Noli me tangere, fresco by Fra Angelico
Mary Magdalene
– Apostola Apostolorum → Apostle of the Apostles
Let’s focus on a woman, who was put into the background throughout the history by men, although she was the first human who meet the resurrected Jesus, this year. The reasons why this happened are manifold and diverse. One major fact – she was a powerful woman and that was simply impossible at the time she was living!
It is almost universally agreed today that Mary Magdalene has the reputation in Western Christianity as being a repentant prostitute or loose woman. However, these claims are unfounded. The identity of Mary Magdalene is believed to have been merged with the identity of the unnamed sinner conflating who anoints Jesus’ feet in Luke 7:36-50. Mary Magdalene, the anointing sinner of Luke, and Mary of Bethany, who in John 11:1-2 also anoints Jesus’ feet, were long regarded as the same person. Though Mary Magdalene is named in each of the four gospels in the New Testament, none of the clear references to her indicate that she was a prostitute or notable for a sinful way of life, nor link her with Mary of Bethany. Modern scholarship has restored the understanding of Mary of Magdala as an important early Christian leader.[1]