L'affaire Marie Madeleine

Gerald Messadié's gripping new novel is based on a theory that Mary Magdalene was the instigator of a plot to save Jesus from death. She bribed Roman soldiers, enabling Jesus to escape and thus delaying his ultimate crucifixion. To protect him from his foes, she and her brother Lazarus, along with a group of women apostles, led him away from Jerusalem and reunited him with his apostles who had scattered all over Palestine. This well-documented novel recreates the fascinating historical and psychological context in which great prophets crossed the deserts, becoming powerful enough to destabilise political regimes of the time and where social and religious order were weakened by deeply ingrained superstition. It is also the story of the love and devotion of a woman who was an important and authentic part of Jesus' life. The postscript is rich with references that support Messadié's theory. Gerald Messadie is the author of many essays and novels among which l'Homme qui devint Dieu, Moïse and l'Histoire générale de Dieu. His work has been read and translated all over the world.