Mary Magdalene - penitent, saint, Apostle to the Apostles, she who loved Jesus, witness to the crucifixion, entombment and resurrection of Jesus Christ - is a wonderful enigma. The historical Mary Magdalene was real and lived in Galilee at the same time as Jesus Christ. As a result of her great beauty and close proximity to Jesus, all kinds of stories and myths about her abound – some legendary; some ridiculous and some even downright slanderous. She is a subject- much beloved, much revered but also much maligned. In all the 4 Gospels of the New Testament, Mary Magdalene’s name is mentioned at least 12 times, more than some of the 12 Apostles themselves and for sure, more than any other woman disciple of Jesus – except of course, for the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. And yet, there have been so many conflicting stories about Mary Magdalene whose allure, extraordinary life and rare courage provide ample fodder for historians, scholars and ordinary people to take liberties to imagine, surmise and write countless books and articles about her.
I belong to the camp which admires Mary Magdalene, accept that we don’t know much about her life but believe that she played a positive, critical and indispensable role in the ministry of Jesus Christ. So, even though I will be able to just barely skim the surface of her incredible life, here is my take on this remarkable woman of faith – she who loved Jesus so much.
Above : St. Mary Magdalene; oil on canvas (1650) by Artemisia Gentileschi; Pitti Palace, Palatine Gallery, Florence, Italy.
It is only fitting that the first artwork appearing in this article about Mary Magdalene is by a female artist. She is the renowned 17th century Italian Baroque painter, Artemisia Gentileschi who, beautiful just like Mary Magdalene, also courted some controversy in her lifetime. Artemisia underwent terrible trauma as a young girl when she was raped by a family friend, was disbelieved and consequently shamed. She ran away to Florence where she painted furiously and passionately, using as her subjects biblical heroines with whom she must have felt some affinity in the cruel male dominant society she grew up in. Mary Magdalene was a subject Artemisia painted often, inspired as she must have been by Mary’s fortitude and her incredible life.
In Artemisia’s painting of Mary Magdalene above, Artemisia portrays a gorgeous Mary Magdalene wearing a sumptuous yellow robe sitting amidst luxurious silk and velvets. But look more closely. You will see that this opulence means nothing to Artemisia’s Mary Magdalene. No jewellery adorns her. She is barefoot. On the mirror reflecting her half-turned face, are inscribed the Latin words ‘optimam partem elegit’ (‘you have chosen the best part’). This is the Mary Magdalene turning away from sin as she chooses the path of virtue- the best part. Mary Magdalene has her hand on her heart and she is ready to go towards God; towards the light. The new Mary Magdalene will be a disciple ready to follow Jesus unquestioningly, he who totally transformed her life after he set her free of demons. Mary Magdalene will become the devoted disciple of Jesus whom she loves and who loves her back – a mutually pure love.
Left : The fishing village of Magdala morphed through the many thousands of years from the Roman, Byzantine, Muslim, Crusader, Mamluk, Ottoman and British mandate periods. The picture here is from an old engraving by Van der Velde in 1851 showing Magdala during the Mamluk period when the village was renamed Al Majdal.
Centre : Map of the Sea of Galilee showing the ancient towns including Magdala where Jesus travelled back and forth from Capernaum during his 3 year ministry.
Right : Photograph taken c.1900, showing the shrine of Muhammad al-'Ajami, belonging to the Palestinian village of Al-Majdal and ruins of Magdala.
All pictures taken from the public domain.
Mary Magdalene was simply referred to as Mary of Magdala, a small fishing village on the north-west shore of the Sea of Galilee, just 4 km north from the large Roman town of Tiberius and about the same distance south of Capernaum, the small fishing town which Jesus Christ made as his base when he started his ministry at the Sea of Galilee. Magdala was where Mary Magdalene was believed to have been born and most probably where she first set eyes on Jesus as he started his ministry.
CAPTIVATING MAGDALENE
Left : ‘St. Mary Magdalene’, oil on panel ( 1524) by Bernadini Luini ( 1480-1532) and also attributed to Andrea Solario ( 1465-1524); The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA
Right: ‘St. Mary Magdalene’ by Carlo Dolci ( 1660-1670); Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, England.
That Mary Magdalene was captivating, fascinating and very beautiful can be seen in the imagination of the thousands of artists who painted her. In the Dolci and Luini paintings above, the 2 artists, almost 2 centuries apart both portray Mary as a great beauty with long golden hair; with an expressive intelligent face and as a woman with a sense of decorum. They paint her respectfully. Certainly, Mary is not a docile woman but a lady full of character; a lady of substance. Instead of jewellery we see Mary with the very recognizable alabaster jar of expensive ointment with which she is said to have used to anoint the feet of Jesus.
PENITENT MAGDALENE
At the beginning of Chapter 8 of his Gospel, Luke describes the followers who accompanied Jesus and he specifically named Mary Magdalene as one of them.
“ After this, Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.”
(Luke 8:1-3).
So, Mary Magdalene is mentioned as one of the many women who travelled with Jesus and helped support his ministry out of their own resources, indicating that Mary was a woman of substance and means. But, we do not know how she came by her wealth; if she was ever married or whether she was a rich widow. As for the ‘seven demons’ which Jesus cast out from her, we do not know much about the circumstances of this and what was Mary Magdalene’s ailment. The Gospels are silent. Were they real demons ? After all, the number ‘7 ’ is a key figurative number of the church, appearing throughout the Old and New Testaments symbolizing perfection or completion. In Genesis, the world was created in 7 days and nights. Or the number 7 could refer to the 7 cardinal sins of envy, gluttony, greed, avarice, lust, pride sloth and wrath ? In any event, after Mary Magdalene met Jesus, she repented all her sins; she gave up her past life; all her earthly possessions and life of luxury to follow him faithfully and to minister to his needs - as a disciple; as a friend and most importantly as she who loved him - with earnestness, faith and a very pure love. Just as the 12 Apostles did. But in her case, Jesus did not have to tell Mary Magdalene to follow him. She read his mind and just did so. She not only followed him, she listened to every word he said and she also supported him and the other Apostles financially.
So, was this Mary Magdalene also the same un-named woman – “…who lived a sinful life” who anointed the feet of Jesus referred to in Luke’s Gospel ?
“A woman who had lived a sinful life burst into the dinner party and began to act in unusual ways: she wet his feet with her tears, she wiped his feet with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them”.
(Luke 7:37-38).
Right : ‘Christ in the Home of Simon the Pharisee and Mary Magdalen Anointing Christ’s feet’; oil on canvas (1615) by Peter Paul Rubens; Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Left : ‘Penitent Magdalene’ or ‘Repentant Magdalene’( 1594-1595 ) by Michelangelo Caravaggio; oil on canvas; Doria Pamphillj Gallery, Rome, Italy
In the remarkable painting ( above right) of a woman washing the feet of Jesus with precious oils, Peter Paul Rubens certainly captured the wild abandonment of this woman sinner’s repentance and love for Jesus Christ, who had been invited to the home of Simon the Pharisee to have dinner. Through the centuries, most art historians, biblical scholars and even Popes ( see below ) have identified this repentant woman who gate-crashed the dinner party as Mary Magdalene ! Of course, Mary Magdalene had the alluring beauty and strong character befitting the interpretation of the fallen woman; an independent and fearless woman throwing herself at the feet of Jesus, anointing his feet with precious oils and drying them with her beautiful long hair. But, really ? If this sinful woman was indeed Mary Magdalene, why didn't Luke say so in his Gospel ?
In the other painting ( above left ) by Michelangelo Caravaggio, ‘The Penintent Magdalene’, we see a different Mary Magdalene. This Mary is bowed down in sorrow for her past misdeeds and she prepares to abandon all her trappings of her dissolute life and wealth – see scattered and abandoned by her side, her jewellery and a stoppered half-consumed bottle of wine. You cannot see all of Mary’s bare and unadorned face here but you can see the tears on one side of her beautiful face. Truly a paradigm of repentance here.
Above : ‘Penitent Magdalene’, oil on canvas ( 1598-1602) by Domenico Tintoretto ( 1560-1635 ); Capitoline Museum, Rome, Italy.
The great Renaissance master, Tintoretto paints St. Mary Magdalene in a darkened cave, a hermit’s cell accompanied by the traditional hermit’s skull, cross and the open book. Mary Magdalene’s stunning beauty is still evident but she is no painted doll here. Tintoretto shows her earnestly praying with divine light shining on her. Truly, a blessed Mary Magdalene here.
So, penitence is definitely one of the recognisable attributes of Mary Magdalen. But surely repentance does not equate with the labelling of Mary Magdalen as a prostitute ? A promiscuous woman ? We are all sinners. So was Mary Magdalene. Being a repentant sinner does not mean that she should be labelled a prostitute. A beautiful rich woman like Mary Magdalene suddenly dropping all her trappings of wealth to follow Jesus ( and be appreciated and loved in return by Jesus ) would surely invite loose tongues, jealousy and envy – then and through the centuries, and even till today. In 591 CE, Pope Gregory I actually referred to Mary Magdalene as the ‘sinful woman’ who anointed Jesus’ feet in Luke 7:36-50. However, this was without foundation and the Popes who came thereafter have not endorsed that statement. There have been wilder and more exaggerated stories of Mary Magdalene which have since emerged. In modern times, we see many outlandish claims in books and film such as Dan Brown’s ‘Da Vinci Code’ that a sexual relationship existed between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. I won’t dwell further on this except to say that there is no proof of any of these and other scurrilous claims.
Let’s view the image of Mary Magdalene as a symbol of penance and repentance without going into the whys and wherefores. Repentance, love and transformation is the positive image I wish to remember of this awesome disciple of courage.
MARY MAGDALENE – DEVOTED DISCIPLE AND BENEFACTOR
Jesus saw the true heart of Mary ; her total, pure and unselfish love for him; her faith in him and the depth of her intelligence. He kept Mary close to him throughout the 3 years of his ministry – together with his 12 Apostles and the other men and women who followed him from town to town as he walked and preached tirelessly all over Galilee, Judea and Samaria. As mentioned earlier, Mary's closeness to Jesus and Jesus giving her special teachings must have also resulted in some tension with the other disciples and especially the 12 Apostles ( Peter in particular). But no matter.
That Mary Magdalene and the many women who followed Jesus were an important component in the huge entourage of his followers, was actually not an extra-ordinary situation in the 1st. century. Many of the women who followed Jesus – like Mary Magdalene – were women of means and independence and they for sure, supported Jesus and the Apostles with the unstinting generosity of their largesse. Mary Magdalene seems to have been very wealthy although we do not know more about the source of her wealth. It could have come from her dowry ( if she had been married and widowed ?); gifts from her family; or even from her business ? But we do not know. The other women in Jesus’ entourage also baked, cooked, sewed and looked after Jesus, the Apostles and the enlarged ‘family’ of Christ. Not only did Jesus accept the charity of his female followers with deep gratitude and love, he thanked them by allowing them to stay very close to him, so that these faithful women followers were blessed a thousand-fold not just by his teachings and his love but also by the many miracles they were able to personally witness each day. It was more than wonderful for them to be in the presence of Jesus.
WITNESS TO THE CRUCIFIXION AND ENTOMBMENT
Right : ‘Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary, St. John and St. Mary Magdalene’ by Anthony van Dyck ( 1617-1619). Van Dyck originally produced it as a high altarpiece for the Jesuit Church in Bergues near Dunkirk. Here, you see the sensitive portrayal of Mary Magdalene at the foot of the cross, distraught at the feet of Jesus weeping in tears of sorrow. The Louvre Museum, Paris.
Left : ‘The Entombment of Jesus Christ’ by Raphael; oil on wood (1507); Galleria Borghese, Rome.
When Jesus was arrested by Herod and brought to trial before Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, Mary Magdalene together with his mother, the Virgin Mary and most of the other women in the entourage never left his side. They stayed close to Jesus throughout as he struggled to carry his cross to Golgotha, bleeding and falling down all the way and at the end witnessed the agony of his crucifixion, death and entombment. Mary Magdalene and the other women never once considered their own personal danger when in fact, except for John, most of the male disciples and Apostles had fled in fear. In the Gospel of Matthew below, Mary Magdalene is specifically mentioned.
“ There were also many women there looking on from a distance, ministering to him, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.”
(Matthew 27:55-56, 61)
When finally, Jesus drew his last breath and died, it was evening and Joseph of Arimathea received permission from Pilate to entomb Jesus in his own new tomb nearby. As the Sabbath was approaching, they ( including the women ) quickly but tenderly wrapped the body of Jesus in clean linen cloths and gently laid it in the tomb which was cut into the rock, closed it tight with a huge heavy stone at the entrance of the tomb and went away.
WITNESS TO THE RESURRECTION – ( ‘noli me tangere’ )
As described in the Gospel of Luke, later, everyone including all the women had to leave the tomb and they all went home for the Sabbath ( a compulsory rest day ) where the women prepared spices and perfumes for the full anointing of Jesus’ body the day after the Sabbath. Not surprisingly, in the early morning after the Sabbath, this same group of women ( Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and the other women who followed Christ from Galilee ) were the first to arrive at the tomb. To their astonishment, they found that the huge stone closing the entrance to the tomb had been rolled back and the body of Jesus was no longer there.
Mary and the other women were the first to see the empty tomb.
And then this happened according to the Gospel of Luke ( Luke 24:1-10).
They saw an angel proclaiming to them the joyful news.
“Why seek ye the living among the dead?
“He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee”
The women “remembered his words,” and ran back to the 11 Apostles to tell them this. When Peter and the other Apostles then rushed to the empty tomb, they saw for themselves that Jesus was no longer there. Distraught and fearful, all went back to their homes.
Except for Mary Magdalene.
She stayed weeping quietly alone in the empty tomb. As a result, in the Gospel of John ( John 20: 11-17 ), he tells us that Mary Magdalene was the first person to see the resurrected Jesus. Mary Magdalene, the beautiful woman who had 7 demons chased out of her; the so-called sinner, the penitent, the disciple, the witness to Christ crucifixion, death and entombment also became the first witness to the resurrected Christ. How did this happen ?
In the Gospel of John, he tells us of the poignant encounter between the weeping Mary Magdalene and the risen Christ. Weeping alone in the tomb, at first she hears something. Then, she sees two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain. They ask her :
“ ‘Woman, why are you weeping ?’
She said to them, ‘ They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him.’”
And then she sees a man standing there. He seems to be holding a spade against the light and she mistakes Jesus for the gardener. She does not recognise Jesus.
He then calls out her name.
Just one word : “Mary”
In astonishment she answers, “ Rabboni” ( teacher ).
And she rushes to him in great joy. But he stops her with the now famous words in Latin : “ noli me tangere” ( “do not touch me” ).
This scene of Mary Magdalene being the first witness to the Resurrected Jesus Christ is captured beautifully by the 3 artists below : the fresco of the great Gothic artist, Giotto; the paintings of the 16thcentury artist, Antonio da Correggio and the 19th century Russian artist Alexander Ivanov.
Above : ‘Resurrection ( ‘noli me tangere’)’ (1304-1306); fresco by Giotto di Bondone ( 1266-1237 ); Capella Scrovegni ( Arena Chapel), Padua, Italy.
Giotto portrays Mary and Jesus in his usual soft pale colours, with luminous angels flying in the lapis lazuli blue sky and some angels sitting on the tomb. It is an amazing composition. Against the white and pale colours, you see Mary Magdalene clad in scarlet, a colour which stands out as she reaches out joyfully towards the resurrected Jesus Christ.
Left : ‘Noli Me Tangere’ (c. 1525) by Italian artist, Antonio Allegri da Correggio; Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain.
Right : ‘Appearance of Jesus Christ to Maria Magdalena’ (1835); oil on canvas by Russian artist Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov; Russian Museum, St.Petersburg.
In both paintings above by two different artists centuries apart, the Italian 16th century Antonio da Correggio and the 19th century Alexander Ivanov, we see how tenderly the artists portray this poignant moment when Mary realizes that the risen Christ is standing in front of her. Correggio’s and Ivanov’s Mary sinks to her knees in joy when she realises this is the risen Christ. She wants to reach out to him, Jesus says not to touch him. See the gentle look on Jesus’ face as he looks down at Mary with a loving smile. A beautiful composition indeed.
MARY MAGDALENE - APOSTOLA APOSTOLORUM
And then Jesus tells Mary Magdalene to:
“..go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father; to my God and your God’. Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’ and that he had said these things to her.”
( John 20:18 )
What an enormous commission – Jesus entrusts this great task to his beloved disciple, a woman – Mary Magdalene to go and tell the world that He has risen from the dead !
Aside from the Apostle John the Evangelist, Mary Magdalene was God’s closest and most beloved disciple. By appearing first to her and then entrusting her to let the other Apostles know that he had risen from the dead, Jesus Christ had in no uncertain terms placed Mary Magdalene on top of his other Apostles; she was the Apostle to the Apostles. This was finally honoured on July 22nd in 2016 when Pope Francis elevated the annual memorial day of St. Mary Magdalene to that of a ‘feast day’, the same high status as that of the Apostles and the Evangelists. The Pope also referred to Mary Magdalene as the ‘Apostola Apostolorum’ - the ‘Apostle of the apostles’.
DEATH OF MARY MAGDALENE
Above : ‘St Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy’ or ‘ The Death of St. Mary Magdalene’; oil on canvas by Peter Paul Rubens ( 1619-1620); Palais de Beaux-Arts, Lille, France
The painting above by Peter Paul Rubens, ‘St Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy’ or ‘The Death of St Mary Magdalene’ shows Mary Magdalene at the moment of her death supported by two angels. The painting was commissioned by the Friars Minor in Ghent, France. According to unproven legend, Mary Magdalene spent her last days in the south of France ( then called the Roman province of Gaul) where she lived as a hermit in a cave at Saint Baume near the town of Aix-en-Provence. There are absolutely no written records of how or if she even went to Gaul to spend her last days. We have no records of when or how Mary Magdalene died. However, we do know that after Jesus Christ’s ascension into Heaven, Mary Magdalene stayed in Jerusalem close to the Virgin Mary, the 12 Apostles, the other disciples and the women followers until the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on them all and gave them the divine courage to be bold and go out and preach fearlessly to the world about Jesus and the Kingdom of God.
Rubens had used his talent to show his creative version of the death of Mary Magdalene. There are many other versions of her death painted by other artists through the centuries and written of by many writers . Of course, through the thousands of years and as now, Mary Magdalene still remains an intriguing mystery. The story of Mary Magdalene remains as compelling, riveting and mysterious as ever. Legends of ‘she who loved’ continues to move millions and bring the entire world into endless discussions and debates about her.
Perhaps that was what Mary Magdalene intended ? To remain an inspiring and invigorating enigma.
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