Before, there were four Gospels - by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Now there is a fifth - the Gospel according to Mary Magdalene.

In the parched soil of Provence, a fifth gospel has been discovered, Mary Magdalene's account of Jesus' teaching and her relationship with him.

It is a book of revelation, for it unveils a new Christianity, one which embraces the female equally with the male and acknowledges and celebrates women's spirituality. A passionate story of love and search, of separation and rebirth, The Secret Gospel imagines an alternative history for the much maligned Mary Magdalene, where she runs away from her family but returns to be captivated, both emotionally and theologically, by Jesus.

The Secret Gospel of Mary Magdalene is a brilliant and moving vision of Christianity that is also startlingly modern in its conclusions.