I gave a mini-review of DaV on Mary Magdalene [link|http://z.iwethey.org/forums/render/content/show?contentid=141888| here].

Contrary to Box's std off-the flipped-lid quips from popular folklore (in which just about any female was a virgin or a whore; still, for some) .. I think that there has persisted all along, an Alt View of Mary Magdalene from the multi-edited Bible versions, and quite before any confirmations from Dead Sea material. I was aware of this, while reading DaV. A {chortle} on every page.

Note re "oiling" of the feet. Padnamaskar, a ritual foot-touching persisting today - is about the effects realized upon "touching the feet" of [any] 'Realized Being'. This can be partly understood in context with the chakra model of the various kinds of Life energies and their centers in the body.

It is entirely appropriate that a presumed-Avatar would be requested to 'allow' this ritual. I know zippo re the "oils" part, an apparent addition, perhaps (like so much else) just another Christian variant on very old practices. Myths recycle and Christianity's myths are unoriginal; preceded by oodles of examples (including crucifixion and "they came from the East") which the interested can discover about.

Ex:
My mater had an Artful rendition of a 'Mary Magdalene' figure, her only near-religious artifact. Hers was a philosophical rather than religio-view of It All, and she suspected that the 'God' icons were entirely Man-created, also as in male (after all of the Matriarchies had been exterminated). She acknowledged the 'Mystery' which: "I Am.." forever connotes -- but neither preached to moi nor (really) spoke much on the subject.

She too had acquired a version of the MM story (not Monroe) at least recognizably ~ to the DaVinci version, best I can recollect. Pity I can't recall any details of that; it was a brief conversation, I was young and normally-stupid about paying attention to some priceless lore available at the cost only of {sigh} a little Interest.

In brief, my impression is - that my mother had accepted that "the pop MM story" was an ongoing orchestrated slander [considering the implications for the Puritannical-Wing, of JC's ~SO]. She 'accepted' that most people believed the std story, but was never inured to the implications of an all-too-Human sleaze-factor from ~ Day 1 of the written-down stuff. (I am grateful that she remained neutral about, and within our Xian-dominated enviro rather than usual inculcation; in that she was more Honest IMhO than most parents dare to be, in my experience since.)

I doubt that we shall receive closure on this er Issue, any more than we shall learn what vice President Halliburton exchanged with his Enron buddies re 'energy policy' (cha ... cha)

But should something more tangible surface in future, as the Ferenghi say, I'm all ears.


Ashton

By nature.. my instincts lie more ~~

Go --> Mary M! Let's clear your rep, dissed all this time by those MCPs.
Thomas! - Speak Up! Nail that effete misogynist Paul and his screeds ^upside _down on Vatican City's main gate.