Mary Magdalene is a key figure in the history of Christianity. After Mary, the mother of Jesus, she remains the most important female saint in her guise both as primary witness to the resurrection and 'apostle of the apostles'. This volume, the first major work on the Magdalene in more than thirty years, focuses on her 'lives' as these have been imagined and reimagined within Christian tradition. Philip Almond expertly disentangles the numerous narratives that have shaped the story of Mary over the past two millennia. Exploring the 'idea' of the Magdalene – her cult, her relics, her legacy – the author deftly peels back complex layers of history and myth to reveal many different Maries, including penitent prostitute; demoniac; miracle worker; wife and lover of Jesus; symbol of the erotic; and New Age goddess. By challenging uniform or homogenised readings of the Magdalene, this absorbing new book brings fascinating insights to its subject.

‘Almond’s research is meticulously detailed, yet entertainingly delivered … Learned and incisive, this is a top-notch work of Christian cultural analysis.'

Source: Publishers Weekly (starred review)

‘Mary Magdalene: A Cultural History establishes a narrative thread through centuries of cultural reception of the biblical figure, and covers an impressive range of material … Almont provides the most accessible summary to date of the scholarly story so far …’

Siobhán Jolley Source: The Art Newspaper

'… an enthralling examination of a pivotal figure in Christian tradition and a thought-provoking study of the countless stories and interpretations she inspired.'

Kristen Rabe Source: Foreword Reviews

'The enigma of Mary Magdalene remains inextinguishable . . . Philip C. Almond has been a biographer of God, the Antichrist and the Devil, and a historian of witchcraft and the afterlife. He structures his excellent new study Mary Magdalene: A cultural history, around the unusual mathematics of the Magdalene myth in Western Christianity.'

Anna Della Subin Source: Times Literary Supplement

'Professor Almond adroitly points out that, in the West, the enhanced status assigned to the Blessed Virgin Mary across the medieval period made her less accessible as a role model. Rather, the fallen woman redeemed became a woman for all seasons . . . Professor Almond [makes] many excurions, into the history of pilgrimages, relic collecting, medieval Vitae, and much else.'

Nicholas Cranfield Source: Church Times

‘Philip C. Almond provides a rapid but learned tour of the 'idea' of Mary Magdalene … it is the sort of book you might buy as a Christmas present - and the recipient is guaranteed to learn a great deal.’

Sarah Parkhouse Source: Material Religion