Table of Contents

Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Foreword by Rev. Terrance Sweeney, Ph.D.

Preface

PROLOGUE: Miriam of the Garden

CHAPTER I: The Lost Bride

CHAPTER II: The Bridegroom

CHAPTER III: The Blood Royal and the Vine

CHAPTER IV: The Twelth-Century Awakening

CHAPTER V: Relics of the Hidden Church

CHAPTER VI: Heretical Artists anf Their Symbols

CHAPTER VII: The Unicorn and the Lady

CHAPTER VIII: The Bride in Folklore and Legend

CHAPTER IX: The Desert Shall Bloom

EPILOGUE: The Sacred Reunion

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index

About the Author

About the Author

MARGARET STARBIRD is the author of The Goddess in the Gospels, Magdalene’s Lost Legacy, and Mary Magdalene: Bride in Exile. She lives near Seattle, Washington.

Reviews

"Offers an alternative view of Christianity for women. . . . It cannot be ignored."
*Publishers Weekly*

"Provocative and controversial--it will outrage some and give hope to others."
*Catholic Women's Network*

"As Starbird says, 'No wonder icons of Mary weep!' "
*National Catholic Reporter*

“Margaret Starbird is a seeker after truth. She seeks to recover the long-suppressed, and not infrequently emotionally opposed, feminine side of the Christian story. Hers is an exciting narrative probing regions of thought long neglected. Magdalen, the Great Mary, emerges with new power.”
*John Shelby Spong, Episcopal bishop and author of Born of a Woman*

"This fascinating and courageous narrative takes a fresh look at the true meaning of the Holy Grail and the defeminization of the early church, and comes up with some shocking revelations that may change the way one perceives Christianity forever."
*Nexus*

"Margaret Starbird's work is of particular interest to me because it fuses the diverse fields of symbolism, mythology, art, heraldry, psychology, and gospel history. Her research opens doors for each of us to further explore the rich iconography of our own spiritual history."
*Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code*