[264] The same chapter says she did not delay in exercising the office of apostolate with which he had been honored (apostolatus officio quo honorata fuerat fungi non distulit). "[144] The Church Father Origen (c. 184 c. 253) defended Christianity against this accusation in his apologetic treatise Against Celsus, mentioning Matthew 28:1, which lists Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" both seeing the resurrected Jesus, thus providing a second witness. Enough said.). [257] The Gospel reading in the Tridentine Mass was Luke 7:3650[258] (the sinful woman anointing the feet of Jesus), while in the present version of the Roman Rite of Mass it is John 20:12, 1118[259] (meeting of Mary Magdalene with Jesus after his resurrection). [185][186] The governor and his wife sail for Rome to meet the apostle Peter in person,[185] but their ship is struck by a storm, which causes the wife to go into labor. [216] They were usually located away in wild areas away from the rest of the property[217] and their exteriors were designed to suggest vulnerability.[217]. [185] The wife dies in childbirth and the governor leaves her on an island with the still-living infant at her breast. St. Mary Magdalene, also called Mary of Magdala, (flourished 1st century ce, Palestine; feast day July 22), one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, famous, according to Mark 16:9-10 and John 20:14-17, for being the first person to see the resurrected Christ. This story was invented by The Chosen for the purposes of the plot. [5] Other Protestant churches honor her as a heroine of the faith. [168][205] Various authors published a flurry of books and pamphlets in response, the vast majority of which opposed Lefvre d'taples. [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. Below I'll share an outline describing how to do a Viewing Party for The Chosen Episode 1 (I Have Called You by Name). [47] Luke 23:55 mentions "the women who had followed him from Galilee", but does not list any of their names. While watching the show, I made occasional comments through the chat but I tried to not do too much teaching - I wanted the youth to enjoy The Chosen and not just see it as an elaborate preaching illustration. [47] Luke 23:49 mentioned a group of women watching the crucifixion, but did not give any of their names. The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. "[302] Esther A. de Boer likewise presents the idea as "one possibility among others", not as a definitive solution to the problem of the identity of the anonymous disciple. [168] Starting in around the eighth century, Christian sources record mention of a church in Magdala purported to have been built on the site of Mary Magdalene's house, where Jesus exorcized her of the seven demons. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources. [6][7][8] Nonetheless, very little is known about her life. [176], The theologian Honorius Augustodunensis (c. 1080 c. 1151) embellished this tale even further, reporting that Mary was a wealthy noblewoman who was married in "Magdalum",[176] but that she committed adultery, so she fled to Jerusalem and became a "public sinner" (vulgaris meretrix). In 1969, Pope Paul VI removed the identification of Mary Magdalene with Mary of Bethany and the "sinful woman" from the General Roman Calendar, but the view of her as a former prostitute has persisted in popular culture. The Chosen, a TV show on the Angel Studios' free streaming service, chronicles the life of Jesus and his many followers. These texts portray her as an apostle, as Jesus' closest and most beloved disciple and the only one who truly understood his teachings. [210] John Calvin (1509 1564) not only rejected the composite Magdalene,[210][207] but criticized Catholics as ignorant for having ever believed in it. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. If you try it out, please let me know how it goes and if you have any feedback! Dan Ben-Amos explains that although this is the first extant text that records the legend of Lilith, her story probably existed earlier: [Lilith's] story seems to hover at the edges of literacy with sporadic references. [102] At another point, he tells her, "Well done, Mary. As the swooning Virgin Mary became more common, generally occupying the attention of John, the unrestrained gestures of Magdalene increasingly represented the main display of the grief of the spectators. Of Purgatory", "Selected Topics of Comparison in Christianity and the Bah Faith", The Incorrupt Left Hand of St. Mary Magdalene, "Mary Magdalene: Author of the Fourth Gospel? [267] Because of Mary Magdalene's position as an apostle, though not one of those who became official witnesses to the resurrection, the Catholic Church honored her by reciting the Gloria on her feast day the only female saint so honored apart from Mary, the mother of Jesus. Without getting too detailed, I found it helpful to get my youth thinking about what adaptations are and how they work. [182][181] The shrine was purportedly found intact, with an explanatory inscription stating why the relics had been hidden. For these reasons, Mary Magdalene is known in some Christian traditions as the "apostle to the apostles". What did these seven devils signify, if not all the vices? [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. However, they were never admitted to the canon of the New Testament. [318], Ehrman states that the historical sources reveal absolutely nothing about Jesus' sexuality[319] and that there is no evidence whatsoever to support the idea that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married or that they had any kind of sexual or romantic relationship. Now I see you arguing against this woman like an adversary. [10] She was never mentioned in any of the Pauline epistles or in any of the general epistles. [160] Instead, Augustine praised Mary Magdalene as "unquestionably surpassingly more ardent in her love than these other women who had administered to the Lord". [68][69][79] Luke's narrative also removes the injunction for the women to tell the disciples to return to Galilee and instead has Jesus tell the disciples not to return to Galilee, but rather to stay in the precincts of Jerusalem. [42][43][44] Carla Ricci notes that, in lists of the disciples, Mary Magdalene occupies a similar position among Jesus' female followers as Simon Peter does among the male apostles. For every delight, therefore, she had had in herself, she now immolated herself. [293] Bahs have noted parallels between Mary Magdalene and the Bab heroine-poet Thirih. I found that my youth struggled to sort out the different characters, so you might want to do a quick slide show of the key characters using the character images I've included throughout this post. [186][189][190][191][192] At every canonical hour, the angels come and lift her up to hear their songs in Heaven. To clarify why the creators would want to add new characters and stories and leave some stories out, you could ask the following questions: What are some other popular adaptations of books into film or television? [179] The widespread artistic representations of Mary Magdalene in tears are the source of the modern English word maudlin,[240][241][242] meaning "sickeningly sentimental or emotional". On June 10, 2016, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued a decree which elevated Mary's liturgical commemoration from an obligatory memorial to a feast day, like that of most of the Apostles (Peter and Paul are jointly commemorated with a solemnity). [281] The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America honors Mary Magdalene on July 22 as an Apostle, albeit as a Lesser Festival. [290] Indeed he said that she surpassed all the men of her time,[291] and that "crowns studded with the brilliant jewels of guidance" were upon her head. [67][68][69] The angel told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. Here are seven things we DO know about Mary. [75][81][83] She did not see anyone, but immediately ran to tell Peter and the "beloved disciple",[75][83] who came with her to the tomb and confirmed that it was empty,[75][82] but returned home without seeing the risen Jesus. (the Lord), Who is it that says these words in the show? The Gospel of Mary is a non-canonical text discovered in 1896 in a 5th-century papyrus codex written in Sahidic Coptic.This Berlin Codex was purchased in Cairo by German diplomat Carl Reinhardt.. [126] Peter approaches Mary and asks her: "Sister we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of woman. In her first few scenes, people refer to her as Lilith. The first passage is regarding Mary Magdalene (Lilith): In case you didn't catch it, at the end of The Chosen episode 1 we discover that the character called Lilith for most of the episode is actually named Mary Magdalene. Some have point to a heretical document the size of a business card known as " The Gospel of Jesus' Wife" as evidence for this. Many characters and stories are based on events in the Gospels, but there are also characters and events that the creators made up to tie things together. One of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, most of what is known about Mary Magdalene comes primarily from the New Testament Gospels. They (will) undress in their presence in order to let them have back their field and to give it back to them". Rather, let us praise his greatness, for he has prepared us and made us truly human. [75][82] According to John 20:110, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb alone when it was still dark and saw that the stone had already been rolled away. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. (Plots & Theme), Episode 2 Guide: Philip, Nathanael, & Matthew, Episode 3 Guide: Life Among the Disciples of Jesus, Episode 4 Guide: Simon the Zealot & the Man at the Bethesda Pool, Episode 5 Guide: Mary's Demons & the Destiny of John the Baptist, Episode 8 Guide: Judas, Matthew, & the Sermon on the Mount, Episode 1 Guide: Mary Magdalene, Lilith, and the Redeemer, Episode 2 Guide: Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, and Shabbat, Episode 3 Guide: Depicting Jesus in Art, Film, and TV, Episode 4 Guide: When Jesus Met Simon (Peter), Episode 6 Guide: Jesus, Shmuel, & the Pharisees. If you liked this post, you might want to check out some of my other posts on The Chosen and Bible adaptation. It's certainly not, Due to COVID restrictions, my youth group watched The Chosen online using Zoom. The Bible never suggests Mary Magdalene was a. [175] Some manuscripts of the sermon record that Mary's parents were named Syrus and Eucharia[176] and one manuscript goes into great detail describing her family's purported land holdings in Bethany, Jerusalem, and Magdala. [248] Apart from the Crucifixion, Mary was often shown in scenes of the Passion of Jesus, when mentioned in the Gospels, such as the Crucifixion, Christ Carrying the Cross and Noli me Tangere, but usually omitted in other scenes showing the Twelve Apostles, such as the Last Supper. "Rethinking the Gnostic Mary: Mary of Nazareth and Mary of Magdala in Early Christian Tradition". [300] The gospel, at least in its current form, clearly and consistently identifies the disciple as having masculine gender, only ever referring to him using words inflected in the masculine. ", "Apostle to the apostles: The story of Mary Magdalene Catholic Times", "Gospel of Jesus's Wife is fake, claims expert | World news", "Fresh Doubts Raised About Papyrus Scrap Known as 'Gospel of Jesus' Wife', "Mary Magdalene review toothless attempt to overturn Sunday school myths: Rooney Mara brings her customary intensity to the title role as Jesus' 'favourite pupil', but the result is a bit too solemn to be a convincing reinvention", "The Real Reason Why Mary Magdalene Is Such a Controversial Figure", "Apostle to the apostles: The story of Mary Magdalene", "Why Mary Magdalene is the Hollywood film Christians have been waiting for: This new movie paints a clear picture of Jesus, says Sam Hailes", "St. Mary Magdalene: Redeeming Her Gospel Reputation", "The Scholar Who Discovered the 'Jesus's Wife' Fragment Now Says It's Likely a Fake", "Magdalena p kllebro: en studie i finlandssvensk vistradition med utgngspunkt i visan om Maria Magdalena / Ann-Mari Hggman", Historical background of the New Testament, New Testament places associated with Jesus, Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Magdalene&oldid=1142524915, People celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar, Articles containing Biblical Hebrew-language text, Instances of Lang-el using second unnamed parameter, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Articles containing Niwer Mil-language text, Pages with numeric Bible version references, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the New International Encyclopedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Eastern: container of ointment (as a myrrhbearer), or holding a. Johnston, Barbara, "Sacred Kingship and Royal Patronage in the La Vie de la Magdalene: Pilgrimage, Politics, Passion Plays, and the Life of Louise of Savoy" (Florida State), R. Neuman, Dissertation. (for LOTR: Tom Bombadil. During the Counter-Reformation, the Catholic Church emphasized Mary Magdalene as a symbol of penance. It is widely accepted among secular historians that, like Jesus, Mary Magdalene was a real historical figure. In the Golden Legend, De Voragine dismisses talk of John and Mary being betrothed and John leaving his bride at the altar to follow Jesus as nonsense. [236] The film, which described as having a "strongly feminist bent",[235] was praised for its music score and cinematography,[237] its surprising faithfulness to the Biblical narrative,[235] and its acting,[235][234] but was criticized as slow-moving,[234][235][237] overwritten,[237] and too solemn to be believable. She is mentioned several times in the Gospels as a devoted follower of Jesus who was present at his crucifixion and burial. [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. [225], Nonetheless, despite the Vatican's rejection of it, the view of Mary as a repentant prostitute only grew more prevalent in popular culture. [157] Augustine of Hippo (354 430) entertained the possibility that Mary of Bethany and the unnamed sinner from Luke might be the same person,[159] but did not associate Mary Magdalene with either of them. [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. There are a few Bible passages that I thought were helpful to discuss the first episode of The Chosen. [4][1] Elaborate medieval legends from Western Europe then emerged, which told exaggerated tales of Mary Magdalene's wealth and beauty, as well as of her alleged journey to southern Gaul (modern-day France). According to Gospel of Luke,[26] Jesus exorcised "seven demons" from Mary Magdalene. [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. Pope Gregory's Easter sermon resulted in a widespread belief that Mary Magdalene was a repentant prostitute or promiscuous woman. I hope you enjoy them! By noting how Mary is in the "Red Quarter", The Chosen is implying that she is a prostitute. [75][84] She at first mistook him for the gardener,[82][75] but, after she heard him say her name, she recognized him and cried out "Rabbouni!" [176] Honorius mentions that, out of love for Jesus, Mary repented and withdrew into a life of quiet isolation. [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.