The Lost Mary

“In The Lost Mary, renowned historian James Tabor launches a bold quest to rediscover the historical Mary, mother of Jesus. Far from the passive, deified figure of Christian tradition, the real Mary was a Jewish woman shaped by the revolutionary fervor of her time. Tabor restores her voice, her faith, her motherhood, and, most of all, her humanity, in this groundbreaking portrait that challenges everything we thought we knew about the origins of Christianity.” —Reza Aslan, author of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth“Gospels, histories, legends, traditions, archaeological artifacts: James Tabor brings all these sources to bear as he retells the story of Mary, the mother not only of Jesus but also of the movement that he championed. The Lost Mary effects an imaginative repatriation of this ancient and elusive figure, vividly conjuring both her character and the times that she lived in. Tabor’s Mary is ‘lost’ no more.” —Paula Fredriksen, author of When Christians Were Jews: The First Generation“Mary mother of Jesus, perhaps the most poorly-understood person who ever lived, could not find a better modern interpreter than James Tabor, whose life-long training in both archaeology and textual studies has given him the keys to, for the first time, construct a convincing portrayal of this enigmatic figure.” —John Dominic Crossan, author of The Historical Jesus“Tabor’s accessible, informed and wide-ranging exploration challenges Mary’s traditional portrayal, while situating Mary solidly within the social and political world of her times. This is a book that will appeal to those who seek an alternative view of Christian history.” —Joan E. Taylor, author of Boy Jesus: Growing Up Judean in Turbulent Times“She is the most revered woman in history, but how many people know who Mary, the mother of Jesus, really was? In a penetrating and deep analysis of all our available sources, James Tabor presents a surprising, historical view that places Mary in her own, first-century, Jewish context.” —Bart Ehrman, author of Misquoting Jesus

JAMES D. TABOR is a retired professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he served as department chair for a decade. His previous ten books include the international bestseller The Jesus Dynasty, The Jesus Discovery, and Paul and Jesus. Over the past three decades Tabor has combined his study of ancient texts with field work in archaeology, and since 2008 he has been co-director of the acclaimed Mt. Zion excavation in Jerusalem. Tabor’s work has been featured in dozens of major magazines and TV documentaries, including on PBS Frontline, BBC, Discovery Channel, Nightline, 20⁄20, and the History Channel. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.