Mary Magdalene has been much touted in recent days with the popularity of the DaVinci Code. Not bad for a woman who was mentioned a scant few times in the New Testament, and whose historicity has been aligned with both prostitution and the companion of Jesus himself. But who was Mary Magdalene, and how did such a pivotal and controversial woman merit such attention, particularly in this day and age?
Who Was Mary Magdalene?
There has never been an agreed upon consensus, and more than a little confusion, as to who exactly Mary was and which biblical verses applied directly to her. The facts:
- Mary Magdalene is one of only two women to be mentioned by name in all four of the gospels - the other being Mary, Jesus' mother;
- In all but one account, her name is listed first among women in any group where women were present; She was healed of seven demons;
- She was the first person recorded to see the resurrected Christ;
- There is no direct reference in the Bible anywhere to attest that she was a prostitute.
The Mythology of Mary as Prostitute
It was not until the year 600 when Pope Gregory declared that the unnamed prostitute in Luke was Mary Magdalene that the belief that the two were one and the same emerged. In his Homily 33, Pope Gregory penned:
'...she whom Luke calls the sinful woman, whom John calls Mary, we believe to be the Mary from whom seven devils were ejected according to Mark. And what did these seven devils signify, if not all the vices?... It is clear, brothers, that the woman previously used the unguent to perfume her flesh in forbidden acts.'
In 1969, roughly 1300 years later, the Catholic Church repealed this teaching admitting error.
The Vessel Representing the Blood Lineage of Christ
Mary has since theoretically been named as the literal "Holy Grail" which the knighthood sought so fervently in days of lore. In the book "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" , authors Henry Lincoln, Michael Baigent, and Richard Leigh brought forth evidence suggesting this theory which initially proved in some context inspiration for "The DaVinci code.
The Rebirth of the Sacred Feminine
Representing more liberal viewpoints, Margaret Starbird took this theory a step further in her book "The Woman and the Alabaster Jar" [Bear & Company - June 1, 1993] underscoring the importance of her anointing of Jesus just before his crucifixion as a representative act of hieros gamos, or sacred marriage.
The Consort, or Companion, of Jesus
From the Gnostic gospel of Philip:
"There were three who always walked with the Lord: Mary, his mother, and her sister, and Magdalene, the one who was called his companion. His sister and his mother and his companion were each a Mary."
Although more extensive than this article can support, there are several surprisingly valid theories and evidences to support the claim that Mary may indeed have served as a consort to Christ, if not his actual wife.
The Gospel According to Mary Magdalene
Although never canonized, Papyrus Berolinensis 8502, also known as the "Berlin Gnostic Codex, was acquired by a German scholar, Dr. Carl Reinhardt, in Cairo in 1896 preserves the most complete surviving copy of the Gospel of Mary, believed by many scholars to be directly attributed to her.
Further Links and References
Mary - With Relevances and References to Feminine Wisdom
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