The Complete Gospel of Mary Magdalene - The Gospel of the Beloved Companion

This was very informative. Should have been in the cannonized version. Over fifty Gospels existed prior to 300 A.D. and only 4 were authorized to be used by the elite in power at the time. How much truth was lost due to these omissions.

A translation of a strange and ancient manuscript which is not open for verification. Perhaps it was written by a descendant or member of the Cathares, a sect going back to the Middle Ages in France and whose members were horribly persecuted by both the Catholic Church and French monarchy. The translation reveals the role important given to Mary Magdalene as a disciple of Christ. I found it very interesting.

What a gift author and translator Jehanne de Quillan brings us in this extraordinary book! With this lucid translation and commentary, we encounter Yeshua, the fully human man whose words and presence touched, troubled and transformed so many minds and hearts in his day. Whatever it was that people experienced in Yeshua's presence comes alive through the clear voice of an eyewitness who truly grasped Yeshua's teachings and embodied them. Miryam the Migdalah, the Beloved Companion, brings us to the heart of Yeshua's message and, if we have the ears to hear, then all things are made new. Miryam's telling of the gospel story will change forever the way Christians read and understand "the good news".

This is a very beautiful gospel and commentary.

The beloved companion deals with Christ's teachings of humanity as an evolving species. However the author deviates from her following Christian evolution as put forth in this Gospel by historically denigrating the Roman Church and male persecution and unfair treatment of women. She may very well be correct. However, she needs to go much further. Humanity is where it is and history cannot be changed.

I believe Quillan can offer much more if the Gospel can be further authenticated by current scholars and scientists. If not, then this remains a beautiful work and anyone who lets the words of Mary Magdalene into their heart and lives will benefit greatly. They will be on their way to understanding Christ.

Garrett Howard

This is a very beautiful gospel and commentary.

The beloved companion deals with Christ's teachings of humanity as an evolving species. However the author deviates from her following Christian evolution as put forth in this Gospel by historically denigrating the Roman Church and male persecution and unfair treatment of women. She may very well be correct. However, she needs to go much further. Humanity is where it is and history cannot be changed.

I believe Quillan can offer much more if the Gospel can be further authenticated by current scholars and scientists. If not, then this remains a beautiful work and anyone who lets the words of Mary Magdalene into their heart and lives will benefit greatly. They will be on their way to understanding Christ.

Garrett Howard

Interesting, but many lines that would be considered "controversial" seem like they were added in; they don't match the flow of the narrative. Also, if her revelation is the core of Jeshua's teachings, what was he telling the disciples all of those times it says he was teaching them about the Kingdom of Heaven???

After a pretty thorough online search, I can find absolutely no corroborating evidence that the ancient manuscripts referred to as "The Gospel of the Beloved Companion" (neither the Occitan or Greek versions that the author mentions) have ever existed. If the author ever presents the actual Greek manuscript and it is authenticated, I will change my opinion.

In the very first chapter, (p. 6) the author concedes no one outside of a community to which she belongs (she does not give the name, it's apparently a secret) has ever laid eyes on this purported "Gospel of Mary Magdalene." A secret community, in possession of a secret gospel which no one else has ever had the chance to see. I was extremely disappointed to find this out. I bought this book on the strength of other reviewers who rated it highly. I was particularly disappointed by author Cynthia Bourgeault's glowing review, as I have enjoyed reading a number of her books.

The author claims this gospel cannot be examined by anyone outside of her secret community because it is too dangerous, that past persecutions of that secret community have made them fearful of letting anyone else see it. (p. 6-7) She makes vague allusions to this community perhaps being connected with medieval Cathars / Albigensians (p. 6-7, 176-8). This purported danger seems unconvincing, given that there ALREADY exists a Gospel of Mary (Magdalene) which the author herself quotes from (pgs. 107-133). You can find this Gospel of Mary fully translated on the internet, along with many other ancient texts, at [...]. This website notes that Greek fragments of the Gospel of Mary ([...]) were published back in 1938, with a more complete translation from the Coptic published in 1983. Note that this Gospel of Mary is every bit as radical in comparison to current Christian "orthodoxy" as the author's purported "secret" gospel. In other words, the cat has long been out of the bag, so the reasons the author gives for withholding this purported gospel from scholarly review are unconvincing.

The author admits upfront that "I am not what one could describe as a scriptural scholar." (p. 3) The average reader, however, will come away with the impression that it is a very scholarly work indeed, given that it sometimes supplies Greek passages (e.g. p. 136, 145, 148) or examines particular Greek words (e.g. 90-92). This level of scholarship, though, is about what a good student with a couple of years in seminary, a Greek 1 class, and access to the internet would have. Much more ability than the average person would have, but something written at the level of a good seminary paper does not make it a scholarly work. There's a reason why there are peer-reviewed journals, why you have your documents available for other scholars to examine. Besides just basic credibility in actually being able to SEE the document at all, the reason teams of scholars help to translate things like the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Gospel of Thomas, the existing Gospel of Mary is due to the fact that everyone makes mistakes and has biases that need to be checked and tested. It is quite remarkable that the self-confessed non-scholarly author claims to have been able to take this secret document, which they say was originally written in ancient Alexandrian Greek (p. 5), and to translate on their own, without need for scholarly review, to have then translated it "word for word," and to have no "preconceived interpretation, comparison, or doctrinal requirement." (p. 5) Everyone has assumptions and biases it's impossible to NOT have them. That's why scholars review each other's work.

As far as the Greek fragments and manuscripts the author sometimes quotes from and provides using actual Greek, fragments and manuscripts that scholars can see and have reviewed, this is no great accomplishment. For instance, you can easily copy it from the original Tischendorf (Codex Sinaiticus) at this excellent on-line resource: [...]. That website gives you some idea of what a truly scholarly effort looks like.

There is really no need anyway to resort to books with fantastical claims as this, when a Gospel of Mary already exists and can be read, or when there are books about Junia, the woman specifically mentioned as being an apostle in Romans 16:7. Compare Quillan's work with Eldon Jay Epp's "Junia: The First Woman Apostle," and you will also see what a truly concise, scholarly work looks like. Or you can read about Junia in a still scholarly but longer and easier to read "The Lost Apostle: Searching for the Truth about Junia," by Rena Pederson.

I would normally rate such a questionable work one star. However, there are a few things that mitigate this for me. It is impossible to emphasize enough the horrific, misogynistic treatment of women in Christianity's past. The author does this. Such atrocities as the Albigensian Crusade, a holocaust in its own right that killed over one million people, should never be forgotten. Even though such things are treated better and in more detail by many other authors, kudos to the author of this book for not letting us forget these matters.

However, I don't believe we need to resort to secret documents purported to be in the possession of secret communities or societies, as in this book's case, in order to bolster the case and cause of women's complete spiritual equality and authority with men. What we need are more and more visible women and supportive men with the courage to publicly step forward and challenge a supposed "orthodoxy" that for millennia has made women second-class Christians.

Millions of faithful throughout the world possess copies of the texts they believe to be sacred, yet not one of them, or at best very few, have ever seen with physical eyes historical documents that lend 'authenticity' to the words they see before them on the page. The reason for this, I believe, is the individual witness of truth, a personal truth that is unique to each of us in its intepretation. If indeed the kingdom lies within us, as is stated in The Gospel of the Beloved Companion, with no exceptions for race, religion, gender or other orientation, what is there possibly to fear in the seeking of wisdom from all sources, all throughout this wonderful world we all share? Surely there is no text for the wisdom to be found in the natural world that so inspires us among the hills and valleys, yet we do not discredit the stirring of our souls at such wonder. The words of wisdom within this text carry with them the breath of life from age to age, and generation to generation. There is no ancient scroll more powerful than the truth contained in the words themselves, for they bear their own witness to the open heart and to the spirit that is hungry to receive. Be of great joy and step out from the shackles of fear and institution, for you who seek the light shall surely find it, irrespective of which path you may choose. Give this book a read with the eyes of your heart, and embrace it in its beautiful simplicity.

All that story about 'authentic script translated from Gnostic gospel'... so many parts known that are fake or added after First Council of Nicaea, AD 325, are in there that makes this Script or its translation at least - wrong and useless. Does not that person, Jehanne de Quillan [Cathar, sic!], know (just to say) that city of Nazareth did not exist at the time of Jesus??? Just by naming Jesus Yeshua does not prove authenticity...

Yet another good read, but not a reference book!!

The truth cannot be seen, taught or debated. The truth is felt. And the truth of the words of The Beloved Companion resonates in my heart and soul. I have no need to intellectualize or defend this truth. I feel the truth. Thank you Jehann De Quillan for bringing me home. There was a peace that descended upon me as I read this book, a peace that comes from an inner place of knowing, a validation of I AM. How could something that feels so right be anything but that. Almost every line spoke to me galvanizing my Spirit. Women everywhere will want to read "The Gospel of the Beloved Companion: The Complete Gospel of the Mary Magdalene." It had the effect of energizing my resolve to reclaim the rightful role of the feminine in the past, present and future while at the same time calming my Soul. It is my new Companion, my new source of inspiration. I highly recommend this book to men and women alike. It opens the eyes to the human soul, not male or female. It releases each from religious dogma and goes to the heart of Yeshua's teachings so that both can feel the balance of the Spirit. I would like to say I am profoundly changed by having read this book; yet it feels more like I now Remember who I AM.

While the book beautifully presents the life of Yeshua, what I find most compelling about The Gospel of the Beloved Companion is its teachings. Throughout the book, Yeshua shows the disciples and us as readers the strength and purpose of the Spirit’s teachings. We are reminded of the beauty and importance of showing others love and compassion, of the power of coming together in community, and of the importance of forgiveness. The clarity of the teachings and the truths within them are, at least to me, undeniable. While the book gave me a new and better understanding of the life of Yeshua, the spiritual teachings are where the book truly shines.

I loved this gospel - but the translator provides no proof that the original document actually exists. In spite of this it is really worth reading, especially for the beautifully described spiritual journey at the end. I also found the author/translator's own ideas very thought provoking and interesting.

The one word "coherent" flew literally out of my mouth upon completing the The Gospel of the Beloved Companion. And if I were to add a second word here it is "finally". Thank you Jehanne de Quillen for bringing this coherent gospel forward into the world's awareness.....finally. It Is Time!

This book resonates deeply with me. I don't care how the author got the information because I can see so much truth in it that it does not matter. It is so powerful, that I can only read it for a little at a time.

For me the Gospel of the Beloved Companion, The Complete Gospel of Mary Magdalene was like receiving a long awaited gift of "clarity and truth" about the life and teachings of Jesus. My deepest gratitude to Jehanne de Quillan.

Powerful and profound. For me, it is the living word, timeless in wisdom, and it provides me with a tree of life to climb out of the darkness.The Gospel of the Beloved Companion: The Complete Gospel of Mary Magdalene