Shedding light on the mystery of Mary

Biblical scholar James Tabor says that Mary–the mother of Jesus–is “the best known, least known woman in history.” This hour, we’ll get to know Mary a little better and talk about why some people are obsessed with preserving her purity at the expense of her humanity. And, we talk with (The Reverend) Amey Victoria Adkins-Jones from Emory University about Mary mythology, The Black Madonna, and the myriad ways Mary is depicted in art and culture. GUESTS: • James D. Tabor (https://jamestabor.com/) is a biblical scholar, and a retired professor of religious studies at the University Of North Carolina at Charlotte. He’s the author of The Lost Mary: Rediscovering the Mother of Jesus (https://jamestabor.com/books/) .    • (The Rev.) Amey Victoria Adkins-Jones (https://adkinsjones.com/) is Assistant Professor of Theology and Africana Studies at Emory University (https://candler.emory.edu/faculty-pro...) . She’s a constructive theologian and scholar of Black religion specializing in Mariology, Black feminist and womanist thought, and theological anthropology. She’s the author of Immaculate Misconceptions: A Black Mariology (https://global.oup.com/academic/produ...) .    MUSIC FEATURED (in order): • Mary On A Cross (   • Ghost - Mary On A Cross (slowed + reverb) ...  ) – Ghost • Along Comes Mary (   • The Association "Along Comes Mary" on The ...  ) – The Association • The Wind Cries Mary (   • The Jimi Hendrix Experience [1080p HD Rema...  ) – Jimi Hendrix • Mary Rock the Baby (   • Mary Rock the Baby  ) – Jarell Smalls • Like a Prayer (   • Madonna - Like A Prayer (Official Video)  ) – Madonna • Lady Madonna (Theme from Grace Under Fire) (   • "Lady Madonna" (Theme From "Grace Under Fi...  ) – Aretha Franklin • Mary, Did You Know? (   • The Braxtons - Mary, Did You Know? Live  ) – The Braxtons The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrz...) , Amazon Music (https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6...) , TuneIn (https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Pol...) , Listen Notes (https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/...) , or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter (https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters) , an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook (  / colinmcshow  )  and Twitter (  / colinmcshow  ) . Colin McEnroe, Dylan Reyes, and Isaac Moss contributed to this episode, which originally aired on February 18, 2026. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.