARY is the most accessible text available to help interested readers parse fact from fiction and come to their own conclusions on all matters relating to the life of Mary Magdalene.

Marvin Meyer is your resource for a "Where Are We Now" retrospective story on the impact of The Da Vinci Code. Due to this influential book, for nearly a year Mary and her place within the circle of Jesus' disciples has been a topic of fervent interest and discussion.

"...[Mary's] story is captivating because it encapsulates major unresolved issues facing Christianity -- the role of women in the church, the place of human sexuality, and the yearning for the feminine aspect of the Divine." [Christian Science Monitor | Nov.14]

THE GOSPELS OF MARY is relevant right now.

--Dan Brown's novel, The Da Vinci Code, uses the Gospel of Mary as a major plot device.

--"Sales of The Da Vinci Code continue to top 100,000 copies a week, according to Nielsen BookScan." [Publishers Weekly | Feb. 9]

--With regards to sales of The Da Vinci Code and related books, Margaret
Maupin, senior buyer at the Tattered Cover in Denver, CO stated, "Bookbuyers are interested in the mysteries, but they don't necessarily want another novel -- they want the truth..." [Publishers Weekly | Feb. 9]

--Elaine Pagels' recent book Beyond Belief relies heavily on Meyer's translation of The Gospel of Thomas, and has renewed interest in the "secret gospels" or "Gnostic Gospels."

Please contact Laina Adler at (415) 477-4409 if you'd like more information on THE GOSPELS OF MARY, a copy of the book, or if you'd like to interview author Marvin Meyer.

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK ----THE GOSPELS OF MARY
"Of all the disciples of Jesus, none seems to have been as independent, strong, and close to Jesus as Mary Magdalene." -- from the Introduction

THE GOSPELS OF MARY: The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene, Companion of Jesus, by Marvin Meyer, is the first collection of the earliest texts, including the Gnostic Gospel of Mary and other texts -- both inside and outside the New Testament -- that describe the life of Mary Magdalene.

Marvin Meyer is the foremost expert on the Nag Hammadi texts and the texts about Jesus outside the New Testament. As he states in the Introduction, these texts unveil the importance of Mary Magdalene as Jesus' beloved disciple and an apostle and evangelist, a figure whose importance for Christianity is only now emerging from the shadows of history. Included are selections from the New Testament Gospels, extracanonical literature, and Gnostic sources, as well as the Gospel of Mary (the Gospel of Mary Magdalene).

Marvin Meyer has translated the major Gnostic texts that place Mary Magdalene at Jesus' right hand and give her high place among his followers. The Mary texts are complemented by an essay from Esther de Boer, a widely respected biblical scholar and expert on Mary Magdalene and the Gospel of Mary.

Cumulatively, these texts reveal a vibrant oral tradition in which Mary Magdalene is not only a follower of Jesus but also his companion and closest disciple.

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MARVIN MEYER is the foremost expert on the Nag Hammadi texts and the texts about Jesus outside the New Testament. His books and articles have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Japanese, and the Gospel of Thomas, of which his is the standard edition, has been listed as one of the 100 best spiritual books of the 20th century. He is Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies and co-chair of the Department of Religious Studies, and director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute, at Chapman University, Orange, California.

ESTHER A. DE BOER is the author of Mary Magdalene: Beyond the Myth and The Gospel of Mary: Beyond a Gnostic and a Biblical Mary Magdalene.

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THE GOSPELS OF MARY: The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene, the Companion
of Jesus
by Marvin Meyer
HarperSanFrancisco; A Division of HarperCollins Publishers
May 2004 | On-sale April 6, 2004 | $17.95 | 128 Pages | ISBN: 006065581X
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