Lost for more than fifteen hundred years, the Gospel of Mary is the only existing early Christian gospel written in the name of a woman. Karen L. King tells the story of the recovery of this remarkable gospel and offers a new translation. This brief narrative presents a radical interpretation of Jesus' teachings as a path to inner spiritual knowledge. It rejects his suffering and death as a path to eternal life and exposes the view that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute for what it is--a piece of theological fiction. The Gospel of Mary of Magdala offers a glimpse into the conflicts and controversies that shaped earliest Christianity.

I: The Gospel of Mary. Translation & text ; Gospel, revelation, dialogue -- II: The Savior's teaching in the Gospel of Mary. The body & the world ; Sin, judgment, & law ; The Son of Man ; Vision & mind ; The rise of the soul ; Controversy over Mary's teaching -- III: The Gospel of Mary in early Christianity. The Jesus tradition ; Paul ; The Gospel of John ; The Apostles ; The history of Christianity.