Seeking the truth about Mary Magdalene
Cody Snider
Issue date: 12/5/07 Section: Forum
But this has not stopped the belief that she was an apostle. St. Thomas Aquinas reserved the special title "Apostle of the Apostles" to Mary Magdalene and dedicated a beautiful comment to her. "Just as a woman had announced the words of death to the first man, so also a woman was the first to announce to the Apostles the words of life," according to the book "Super Ioannem."
One writer, Ramon K. Jusino, offers profound evidence in his thesis that supports the notion that Mary Magdalene was the writer of the Fourth Gospel (the Gospel of John). According to Jusino, many biblical scholars-Catholic and Protestant-claim that John of Zebedee did not write the Gospel that bears his name. Rather, the person who actually wrote it is who is referred to as the anonymous beloved disciple, who is attributed as Mary Magdalene in a collection of writings called the Gnostic Gospels. These works are not traditionally accepted by the Church as part of the standard Biblical canon. They do, however, hint at quite a different relationship between Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene that have spawned several new theories.
One of these Gnostics, the Gospel of Philip, identifies Mary Magdalene as being unusually close to Jesus. According to the Gospel of Philip, "As for the Wisdom who is called 'the barren,' she is the mother of the angels. And the companion of the [Savior was] Mary Magdalene. [Christ] loved her more than all the disciples, and used to kiss her often on her mouth. The rest of the disciples [were offended by it and expressed disapproval]. They said to Him, 'Why do you love her more than all of us?'"
This jealousy of the male disciples is once again brought up in a second Gnostic, the Gospel of Mary. Because of the confusion of the Marys in the New Testament, scholars don't always agree which Mary wrote the gospel. Many assume, however, that it was indeed Mary Magdalene because of her established role as a disciple.
The Gospel of Mary [Magdalene] reads, "But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, 'Say what you wish to say about what she has said. I at least do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly these teachings are strange ideas.' Peter answered and spoke concerning the same things. He questioned them about the Savior: 'Did He really speak privately with a woman and not openly to us? Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did He prefer her to us?' Then Mary wept and said to Peter, 'My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I have thought this up myself in my heart, or that I am lying about the Savior?' Levi answered and said to Peter, 'Peter you have always been hot tempered. Now I see you contending against the woman like the adversaries. But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well. That is why He loved her more than us.'"
One writer, Ramon K. Jusino, offers profound evidence in his thesis that supports the notion that Mary Magdalene was the writer of the Fourth Gospel (the Gospel of John). According to Jusino, many biblical scholars-Catholic and Protestant-claim that John of Zebedee did not write the Gospel that bears his name. Rather, the person who actually wrote it is who is referred to as the anonymous beloved disciple, who is attributed as Mary Magdalene in a collection of writings called the Gnostic Gospels. These works are not traditionally accepted by the Church as part of the standard Biblical canon. They do, however, hint at quite a different relationship between Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene that have spawned several new theories.
One of these Gnostics, the Gospel of Philip, identifies Mary Magdalene as being unusually close to Jesus. According to the Gospel of Philip, "As for the Wisdom who is called 'the barren,' she is the mother of the angels. And the companion of the [Savior was] Mary Magdalene. [Christ] loved her more than all the disciples, and used to kiss her often on her mouth. The rest of the disciples [were offended by it and expressed disapproval]. They said to Him, 'Why do you love her more than all of us?'"
This jealousy of the male disciples is once again brought up in a second Gnostic, the Gospel of Mary. Because of the confusion of the Marys in the New Testament, scholars don't always agree which Mary wrote the gospel. Many assume, however, that it was indeed Mary Magdalene because of her established role as a disciple.
The Gospel of Mary [Magdalene] reads, "But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, 'Say what you wish to say about what she has said. I at least do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly these teachings are strange ideas.' Peter answered and spoke concerning the same things. He questioned them about the Savior: 'Did He really speak privately with a woman and not openly to us? Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did He prefer her to us?' Then Mary wept and said to Peter, 'My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I have thought this up myself in my heart, or that I am lying about the Savior?' Levi answered and said to Peter, 'Peter you have always been hot tempered. Now I see you contending against the woman like the adversaries. But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well. That is why He loved her more than us.'"
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Samuel Jew
posted 10/09/08 @ 11:24 AM CST
Just because there's no evidence (that a given individual will accept) for a proposition doesn't make it not true. Indeed, the preponderance of evidence is that Mary Magdalene *was* a prostitute (or at least a woman of extremely loose morals) until Jesus supposedly redeemed her. (Continued…)
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