Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene in the Cave, as depicted by Jules Joseph Lefebvre in 1876

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The Bible

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The Bible records Mary Magdalene as the most prominent of Jesus's non-apostle hangers-on: a woman who had seven demons cast out of her.[1] Non-biblical tradition portrays her as a prostitute. Modern  scholars, looking at the Bible and contemporary writings as  historical texts, (like all texts, filled with subtext, editing, and distinct political perspectives) have revised the picture of Mary of Magdala,[2] classifying her as a full apostle of Jesus, possibly a spouse or romantic partner, and likely a leader of an early Christian Church in her own right. But sadly,  someone or  something has edited her out of history for being a woman in a position of relevance.

## Contents

* 1 Mary, Mary, quite contrary
* 2 Church and Gospel of Mary
* 3 Gospel of Philip and Gospel of Thomas
* 4 Cultural depictions
* 5 See also
* 6 External links
* 7 Notes
* 8 References

## Mary, Mary, quite contrary[edit]

Mary Magdalene has been the vexation of men, the embodiment of temptation, the carrier of all sins and vices, and the proof that women must be controlled. She and Eve are the mythological counterpoints to Mary the Mother of Jesus's purity, the beginning of the duality marking woman in general as polar "pure" or "dirty", which is known as the Madonna-whore complex.

'Cept none of it is true. Mary lost her reputation sometime in the 6th century, when Pope Gregory the Great decided without justification that those 7 demons cast out of her were the 7 deadly sins, and intentionally identified the unnamed prostitute that Jesus forgave, as Mary.[3] Why? One supposes he did not much like women. This image of Mary was perpetuated and even used for titillating art throughout Medieval Europe. Luckily, the 20th century brought a new view of both Christianity and the Bible as something worthy of study from historians, linguists, and other "less biased" scholars, and she was returned to her position as beloved friend and "apostle to the apostles" though few if any churches actually accept that she was an apostle.

The Catholic Church has always venerated Mary Magdalene as a saint (feast day July 22). In the Eastern Orthodox Church, her official title is Saint Equal-to-Apostles Mary of Magdala. She is commemorated by the EOC on July 22, and also, as one of the Myrrhbearers,[note 1] on the 3rd Sunday of Pascha (2nd Sunday after Easter).

## Church and Gospel of Mary[edit]

Like Peter and Judas, Mary was the leader of her own Gnostic church which likely began in the first century, not long after the death of Jesus, though possibly after the destruction of the Temple. The scripture of that church, the Gospel of Mary, was discovered in the late 1800s as part of the Akhmim Codex and likely written in the 3rd Century CE. The Gospel of Mary challenges Peter's right to be Pope, saying that role was bestowed upon her by Jesus himself.

As a typical Gnostic text, Mary is filled with references to secret knowledge that Jesus has imparted upon Mary before he died, teachings she attempted to teach to her church followers and which the church attempted to capture in the text. The Gospel's most important lessons describe the "self" — the outer body that holds no value, and the inner self which is formed by the soul, the mind and hopefully the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Politically, the text of the Gospel of Mary itself mentions that several of Jesus' other disciples (notably, Peter) doubted her visions, her teachings, and her position as most beloved of Jesus. Those lines in Mary most likely reflect less of what may have happened during Jesus' life between the real disciples and Jesus, but rather were a reflection of the next 200 years as the 3 or 4 main churches (Peter, Judas, Mary and Paul of Tarsus) fought for control of the early Christian message.

## Gospel of Philip and Gospel of Thomas[edit]

Mary is a significant figure in both the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Philip.

Thomas describes her as a full disciple of Jesus, standing beside him throughout his teachings and being one of his most beloved. But, as with the Gospel of Mary itself, Thomas (one of the earliest written Gospels about Jesus) describes a brewing confrontation between Mary and Peter.

“”Simon Peter said to him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life." Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven.

For lovers of a good romance or Dan Brown, the Gospel of Philip is an important read, as it could be read to contain more familial aspects of Jesus and Mary. "There were three who always walked with the Lord: Mary, his mother, and her sister, and Magdalene, the one who was called his companion. His sister and his mother and his companion were each a Mary."[4]

Peter has one seriously intriguing line which is made even more titillating by the fact that the papyrus has deteriorated right at the most perfect spot (words or letters that are missing are denoted by brackets):

“”And the companion of [the saviour was Mar]y Ma[gda]lene. [Christ loved] M[ary] more than [all] the disci[ples, and used to] kiss her [often] on her [mouth].[4]

It goes on, of course, to say this special relationship (which might just have been marriage[5][6]) caused distrust and jealousy among his other disciples who believed he was giving her secret knowledge ("secret knowledge" may, of course, have been a euphemism).

## Cultural depictions[edit]

"No touching!" Titian's Noli me tangere unusually seems keener to strip Jesus than Mary

Mary has been the subject of many works of art, depicted both as a pious woman and as an opportunity to include sexy content or eye candy in Christian art. Often her role was exemplary, as Jesus's chief female companion. There are many images of the penitent Mary Magdalene, which depict her rejection of the flesh in one way or in another, and a focus on spiritual pursuits often surrounded by signs of her penitence and faith including skull, crucifix, Bible, and vessel for annointing.[7][8]

One common theme was the Noli me tangere, in which the resurrected Jesus tells Mary to let him be ("Do not touch", or rather "stop clinging to me"/"stop hugging me"). This originally provided an example of how the way to God was through faith and the heart rather than through grabbing him, but it also provided opportunities for sexy Mary Magdalene to paw at Jesus and even pull his clothes off, suggesting a romantic or carnal relationship between Jesus and Mary.[9]

The notion of Mary as Jesus's lover has proven compelling more recently. Works such as Jesus Christ Superstar and The Last Temptation of Christ have used Mary to represent Jesus's human side. The Da Vinci Code is the best known of several works representing Jesus bloodline theories that claim Mary and Jesus were not merely romantically attracted to each other but actually had children.[10]

## See also[edit]

* Magdalene laundries
* Holy Blood, Holy Grail
* George Santos, the resurrection of Mary?

## External links[edit]

* Jesus & Mary Magdalene were 'married with children,' ancient manuscript claims

## Notes[edit]

1. ↑ No, not MythBusters

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Luke 8:2 \- "[...] Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils [...]"
2. ↑ See the Wikipedia article on Magdala.
3. ↑ Mary Magdalene, the clichés
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Gospel of Philip
5. ↑ Was Jesus Married? Is it Possible that Jesus Married Mary Magdalene?
6. ↑ Was Jesus Married to Mary Magdalene?
7. ↑ The Penitent Magdalene, Illustrated Prayer March 6, 2019
8. ↑ Donatello’s Unusual Depiction of Mary Magdalene, Building Catholic Culture, July 22, 2019
9. ↑ Heavenly Venus: Mary Magdalene In Renaissance Noli Me Tangere Images, Michelle Lambert-Monteleon graduate thesis, University of South Florida, 2004
10. ↑ See the Wikipedia article on Jesus bloodline.

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Articles about the Bible

Old Testament: |  Goliath • Tamar • Tower of Babel • Abel • Joseph (Old Testament) • Firmament • Baal • Noah • Isaac • Ishmael • Amalekites • Curse of Ham • Jacob • Sodom and Gomorrah • Ezekiel's wheel • Lot • Nephilim • G'Tach • Joseph was Imhotep • Moses • Global flood • Cain • Gibeah • Abraham • Old Testament • Incubus and succubus myths • King David • Serpent seed doctrine • Leviathan • Messiah • Mark of Cain • Asherah • Nimrod • Sirach • Jezebel • Adam and Eve • Moloch • Book of Joel • Garden of Eden • Satan • List of actions prohibited by the Bible •
| Torah: |  Torah • Book of Exodus • Book of Genesis • Book of Leviticus • Book of Numbers • Book of Zechariah • Book of Deuteronomy •
| Old Testament History: |  Book of Esther • Book of Ezra • Book of Judges • Book of Ruth • Books of Chronicles • Books of Kings • Books of Samuel • Book of Joshua •
| Old Testament Wisdom: |  Ecclesiastes • Song of Solomon • Book of Job • Book of Proverbs • Book of Psalms •
| Major and Minor Prophets: |  Book of Daniel • Book of Ezekiel • Book of Isaiah • Book of Lamentations • Book of Jeremiah •
New Testament: |  New Testament • Mary (mother of Jesus) • Joseph of Arimathea • Paul of Tarsus • Good Samaritan • Authorship of the New Testament • Magi • John the Baptist • Principalities and powers • Joseph (husband of Mary) • Nag Hammadi library • Messiah • Jesus • Gospel of Barnabas • Peter the Apostle • Pontius Pilate • Judas Iscariot • Book of Revelation •
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| Pauline Epistles: |  Corinthians • Galatians • Ephesians • Colossians • Epistle to the Philippians • Epistle to Philemon • Epistle to the Romans • Epistle to Titus • First Epistle to the Thessalonians • Second Epistle to the Thessalonians • Second Epistle to Timothy • First Epistle to Timothy •
| General Epistles: |  Epistle of Jude • Epistle of James • Epistle to the Hebrews • First Epistle of John • First Epistle of Peter • Second Epistle of John • Second Epistle of Peter • Third Epistle of John •
Bible analysis: |  Apocalyptic literature • Authorship of the New Testament • Bible interpolation • Biblical sexism • Bibliolatry • Documentary hypothesis • Evidence for the Exodus • Gospels • Horizontal reading • King James Only • Pesher • Q gospel • Septuagint • Skeptic's Annotated Bible • Ten Commandments • Torah • Bible translation • Word of God • Biblical literalism • Biblical contradictions • List of mistakes made by God • Abomination • Firmament • G'Tach • Arsenokoites • Genealogy of Jesus • Nag Hammadi library • Noah's Ark • Annotated Bible • Slavery in the Bible • Examples of God personally killing people • Herod • The Brick Testament • Evidence against a recent creation • EvilBible.com • List of actions prohibited by the Bible • Biblical scientific errors •
| Bible translations: |  Cockney Bible • Douay-Rheims • Jefferson Bible • King James Only • Septuagint • Vetus Latina • Bible translation • Annotated Bible •
| Apocrypha: |  Didache • Apocrypha • Nag Hammadi library • Book of Judith • 2 Maccabees • 3 Maccabees • 4 Maccabees • Books of Enoch • Books of the Maccabees • Gospel of Judas • Gospel of Mary • Gospel of Philip • Gospel of Thomas • Infancy Gospel of James • Infancy Gospel of Thomas • 1 Maccabees •
Biblical figures: |  Abel • Cain • Ishmael • Jacob • Joseph of Arimathea • Joseph (Old Testament) • Mary (mother of Jesus) • Noah • Paul of Tarsus • Lot • Goliath • Nephilim • Moses • YHWH • Amalekites • Baal • King David • Joseph (husband of Mary) • God • Jesus • Asherah • Nimrod • Habakkuk • Adam and Eve • Herod • Pontius Pilate • Jezebel • Tamar • Judas Iscariot • Satan •
Bible woo: |  Jesus diet • Name it and claim it • Snake handling • Speaking in tongues • Spiritual warfare • The Bible Code • Gematria • Stigmata • Biblical longevity • Hanzi of Genesis • Dr. Bronner's Soap • Presidential Prayer Team • Trinity Broadcasting Network • Zecharia Sitchin • James Ussher • Creation Week • Zion Oil and Gas • The Drama of the Lost Disciples • Roman Piso • Jose Luis de Jesús • Prayer • Black Hebrew Israelites • Jonathan Otto • Benny Hinn • Presents Of God Ministry • Solfeggio frequencies • Ken Ham • Harold Camping • Institute for Creation Research • Steve Quayle • Kabbalah Center • Acharya S • Christian Identity • Peter J. Peters • Ezekiel's wheel • Creation Research • Biblical scientific foreknowledge • British Israelism •
| Scientific foreknowledge: |  Gaps between Science and the Bible • Scientific Facts in the Bible: 100 Reasons to Believe the Bible is Supernatural in Origin • Science Confirms the Bible • Eternal Productions: 101 Scientific Facts and Foreknowledge • Modern Science in the Bible • Biblical scientific foreknowledge •