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The Madonna Secret

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The Madonna Secret

Written by: Sophie Strand
Narrated by: Sophie Strand
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About this listen

• Reroots Mary Magdalene and Jesus in the lush ecology and complex spiritual culture of Second Temple Period Judea and Galilee under Roman rule

• Rewilds the Gospels with the forgotten voices of defiant and oppressed women, the nature-based storytelling of oral communities, and the embodied eroticism of a lovable rabbi with appetites and desires, doubts and shame, and a playful sense of humor

• Retells a familiar narrative informed by extensive research in botany and ecology, scriptural analysis, feminist studies, and the mythic traditions of the Mediterranean

When Leukas, a Christian convert, ventures into the wilds of Gaul to receive the hidden teachings from Mary Magdalene before she dies, he discovers that hidden within the Gospels he thinks he knows is an epic love story—between an educated Jewish woman overwhelmed by her mysterious spiritual powers and a sensual magician devoted to the wisdom of the earth. The secrets she will reveal are both more shocking and more tragic than anything listeners have encountered before.

Beginning with Miriam’s childhood as a member of a wealthy Jewish family living outside of Bethany, we see her struggles as a young woman with spiritual curiosity and intellectual aspirations that drive her to combat the violence of Empire and the sexism of her own culture. Propelled by mystic visions, Miriam is finally drawn into the wilds of Galilee, where her destiny collides with a mischievous rabbi who will change her and the world forever. Trapped in a mythic story unfolding in events around them, the lovers strive not to repeat a tragedy older than the pyramids.

In The Madonna Secret, Sophie Strand resurrects a richly textured world where complex characters reveal the lived reality of scripture and open familiar sayings to radical new meanings and possibilities.

©2023 Sophie Strand. All Rights Reserved (P)2023 Inner Traditions Audio. All Rights Reserved.
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Fabulous read. Best story of the Madonna!

Eloquent, historically accurate and interesting. Never a dull moment all throughout the story. Honour to women and generations. Highly recommend.

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Finally… a version of this story that gets it right!!

In the Madonna Secret, a retelling of a story so many of us know by default, Sophie masterfully places the feminine in--what I see as--its rightful place. My whole life I've been fascinated by the story surrounding the life of Yeshua (Jesus), but it was not until I read this book that I finally found a version that made sense to me, that added what I always instinctively knew was missing. This review can't do justice to the way Sophie so eloquently weaves in all the formerly absent womanly wisdom/perspectives and earthly/ecological elements. You're just going to have to read it yourself to find out. And if you're thinking 'why bother, I already know how it ends'... guess again. Prepare to be delighted.

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