AllMovie

As produced for the National Geographic Channel, the Secrets of the Cross videos reexamine Christian traditions in a provocative and revisionist light. This particular installment examines the role of Mary Magdalene. Long regarded as one of the most elusive and enigmatic figures in the New Testament, she fell prey to constant reinvention by western art and literature over the centuries. Still, vast speculation about her real historical role and character remains: was she a prostitute, as the early Christian church argued, or did she have a more intimate relationship with Jesus than the Bible suggests - could she have been his wife or the mother of his child? This program examines the evidence to produce arresting insights.