I've condensed the lesson into an easily printable pdf below. [233], The 2018 film Mary Magdalene, starring Rooney Mara as the eponymous character, sought to reverse the centuries-old portrayal of Mary Magdalene as a repentant prostitute, while also combating the conspiracy statements of her being Jesus' wife or sexual partner. [47] John 19:3942 does not mention any women present during Joseph's burial of Jesus,[47] but does mention the presence of Nicodemus, a Pharisee with whom Jesus had a conversation near the beginning of the gospel. In The Chosen, it is not entirely clear whether Mary Magdalene was engaging in prostitution before the events of Season 1, Episode 1. The portrayal of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute began in 591, when Pope Gregory I conflated Mary Magdalene, who was introduced in Luke 8:2, with Mary of Bethany (Luke 10:39) and the unnamed "sinful woman" who anointed Jesus' feet in Luke 7:3650. Mary Magdalene, Lilith, & the Redeemer (Exploring The Chosen with Youth), Elizabeth Tabish as Lilith/Mary Magdalene in The Chosen, Over the past year, we've been exploring how The Chosen adapts biblical characters like, You may want to warn students beforehand that this episode contains some demonic activity. St Peter Julian Eymard calls her "the patroness and model of a life spent in the adoration and service of Jesus in the sacrament of His Love. [229][226][230] In Superstar, Mary describes her sexual attraction to Jesus in the song "I Don't Know How to Love Him", which shocked many of the play's original viewers. "[219][220], The common identification of Mary Magdalene with other New Testament figures was omitted in the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar, with the comment regarding her liturgical celebration on July 22: "No change has been made in the title of today's memorial, but it concerns only Saint Mary Magdalene, to whom Christ appeared after his resurrection. The movie, which came out in the U.K. on March 16, tells the story of Mary Magdalene (Rooney Mara), detailing her fraught existence in Magdala as a single woman determined not to marry, before she . [91] He concludes that the idea that early Christians would have had "no motive" to make up the story simply "suffers from a poverty of imagination"[92] and that they would have had all kinds of possible motives,[93] especially since women were overrepresented in early Christian communities and women themselves would have had strong motivation to make up a story about other women being the first to find the tomb. [303] There is a theological interpretation of Mary as the Magdala, The Elegant Tower and certain churches honor her as a heroine of the faith in their teachings. She is also believed to have been the first witness to the resurrection of Jesus. [1][148][150] As early as the third century, the Church Father Tertullian (c. 160 225) references the touch of "the woman which was a sinner" in effort to prove that Jesus "was not a phantom, but really a solid body. [294], Many of the alleged relics of the saint are held in Catholic churches in France, especially at Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, where her skull (see above) and the noli me tangere are on display; the latter being a piece of forehead flesh and skin said to be from the spot touched by Jesus at the post-resurrection encounter in the garden. [215] Estates of nobles and royalty in southern Germany were equipped with so-called "Magdalene cells", small, modest hermitages that functioned as both chapels and dwellings, where the nobility could retreat to find religious solace. "[221][222] Elsewhere it said of the Roman liturgy of July 22 that "it will make mention neither of Mary of Bethany nor of the sinful woman of Luke 7:3650, but only of Mary Magdalene, the first person to whom Christ appeared after his resurrection". [108][98] Two of the sayings reference a woman named "Mary", who is generally regarded as Mary Magdalene. Workers deserve their food. [6] He contends that the story of the empty tomb was invented by either the author of the Gospel of Mark or by one of his sources, based on the historically genuine fact that the women really had been present at Jesus' crucifixion and burial. [56], All four canonical gospels, as well as the apocryphal Gospel of Peter, agree that Jesus' body was taken down from the cross and buried by a man named Joseph of Arimathea. The Benedictine Order always celebrated Mary of Bethany together with Martha and Lazarus of Bethany on July 29, while Mary Magdalene was celebrated on July 22. [210], During the Counter-Reformation, Roman Catholicism began to strongly emphasize Mary Magdalene's role as a penitent sinner. [5] Other Protestant churches honor her as a heroine of the faith. (for LOTR: Tom Bombadil. What did these seven devils signify, if not all the vices? Such works often support sensationalist statements about Jesus and Mary Magdalene's relationship. The Saviour answered and said to them, "Why do I not love you like her? [168][206] In 1521, the theology faculty of the Sorbonne formally condemned the idea that the three women were separate people as heretical,[168][206] and debate died down, overtaken by the larger issues raised by Martin Luther. She was the woman taken into adultery, whom Christ set free lest the Jews stone her, and she was with Him in three places, in the temple, at the well, and in the garden. Shoemaker, Stephen J. The Gospel of Luke chapter 8 lists Mary Magdalene as one of the women who traveled with Jesus and helped support his ministry "out of their resources", indicating that she was probably wealthy. How does that truth encourage you? [55] Maurice Casey concurs that the presence of Mary Magdalene and the other women at the crucifixion of Jesus may be recorded as an historical fact. [246] As Gothic painted crucifixions became crowded compositions, the Magdalene became a prominent figure, with a halo and identifiable by her long unbound blonde hair, and usually a bright red dress. [298], Furthermore, according to Mark 12:25, Jesus taught that marriage would not exist at all in the coming kingdom of God. [174][173] In the tenth century, Odo of Cluny (c. 880 942) wrote a sermon in which he described Mary as an extraordinarily wealthy noblewoman of royal descent. It is widely accepted among secular historians that, like Jesus, Mary Magdalene was a real historical figure. Mary Magdalene was the first eyewitness of the Risen Christ, and for this reason she was also the first to bear witness to him before the Apostles. The same passage also states that seven demons had been driven out of her, a statement which is repeated in Mark 16. New Testament apocrypha writings mention Mary Magdalene. [36], Since Mary is listed as one of the women who supported Jesus' ministry financially, she must have been relatively wealthy. [223] According to historian Michael Haag, these changes were a quiet admission from the Vatican that the Church's previous teaching of Mary Magdalene as a repentant whore had been wrong. [6] In his book published in 2014, Ehrman rejects his own previous argument,[91] stating that the story of the empty tomb can only be a later invention because there is virtually no possibility that Jesus' body could have been placed in any kind of tomb[91] and, if Jesus was never buried, then no one alive at the time could have said that his non-existent tomb had been found empty. She is mentioned several times in the Gospels as a devoted follower of Jesus who was present at his crucifixion and burial. "Greek Lexicon entry for Koinonos". Below I'll share an outline describing how to do a Viewing Party for The Chosen Episode 1 (I Have Called You by Name). [270] The women are also the first to be called to announce this truth to the Apostles. Mr . Simon Peter said to them: Let Mary go forth from among us, for women are not worthy of the life. Mary Magdalene is considered to be a saint by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran denominations. [68][69][78] In Luke's account, Jesus never appears to the women,[68][69][79] but instead makes his first appearance to Cleopas and an unnamed "disciple" on the road to Emmaus. [207] Luther, whose views on sexuality were much more liberal than those of his fellow reformers,[208] reportedly once joked to a group of friends that "even pious Christ himself" had committed adultery three times: once with Mary Magdalene, once with the Samaritan woman at the well, and once with the adulteress he had let off so easily. I hope you enjoy them! The Gospel of Philip, dating from the second or third century, survives in part among the texts found in Nag Hammadi in 1945. You can find episode one free on YouTube here, although there are lots of ads. I also suggest setting expectations for the first episode. [172][173] Stories about noble saints were popular during this time period;[172] accordingly, tales of Mary Magdalene's wealth and social status became heavily exaggerated. That's why I'm excited to share with you a new resource that I've created to help you study biblical adaptations & reflect on how they apply to everyday life. [16][37] The places where she and the other women are mentioned throughout the gospels indicate strongly that they were vital to Jesus' ministry[38][39][40][41] and that Mary Magdalene always appears first, whenever she is listed in the Synoptic Gospels as a member of a group of women, indicates that she was seen as the most important out of all of them. In the Bible, there is no indication that Nicodemus met Mary Magdalene or that he tried to heal her or exorcise her evil spirits. She turned the mass of her crimes to virtues, in order to serve God entirely in penance. [86] In the "shorter ending", which is found in very few manuscripts, the women go to "those around Peter" and tell them what they had seen at the tomb, followed by a brief declaration of the gospel being preached from east to west. It is not clear, if the text refers to Jesus' or his mother's sister, or whether the intention is to say something else. Episode 7 Guide: Did Nicodemus Follow Jesus? Yes, Mary Magdalene is ONE of those three followers at all events leading to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection . In subsequent religious legend, Mary's story became conflated with that of Mary of Egypt, a repentant prostitute who then lived as a hermit. [97] These texts were written long after the death of the historical Mary Magdalene. Hopefully these questions will prove helpful as you watch episode 1 of The Chosen with your youth group. She displayed her hair to set off her face, but now her hair dries her tears. [234][237] It was also criticized by many Christians, who were offended by the film's use of extracanonical source material. [186][189][190][191][192] At every canonical hour, the angels come and lift her up to hear their songs in Heaven. `Abdu'l-Bah said that Mary traveled to Rome and spoke before the emperor Tiberius, which is presumably why Pilate was later recalled to Rome for his cruel treatment of the Jews (a tradition also attested to in the Eastern Orthodox Church). Why do you think The Chosen depicted Mary as a prostitute? [197] This portrayal of her inspired the sculptor Donatello (c. 1386 1466) to portray her as a gaunt and beaten ascetic in his wooden sculpture Penitent Magdalene (c. 1454) for the Florence Baptistery.