“Now, standing beside Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”  John 19:25

“Then Peter said to Mary, “Sister, we know that you are greatly loved by the Savior, more than any other woman. Tell us those words of his that you remember, the things which you know, and we don’t, the teachings we never heard.”  The Gospel of Mary

So, who WAS Mary Magdalene? This is a somewhat difficult question to answer, and it leads us into an area of great speculation.  Here is what we can be certain of.

First, she was a supporter of Jesus’ ministry.  In the eighth chapter of the Gospel of Luke we’re told that there were women who accompanied Jesus that provided for him out of their own resources.  Mary is listed there.[1]

Second, she was probably a single woman, most likely a widow.  At the time of Jesus, it was common for women to marry at a very young age to much older men, and thus widowhood was quite common.  She is called “Magdala” (most likely being a title meaning “tower”, not a place name).  This is important, for if she had been married she would’ve been referred to as “the wife of so and so”.  Like the description of “Mary, the wife of Clopas”.  Being a widow would also explain why she was able to provide for Jesus’ ministry.

Third, she was a very faithful follower of Jesus.  She is mentioned very frequently, at least compared to most of the other disciples.  And most significant is that she is there watching as the events of Jesus’ crucifixion transpired.  Though it is fictional, “The Passion of The Christ” captures her faithfulness as she is depicted as wiping up Jesus’ blood after his flogging.  All of the Gospels place her at the center of Jesus’ passion events, along with other women, which is significant because the other disciples, with the exception of John, are nowhere to be seen.

And, she is there at the resurrection, either by herself or with other women, depending upon which Gospel account. 

These are the facts concerning Mary’s identity, of which we can be certain.  However, if we delve a bit further into non-biblical historical writings the person of Mary gets more compelling.

Perhaps one of the most important and reliable is that of Hippolytus, Bishop of Rome in 235, who refers to Mary as the “Apostle of Apostles.”  Other Church Fathers also referred to her, which is significant as it bears witness to the respect and admiration she was afforded by church leaders in those first centuries after Christ, a phenomenon that would be short-lived, relatively speaking.

That respect is recorded in various other gospels floating around which didn’t make it into the New Testament.  The reason for this is that the authorship of some were dubious at best, being written from a Gnostic[2] perspective. 

Following are a few examples:

“And they came into Bethany, and a certain woman whose brother had died was there.  And, coming, she prostrated herself before Jesus and said to him, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me.’ But the disciples rebuked her.  And Jesus, being angered, went off with her into the garden where the tomb was, and straightaway a great cry was heard from the tomb.  And going near Jesus rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb.”  The Secret Gospel of Mark

Note here that Jesus is angry with the disciples for rebuking Mary.

“How are we supposed to go out preaching to the rest of the world, proclaiming the gospel of the New Realm? If they did not spare him, then how will they spare us?”

Then Mary stood up. She embraced them all, kissing them tenderly and began to speak to her brothers and sisters:

“There is no need to remain stuck in sorrow, grief, and doubt! For his Grace will be with you all; it will guide you, comfort you, shelter, and protect you.

Rather, let us be thankful and praise his greatness, for he has brought us together and prepared us for this. Through him, we too can become fully human.” The Gospel of Mary

Here Mary is depicted as having a leadership role as a teacher among the disciples.

“Mary Magdalene was the companion of the Savior. He loved her more than all the other disciples and kissed her on her [text missing] more often than he kissed the rest of the disciples.”  From the Gospel of Philip

The kiss that Jesus gives her is not a romantic one, but rather an indication of his love and respect for her, similar to the “holy kiss” mentioned in the New Testament, and possibly a symbolic imparting of the Holy Spirit.

There are other attestations of Mary in other writings, but here is what I find fascinating about these references; regardless of their authenticity, they reflect the fact that there was, at least in some significant circles of those who claimed to follow Jesus, a significant place given to Mary.  She was revered and respected, which is so highly unusual for a woman during that time and in that culture.

And this leads us back to our original question.  “Who was Mary?”  The waters are, admittedly, a bit murky, but we can be certain that she was a faithful woman follower of Jesus and the one who first bore witness to his death and resurrection.  Thus, she is, like so many others, a woman worthy to be admired and emulated.

---

[1] There is a parenthetical statement that says “from whom the Lord drove out seven demons).  This is quite problematic as it is based on the same comment found in Mark 16:9, both of which were most likely added by a scribe at a later date.

[2] I would invite you to look up the history of the Gnostics, as the topic is simply too complex to go into any detail here.