The Gospels of Mary presents English translations of the earliest and most reliable texts that shed light on Mary Magdalene, collected here for the first time. As Marvin Meyer states in his Introduction, these texts unveil her importance as Jesus" beloved disciple and an apostle and evangelist in her own right, a figure whose importance for Christianity is only now emerging from the shadows of history. Included are selections from the New Testament Gospels and from Gnostic Gospels and other texts, including the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Thomas, and the Gospel of Philip. Esther de Boer, a widely respected expert on Mary Magdalene and the Gospel of Mary, sets Meyer"s translations in the context of the latest scholarship. She analyzes the role Mary plays in each of the gospels in which she appears, showing her to be a capable, strong woman who poses a distinct threat to the male-dominated early Church. Cumulatively, these texts reveal a vibrant oral tradition in which Mary Magdalene is not only a follower of Jesus but his companion and closest disciple.