Who Was Mary Magdalene?

Centre Place・2 minutes read

Mary Magdalene plays a significant role in the New Testament as a prominent female follower of Jesus, being mentioned in all four canonical gospels, witnessing crucial events like the crucifixion, burial, and the empty tomb. Scholars debate her portrayal, with some suggesting she was a wealthy supporter and a leading disciple, highlighting early inclusion of women in leadership roles in the Christian movement.

Insights

Mary Magdalene is a prominent female figure in the New Testament, highlighted in all four canonical gospels as a witness to crucial events like Jesus's crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.
Luke's Gospel emphasizes women's roles, including Mary Magdalene, possibly influenced by a female author or patron, showcasing a unique perspective on women's issues and significant female characters.
Mary Magdalene's portrayal in various texts and traditions, such as the Gospel of Thomas and apocryphal works, showcases her wisdom, teachings, and potential leading role among disciples, challenging historical misconceptions about her.
The historical importance of Mary Magdalene lies in illustrating early inclusion of women in leadership roles in the Jesus movement, emphasizing the radical inclusiveness towards women in the early Christian communities and calling for women in leadership positions in the church today.

Get key ideas from YouTube videos. It’s free

Recent questions

Who was Mary Magdalene?
Mary Magdalene was a prominent female follower of Jesus.

Related videos

Summary

00:00

Mary Magdalene: Prominent Female Follower in Gospels

Mary Magdalene is a topic of discussion, being one of Jesus's female followers, with her historical figure status agreed upon by historians.
Women play significant roles in the New Testament, being named as prophets, apostles, and disciples, with Mary Magdalene being prominent among them.
Mary Magdalene is mentioned in all four canonical gospels, always at the forefront of lists of female followers, similar to Peter in lists of male followers.
In the Gospel of Mark, Mary Magdalene witnesses Jesus's crucifixion, burial, and the empty tomb, along with other women.
Mark portrays Jesus's family negatively, with his male disciples fleeing during crucial events, leaving the women, led by Mary Magdalene, as witnesses.
Matthew, using Mark as a source, maintains Mary Magdalene's presence during Jesus's crucifixion, burial, and the empty tomb, adding dramatic elements to the events.
Matthew enhances the story by having the women witness the angelic activity at the tomb and be the first to see the Risen Christ, becoming apostles to the apostles.
In the Gospel of Luke, the author, possibly a woman, emphasizes women's roles, including Mary Magdalene, in the story, with a focus on women's issues.
Luke, using Mark and Q as sources, freely edits Mark's text, including a large number of female characters and highlighting women's significant roles.
Luke's interest in women's issues and inclusion of prominent female characters suggest a unique perspective, possibly influenced by a female author or a patron supporting women's narratives.

16:55

Mary Magdalene: Key Figure in Resurrection Story

Luke introduces Mary Magdalene early in the narrative during Jesus's ministry in Galilee, highlighting her as a prominent member of a group of wealthy women providing for Jesus and his disciples.
Mary Magdalene is described as having been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, specifically having had seven demons cast out by Jesus.
Luke follows Mark's account of Jesus's female followers being present at the crucifixion but deletes their names, emphasizing their distance from the events.
On Easter Sunday, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women go to the tomb, finding it empty and encountering two men in dazzling clothes who inform them of Jesus's resurrection.
The women share this news with the apostles, who initially dismiss it as an idle tale, but Peter goes to the tomb and is amazed by what he finds.
Luke diverges from Matthew by not including a story of the women interacting with the Risen Christ, instead focusing on Jesus appearing to two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
Paul's account to the Corinthians aligns with Luke's narrative, stating that Jesus appeared first to Peter, then to the 12, followed by others.
The longer ending added to Mark includes Mary Magdalene as the first witness to the Risen Christ, possibly influenced by Luke's account.
In John's Gospel, Mary Magdalene is among the witnesses to the crucifixion, along with Jesus's mother and the beloved disciple, who is traditionally identified as John.
Mary Magdalene alone discovers the empty tomb in John's account, interacting with angels and eventually recognizing Jesus, who instructs her to inform the disciples of his resurrection.

33:27

Mary Magdalene: Prominent Disciple and Messenger

Mary Magdalene was instructed by Jesus to inform his disciples that he was ascending to the Father, emphasizing her role as a messenger.
Historical evidence supports Mary Magdalene's existence through multiple attestations in the Gospels of Mark and John, highlighting her prominence as a female disciple from Magdala, a fishing village in Galilee.
Mary Magdalene is depicted as a witness to the crucifixion, the first witness to the empty tomb, and the first witness to the Risen Christ in the Gospels of Matthew and John, potentially preserving a second tradition.
Scholarly discussions include the possibility of Matthew and Luke having special material about Mary Magdalene, suggesting she was a wealthy supporter of Jesus, witnessed his burial, and had seven demons cast out by Jesus.
The Gospel of Thomas presents Mary Magdalene as a leading disciple of Jesus, interacting with and being on par with Apostles like Peter, James, and John, indicating an independent tradition.
Mary Magdalene's portrayal in various apocryphal texts, such as the Dialogue with the Savior, the Gospel of Mary, and the Pistis Sophia, showcases her wisdom and teachings, often surpassing other disciples like Peter.
In the Gospel of Philip, Mary Magdalene is described as the companion of the Savior, loved more than other disciples, leading to speculation about a potential romantic relationship between her and Jesus, although the text likely emphasizes her preeminence among disciples rather than a marital connection.

49:55

"Mary Magdalene: Disciple, Not Prostitute or Wife"

The text discusses the practice of Christians, including the kiss of peace, but notes that historical accuracy is challenging due to the lack of concrete historical information.
Mary Magdalene is portrayed as a disciple of Jesus who witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection, challenging popular but historically inaccurate beliefs that she was a prostitute or Jesus' wife.
The text delves into the tradition of Mary Magdalene being viewed as an apostolic authority by Gnostic communities, contrasting with Proto Orthodox Christians who favored figures like Peter.
The prevalence of the name Mary in the New Testament is highlighted, causing confusion due to multiple Marys mentioned, including Mary the sister of Martha.
The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 is recounted, where Martha is busy with tasks while Mary listens to Jesus, leading to the distinction between being a "Mary" or a "Martha" in Christian circles.
The Gospel of John includes the story of Lazarus of Bethany, with his sisters Mary and Martha, where Mary anoints Jesus' feet, connecting these characters with the Mary and Martha of Luke's story.
The text discusses a separate account in Luke where an unnamed sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet, distinct from Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene, leading to confusion and conflation by some Christians.
Pope Gregory the Great popularized the conflation of the three Mary figures, but this was officially reversed by Pope Paul VI in 1969, clarifying that Mary Magdalene was not the sinful woman.
The idea of Jesus being married is explored, with no historical evidence supporting this claim, despite arguments that a first-century Jewish rabbi like Jesus would likely have been married.
The text notes that the belief in Jesus being married often leads to Mary Magdalene being nominated as his wife in various interpretations, such as in the Cathar movement in the Middle Ages, which rejected materialism and procreation.

01:05:39

Mary Magdalene: Witness, Apostle, and Wife

The Cathars believed in a celibate marriage model, with some married couples practicing celibacy, inspired by Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
In the 19th century, the Utah Mormon Church taught that to achieve exaltation, a man needed multiple wives, leading to the belief that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and others.
The idea that Mary Magdalene was Jesus's wife and the Holy Grail gained popularity through works like The Da Vinci Code, despite lacking historical basis.
A forgery in 2012, claiming Jesus had a wife, was debunked as it was textually dependent on a 20th-century publication, likely inspired by The Da Vinci Code.
Mary Magdalene's historical importance lies in illustrating the early inclusion of women in leadership roles in the pre-Christian Jesus movement.
Mary Magdalene's role as the first witness to the Risen Christ continues to be significant for Christians today, emphasizing the call for women in leadership positions in the church.
The author of Luke's inclusion of Anna as a prophet in the Temple challenges traditional views on women's roles in early Christianity.
The early Jesus movement displayed radical inclusiveness towards women and marginalized individuals, contrasting with later institutionalized church practices.
Mary Magdalene is often depicted in art holding an egg, symbolizing resurrection, as she was the witness to Jesus's resurrection.
The acceptance of a female Apostle in a senior role in the early church is plausible, as evidenced by the presence of male and female Apostles in the early Jesus movement, though interpretations varied among early Christian leaders like Paul.

01:21:54

Women's Leadership in Early Christian Church

Mary Magdalene and other women, including Junia, held senior roles in the early church, acknowledged by leaders like Paul.
In the early Christian communities, women's leadership roles diminished as patriarchal structures emerged with the rise of Bishops, following the model of Jewish priesthood.
Women continued to hold senior roles in the church, mainly associated with roles like monks and nuns, especially in double monasteries.
Due to the lack of protection in society, early Jewish and Christian women likely needed male guardians when traveling to ensure safety.
Apostles traveled in pairs, with women accompanied by male Apostles for protection in a society prone to violence.
The story of the woman anointing Jesus's feet is recounted differently in various accounts, with interpretations varying based on the author's intent.
Mary Magdalene's role in the early church is debated, with some suggesting she was a wealthy patron rather than a disciple like Peter, James, and John.
Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" is considered anti-Catholic, promoting a conspiracy theory about a secret organization within the Catholic church.
The appearances of the resurrected Jesus to women are likely visionary experiences, with Paul's account being the earliest description.
The anointing of Jesus's feet by multiple women is a point of discussion, with the Orthodox Church supporting the idea of multiple women anointing him.

01:38:27

Evolution of Christian texts and teachings

Matthew and Luke treated Mark differently, with some books being suppressed due to lack of necessity as their content was already present in Matthew and Luke, leading to the disappearance of certain books over time.
Progressive Christianity emphasizes the teachings of Jesus as inherently progressive, focusing on scripture as sacred story rather than history or science, with the Community of Christ interpreting scripture with an understanding of the limitations of the human authors and translating its essence into relevance for modern life.
While not all pastors in the Community of Christ may be as progressive, there are varying degrees of progressiveness within the community, with some focusing on causes like nonviolence and peace advocacy, diverging from traditional interpretations of Christianity.
The discussion on Mary Magdalene and the comparison of primary references from both the Canon and early Apocrypha provided an interesting illustration of the two-document hypothesis, including the Q Theory, showcasing the evolution of religious texts over time.

Try it yourself — It’s free.