The Gospel of the Beloved Companion: The Complete Gospel of Mary Magdalene Kindle Edition

I encountered the Gospel of the Beloved Companion though a women's group exploring spirituality. Decades in the Baptist church had taught me that at least half the human population was unfit and unworthy of consideration, merely because of having been created female. Scripture said it was so.I did not find that teaching intellectually satisfying, nor was it consistent with a loving God who created the human family - all of it - and called it good. Based on the Scripture I had, unfortunately, that irreparable flaw seemed an inevitable conclusion.We had Father, Son, and "It" the Holy Spirit. Where was the Mother?This book includes the complete text of a first-century gospel known as the Gospel of the Beloved Companion (GBC,) as well as significant supporting documentation. In the text of the GBC, the author identifies herself as Miryam of Bethany. She is elsewhere identified as Mary Magdalene, a disciple present at the foot of the cross of Jesus, and the first witness of the resurrection. The author of the book, Jehanne de Quillan, lays out a careful comparison of the GBC with material both from the Canonical Gospels as well as the so-called Gnostic writings, demonstrating deep threads of connection between them. Importantly, we find that the GBC includes chronistically-important detail that anchors it in the life and culture of first-century Judaism, in contrast with other Canonical Gospels which include language and points of reference which clearly developed many decades later. The book's author explains how this Gospel came to reside in France, and why it has not been published until now.The Gospel at the center of this book is unique in at least three aspects: first, as an account by an eyewitness to the life and death of Yeshua the Nazorean, whom tradition has come to call Jesus of Nazareth. Second, it is an original text preserved from the ravages of mistranslation, additions, cross-cultural misunderstandings and effects of doctrinal bias that so plague what we refer to as Scripture. Third, it is an account stated to be written by a woman, clearly with full stature as a disciple.This latter point alone should cause each of us to sit up and take notice of this Gospel. Any honest inquiry into the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, from this point forward, must include study of The Gospel of the Beloved Companion.

I've been studying Bible and spirituality for 50+ years. This book contains a clear and si.e description of The Way to Heaven. Highly recommended.

My experience of reading this gospel was unlike that of any other I have had, in that it was coherent and consistent, lacking in contradictions. Unlike some of the stories in other gospels, I found the content in this gospel entirely believable. It seems to be the clear, accurate account of a single author, one voice. After a life of hearing teachings I found confusing and which did not ring true to me, where I did not feel I fit in or belonged, this gospel for me was like the missing puzzle piece at last falling into place within my heart. After years of questioning and searching, this work's being made accessible to me, and then the opportunity to study it, came as an immeasurable relief. I am forever grateful to the author and her lineage for the precious gift of preserving this gospel and sharing it with the world.

This is an eye-opening book for those studying world religions. The translation of what really happened to the Magdalene and the way men translated the religious works to downgrade and eliminate the feminine is highly apparent. The Magdalene was a disciple and never recognized. The demons 'cast out' were really overcome. She overcame the 7 deadly sins to reach enlightenment - something the other disciples were unwilling or unable to do. And the suppression of texts shows how political power was/is the goal of religion.

At this time of giving, Jehanne de Quillan, out of true generosity and love, has translated from 1st century Greek, a Gospel, for which millions of people died and which has been secured in France in Her spiritual tradition. If you read no other Gospel, this one will give you the authentic teachings of Yeshua, that he taught to Miryam, the apostle who truly had eyes to see and ears to hear.When I first received my copy, I stayed up until 1:30 AM reading this lovely gospel, but next evening, I read again and savoured. In very clear language, in the idiom of the first century, Miryam tells first hand the story of her teacher,Yeshua. Her story begins with the embrace of Yeshua by the Holy Spirit at his baptism, and it ends with her sharing with the other disciples the teachings that he gave to her after his death. In clear terms, Miryam teaches the practice: Becoming still by going into silence; and the path from darkness(attachment to the ego) to ever increasing awareness and consciousness until one attains true humanity(enlightenment) and the embrace of the Holy Spirit. Yeshua also teaches that to become truly human one must balance masculine and feminine energies within oneself (make the two into one), become aware of one's own Prince of Darkness inside(the ego), become greatly disturbed and make a choice to follow the path of ascending The Tree of Life.In this gospel, Yeshua teaches nothing about establishing a church and specifically tells his disciples to establish no dogma, and he NEVER refers to himself as the son of GOD. What would this world look like if Miryam's gospel had been allowed to see the light; Instead of acting from fear and then suffering, we would "fast from the world" in order to hear and listen to Her(the Holy Spirit). She never speaks of death but of Eternal Life. From all who seek Her embrace, thank you Jehanne de Quillan.

I like it

This is a must read for anyone studying the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Jehanne de Quillan does an excellent job of filling in the gaps in the Gospel of Mary Magdalen with lots of comparisons of the text to the Gospel of Mary Magdalene and the Gospel of John.A native of the Languedoc she presents the history of this manuscript with a beautiful sense of honoring each of the works she is using as a baseline for comparison of text in this Gospel compared to other relevant works.What I loved was the open invitation to sort through commentaries and choose what feels authentic to you. The final paragraph bringing into context the sociological aspect of the culture and expected behavours of the time period, was masterfully done.A highly recommended read. Note it is not a long read as there is a complete transcription section separated into verses as well as an unstructured translation.

This original gospel has been guarded and kept secret for centuries. It shines light on another Jesus and on the role of woman during that period. Its profound meaning and the associated mental and physical exercises are not taught. It is to be hoped that there will still be an uninterrupted lineage of masters and adepts. Amen

Over the summer, I received an enthusiastic email from Anne Baring urging me to buy this book, which I ordered immediately. Along with I’m sure many other readers, I have an enduring interest in the Gnostic Gospels, having read the book by Elaine Pagels in the early 1980s and many other texts besides. I now live in the Cathar area, where the story of Mary Magdalene is very present, both historically and archetypally. I am reminded of an occasion when I was leading a seminar some 30 years ago during which we went to the cave at Sainte Baume, where Mary is reputed to have spent her later years. A sensitive among us put out the question about the historical reality of her presence, to which the reply was that it did not matter whether or not she had been there physically if her spirit was now present.This book is the first translation into English of what purports to be the complete Gospel of Mary Magdalene. As such, this is a momentous publication. The editor explains that the manuscript was reputedly brought from Alexandria to the Languedoc in the early to middle part of the first century and was translated into Occitan in the early 12th century. The manuscript has been preserved within a spiritual community since that time and this translation is from the original Alexandrian Greek. Of course, scholars would love to have access to the manuscript, but the translator does not feel she can break faith with those who have sacrificed so much to preserve it for over a millennium so that its message could one day be released back into the public arena, an action criticised by some members of her community. Hence, readers have to approach the Gospel with open minds and decide for themselves in the light of the text itself and the translator’s comparative critical analysis with other canonical and Gnostic Gospels. The Gospel is set out in 44 chapters with verses, but the translator also explains that there is no punctuation in the original, and a version like this is presented later in the book.The narrative is simple and powerful, and conveys vividly for me the non-dual state from which Yeshua spoke and taught: “Have I not told you that I am in the Spirit as the Spirit is in me? It is man who sees only poverty, for he sees with the eyes of the master of the world. But where man sees poverty, the Spirit sees only abundance. What the Spirit sees I see, and what I see the Spirit sees. And what the Spirit sees is. (6:8)” I find this an incredibly powerful statement, and many passages are preceded by the phrase ‘only from the truth’, corresponding to the New Testament translation, ‘verily’. In 21:2 we read “You do not know me or know where I am from. I have not come of myself, but the One who sent me is true; that One is the One whom you do not know. I know the Spirit because I am of the Spirit and the Spirit sent me.”Then again in 27:3: “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in the name of the Spirit, these testify about me. But you do not believe, because you cannot hear my voice. Those that hear my words and follow them, to them I give eternal life. They will never perish. The Spirit, who has sent them to me, is greater than all. The Spirit and I are one.” At this point, the Pharisees take up stones again to stone him, and he answers: “I have shown you the many good works from the Spirit. For which of those works do you stone me?” Quite a retort! In 35:12, Yeshua states in response to a question by Thomas that they do not know where he is going so how can they know the way: “My words are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. For my words are given of the Spirit, and no one comes to the Kingdom except through Her teachings. If you had known and understood my teachings, then you would have known and understood the One who sent me also.” (did you notice Her….?)The most potent and seminal passage in this Gospel comes towards the end, when the disciples come together after the crucifixion in the house at Bethany, and Mary tells them about her experience in the garden of the tomb. They are worried about exposing themselves to danger by going out and preaching. Mary stands up, raises her right hand and tells them not to grieve and to be resolute as Grace will protect them: “Let us praise his greatness, for he has prepared us and made us truly human.” As a result of this statement, ‘she turned their hearts to the good’ and Simon Peter says to her: “Sister, we know that he loved you more than any other among women. Tell us the words of the Rabbi, which you remember, which you know and understand, but we do not, nor have we heard them.”What follows is beyond measure, a priceless spiritual treasure so precious that it may well be, as Anne suggested to me, the real treasure of the Cathars. I read it first while having a morning coffee in Lisbon, a moment I will never forget. She says that she will proclaim what is hidden from them, and that Yeshua had said to her, “Miryam, you came into being before coming into being (think about the significance of this!), and whose eyes are set upon the Kingdom, who from the beginning has understood and followed my teachings.” He then shows her in a vision a great tree whose roots are in the earth, ‘which is your body’. The trunk extends upward through the five regions of humanity to the Crown, which is the Kingdom of the Spirit. There are eight boughs on the tree and each bears its own fruit, which must be eaten in all its fullness; between each bough there is a gate with a guardian who challenges the unworthy who try to pass. She then describes the levels of initiation, the ascent from darkness to light. You will have to buy the book yourself in order to appreciate the sheer symbolic power of this vision. At the end, we read that many of the disciples did not understand what she had said and grumbled against her among themselves about these ‘strange and complicated ideas’. Simon Peter resents her exclusive access, while Levi defends her, remarking that “surely as his companion, Yeshua knew her better than all others. That is why he loved her more than us.”Readers may have caught the tone of the Gospel of John from these extracts, but there are also passages that parallel the Gnostic insights of the Gospel of Thomas. In the second part, the translator analyses some of these parallels, using original Greek papyrus manuscripts for comparative purposes (the Greek is quoted in many instances). Using close textual analysis, she makes the case that this Gospel may even have been a source for the Gospel of John in terms of dating. There are also verses such as the famous passage about making the two into one that parallel the Gospel of Thomas (see below), with the significant difference that the passage in the Gospel of the Beloved Companion is set within a coherent narrative framework, whereas, in the Gospel of Thomas it is just a fragment. Then in the Gospel of Mary, there are whole chapters missing, and the Gospel of the Beloved Companion illuminates these and other extant passages. The translator’s commentary also sheds further light on key passages from the Gospel. She sets the burial rites surrounding Jesus (only explained in John) within the cultural context of the time, where only the immediate family would have been involved, with the wife or sister playing the leading role. This reinforces the message that Mary Magdalene was indeed the Beloved Companion.The Gospel of John was beloved to the Cathars, and was laid on the head of candidates as they were initiated as a Parfait or Parfaite. This is the mystical canonical Gospel, which, ironically, contains the words used by fundamentalist evangelicals to insist on the exclusive divinity of Christ, when they should be interpreted symbolically. Indeed, the Beloved Companion passage about the way, the truth and the life quoted above makes a lot more sense to me. So, dear reader, as the translator herself suggests, you will have to make up your own mind about the status of this Gospel by reading it for yourself. It is significant that the Vatican recently promoted Mary to the status of The Apostle to the Apostles, and some of you may have seen the corresponding film that came out this year. This Gospel goes a great deal further, stressing the importance of entering into the silence.I mentioned above the parallels with the Gospel of Thomas, so I will finish this review with this passage referring to stillness and silence (30:10): “If you bring forth what is within you, what you have within you will save you. If you do not find that within you that is from the Spirit, what you do not find within you will be your death. There is light within a person of light, and it shines on the whole world. If it does not shine, it is dark. Only from the truth I tell you, be still and know that I AM. Those with ears, let them hear.” It is often said in this area that, following the massacre of 225 Cathars at Montsegur on March 16th 1244, after 700 years the Vine will once again turn green. This beautiful and inspiring gospel is surely the fruit of this Vine.

It had served me immensely on my spiritual and personal development. I loved to know more about Mary Magdalena and Jesus Christ, from a non religion's perspective.

This book, though two thousand years old in its original form, contains new information for 21st century Christians if they are to understand the origins of their faith. The Gospels of the Christian Bible were all written after the fact by writers with a particular agenda. The Gospel of the Beloved Companion was written by one in intimate relationship with Jesus and dispels many of the myths that have grown up around the man and his ministry.