Jesus and Mary Magdalene

[Matt16_18]

Merovingian

… According, however, to the esoteric version of history promulgated by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln in their book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, the Merovingian kings were direct descendants of Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ once they arrived in southern France following Christ’s crucifixion and “resurrection.” The authors further claim that the Roman church killed off all remnants of this dynasty – the Cathar heresy of Languedoc and the Templars – during the Inquisition, in order to gain power through the “spiritual” dynasty of Peter instead of the “holy blood” (i.e. Sangreal) of Mary Magdalene’s descendants. Most historians do not accept these theories.

 

[JCPhoenix]

I recently read a book, “Mary, called Magdalane”.

The author is an ex-Catholic, but did do significant research into Mary’s history and tried to portray her life according to the times and what we know of her. She freely admits that she had to fill in many blanks.

Anyway, she confirmed through her research that at no time in history was Mary Magdalene EVER identified as the adulteress or a prostitute. She was however, delivered of 7 demons by Jesus, washed his feet with her hair, and was the first human being to see him after he had risen.

The rest of the book, by the way, although it does follow the gospels, humanizes Jesus WAY too much. The author did create him as a love interest, but only to Mary, not from Jesus himself to Mary. (I’m not sure if that made sense to anyone but me!).

I recommend the book, but I think more of a study of life in those times. I liked the fictionalized gospels and I think there is some insight there…but there are many many many things wrong with the story which directly conflicts with Catholic teaching.

But Mary herself was very well researched and there is a bibliography at the end of the book.

Hope that helps!

 

[cnelms]

Strider:

I don’t know when it started, but recently, among radical feminists and wiccans, Mary Magdalene, whom they always call St. Mary Magdalene, has become somewhat of an icon. She is given supremacy over the Blessed Virgin by them. This is probably because a man would not have his mother as a lover or wife, and they desperately want Jesus to have an active love interest. I guess it would humanize the divine Jesus and elevate the human Magdalene.

Believe me, I’m only guessing at their motivation.

I have no doubt that Jesus loved Mary Magdelene.

I don’t believe Jesus loved anyone in a sexual way. We will never know the divine mind. Why would the supreme being, the Alpha and the Omega, the one who IS pure love, have need of sexual intimacy? I happen to believe this is some of the same mindset that graces our faithful priests, and men and women religous in their vow of celibacy. They are in communion with the Lord in a special way. They have an undivided (some more than others) focus on the Lord and their relationship with Him. We as the apostolate of the laity are far more distracted with things of the world.

 

[agname]

Most feminists…groups promoting women’s ordination…and ex-Catholics are trying hard to refute various biblical facts…and those facts handed down by tradition. I’ve skimmed the book mentioned above long ago by Margaret George…a historical novel…huge liberties were of course taken…and it was filled with what I call “junk scholarship.”

There is no doubt Mary of Bethany is Mary Magdalena aka Mary of Martha.

“Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.”"

One familiar with Judaic tradition , etc. etc…would know that the sin is highly likely “impurity.”

John 11:1, “Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.”

Luke 7:45 - 47 “Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.”

Finally…numerous visionary saints have linked them as being the same.

 

[jimmy]

Mary Magdaline is one of my favorite saints along with st. Francis of Assissi because the way she loved Jesus.

This idea that they could have been married is an old idea that has no base of truth. I had a teacher a couple years ago for a religion class that said he was in the seminary and in his third year someone there had told him this. It caused him to leave the seminary. I find it amazing that someone would say something like that which has no background.

 

[Rae]

Today’s society has a preoccupation with sex and scandal. The thought of celibacy is so far removed from today’s mentality, that it’s thought impossible (which it is not). This obsession with sex, and the fact that Mary Magdalene was a woman who was a dear ‘friend of Jesus’’ has lead entertainment/media/Hollywood types to promote this false idea that Mary and Jesus were an ‘item’. How ridiculous! How insulting!

 

[Maddalena]

A lot of goofy female “Catholic priests” use Mary Magdalene a lot. I really hate how people misuse Mary Magdalene…

Anyhoo, in regards to her being an adulteress, I read this thing on some Catholic website once that was talking about Mary Magdalene, and it said there was a Eastern legend that said she was betrothed to St. John the Apostle but when Jesus called John to join him, it made Mary Magdalene mad so she “gave herself to the delights of the world” or something like that. I thought that was interesting. o_o

 

[Emmy]

rfk:

The Catholic Encyclopedia at Newadvent.org has nice coverage of these questions at St. Mary Magdalen

It covers that Latin tradition, attributed to Pope St Gregory the Great, maintains there are three women described in the Bible who are all Mary Magdalene.

• The sinner who washes his feet with her tears and hair (Luke 7:37-50)
• Mary who is called Magdalen, out of whom seven devils were gone forth" (Luke 8:2);
• Christ’s visit to Martha and Mary “in a certain town” (Luke 10:38-42)

Where did this Pope St. Gregory the Great base this on?

Emmy

 

[Emmy]

agname:

There is evidence biblically that it was Mary…and Church tradition says it was her as well. For instance, St. John’s Gospel makes it impossible to deny the identity of Mary of Bethany being Magdalena…St. John refers to Mary as, “she that anointed the Lord’s feet”…in reference to St. Luke (7:37), "and, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner…brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

I still don´t see the evidence that Mary of Bethany is the same as Mary of Magdala. Two different area´s. And in St. John´s it only says “she that anointed the Lord´s feet”. It doesn´t even give the name Mary there so it could be a strange woman as well I think.

Emmy

 

[Ken]

There is no way to prove that Jesus and Magdalene were lovers or married.

There is no way to prove that Jesus and Magdalene were not lovers or married.

Why is it important to people? Who cares?

 

[Mamamull]

There is no way to prove that Jesus and Magdalene were lovers or married.

There is no way to prove that Jesus and Magdalene were not lovers or married.

Why is it important to people? Who cares?

Wow! Who cares?

You don’t consider claims against Jesus, the second person of the Holy Trinity, to be an incredible indictment against the holiness He possesses? :tsktsk:

He came to save the world, but he wouldn’t even keep the Father’s Commandments?

How could He be sinless and pure and still had sex outside of marriage? Marriage is important to Him --he worked his first public miracle at a wedding.

Of course, the early fathers like Ignatious of Antioch and even the apostles would have known if Jesus was married. If it had happened, we would know – but the religion concept would be moot. How can a Savior be a sinner? His mother managed to remain sinless and Jesus the God man couldn’t?

Do you have problems with fidelity and chastity to your wife?
My wonderful husband is prone to stating that is brain is stronger than his 'nards – especially when our one nephew fathers another child outside of wedlock.

Mamamull

 

[SJP_in_Texas]

I heard somewhere (probably on the Catholic Answers radio program, though I can’t be sure) that Mary Magdalene and the “fallen woman” became confused when an early pope or bishop mis-spoke in a sermon or something like that. I think I even heard that clarification had been offered on this point, but I don’t remember (will try to find it.)

Anyway, I do recall that Mary Magdalene was identified as the woman who had been afflicted by demons and who faithfully followed Christ after she was freed from the demons. I also remember something about the fact that she was very likely an older woman, because of the way in which she is often listed first when several women were named. Apparently, this is indicative of the type of respect shown an older woman in their culture.

 

[elvisman]

puppylove:

Hi Emmy:

I can’t believe I’m talking to someone in Holland. I am way deep down in dixie in the extreme southern part of the United States, you can find me in Southern Louisiana. It is very hot here, yes, heat indexes around 105…

Besides seeing this in a movie scene, The Passion of Christ, I’ll try to figure out why I am pretty sure this is Mary Magdelene. Let me ask some of the experts. I’ll get back to you on that…

People, people, please don’t take a movie as the “whole truth”. Mel Gibson himself, when speaking to Diane Sawyer said that his movie, “The Passion” was his version of what happened.
In it, he portrays Mary Magdalene as the woman about to be stoned to death. NOWHERE in scripture does it state that. A beautiful depiction, yes - but the undisputed truth? I think NOT!
And as Catholics we are not bound by a Pope’s opinion on the matter. We believe he speaks infallibly on matters of faith and morals.
The Passion is a great movie and I hope Mel makes more movies about our faith, but Mel’s scripts are not Holy Scripture.

• Tempis Fugit Momento Mori

 

[Ken]

Wow! Who cares?

You don’t consider claims against Jesus, the second person of the Holy Trinity, to be an incredible indictment against the holiness He possesses? :tsktsk:

He came to save the world, but he wouldn’t even keep the Father’s Commandments?

How could He be sinless and pure and still had sex outside of marriage? Marriage is important to Him --he worked his first public miracle at a wedding.

Of course, the early fathers like Ignatious of Antioch and even the apostles would have known if Jesus was married. If it had happened, we would know – but the religion concept would be moot. How can a Savior be a sinner? His mother managed to remain sinless and Jesus the God man couldn’t?

Do you have problems with fidelity and chastity to your wife?
My wonderful husband is prone to stating that is brain is stronger than his 'nards – especially when our one nephew fathers another child outside of wedlock.

Mamamull

Well, if Jesus were God, and he had sexual relations outside of marriage, then that would be OK. He would be right, and you would be wrong.

 

[jimmy]

It doesn’t matter if Mary Magdaline was the prostitute about to be stoned or if she wasn’t. If she was, then she changed. It doesn’t affect who she was. There is nothing wrong with Mel Gibsons Portrayal.

 

[Mamamull]

Ken:

Well, if Jesus were God, and he had sexual relations outside of marriage, then that would be OK. He would be right, and you would be wrong.

Yes it would be. Jesus didn’t come to condone and create sin – he came to have our sins forgiven.

It would not be that Jesus could just do anything because He was God – you don’t really understand the basic depth of the LOVE that called us into creation. The “Onwer’s Manual” that we find in the Bible - the Word of God - is not just an arbitrary set of rules.

May the Holy Spirit bring us the entire truth of our Lord’s life.

Mamamull

 

[Ken]

Mamamull:

Yes it would be. Jesus didn’t come to condone and create sin – he came to have our sins forgiven.

It would not be that Jesus could just do anything because He was God – you don’t really understand the basic depth of the LOVE that called us into creation. The “Onwer’s Manual” that we find in the Bible - the Word of God - is not just an arbitrary set of rules.

May the Holy Spirit bring us the entire truth of our Lord’s life.

Mamamull

If he did it, it wouldn’t be sin. One would have to reevaaluate their concept and list of sins. One would also have to figure out a different way to interpret the owner’s manual.

 

[Emmy]

elvisman:

People, people, please don’t take a movie as the “whole truth”. Mel Gibson himself, when speaking to Diane Sawyer said that his movie, “The Passion” was his version of what happened.
In it, he portrays Mary Magdalene as the woman about to be stoned to death. NOWHERE in scripture does it state that. A beautiful depiction, yes - but the undisputed truth? I think NOT!
And as Catholics we are not bound by a Pope’s opinion on the matter. We believe he speaks infallibly on matters of faith and morals.
The Passion is a great movie and I hope Mel makes more movies about our faith, but Mel’s scripts are not Holy Scripture.

• Tempis Fugit Momento Mori

I agree with you here…

Emmy

 

[Emmy]

jimmy:

It doesn’t matter if Mary Magdaline was the prostitute about to be stoned or if she wasn’t. If she was, then she changed. It doesn’t affect who she was. There is nothing wrong with Mel Gibsons Portrayal.

I am just trying to find out what is true or not. And anybody can believe that she was that woman or not etc. this is just about my view.

Emmy

 

[YinYangMom]

I just find it ‘inconceivable’ *(nod to Princess Bride) *that Jesus would have it in his heart to even consider relations with any one person. The Man was aware of His mission as a youngster - in the temple when Mary and Joseph took off without him.

Now, let’s be reasonable here…from that point on (at the very least, I always thought he knew his purpose from birth, but that’s just me)…the guy knows he has to do his Father’s work…he travels from town to town, gathering followers, healing people, teaching daily, contending with the Sanhedrin and the Romans, etc. Who has the time to get into a relationship??? Oh, and let’s not forget he’s fully aware that he’s going to die young, a gruesome, humiliating death. What man would leave that legacy with a woman?

Then let’s look at the fact that he lives God’s will…and God ranks woman high in the order of things…they are to be treated with the utmost respect…so there’s no way he’d sleep with a woman outside of marriage debasing the woman so.

Oh, and why not add the point that it wouldn’t make sense for him to save her from stoning (should that have been her) only to put her in the position of being stoned again for having relations with him.

It’s just illogical.