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Mary Magdalene: Her Image and Relationship to Jesus

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Mary Magdalene: Her Image and Relationship to Jesus Mary Magdalene: Her Image and Relationship to Jesus by Linda Elaine Vogt Turner B.G.S., Simon Fraser University, 2001 PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Liberal Studies Program Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences © Linda Elaine Vogt Turner 2011 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2011 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for "Fair Dealing." Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. APPROVAL Name: Linda Elaine Vogt Turner Degree: Master of Arts (Liberal Studies) Title of Project: Mary Magdalene: Her Image and Relationship to Jesus Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. June Sturrock, Professor Emeritus, English ______________________________________ Dr. Michael Kenny Senior Supervisor Professor of Anthropology ______________________________________ Dr. Eleanor Stebner Supervisor Associate Professor of Humanities, Graduate Chair, Graduate Liberal Studies ______________________________________ Rev. Dr. Donald Grayston External Examiner Director, Institute for the Humanities, Retired Date Defended/Approved: December 14, 2011 _______________________ ii Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection (currently available to the public at the “Institutional Repository” link of the SFU Library website <www.lib.sfu.ca> at: <http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/handle/1892/112>) and, without changing the content, to translate the thesis/project or extended essays, if technically possible, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation of the digital work. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission. Permission for public performance, or limited permission for private scholarly use, of any multimedia materials forming part of this work, may have been granted by the author. This information may be found on the separately catalogued multimedia material and in the signed Partial Copyright Licence. While licensing SFU to permit the above uses, the author retains copyright in the thesis, project or extended essays, including the right to change the work for subsequent purposes, including editing and publishing the work in whole or in part, and licensing other parties, as the author may desire. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Simon Fraser University Library Burnaby, BC, Canada Last revision: Spring 09 ABSTRACT The ambiguous figure of Mary Magdalene first appears in the Christian Gospels—most importantly as a witness to the Resurrection—and subsequently in mystical writings of Gnostic origins. Her true relationship to Jesus, and to other women in the Gospels, has sparked controversy since the early days. This project examines these controversies in light of present-day debates about the role of women in the church. To that end I consider her role in contemporary popular culture, such as in Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code, and films such as Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. I then outline the early canonical and non-canonical writings in which she appears, and finally examine how contestants within the various faith traditions have framed her nature and role. Was she a reformed prostitute, or Jesus’s lover, or a female aspect of the Saviour himself, as the Gnostics seemed to claim? It emerges that the multifaceted image of the Magdalene has been used to send a variety of messages concerning gender, power, and the nature of redemption. I conclude that she is best considered as the female counterpart of Christ, and as such provides an inspiring example for women of our own day because of her simultaneous embrace of both worldly love and spiritual transcendence. Keywords: Mary Magdalene, Jesus, Christianity, Popular Culture iii DEDICATION I dedicate this work to all the ‘Maggies’ who endured penurious exile and marginalization as domestic slaves in the Magdalen Laundries because of Christian societal values that deemed them “loose women” and a threat to Christian families. I want this work to stand as a testimony to women and men who dare to love beyond cultural boundaries without fear of condemnation and lonely exile. More importantly, I want this work to inspire people to challenge the injustice, the silence, the gossip and the fear that keeps people in unloving, broken, or abusive relationships. But most of all, I want this work to inspire people to choose the better part, the part that allows them to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with their God. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Michael for agreeing to supervise my project. We go a long way back. He was my very favourite undergraduate professor because he knew just the right question to ask me to keep me focused and to provide me with the structure I needed to begin any essay. Here too for this project, the questions he asked were brilliant. Not only did they give the project more clarity, they helped me find more meaning, more spiritual insight. I would also like to thank Ellie for her supervision of this project. Her editorial skills were a tremendous help. Putting the last chapter first gave the project much better focus. A special thanks goes to Don for agreeing to be the external examiner. Don was also an undergraduate professor whom I admired very much, and his insightful comments and review on behalf of this project adds to my admiration. I wish to also thank June for serving as Chair. June interviewed me for the Liberal Studies program and without her support I would not have been in the program, and having her support as Chair at my defence is especially appreciated. Huge thanks goes to the GLS alumni, the staff, and the professors. Their help and encouragement and their dedicated commitment to the academic enquiry of thinking about passion and thinking about reason contributed to my choice for this project. Lastly, I want to thank my children, my family, and my friends who sacrificed time with me so that I could write yet another paper. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval ................................................................................................................ ii Abstract ................................................................................................................ iii Dedication ............................................................................................................ iv Acknowledgements .............................................................................................. v Table of Contents ................................................................................................. vi List of Figures ..................................................................................................... viii List of Tables ........................................................................................................ ix Glossary ............................................................................................................... x 1: Introduction .................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Christological Controversy ................................................................. 1 1.2 Goal and Position ............................................................................. 11 2: Popular Culture ............................................................................................ 13 2.1 Dan Brown: The Da Vinci Code........................................................ 13 2.2 Margaret Starbird: The Woman with the Alabaster Jar ..................... 17 2.3 Lynn Picknett: Christianity’s Hidden Goddess .................................. 22 2.4 Hippolytus and Early Church Traditions ........................................... 25 2.5 Franco Zeffirelli: Jesus of Nazareth .................................................. 28 2.6 Martin Scorsese: The Last Temptation ............................................. 30 2.7 Mel Gibson: The Passion of the Christ ............................................. 31 2.8 Susan Haskins: Myth and Metaphor ................................................. 33 2.9 Concluding Thoughts ....................................................................... 34 3: Canonical and non-canonical Texts ........................................................... 37 3.1 Canonical Texts ...............................................................................
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