Mary Of Magdala

As it appears, Mary Magdalene was the most important woman disciple of Jesus. Many women were thought to have followed Jesus during the period of time in which he is said to have ministered. There are several references to her in the New Testament which would indicate that she did have a place of recognition and perhaps even favor with Jesus.

Just Who Was This Woman?

Tradition labels her a prostitute and while there is no Biblical evidence to support that fact, there is support in the New Testament that she was demon possessed. According to Luke 8:2, Jesus cast out seven demons from Mary Magdalene. The name Magdalene would indicate that she came from the city of Magdala, a well-known center for prostitution and even though there is no scriptural proof of her occupation, Luke 7:37 may refer to her as the "woman in the city who was a sinner". This information, along with the fact that Luke mentions Mary Magdalene immediately after his account of the sinful woman (Luke 7:36-50) has led many to see the two women as the same. However, that the woman in Luke's account may be Mary of Bethany, according to John 11:2.

How Thoughts Become Solidified

Movies are very influential in forming ideas of what happened in the days of Jesus. The movie, "The Passion of the Christ" made the connection between Jesus and the woman saved from stoning as being Mary Magdalene. Again, there is no scriptural evidence for this association and even though it is possible, it is thought to be not likely and is not taught in the New Testament. Because so little information is readily available concerning some of the key players in the gospels, much is left to conjecture.

There Are Some Things We Do Know From The New Testament

What we do know, in terms of having documentation from scripture, is that Mary Magdalene witnessed most of the events relating to the crucifixion of Jesus. She was present at the trial, she heard Pontius Pilate issue the death sentence, and she saw Jesus humiliated and beaten. She was also one of the three women who remained with Jesus during the crucifixion in order to provide comfort. According to the New Testament John 20:11-18, she was the first to see Jesus after the resurrection and was sent to tell the other disciples. It is supposed in Christian circles that she was also among those who waited at the house of Mark for the promised coming of the Holy Spirit.

According to the Gnostic Gospel of Mary, there is evidence that she was a strong Christian leader and that the disciple Peter was jealous of her. This information comes from the nonbibilical manuscript that was discovered in Egypt in the middle of the twentieth century.

So, Who Really Wrote The Book Of John?

Some recent scholars have suggested that Mary was the one whom Jesus loved and that she, in fact, wrote the Gospel of John. There has been suspicion that the author of the gospel of John may have been Mary Magdalene and these views have been provocative. We will probably never know much more about Mary Magdalene or the details of her life, but it does appear she was a significant player in the life of Jesus.