With an introductory text by Father Bessa, Maria is the new edition of the definitive biography of one of the most important women in history, by the author with over 1 million copies sold, Rodrigo Alvarez.
There's a story before and after Mary. Drawing on extensive journalistic research and putting 2,000 years of narratives into perspective, Rodrigo Alvarez weaves together the diverse facets of the woman—virgin, mother, saint—who gave birth to the man who would change the course of humanity.
Despite her fundamental role in religion, little is revealed about Mary in the gospels and biblical accounts; however, without her, it is impossible to tell the story of early Christianity. Drawing on apocryphal texts and historical records from the past millennia, Alvarez reconstructs Mary's childhood and her marriage to Joseph, the visit of the angel Gabriel and the controversial pregnancy, the flight into Egypt and the creation of Jesus, his death and sanctification, the miracles at Guadalupe and the apparition at Fátima, the clashes and attacks inflicted on her figure, and even the dark clay image that made her patron saint of Brazil.
In episodes such as the nun who indicated the supposed place of her death and the empress who made her known as the Mother of God, the author weaves together the details of Mary's relevance beyond religion, as a historical figure of great importance and about whom so little is still known.
With rigorous research based on extensive sources and recent archaeological discoveries, and with the journalistic rigor characteristic of Rodrigo Alvarez's work, Maria is a definitive biography of one of the most important women in history.
"It was after Mary's death that miracles began to be attributed to her willingness to hear prayers and direct them to God. And this book you just bought, or received as a gift, or perhaps borrowed from a friend or relative—in short, this book you are reading—still holds two millennia of curious, shocking, controversial, infuriating, bloody, and certainly miraculous stories."
"Rodrigo Alvarez's work always brings information that is the result not only of his talent as a writer, but also of his journalistic curiosity. The information is valuable and enriching. The reader will be surprised." – Ana Maria Braga
"Reading this book, I realized that Rodrigo transformed these pages into 'rooftops' where seeds of the Kingdom are sown through the life of the Virgin Mary." – Father Bessa
