The first mention of Mary Magdalene by name is by St. Luke:
The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources. Luke 8:2,3
It is often presumed that this Mary is called Mary Magdalene because she came from the town of Magdala, in the north, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. There were other women in the New Testament whose name was Mary so possibly this was used to identify her from the others. It was common in the days before surnames were introduced to either use the name of the father (e.g. Simon bar Jonah) or the place where the person came from (e.g. Simon of Cyrene, Saul of Tarsus) to identify them. There is some evidence, however, that ‘Magdala’ also meant ‘curling women’s hair’ or ‘hairdresser’ which the Talmud used to refer to an adulteress.
A Sinful Woman Anoints Jesus
How did the accusation that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute come about and is it a valid accusation?
There are two accounts in Scripture of a woman anointing Jesus with a costly ointment:
1. The unnamed sinful woman who anointed Jesus at the house of a Pharisee (Luke 7:36-50)
2. Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus who anointed Jesus at Lazarus’ house in Bethany. (John 11:2 and 12:1-8).
Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair. John 11:2
This ‘anointing’ occurred after the raising of Lazarus. John identifies this Mary to his readers (John 11) after the fact but before he recounts the actual event in John 12. Matthew, Mark, and Luke have almost identical stories but they do not name the woman. Jesus is eating a meal at the home of Simon the Pharisee in Luke (or the Leper in Matthew and Mark) and John says that the dinner is at the home of Lazarus. Because of this, there must be two different occurences.
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a litre of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard, anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. John 12:1-3
In the Lucan story of the anointing, emphasis is placed on the fact that the woman is ‘sinful’. The host, a Pharisee, thinks, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” Luke 7:39.
In John’s Gospel there is no mention that the woman , Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus, is in any particular way, ‘a sinner’.
Were these two ‘anointings’ by different women: an unnamed woman, possibly, Mary of Magdala, and the other, Mary of Bethany? Or did the same woman anoint Jesus twice? Catholic theologians tend to identify Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene as the same woman and the two accounts as different anointings on two separate occasions. (for a discussion see New Advent). Note that Bethany is in the south, near Jerusalem and far away from Magdala. Protestant theologians have generally been less willing to identify Mary of Bethany with Mary Magdalene. If ‘Magdala’ means the town where Mary was from, how could Mary of Bethany be the same person? Had she been married to someone from Magdala and lived there for a time? If, however, ‘Magdala’ refers to ‘hairdresser’ and is an oblique reference to an ‘adulteress’ then she could also be Mary of Bethany. John identifies Mary of Bethany as the woman who anointed Jesus, so that at least one of the times, Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair. The question is, is she also the unnamed sinful woman? It has been suggested that Luke who does not mention the woman by name is protecting her identity as she is still alive. John, whose gospel is written later, mentions her by name as she has already died.
Mary Magdalene at the Resurrection
Mary Magdalene is mentioned by all four of the canonical Gospel writers as being one of the women who was present both at the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. These women were the first to know that Jesus had risen from the dead and they were the ones to give the news to the other disciples. The following is from Matthew, but the other references are similar:
There were many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee ministering to him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. Matthew 27:55,56
When Jesus was declared dead by the soldiers, Joseph of Arimathea asked for his body in order to bury it in his own new tomb:
Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone to the entrance to the tomb and departed. But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained sitting there, facing the tomb. Matthew 27:59-61
This was a special case as usually the corpses of those crucified were not buried but left to hang on the crosses. Note that it is not Jesus’ mother or Mary Magdalene who asks the authorities for Jesus’ body but a man, Joseph of Arimathea.
After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week [Sunday] was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone and sat upon it. ....Then the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ ... Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples. Matthew 28:1-8
Luke’s account shows the reaction of the disciples when the women told them that Jesus had risen:
Now it was Mary Magdalene and, Joanna, Mary mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, and he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened. Luke 24:10-12
The Gospel of John has an additional story in which Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene when she is alone:
But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there.... They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew,, “Rabboni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, “I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord.” and what he told her. John 20:11-18
In all there are twelve references specifically to Mary Magdalene in the four Gospels. All we know for certain from these references is that Jesus cast out seven demons from her, she was present with other women at the death of Jesus, she and other women went to the tomb and found it empty on Sunday, and they went to tell the disciples what they had seen. In one of the gospels, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene alone. In John’s account she is the first person to meet with the risen Christ; surely a great honour. In this passage, she calls Jesus, Rabboni, showing her relationship as a disciple of Jesus, her Teacher.
Mary Magdalene and the Church Teachings
It is true, however, that the Catholic Church has over the years identified Mary Magdalene with the sinful woman who anointed Jesus as well as one of the women who was present at the crucifixion and a witness to the resurrection. Passion plays in the Middle Ages often identified Mary Magdalene with the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3-11) as well. Gregory the Great (ca 540-604 AD) said that Luke’s “sinful woman” was Mary Magdalene. However, the new version of the Lectionary of the Catholic Church (1969) has changed the readings for July 22 (the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene) to include only those which definitely refer to Mary Magdalene, therefore leaving the question open whether she was the sinful woman or the woman caught in adultery.
Even though the Church has identified Mary Magdalene with “the sinful woman” they have also declared her a “saint’. All saints were at one time sinners (Romans 3:23); some were notorious sinners (e.g. St. Paul and St. Augustine of Hippo). Because they believed in Jesus and his power to save them and lived their lives in obedience to him, they became saints. Whether or not Mary Magdalene was a prostitute or an adulteress or just someone who had once been possessed by seven demons, she was saved from her former life and was a changed person.
Mary Magdalene After the Crucifixion
What happened to Mary Magdalene after the crucifixion is also conjecture. There is one legend that she and a few others went to France and there is another story that she went to Ephesus with the Virgin Mary and John to escape the danger which Christians faced in Jerusalem. The Church does not say either story is true as there is no definite evidence. However, there are two monasteries in France which claim to have relics of Mary Magdalene: the Association Jerusalem at Vezelay and The Dominican Fathers, Hôtellerie in La Saint-Baume.
References
Jewish Virtual Library website accessed June 30, 2011.
New Advent/ Catholic Encylopedia website accessed June 30 and July 1, 2011.
New American Bible. St. Joseph Edition. New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co. 1992.
