Mary MagdaleneAs Disciple, Witness, and Icon

Giotto, CrucifixionScrovegni Chapel, Padua, ca. 1320

Detail, Giotto, Crucifixion

Masaccio (1401-1428) Crucifixion, 1426

Detail, Masaccio, Crucifixion

Rogier van der Weyden (1400-1464)Deposition, ca. 1435

Detail, Rogier van der Weyden Deposition

Fra Bartolomeo (1473-1517) Deposition, 1515

Detail, Bartolomeo, Deposition

The Three Marys at the Empty Tomb, San Marco, Venice, Mosaic, late 12th century

Duccio, The Three Marys at the Tomb, 1308-11

Detail, Duccio, The Three Marys at the Tomb

Maurice Denis (1870-1943 ) The Holy Women Near the Tomb, 1894

Pietro Lorenzetti (1280-1348) Mary Magdalene with Alabaster Jar, ca. 1330

Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898) The Morning of the Resurrection, 1882

Duccio, Appearance to Mary Magdalene(Noli Me Tangere), 1308-11

Giotto, Noli Me Tangere (Assisi), 1320s

Titian (1486-1576) Noli Me Tangere, ca. 1512

Circle of Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) Noli Me Tangere

Calendar Image, Noli Me Tangere (date unknown)

Mary Magdalene and the Apostles Saint Albans Psalter, c.1140-1150

Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) Feast at the House of Simon, 1567-70

Detail, Veronese, Feast at the House of Simon

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) At the Home of Simon, 1618

The Unnamed Sinner /Anointer: Gospel of Luke 7:36-50

7:36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house, and took his place at the table. 37 And learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, an alabaster jar of ointmentfeet weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment…. 47 Jesus said, “Her sins, which were many, have been forgiven: hence she has shown great love.”

The Unnamed Sinner of GLuke 7

Titian (1486-1576) Penitent Magdalene, 1530s

Titian (1486-1576) Penitent Magdalene, c. 1560

Caravaggio (1573-1610) Penitent Magdalene, 1596-97

Francesco Trevisani (1656-1746) Mary Magdalene in Penitence, 1710-15

Georges de la Tour (1593-1652) Magdalene of Night Light, 1630-35

Simon Vouet (1590-1649) St, Mary Magdalene Contemplating, 1623

Gerard Seghers (1591-1651) Repentant Magdalen, 1630

Carlo Dolci, Mary Magdalene, 1660

Simon Vouet, Magdalene Carried by Angels, ca. 1640

Caravaggio Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy, 1606

Spanish/Portuguese (18th-19th Century) Mary Magdalene (Ivory)

Donatello (1386-1466), Magdalene, 1457 (Wood)

Detail, Donatello, Magdalene (1457)

Gospel of Mark 15:40-47 ( + parallels in Matthew and Luke)

40 There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.

Disciple and Witness at the Cross:GMark and Synoptic Parallels

Gospel of Mark 16:1-8 ( + par. in Matt and Lk)

1 When the sabbath was over, mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb….5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7 and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Witness at the Empty Tomb: GMark and Synoptic Parallels

Gospel of Matthew 28:1, 8-10, 16-20

1 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other MarySo they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’...

16 Now the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go there and make disciples of all nations, baptizing

Witnesses of the Resurrection: The Gospel of Matthew

Gospel of Luke 8:1-3

1 Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

Disciple in Galilee: Gospel of Luke 8

Gospel of John 19:25, 20:1-14

19:25 and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

20:1 Early onMagdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’..

10 Then the disciples returned to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of

Witness of the Empty Tomb and Resurrection:The Gospel of John I

Gospel of John 20:15-18

15 Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ 16 Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me (Latin: not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” ’ 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Witness of the Resurrection:The Gospel of John II

5 Significant Features of the Gospel of John’sPortrayal of Mary Magdalene

n Mary Magdalene speaks in the Gospel of John, and she weeps

n Jesus addresses her by name; she thus comes to recognize him

n She is the first witness of the resurrection (as in the Gospel of Matthew)

n She is commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the resurrection to “the disciples”

n She becomes the first apostle, the apostle to the apostles, as she announces:

n “I have seen the Lord” (20:18)

Apostle to the ApostlesSaint Albans Psalter, c.1140-1150

The Unnamed Sinner / Anointer: Gospel of Luke 7:36-50

7:36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house, and took his place at the table. 37 the city, who was a sinner, Pharisee's house, brought him at his feet dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment….

Mary Magdalene as Disciple in Galilee: Gospel of Luke 8:1-3

1 Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. 2 as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

The Unnamed Sinner and Mary Magdalene in Luke 7 & 8

Pope Gregory the Great, Homily 33, 591 CE

We believe that woman John calls Mary (Mary of Bethany), and that Mary from whom Mark says seven demons were cast out. And what did these seven devils signify, if not all the vices?... It is clear, brothers, that the woman previously used the ointment to perfume her flesh in forbidden acts....

She had coveted with earthly eyes, but now through penitence these are consumed with tears. She displayed her hair to set off her face, but now her hair dries her tears. She had spoken proud things with her mouth, but in kissing the Lord's feet, she now planted her mouth on the Redeemer's feet....

For every delight, therefore, she had had in herself, she now immolated herself. order to serve God entirely in penancewrongly held God in contempt.

The Composite Magdalene

Detail, Masaccio, Crucifixion

Titian (1486-1576) Penitent Magdalene, c. 1560

Jacobus de Voragine, O. P. (1230-1298), Legend

Mary is called Magdalene, which is understood to mean “remaining guilty,” or it means armed, or unconquered, or magnificent. These meanings point to the sort of woman she was before, at the time of, and after her conversion. . .

She was wellborn, descended of royal stock... With her brother Lazarus and her sister Martha she owned Magdalum. . . then, was very rich, and sensuous pleasure keeps company with great wealth. Renowned as she was for her beauty and her riches, she was no less known for the way she gave her body to pleasureso that her proper name was forgotten and she was commonly called “the sinner.”

The Early Life of St. Mary Magdalene:The Golden Legend

Jacobus de Voragine,

Some 14 years after the Lord’s passion and ascension into heaven... the disciples went off into the lands of various nations and there sowed the word of the Lord... By the providence of God [Maximin, her brother Lazarus, her sister Martha... and many other Christians] landed at Marseilles... When blessed Mary Magdalene saw the people offering sacrifice to idols, she came forward... and preached Christ fervidly to them. All who heard her were in admiration of her beauty, her eloquence, and the sweetness of her message.

The blessed Mary Magdalene, wishing to devote herself to heavenly contemplation, retired to an empty wilderness, and lived unknown for 30 years in a place made ready by the hands of angelsof water there, nor the comfort of grass or trees: thus it was made clear that our Redeemer had determined to fill her not with earthly meats but only with the good things of heaven. carried aloft by angels, and heard the glorious chants of the celestial hostsSo it was that she was gratified with these supernal delights and... needed

Apostle, Contemplative, Ascetic:The Golden Legend

Giotto, Mary Magdalene Speaking to the Angels, (Assisi), 1320s

Selected Film Imagesof Mary Mag

Jacqueline Logan, King of Kings, dir. Cecil B. DeMille, 1927 Yvonne Elliman, Jesus Christ Superstar, 1973

Monica Bellucci, The Passion of the Christ, dir. Mel Gibson (2004)

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus, John as witness of Jesus’ death, The Passion of the Christ

The Last Temptation of ChristDirected by Martin Scorsese, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene

The Gospel of Philip

There were three who always used to walk with the Lord: Mary, his mother, and his sister, and koinwnoj, is the name of his companion (

The Gospel of Philip

The Sophia (Wisdom) who is called "the barren" is the mother [of the] angels. And her more than [all] the disciples, [and he] used to kiss her on her [... more] often than the rest of the disciples [...] They said to him "Why do you love her more than all of us?" The Savior answered, saying to them, "Why do I not love you like her? If a blind person and one with sight are both in the darkness, they are not different from one another. When the light comes, then the person with sight will see the light, and the blind person will remain in the darkness."

Companion and Beloved Disciple in

Gospel of Philip

When Eve was still in Adam death did not exist. When she was separated from him death came into being. If he enters again and attains his former self, death will be no more.

Gospel of Philip

If the female had not separated from the male, she and the male would not die. His separation became the beginning of death. Because of this Christ came to repair the separation which was from the beginning and re-unite the two and to give life to those who had died by separation and join them together.

Separation and Reunification in

The Gospel of Philip

The Sophia (Wisdom) who is called "the barren" is the mother [of the] angels. And the companion (her more than [all] the disciples, [and he] used to kiss her on her [... more] often than the rest of the disciples [...] They said to him "Why do you love her more than all of us?"

Gospel of Philip

For it is by a kiss that the perfect conceive and give birth. For this reason we also kiss one another. We receive conception from the grace that is in one another.

The Salvific Kiss in

The Gospel of Mary

When he said this, he [the risen Jesus] departed. But [the disciples] were grieved. They wept greatly, saying, “How shall we go to the Gentiles and preach the gospel of the Kingdom of the Son of Man? If they did not spare Him, how will they spare us? Then Mary stood up, greeted them all, and said to her brethren, "Do not weep and do not grieve nor be irresolute, for His grace will be entirely with you and will protect you. But rather, let us praise His greatness, for He has prepared us and made us into Human Beings.”

When Mary said this, she turned their hearts to the Good, and they began to discuss the words of the Savior. Peter said to Mary, "Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of women. Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember which you know, but we do not, nor have we heard them." Mary answered and said, "What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you." And she began to speak to them these words: "I," she said, "Lord in a visionanswered and said to me, "Blessed are you that you did not waver at the sight of Me. For where the mind is, there is the treasure."

Beloved Disciple and Visionary:The Gospel of Mary

The Gospel of Mary

When Mary had said this, she fell silent, since it was to this point that the Savior had spoken with her. But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, "Say what you wish to say about what she has said. I, at least, do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly these teachings are answered and spoke concerning these same things. He questioned them about the Savior: "us? Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did He prefer her to us?"

Then Mary wept and said to Peter, "My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I have thought this up myself in my heart, or that I am lying about the Savior?" Levi answered and said to Peter, "been hot tempered. Now I see you contending against the woman like the adversaries. But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well. That is why He loved her more than us.separate as He commanded us and preach the gospel, not laying down any other rule or other law beyond what the Savior said." And when they heard this they began to go forth to proclaim and to preach.

Beloved Disciple and Contested Leader:The Gospel of Mary

Francesco Trevisani (1656-1746) Mary Magdalene in Penitence, 1710-15

Mary MagdaleneAs Disciple, Witness, and Icon

Ying Li (Haverford College) Mary Magdalene, 2009