
The Virgin
Geoffrey Ashe(Author)
The History Press Ltd
Will be published approx. on 1. June 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-0-7509-5064-0 (ISBN)
Description
Following recent interest in Mary Magdalene and the Da Vinci code, The Virgin unravels Mary's story. The mother of Christ has taken various forms throughout the centuries: among them are the Blessed Virgin, the Queen of Heaven, the Madonna and the spiritual mother of all the faithful. Yet despite her high enthronement in the Catholic Church, Mary, as both chaste goddess and earth mother, has her origins in pre-Christian religions, of which the chief deities were female. In this masterly exploration of the cult of Mary, Geoffrey Ashe examines ancient myths, theology, history, literature and feminine spirituality to throw new light on the role of Mary in today's Church, which is only partly derived from the Gopels.Tracing the cult from its origins to the present day with the re-subordination of Mary to Christ, The Virgin also illuminates the spiritual battle of the sexes, a conflict that remains unresolved to this day.
Reviews / Votes
'Mr Ashe deploys real scholarship in crisp ironical, stimulating prose' Sunday Times'Mr Ashe makes an honorably sharp distinction between his history and his speculation, and his book is thought-provoking' Philip Toynbee in the ObserverMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Stroud
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 124 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
320 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7509-5064-0 (9780750950640)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Geoffrey Ashe is a well-known and respected writer on Arthurian myth and legend, and is the author of Merlin, King Arthur's Avalon, The Discovery of King Arthur and The Hell-Fire Clubs. He lives at the foot of Glastonbury Tor.