Margaret Starbird
Margaret Starbird | |
---|---|
Born | Margaret Leonard June 18, 1942 West Point, New York, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Education | University of Maryland, College Park (BS, MS) |
Occupation | Author |
Notable work | The Woman with the Alabaster Jar |
Spouse |
Edward Starbird (m. 1968) |
Children | 5, including Kate |
Parent |
|
Margaret Leonard Starbird (born June 18, 1942) is the author of seven books arguing for the existence of a secret Christian tradition that held Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene,[1] calling it the "Grail heresy", after having set out to discredit the bloodline hypothesis contained in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail.
Career
Starbird holds Bachelor of Arts (1963) and Master of Arts (1966) degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she majored in medieval studies, comparative literature and German language.[2][3] During her graduate studies, Starbird taught German courses at the University of Maryland.[3] Then from 1969 to 1970, Starbird taught foreign language courses at North Carolina State University.[3]
From 1988 to 1989, Starbird took classes at Vanderbilt Divinity School, later teaching religious education and Scripture in Catholic parishes.[4][5] Starbird was a basic skills instructor at Central Texas College's extension program at the Fort Lewis military base in Tacoma, Washington from 1992 to 2004.[3]
Works and beliefs
In her 1993 book
Margaret Starbird has outlined her conviction that "Christianity at its inception included the celebration of the
Starbird does not believe that Mary Magdalen originated from the town of Magdala, saying it was originally named Taricheae in biblical times before its destruction in AD 67, and when rebuilt after the death of Mary Magdalen was renamed "Magdala".[9]
Personal life
Born Margaret Leonard in West Point, New York, Starbird married Army Colonel Edward Starbird in 1968. They had five children, including computer scientist and former professional basketball player Kate Starbird.[10][3]
Margaret Starbird's father was Army Major General Charles Leonard, who won a Silver Medal in the modern pentathlon at the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, Germany.[11]
Criticism
Although Starbird's works have very little mention of a continuing sacred bloodline of descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalen which is also a significant portion of the premises behind such books as
Starbird's theories have been criticized for being based on medieval lore and art, rather than on historical treatment of the
Starbird's interpretation of the
Works
- The Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail (Bear & Co, 1993). ISBN 1-879181-03-7
- The Goddess in the Gospels: Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine (Bear & Co, 1998). ISBN 1-879181-55-X
- The Tarot Trumps and the Holy Grail: Great Secrets of the Middle Ages (Bear & Co, 2000). ISBN 0-9678428-0-8
- Magdalene’s Lost Legacy: Symbolic Numbers and the Sacred Union in Christianity (Bear & Co, 2003). ISBN 1-59143-012-7
- The Feminine Face of Christianity (Godsfield Press Ltd., UK, 2003). ISBN 1-84181-184-X
- Mary Magdalene, Bride in Exile (Bear & Co, 2005). ISBN 1-59143-054-2
Co-authored with Joan Norton
- 14 Steps to Awaken the Sacred Feminine: Women in the Circle of Mary Magdalene (Bear & Co, 2009). ISBN 1-59143-091-7
Documentary About
- Margaret Starbird's work is the main subject in the National Geographic TV series "Ancient X Files" in Season 2, Episode 10 "The Mystery of Mary Magdelene" originally broadcast 3 July 2012 on the National Geographic Channel in the UK.
In popular culture
Starbird's works along with those of Lynn Picknett, Michael Baigent, Henry Lincoln, and others were highly influential upon Dan Brown's bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code and are directly mentioned in that work.
See also
References
- ^ Abraxas (2006). "Coffee, Cigarettes and Gnosis podcast episode #4". The God above God. Archived from the original (audio (mp3)) on 27 April 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
- ^ http://www.engagingnews.us/select/Margaret-L-Starbird.html
- ISBN 0-7528-6450-5
- ^ http://www.questbooks.net/author.cfm?authornum=130 Biography on Quest Books website
- ISBN 1-879181-03-7
- ISBN 1-59143-012-7
- ISBN 1-59143-091-7
- ISBN 978-0-297-85168-4
- ISBN 0-313-30952-3
- ^ "Charles F. Leonard, 92, Army general/Olympian". The Washington Times.
- ^ Margaret Starbird, Woman With the Alabaster Jar, page 62.
- ISBN 1-58617-034-1
- ISBN 0-521-41876-3
- ISBN 0-8308-3267-X
- ISBN 0-7862-6967-7(alk. paper)
- ISBN 978-0-19-518140-1.
- ^ Darrell L. Bock, Was Jesus Married?
- ^ "Was Jesus Married?".
- ISBN 0-7369-1439-0. Citing Wesley Isenberg, who translated the Gospel of Philip.
- ISBN 1-58617-034-1
- ^ Robert Price. "The Da Vinci Hoax". Retrieved August 30, 2011.