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Mary Magdalene was one of the disciples of Jesus of Nazareth.

< Life of Mary Magdalene : Conversion of Mary Madgalene -- Anointing Jesus -- Burial of Jesus -- Noli me tangere -- Penitent Magdalene -- Ascension of Mary Magdalene -- Married Jesus -- Jesus Bloodline -- Relics of Mary Magdalene >

< Scholarship : Mary Magdalene (research) -- Mary Magdalene (sources) >

< Fiction : Mary Magdalene (art) -- Mary Magdalene (literature) -- Mary Magdalene (cinema) -- Mary Magdalene (music) >

• This page is edited by Gabriele Boccaccini, University of Michigan

Mary Magdalene was a woman who was healed by Jesus and then became one of his closest disciples.

Witness of the Crucifixion of Jesus

Mark 15:40, Matthew 27:56 and John 19:25 mention Mary Magdalene as a witness to crucifixion, along with various other women. Luke does not name any witnesses, but mentions "women who had followed him from Galilee" standing at a distance.[Lk. 23:49]

Witness of the Burial of Jesus

In listing witnesses who saw where Jesus was buried by Joseph of Aramathea, Mark 15:47 and Matthew 27:61 both name only two people: Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary", who in Mark is "the mother of Joseph". Once again, Luke 23:55 describes the witnesses merely as "the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee".

John 19:39-42 mentions no other witness to Joseph's burial of Jesus except for Joseph's assistant Nicodemus.

Witness of the Resurrection of Jesus

Mark 16:1 says she was accompanied by Salome and Mary the mother of James, while Matthew 28:1 omits Salome. Luke 24:10 says the group who found the empty tomb consisted of "Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them". John 20:1 also names Mary Magdalene in describing who discovered the tomb to be empty.

In all four gospels, Mary Magdalene is first witness to the Resurrection. John 20:16 and Mark 16:9 both straightforwardly say that Jesus' first post-resurrection appearance was to Mary Magdalene alone. In Matthew 28:9, Mary Magdalene is with the other women returning from the empty tomb when they all see the first appearance of Jesus. In Luke 24 the resurrection is announced to the women at the tomb by "two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning" who suddenly appeared next to them.

Later Christian traditions

In some Gnostic circles Mary Magdalene was praised as Jesus' most beloved disciples, even as the recipient of some hidden revelation.

The Eastern Churches celebrated Mary's virtuous and chaste life, before and after her meeting with Jesus.

On the contrary, in the Western church, Mary Magdalene was identified with the unnamed "sinful woman" of Luke 7:36-50 and celebrated as a penitent. According to some later Christian traditions she preached in Southern France and was buried there (see Relics of Mary Magdalene).

For her prominent role in some Gospel narratives, Mary Magdalene is one of the most intriguing characters in early Christianity. The paucity of evidence however makes any historical reconstruction of her life and deeds virtually impossible. Scholarly research focuses on the meaning of the character in the original literary context as well as on the critical analysis of the traditions surrounding this figure.

Related categories

• Jesus of Nazareth -- Adulteress

External links

• Wikipedia.en

Mary Magdalene is mentioned solely in Christian sources.

Gospel of Mark (16:9)

Gospel of Luke (8:1-3) -- After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another—The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out—and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means (Lk 8:1-3).

Gospel of Thomas (21) -- Simon Peter said to them: Let Mary go forth from among us, for women are not worthy of the life. Jesus said: Behold, I shall lead her, that I may make her male, in order that she also may become a living spirit like you males. For every woman who makes herself male shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.[21]

Mary Magdalene has a long history in Christian fiction as a saint and penitent. Lately, Mary Magdalene has experienced new life as a patron of women's preaching and ministry, amidst of pure speculations that she could have been the wife/lover of Jesus (see Married Jesus) and the mother of his children (see Jesus Bloodline).

Gabriele Boccaccini, University of Michigan