01 — Foundations
The historical and scriptural ground on which the figure of St. Mary Magdalene stands: the Galilean town of Magdala from which she takes her name, the casting out of “seven demons” by which the Gospel first introduces her (Luke 8:2), and the band of women who followed Jesus from Galilee and “provided for them out of their means” (Luke 8:3). These files establish the small but secure body of what the Gospels actually say of her before the events of the Passion and Resurrection.
Tradition: Pan-Orthodox (Equal-to-the-Apostles, Myrrh-bearer)
Mary Magdalene enters the Gospel not as a penitent but as a healed and grateful disciple: a woman of means from a fishing town on the Sea of Galilee, delivered by Christ from a grievous bondage and numbered among those who travelled with Him. This section fixes who she is in Scripture — her name, her town, her deliverance, and her company — and distinguishes that scriptural figure from the later composite. It is deliberately narrow, because the discipline of this collection begins here: to say first, and exactly, what the Gospels say.
Files in This Section
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| Mary of Magdala | The byname “Magdalene” and the town of Magdala (Migdal) on the Sea of Galilee; the casting out of seven demons (Luke 8:2); what “seven demons” does and does not mean; her first appearance in the Gospel record as a healed disciple, not a reformed sinner. |
| The Women Who Followed | The company of women who followed Jesus from Galilee — Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and “many others” — who “provided for them out of their means” (Luke 8:1–3; Mark 15:40–41); the distinctive prominence of women in the Gospel of Luke and in the band of disciples. |
See Also
- At the Cross and the Tomb — where the women of Galilee reappear at the Passion
- The First Witness — the Resurrection appearance that defines her
- The Three Marys — why “seven demons” must not be read as “sins of the flesh”
- Holy Scripture — the Gospels as the sole first-century witness
References
- The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version (RSV) and the King James Version (KJV), Gospel of Luke 8:1–3; Mark 15:40–41.
- Bauckham, Richard. Gospel Women: Studies of the Named Women in the Gospels. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002. (On Mary Magdalene and the named women.)
- Taylor, Joan E. “Missing Magdala and the Name of Mary ‘Magdalene’.” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 146.3 (2014): 205–223. (On the town and the byname.)