From Amazon:
In The Last Temptation of Christ , Nikos Kazantzakis calls Mary Magdalen "sexual temptation personified." According to Haskins, an English author and translator, she is "woman, flesh--the universal, timeless symbol of man's temptation to stray from God." From this psychosexual quagmire Haskins hopes to redeem her. The author chronologically delivers an erudite, comprehensive look at the myriad myths and metaphors surrounding Mary Magdalen, starting with the Gospel record itself, then tracing Western written history up to and including the Church of England's momentous decision to ordain women in 1992. Haskins obviously enjoys her subject. The tangled web of male sexual paranoia, ecclesiastical machinations, and cultural mores are eloquently presented in this rich biographical tapestry of the much-maligned "first apostle." Extensively noted and well documented, this is highly recommended for religion, seminary, and women's studies collections.
In The Last Temptation of Christ , Nikos Kazantzakis calls Mary Magdalen "sexual temptation personified." According to Haskins, an English author and translator, she is "woman, flesh--the universal, timeless symbol of man's temptation to stray from God." From this psychosexual quagmire Haskins hopes to redeem her. The author chronologically delivers an erudite, comprehensive look at the myriad myths and metaphors surrounding Mary Magdalen, starting with the Gospel record itself, then tracing Western written history up to and including the Church of England's momentous decision to ordain women in 1992. Haskins obviously enjoys her subject. The tangled web of male sexual paranoia, ecclesiastical machinations, and cultural mores are eloquently presented in this rich biographical tapestry of the much-maligned "first apostle." Extensively noted and well documented, this is highly recommended for religion, seminary, and women's studies collections.
