Book review: The Lost Mary: Rediscovering the Mother of Jesus

In college, I took a year-long Biblical Literature course. And, like my professor, author James D. Tabor traveled many times to the Holy Land and worked on archaeological excavations there. Besides following the literary legacy of Mary, mother of Jesus, they both followed her historical footprints, from the rooms she lived in to the journeys she took. That insight makes the Bible and religion more alive.

In The Lost Mary: Rediscovering the Mother of Jesus, Tabor strips away what we think we know about Jesus and his family. Then, using his background in ancient Judaism and early Christianity, the Bible, history, and archaeology, Tabor rebuilds the puzzle, making the pieces fit into a more cohesive whole.

More than 100 sects formed in Jesus’ name,* with a wide variety of stories and beliefs that either died out or were subsumed by what became the Roman Catholic Church. The Bible then became the official arbiter of what was gospel truth, and if not for the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other hidden treasures, we would not have such a clear an understanding of the original Jesus—or of Mary.

Structured and ruled only by men, and celibate ones at that, the Christian church ignores and later vanishes the importance of the matriarch Mary. It’s her doubly royal bloodline, of Davidic lineage and priestly pedigree, that recalls ancient prophesies and threatens the power of established governments. Instead of being foundational to the building of Christianity, she is idolized as the Virgin Mary and seen as a mere follower of her son. Yet she is neither.

For instance, in the Bible, Peter and Paul appear as co-leaders of the religious movement. But historically, it was Jesus’ blood brothers who led the church. James takes over after Jesus’ crucifixion until he himself is stoned to death in 62 AD. Then Simon leads until he is crucified under Trajan in 106 AD. Why did they die? Jesus and his siblings were a threat to power—through their mother Mary, as the Old Testament proclaimed.

Tabor clearly explains how the written word and the historical record help readers understand and appreciate Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her role in the founding of Christianity. 

Thanks to Knopf for the ARC.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Lost Mary: Rediscovering the Mother of Jesus
by James D. Tabor
Knopf, 2025

* As Lance Grande described in his book Evolution of Religions.