Mary Magdalene “Mary Madeline” redirects here. For the American the Myrrhbearers, the Orthodox equivalent of one of the political activist, see Mary Matalin. Western Three Marys traditions. This article is about a biblical figure. For other uses, see Mary Magdalene (disambiguation). 1 Identity: Marys in the New Tes- Mary Magdalene (original Greek Μαρία ἡ tament Μαγδαληνή),[2] or Mary of Magdala and sometimes The Magdalene, is a religious figure in Christianity. She is often thought of as the second-most important woman in the New Testament after Mary, the mother of Jesus.[3] Mary Magdalene traveled with Jesus as one of his followers. She was present at Jesus’ two most important moments: the crucifixion and the resurrection.[4] Within the four Gospels she is named at least 12 times,[5] more than most of the apostles. Carol Ann Morrow views the Gospel references as describing her as courageous, brave enough to stand by Jesus in his hours of suffering, death and beyond.[3] The Gospel of Luke says seven demons had gone out of her,[Lk. 8:2] and the longer ending of Mark says Jesus had cast seven demons out from her.[Mk. 16:9] The “seven demons” may refer to a complex illness, not to any form of sinfulness.[6] She is most prominent in the narrative of the crucifixion of Jesus, at which she was present, and of the events on the morning after the immediately fol- lowing sabbath,[4] when, according to all four canonical Gospels,[Matthew 28:1–8] [Mark 16:9–10] [Luke 24:10] [John 20:18] she was either alone or as a member of a group of women the first to testify to the resurrection of Jesus.[7] John 20 and Mark 16:9 specifically name her as the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection. Mary Magdalene was there at the “beginning of a move- ment that was going to transform the West”.[4] She was the “Apostle to the Apostles”, an honorific that fourth- [8] Mary in fine clothes, from a German group of the Entombment century orthodox theologian Augustine gave her and of Christ that others earlier had possibly conferred on her. Ideas that go beyond the gospel presentation of Mary Mary was a very common name in New Testament times, Magdalene as a prominent representative of the women held by a number of women in the canonical Gospels. The who followed Jesus have been put forward over the cen- reception history of Mary Magdalene has been greatly turies. These include giving her a role similar to that of affected by different interpretations as to which biblical Simon Peter among the male disciples, believing that she references actually refer to her, beyond those where she had been a harlot, or that she was the secret lover or wife is identified by the toponym “Magdalene”. Historically, of Jesus and the mother of their child.[4][5][8] the Greek Orthodox church Fathers, as a whole, distin- guished among what they believed were three Marys:[9] Mary Magdalene is considered to be a saint by the Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran churches — with a feast day of July 22. Other Protestant churches • The Virgin Mary, mother of Christ honor her as a heroine in the faith. The Eastern Ortho- • Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus dox churches also commemorate her on the Sunday of Luke 10:38-42 and John 11 1 2 2 THE “COMPOSITE MAGDALENE” OF THE MIDDLE AGES • Mary Magdalene In addition, there were Mary, the mother of James and Mary Salome. In the four Gospels, Mary Magdalene is nearly always distinguished from other women named Mary by adding “the Magdalene” (ἡ Μαγδαληνή) to her name.[2] This has been interpreted to mean “the woman from Magdala extquotedbl, a town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Luke 8:2 says that she was actually “called ,”Migdal means “tower מגדל Magdalene”. In Hebrew “fortress extquotedbl; in Aramaic, “Magdala” means “tower” or “elevated, great, magnificent”.[10] Talmudic passages speak of a Miriam “hamegadela se’ar nasha”, “Miriam, the plaiter of women’s hair” (Hagigah 4b; cf. Shabbat 104b), which could be a reference to Mary Mag- dalene serving as a hairdresser.[11] In the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene is also referred to simply as “Mary” at least twice.[12] Gnostic writings use Mary, Mary Magdalene, or Magdalene. Mary Magdalene’s name is mostly given as Μαρία (Maria), but in Matthew 28:1 as Μαριάμ Penitent Magdalene, Guido Reni, typically shown half- [18] (Mariam),[13][14] both of which are regarded as Greek dressed The Walters Art Museum. forms of Miriam, the Hebrew name for Moses' sister. The name had become very popular during Jesus’ time of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus; this inter- due to its connections to the ruling Hasmonean and pretation is often called the “composite Magdalene” in [15] Herodian dynasties. modern scholarship. The seven devils removed from her by Jesus “morphed into the seven capital sins, and Mary Magdalene began to be condemned not only for lust but 2 The “composite Magdalene” of for pride and covetousness as well.”[3] the Middle Ages She whom Luke calls the sinful woman, whom John calls Mary, we believe to be the It is almost universally agreed today that characteriza- Mary from whom seven devils were ejected ac- tions of Mary Magdalene in Western Christianity as a re- cording to Mark. And what did these seven pentant prostitute or loose woman are unfounded,[3][4][8] devils signify, if not all the vices? arising from conflating or merging her identity with the It is clear, brothers, that the woman pre- unnamed sinner who anoints Jesus’ feet in Luke 7:36- viously used the unguent to perfume her flesh 50.[3] The figures of Mary Magdalene, the anointing sin- in forbidden acts. What she therefore dis- ner of Luke, and Mary of Bethany, who in John 11:1-2 played more scandalously, she was now offer- also anoints Jesus’ feet, were long regarded as the same ing to God in a more praiseworthy manner. She person. Though Mary Magdalene is named in each of had coveted with earthly eyes, but now through the four gospels in the New Testament, none of the clear penitence these are consumed with tears. She references to her indicate that she was a prostitute or no- displayed her hair to set off her face, but now table for a sinful way of life,[4][8] nor link her with Mary her hair dries her tears. She had spoken proud of Bethany. Modern scholarship has restored the under- things with her mouth, but in kissing the Lord’s standing of Mary of Magdala as an important early Chris- feet, she now planted her mouth on the Re- tian leader.[16][17] deemer’s feet. For every delight, therefore, she The notion of Mary Magdalene being a repentant sinner had had in herself, she now immolated herself. can be traced at least as far back as Ephraim the Syr- She turned the mass of her crimes to virtues, ian in the fourth century,[19][20] and became the gener- in order to serve God entirely in penance. ally accepted view in Western Christianity because of its — Pope Gregory the Great (homily [22] acceptance in an influential homily of Pope Gregory I XXXIII) (“Gregory the Great”) in about 591,[21][22] in which he identified Magdalene not only with the anonymous sinner The aspect of the repentant sinner became almost equally with the perfume in Luke’s gospel, but also with Mary significant as the disciple in her persona as depicted in 3 Western art and religious literature, fitting well with the ther of Mary of Bethany nor of the sinful woman of Luke great importance of penitence in medieval theology. In 7:36–50, but only of Mary Magdalene, the first person to subsequent religious legend, Mary’s story became con- whom Christ appeared after his resurrection”.[31] Mary of flated with that of St Mary of Egypt, another repen- Bethany’s feast day and that of her brother Lazarus is now tant prostitute who then lived as a hermit. With that, on 29 July, the memorial of their sister Martha.[32][33] Mary’s image was, according to Susan Haskins, author Nevertheless, the reputation still lingers.[4] The misiden- of Mary Magdalene: Myth and Metaphor, “finally set- [23] tification of St. Mary Magdalene as a repentant prostitute tled...for nearly fourteen hundred years,” although in was followed by many writers and artists into the 1990s. fact the most important late medieval popular accounts of Even today it is promulgated by some secular groups. It her life describe her as a rich woman whose life of sexual is reflected in Martin Scorsese's film adaptation of Nikos freedom is purely for pleasure.[24] Kazantzakis's novel The Last Temptation of Christ, in José The “composite Magdalene” was never accepted by the Saramago's The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, Andrew Eastern Orthodox churches, who saw only Mary the dis- Lloyd Webber's musical Jesus Christ Superstar, Mel Gib- ciple, and believed that after the Resurrection she lived son's The Passion of the Christ, Jean-Claude La Marre's as a companion to the Virgin Mary, and not even in Color of the Cross and Hal Hartley's The Book of Life. the West was it universally accepted. The Benedictine It was because of this association of St. Mary Magdalene Order always celebrated Mary of Bethany together with having been a prostitute that she became the patroness Martha and Lazarus of Bethany on 29 July, while Mary [25] of “wayward women”, and Magdalene asylums became Magdalene was celebrated on 22 July.