Mary Author:Michael Jordan An expose of the identity of the Virgin Mary, who has become a symbol of the virgin bride, grieving mother, heavenly queen and compassionate intercessor. Michael Jordan reveals that the real Mary was none of these things. He states that the early Church invented the concept of the 'Virgin Mary'. The 'official' biography of Mary, the mother of Je... more »sus, was a matter of violent argument within the early Christian movement, culminating with the Council of Ephesus in 431, which established the idea of the immaculate conception and Mary's lifelong virginity. In the centuries that followed, she has become a symbol of the beautiful virgin bride, grieving mother, heavenly queen, compassionate intercessor, leader of armies, mistress of the world. The real Mary was none of these things. Jewish factions were so antagonistic towards her that, at her death, they attempted to seize the body and destroy it by fire, a sentence traditionally reserved for those found guilty of cultic prostitution and incest.« less