Was Magdalene Jesus' wife?

Mary Magdalene is the lost bride in Christianity who was married to Jesus Christ in the greatest story "never" told, according to a Christian educator and author who spoke at the opening session of Sunstone Symposium.

Margaret Starbird, a Roman Catholic, said she believes there is a "fatal design flaw in Christianity" and that this is the absence of "balance of the opposites" in Christian beliefs — Mary Magdalene's marriage to Jesus Christ.

"You can't have a bridegroom without a bride," she reasoned during the annual Smith-Pettit Lecture at the Sheraton Salt Lake City Centre on Wednesday night, attended by about 300 people.

"They didn't tolerate bachelors," she said, referring to Jewish culture in Christ's time. "The absolute norm was marriage."

Her books were pivotal sources cited by Dan Brown in "The Da Vinci Code" — a point that becomes evident listening to her lecture.

She said it is interesting to think that the scriptures might have been doctored to hide this truth.

Still, she said there is scriptural references supporting her belief. She also finds it significant that the story of the Woman with the Alabaster Jar is only one of four other stories repeated in all four Gospels.

"That has to be a very powerful story," she said.

Mary coming to Christ's tomb on the third day after his crucifixion is also consistent with the traditions of a wife in that culture, according to Starbird. She also believes that Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene are one and the same.

She's also convinced that the Holy Grail wasn't a vessel or cup, but rather a descendant of Christ. She noted a legend that Mary traveled to France in about 42 A.D. One reason she believes Mary was lost track of in history was that her child was not a son but a daughter.

Starbird told how slow she was to overcome traditional Catholic beliefs and investigate the possibility of Christ being married. A series of personal revelations aided her study.

Starbird, who now lives in the Seattle area, has written five books related to this subject, including: "The Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail" and "The Goddess in the Gospels: Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine." She has her own Web site at: www.telisphere.com/~Starbird.

Sunstone continues through Saturday, Aug. 14 at the Sheraton, with concurrent sessions each day on various Mormon-related subjects beginning at 8:45 a.m. If there is a theme of this year's conference, it is the "Divine Feminine."

A complete schedule is available on-line at: www.sunstoneonline.com/symposium.

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E-mail: lynn@desnews.com