The controversy surrounding Mary Magdalene and her relationship to Jesus has gained widespread international interest since the publication of Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code which specifically cites Starbird's earlier works as a significant source. In Mary Magdalene, Bride in Exile Starbird examines the many faces of Mary Magdalene, from the historical woman who walked with Jesus in the villages of Judaea to the mythic and symbolic Magdalene who is the archetype of the Sacred. Feminine. Starbird reveals exciting new information about the woman who was the most intimate companion of Jesus-a woman who, for years, has been conflated with the gospels' other Marys-and offers historical evidence that Mary was indeed Jesus' forgotten bride. Expanding on the rich discussion of medieval art and lore introduced in her best-selling book The Woman with the Alabaster Jar, Starbird sifts through the layers of misidentification under which the story of the lost bride of Christ has been buried to reveal the slandered woman and the "exiled" feminine principle. She establishes the identity of the female disciple who was the first to witness Jesus' resurrection and provides an interpretation of Mary's true role based on prophecy from the. Hebrew Scriptures and the testimony of the canonical gospels of Christianity. Book jacket.