Mary Magdalene led a group of women who were prominent followers of Jesus of Nazareth. They were the main witnesses of all the key events in Jesus' life:
- his ministry in Galilee and Judea
- the crucifixion
- his death
- his burial and resurrection.
The idea of women as primary witnesses does not seem very startling to people in the 20th century, but it was a revolutionary concept at the time. The testimony of women was not given the same weight as men's, either personally or in a court of law.
When the Christian stories described Mary Magdalene and the other women as the first witnesses of the Resurrection, they were saying something important about the status of women within Christianity.
The story of Mary Magdalene contains four different episodes:
1 Mary Magdalene as a disciple of Jesus (Luke 8:1-3)
Mary is described as a woman whom Jesus cured of an unspecified illness. She led a group of women who provided for Jesus and his followers from their own financial resources.
1 Mary Magdalene as a disciple of Jesus (Luke 8:1-3)
Mary is described as a woman whom Jesus cured of an unspecified illness. She led a group of women who provided for Jesus and his followers from their own financial resources.
2 Mary at the crucifixion (Mark 15:40-41, Luke 23:49, Matthew 27:55-56, John 19:25)
In each of the four accounts of the crucifixion Mary was present, either standing at a distance with other women, or standing near the cross.
In each of the four accounts of the crucifixion Mary was present, either standing at a distance with other women, or standing near the cross.
3 Mary prepared Jesus’ body for burial (Luke 23:55-56, Matthew 27:61)
Mary watched as Jesus’ body was sealed inside the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. She could confirm that he was really dead. She and the other women prepared the spices needed for proper burial of a body.
Mary watched as Jesus’ body was sealed inside the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. She could confirm that he was really dead. She and the other women prepared the spices needed for proper burial of a body.
4 Mary witnesses the resurrection (Mark 16:1-11, Luke 24:1-11, Matthew 28:1-10, John 20:1-18).
Mary found that Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb. She received a message from an angel and was the first person to see the risen Jesus. She was thus the first witness of the resurrection.
Mary found that Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb. She received a message from an angel and was the first person to see the risen Jesus. She was thus the first witness of the resurrection.
- Mary Magdalene was confused with the woman with the alabaster jar, described in Luke 7:36-50; the story of this other woman comes just before Mary Magdalene is first mentioned
- the woman with the alabaster jar is called a 'sinner', but there is no reason to think that this meant she was a prostitute; in fact, when Luke describes an actual prostitute in 15:30, he uses a different word
- Mary Magdalene is described as having a serious illness, but the nature of the illness is unspecified; later celibate male interpreters linked Mary’s illness, her ‘demons’, with her sexuality
- Mary was traditionally presented as the sinful woman, contrasting her with Mary of Nazareth, the perfect virgin/mother.
No comments:
Post a Comment