2008 Woodie Awards
Seeking the truth about Mary Magdalene
Cody Snider
Issue date: 12/5/07 Section: Forum
An apostle, a wife, a disciple, a mother, a prostitute, the Holy Grail. It may seem a little contradictory and strange for one person to fit all six of these labels, but these descriptions have all emerged into theories surrounding the life of a woman named Mary Magdalene.
Mary Magdalene's most famous role was that of a prostitute. But how can this be when there is no textual mention of her as such a thing in the Bible? Truth be told, Mary Magdalene has often been confused with other unidentified women in the New Testament, namely Mary of Bethany.
Mary Magdalene has also been associated with the "woman in the city who was a sinner" (Luke 7:37), who washed Jesus' feet. Once again, there is no scriptural evidence to support this claim. In Luke 7:36-50, Mary Magdalene's name immediately follows the account of the sinful woman. This has led some to equate Mary Magdalene as the anonymous woman in the city who was a sinner. Ironically, John 11:2 identifies the women in Luke as Mary of Bethany, not Mary Magdalene.
So if Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute, then what, or who, was she?
Adhering to a strict constructionist view of the Bible, Mary Magdalene's name appears in several passages throughout the New Testament, all referring to many different themes. The Bible says that she was relieved of seven demons, provided Jesus' ministry out of her financial means and witnessed His crucifixion. She also saw the entombment, went to anoint Jesus' body in the tomb and observed angels and other signs at the tomb. Mary Magdalene was either the first or one of the first people to see the resurrection of Jesus Christ. She received a commission to tell the other disciples about the resurrection, but they did not believe her.
And this was not the first time that Mary Magdalene's role in Christianity has been refuted. The male disciples had a global commission to spread the Gospel to everyone in the world. Mary Magdalene, on the other hand, had only a limited commission that allowed her only to spread the Gospel to the other disciples. Why? Probably because she was a woman.
Mary Magdalene's most famous role was that of a prostitute. But how can this be when there is no textual mention of her as such a thing in the Bible? Truth be told, Mary Magdalene has often been confused with other unidentified women in the New Testament, namely Mary of Bethany.
Mary Magdalene has also been associated with the "woman in the city who was a sinner" (Luke 7:37), who washed Jesus' feet. Once again, there is no scriptural evidence to support this claim. In Luke 7:36-50, Mary Magdalene's name immediately follows the account of the sinful woman. This has led some to equate Mary Magdalene as the anonymous woman in the city who was a sinner. Ironically, John 11:2 identifies the women in Luke as Mary of Bethany, not Mary Magdalene.
So if Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute, then what, or who, was she?
Adhering to a strict constructionist view of the Bible, Mary Magdalene's name appears in several passages throughout the New Testament, all referring to many different themes. The Bible says that she was relieved of seven demons, provided Jesus' ministry out of her financial means and witnessed His crucifixion. She also saw the entombment, went to anoint Jesus' body in the tomb and observed angels and other signs at the tomb. Mary Magdalene was either the first or one of the first people to see the resurrection of Jesus Christ. She received a commission to tell the other disciples about the resurrection, but they did not believe her.
And this was not the first time that Mary Magdalene's role in Christianity has been refuted. The male disciples had a global commission to spread the Gospel to everyone in the world. Mary Magdalene, on the other hand, had only a limited commission that allowed her only to spread the Gospel to the other disciples. Why? Probably because she was a woman.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
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…)
Post a Comment