Mary of Magdala (known as Mary Magdalene) is a shadowy figure in the New Testament, yet she ranks as the most prominent female figure after Mary, the Mother of Jesus. She is mentioned in the Gospels (specifically, LUKE) only once before Jesus' Crucifixion, as the woman from whom Jesus exorcised seven demons. At the Crucifixion, she is mentioned as one of the women who followed Jesus around in his ministry. Yet tradition links her with several other women in the Bible, including Mary, the sister of Martha, whose brother Lazarus Jesus raised from the dead; the woman of Bethany, who anointed Jesus with ointment; and even as the unnamed sinner in the so-called Adultery Pericope in the Gospel of John, whom Jesus saves from stoning for the offense of adultery. Because of these associations she gave her name to the Magdalenes, an organization of reformed prostitutes. Also because of her association with the woman of Bethany, her name gives us, through corruption, the modern word "maudlin" or "tearful." Naturally in an effort to amplify the narrative, popular adaptations of the life of Jesus (such as Jesus Christ, Superstar) use Mary Magdalene to add some erotic, or at least feminine, interest to the life of Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment