Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls

Bettye Johnson
Living Free Press (2005)
ISBN 9780965045414
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (7/06)

“Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls” is a great romance/adventure novel.  The adventure begins with two women accidentally discovering hidden scrolls that were written by Mary Magdalene.  Receiving assistance from a businessman and a French priest, the story really takes off as they try to translate the scrolls and have to go on the run to protect them.   As they are learning what the scrolls say, they are also experiencing their own spiritual transformations and healings.  The book alternates between the stories that are written in the scrolls, and the modern day story focusing on these four people.

In this tale, Jesus and Mary Magdalene are married and have children.  Jesus also has brothers.  Other biblical figures are discussed in the scrolls.  This makes some of them appear more human and fallible.  I found the ideas to be extremely interesting and thought provoking.   It made me wonder about what scrolls are still hidden out there waiting to be discovered and how many have been discovered, yet kept silent by the Church?

While the book is fiction, there are tidbits of historical information included throughout the story to make it seem more plausible.  I enjoyed picking up new information and I appreciated that Johnson has a cited list in the back of the novel.  I can use this list to further research her ideas. 

I recommend this novel to people who enjoy fictional books like “The DaVinci Code” and who also enjoy researching ideas about alternative histories of Christianity.  Really, I think that anyone with an open mind will enjoy this great novel. I look forward to reading the sequel.

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