Mary Magdalene

Identity

Mary Magdalene is the woman from Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, out of whom Christ cast seven devils (Luke 8:2; Mark 16:9). She followed Him in Galilee, stood at the Cross, was among the first to visit the tomb, and was the first person to see the risen Christ. She is called by Christian tradition 'the apostle to the apostles' because Christ sent her to tell the disciples of His resurrection.

Name and titles

'Mary' — Miryam — the same beloved biblical name. 'Magdalene' is a locative — 'of Magdala,' a fishing village on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, whose Aramaic name Migdal means 'tower.' Scripture calls her 'Mary called Magdalene' (Luke 8:2) or simply 'Mary Magdalene' (Matthew 28:1).

Historical period

• c. AD 27-28 — Christ casts seven devils out of her (Luke 8:2).
• c. AD 27-30 — Follows Christ in Galilee with a group of women who supported the ministry (Luke 8:1-3).
• c. AD 30 or 33 (Good Friday) — Stands at the foot of the Cross with Mary the mother of Christ and others (John 19:25; Matthew 27:56).
• Same evening — Sees where Christ is laid (Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47).
• Easter dawn — Comes early to the tomb; finds the stone rolled away (John 20:1). Runs to Peter and John.
• Same morning — Sees the risen Christ, whom she at first mistakes for the gardener (John 20:11-18). Christ says: 'Mary.' She turns and says: 'Rabboni; which is to say, Master.' Sent to the disciples with the news.
• Tradition — Ancient traditions place her later life in Ephesus (with John and Mary the Mother) or in southern Gaul.

Scripture appearances

• Luke 8:1-3 (KJV) Follows Christ with other women, ministering of their substance.
• Matthew 27:55-56 (KJV) At the Cross.
• Matthew 27:61 (KJV) At the tomb.
• Matthew 28:1-10 (KJV) At the Resurrection.
• Mark 15:40-47 // Mark 16:1-11 (KJV) Same events in Mark.
• Luke 24:1-11 (KJV) The women at the tomb.
• John 19:25 (KJV) At the foot of the Cross.
• John 20:1-18 (KJV) The great Resurrection appearance.

Connected Places

• Magdala — her home village on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
• Sea of Galilee — where she was healed and where she first followed Christ.
• Golgotha — where she stood at the Cross.
• Jerusalem — the tomb of the Resurrection.

Connected People

• Christ Jesus — who healed and appeared to her.
• Mary the mother of Christ — her companion at the Cross.
• Peter — to whom she reported the empty tomb.
• John the beloved disciple — with whom she visited the tomb.
• The other women at the tomb — Joanna, Salome, Mary the wife of Cleophas.

Salvation history role

• The first witness of the Resurrection.
• The person Christ chose to send to the apostles with the news — "Rabboni; go tell my brethren."
• The witness that Christian testimony began with a woman's voice.
• The model of the healed sinner who becomes a disciple.

Christian tradition

• Feast: 22 July in Roman and many Anglican calendars; 22 July also in the Byzantine East.
• Called by the Church 'the apostle to the apostles' (a title going back at least to Hippolytus, third century).
• In Christian art she is shown with an alabaster jar of ointment, or in a garden, or with the risen Christ.
• Distinct from the sinful woman of Luke 7 (a Western identification that most modern Christian traditions have dropped).

Household reflection

Mary Magdalene teaches the household that Christian faith is possible for a person who has been through hell. Seven devils came out. What came in was the Risen Lord Himself, calling her by name.

Teach the little ones that on the very first Easter morning, the very first person Christ chose to speak to was a woman whom the neighbours had once called broken.

Room connections

Where this entry meets the household in the wider house of CrossAIHub.

• Read (Library) — Read John 20:1-18 aloud on Easter morning.
• Pray (Chapel) — Say Christ's word 'Mary' quietly when praying for a household member in trouble — the name that raised her.
• Family (Kitchen Table) — On her feast (22 July), keep a garden meal — remember that she thought He was the gardener.
• Sing (Choir Room) — Sing 'I Come to the Garden Alone' (C. Austin Miles, 1912).
• Learn (Workshop) — Study the four Gospel accounts of the Resurrection together — she appears in all four.

Further reading

John 20 in the KJV.

The Resurrection accounts of Matthew 28, Mark 16, and Luke 24.

Hippolytus of Rome, On the Song of Songs (third century) — an early witness to the 'apostle to the apostles' title.

Elsewhere in the Atlas

• Christ Jesus
• Mary, mother of Christ
• Sea of Galilee
• Golgotha
• Jerusalem
• Return to the atrium — the Atlas's main room.