Ancient Christianity: Quick Facts

 

Many have argued that Jesus must have been married, since this was the norm for Jewish men in his time. Additionally, in the Gospel of Mary, a second-century text telling of Jesus’ post-resurrection dialogues with the apostles, Jesus’ disciples ask Mary Magdalene, “Sister, we know you were greatly loved by the Savior, as no other woman. Therefore tell us those words of the Savior which you know but which we haven’t heard.”  Later in the text, Peter challenges Mary’s teaching, and is rebuked by Levi, “If the Savior considered her to be worthy, who are you to disregard her? For he knew her completely and loved her steadfastly.” These lines could imply that Jesus and Mary had an intimate romantic relationship. However, the context of this dialogue relates to apostleship; at issue is who is worthy of going out and spreading the gospel, and whether or not a woman could or should fill that role. Levi insists that Mary was not only a disciple, but the best one. There is no indication that the love between Jesus and Mary was a romantic love.  

 

 

According to the Gospel of Luke (8:1-3), Mary Magdalene was one of the women who accompanied Jesus and his disciples. She helped to support them financially, and was cured of evil spirits. She was present at Jesus' crucifixion, and together with other women, was the first to discover the empty tomb. According to the Gospels of Matthew and John, Mary Magdalene was the first to encounter the raised Christ (Matthew 28:9-10; John 20:11-18). 

 

Although Mary is often thought of as a repentant prostitute, no early Christian text even hints as such an identity. It was not until the fifth century that Pope Gregory argued that the unnamed adulteress in John 8 was Mary Magdalene. However, there is no indication anywhere in the New Testament, or among Christians before Pope Gregory, that Mary was called a sinner.

 

According to early Christian texts, Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus’ disciples--even the one who was the closest to him. Various ancient tests describe her as Jesus’ companion or a disciple. But the Gospel of Thomas, a text containing sayings attributed to Jesus, suggests that Mary will only have a place in the Kingdom as a man: “Simon Peter said to them, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of Life." Jesus said, ‘I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven’.”

 

In Pistis Sophia, a text in which Jesus reveals earthly and heavenly mysteries to his disciples, Mary Magdalene has access to secret knowledge about Christ, and this access troubles a jealous Peter in the Gospel of Mary.However, that book ends with a rebuke to Peter, and an appreciation for the source of knowledge about Jesus’ teachings, whether that source be a man or a woman. 

 

Although many of these non-canonical texts were later denounced as heretical, it is clear that Mary Magdalene was a major figure for some early Christians, though there's no evidence for the type of formalized Mary-focused cult, complete with its own rituals, that  Dan Brown writes of in "Da Vinci." Like most major figures (particularly women) her story was used by later Christians in different ways to support competing values, particularly the issue of women’s authority.