Saturday, May 22, 2010

Blood and Silk: The Hidden Love Story of Mary of Magdala and Jesus of Nazereth-Carol McKay

Blood and Silk: The Hidden Love Story of Mary of Magdala and Jesus of Nazereth
Carol McKay
BookSurge, Jan 2010, $25.95
ISBN: 9781439207628

Following the crucifixion, Christ’s disciples fled. Mary of Magdala lived in Provence, France where she assumed the name Lady Avigail of Aurasio. Her companions are the Bishop of Gaul Maximinus of Galilee and Indian tribe Domari led by Raja Abraham. Watching a bawdy production play The Passion of Christ allegedly based on her and her beloved Jesus, she becomes upset with the lies of what she considered a beautiful love story. Encouraged by her friends who know who she is; she tells her tale though she expects it to be meaningless as the widow wife is meaningless.

Affluent Aram gave his daughter Mariamne of Magdala to Jesus, son of Joseph of the House of David. The couple marries under Jewish law at an Essene monastery. Mariamne and Jesus have three children while he begins the journey of destiny going to India and Alexandria to learn. When he returns he begins to preach and soon has a following as the Roman leaders in Judea and the Jewish priests and monarch want the rabble-rouser gone. At all times his wife had his back; unlike the men who pledged fealty.

This is a strong biblical biographical fiction as Mary tells what happened in her life as the wife of Christ. Carol McKay’s impeccable research is incredible and referenced so that the well written narrative has strong documentation supporting the author’s beliefs, conclusions and vivid descriptions of life in the early first century Judea. Although at times the writing can be to stiltedly flowery, readers will compare what we think we know of Mary to what Ms. McKay argues she was. Blood and Silk is an insightful novelization of the life of Mary of Magdala.

Harriet Klausner

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