Bible Study - Mark 16 12 Mary Magdalen or Magdalene

St. Mary Magdalen or Magdalene : 

St. Mary Magdalen or Magdalene Copyrighted material that appears in this article is included under the provisions of the Fair Use Clause of the National Copyright Act, which allows limited reproduction of copyrighted materials for educational and religious use when no financial charge is made for viewing.

What’s In A Name? Everything! : 

What’s In A Name? Everything! It seems clear to many that Mary Magdalene was from Magdala near Tiberias, on the western shore of Galilee. Magdalen is a word found in the Talmud (a book of Jewish traditions) meaning "curling women's hair," which the Talmud explains as being an adulteress.

Mary Magdalene’s Fame : 

Mary Magdalene’s Fame Mary Magdalene is a woman who was mentioned several times in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. She is most famous for being one of the women who was present at the crucifixion of Jesus, and for being the first person to see Him after His resurrected. Mary Magdalene was confused with two other women in the Gospels, which may have led to her reputation as a redeemed prostitute (Luke 7:36-50 and 8:1-3).

Confusion : 

Confusion Today we've come to recognize that there is no textual support for such a claim, but still the image of Mary Magdalene as a penitent sinner persists. Early in the 20th century it was suggested that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene but the idea was short lived.

Re-Introduction : 

Re-Introduction The notion was re-introduced in the 1980s in a book called Holy Blood, Holy Grail, and this time it caused a national sensation. A whole new genre of non-fiction was born, centered around the idea of Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus. Also in the late 20th century a great deal of scholarship emerged exploring the Gnostic writings about Mary Magdalene and her role as an apostle.

The Da Vinci Code : 

The Da Vinci Code Both of these perspectives on Mary Magdalene met in 2003 and 2004 after of the publication of Dan Brown's novel, The Da Vinci Code. It was the best-seller that explored some of the recent theories about Mary Magdalene as Jesus' lost bride.

Were Jesus and Mary Magdalene married? : 

Were Jesus and Mary Magdalene married? This is a complicated question that could best be answered, "there is no evidence that they were married." A great deal of circumstantial evidence has been gathered to that effect, but one must pretty much toss out much of the known history of the last 2000 years in order to accept it.

Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute? : 

Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute? Well, we don't know for sure, but probably not. There is nothing in the Gospels, or anywhere else for that matter, that says that she was a prostitute, a fallen woman, a harlot, or a sinner. Her reputation as a redeemed prostitute has two likely origins:

Slide 9: 

1. She was associated with Mary of Bethany, who performed the anointing of Jesus in the Gospel of John. The woman who performed the anointing in the Gospel of Luke was an anonymous "sinner" from the city. It is assumed that the sinner woman was a prostitute, but even that is an guessing. If Mary Magdalene was Mary of Bethany, and Mary of Bethany (John 12:1-8) was the anonymous sinner from Luke, and if the anonymous sinner from Luke was a prostitute, well, there goes Mary Magdalene's good name. A careful look at the Gospels of Luke and John dispel the concept that Mary was a harlot.

Slide 10: 

2. Mary Magdalene was relieved of seven demons (Luke 8:2). In the Middle Ages, there were seven cardinal sins (pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth) and Mary Magdalene's seven demons were often thought to be related to them. Primarily, Mary Magdalene was associated with the sins of lust and vanity, but the correspondence of seven demons with seven sins was just too much for the medieval mind to pass up. This association contributed to Mary Magdalene's sinful reputation.