Woman With The Wild Thing's Heart

When: Saturday 8.30pm
Presenter: Gerry McArdle
Producer: Gerry McArdle

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Series finished 18th February 2006.

WOMAN WITH THE WILD THING'S HEART.
The life and legends of Mary Magdalene.

"O woman with the wild thing's heart,
Old sin hath set a snare for thee:
In the forest ways forspent thou art
But the hunter Christ shall pity thee."

Those lines, from "Song For Mary Magdalene" by Patrick Pearse, form the starting point for Gerry McArdle's new four-part series about a saint who seems, only recently, to be coming into her own.

Long lumbered, thanks to the machinations of some early Christian Church fathers, with the reputation of being either a prostitute or a repentant sinner, Mary is known either as the "tart with the heart" of Jesus Christ Superstar by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, or the glamorous seductress of many a Hollywood celluloid fable.  Nowadays, thanks to a popular pulp novel, she is also seen by some as the wife/consort and mother of the children of Jesus Christ; and though the programmes don't wish to go the "Da Vinci Code" route, Dan Brown is a little bit like the elephant in the living room that can't be ignored.

She was, in fact, one of the most important characters in the Gospel stories, mentioned by two of the evangelists as the first person granted the privilege of seeing the risen Christ.  To all who would downgrade the role of women in Christianity, the figure of Mary says a very firm "No"!

"Woman With The Wild Thing's Heart" explores Mary Magdalene in reality and myth, and enlists the aid of some very eminent scholars of theology and history to achieve its goals.  Along the way, we'll hear contributions from Sean Freyne, Anne Thurston, Mary T Malone, Prof. Mary Grey and Marc Patrick Hederman, to name but a few.  Even though these luminaries give us the benefit of their vast learning, the programmes aim to be popular and populist, entertaining as well as educational.

Further reading on Mary Magdalene.

Mary Magdalene.  The Essential History.  By Susan Haskins.   Publisher: Pimlico.

Saint Mary Magdalene.  Her Life And Times. By Edith Filliette.  Publisher: Society of St. Mary Magdalene.

The Gospel of St. Mary of Magdala by Karen L. King.  Publisher: Polebridge Press.

The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene by Jane Schaberg.  Publisher: continuum.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Mary Magdalene by Lesa Bellevie.  Publisher: ALPHA.

The Gospels of Mary by Marvin Meyer.   Publisher: Harper San Francisco.

The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels.   Publisher: Vintage.

Music in Title Sequence:  Pater Superni luminis sung by Nóirín Ní Riain.   CD:Vox De Nube. GAEL-LINN CEFCD 144.

See also the website: www.magdalene.org

Listen to the series.

Audio Links to all the programmes in the series.