St Mary Magdalen in Provence: The Coffin and the Cave / Michael Donley

This book subtitled The Coffin and the Cave is a serious and painstakingly researched examination of the legend that Mary Magdalen with several companions came to Provence after the resurrection of Jesus and ended her life there. This is not a fanciful piece of credulous hagiography. The many fables and traditions associated with Mary are closely scrutinised with reference to the written historical and romantic literature of the last thousand years. Donley examines the question of whether the Mary Magdalen legend is a composite of the three Marys mentioned in scripture or whether she was a single individual. Objective proof is impossible, but Donley asserts that legend is its own fact and that the people of Provence have always believed that her tomb and her cave are there where pilgrimages have been made for centuries. No amount of intellectual scholarship will efface the intense spiritual conviction of the people of Provence. Apart from the scholarly investigation the book is also an interesting guide book to Provence and its people. This is a valuable addition to the investigation of the Magdalen mystery.