INNER CIRCLE: Mary Magdalene In Early Christian Texts

NOTE: In Peter’s Gospel, Mary Magdalene does not see Jesus and she is not sent out as an Apostle to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus to the other Disciples. Instead, she and the other women run away in fear.

Mary Magdalene and Other Women in the Gospel of Mark

“Mark portrays Mary Magdalene, the other two Marys, and Salome at the end of the Gospel, contrasting them to the Twelve, to reveal what discipleship actually means. In Mark 15:40-41, it turns out that the disciples who truly understand what following Jesus means are not the specified male Twelve, who thought themselves to be the authorized followers of Jesus (Mark 9:30-40; 10:32-45), but who in fact betrayed him (Judas), denied him (Peter) and ran away when he was arrested. Instead, the until then unknown and implied women followers at this point of Mark’s story illustrate that discipleship has nothing to do with power, but with the utmost willingness to follow and to remain of service, even when it is dangerous to do so…”[1]

Mary Magdalene in the Longer Ending of Mark’s Gospel

After Jesus rose early on Sunday, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told his friends, who were mourning and crying. But when they heard he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe it.” [Mark 16:9-11]

NOTE: Here, the additional detail of the resurrected Christ appearing “first to Mary Magdalene” is tarnished by the additional detail that she “had…seven demons” cast out of her. There is also no mention of Jesus sending her out as an Apostle to proclaim his resurrection, only that she told them and they did not believe her. Perhaps due to her untrustworthiness as a former demoniac, or because she was a woman.

Mary Magdalene in the Gospel of Thomas

Simon Peter said to him, “Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life.” Jesus said, “I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven.” [Saying 114]

NOTE: This saying confirms the confrontation scene in Mary’s Gospel, and also in the Pistis Sophia text, where Peter rejects Mary for being a woman. Here, Jesus appears to agree with Peter. However, this author would argue that Jesus is actually attempting to remind Peter what he said in Saying 22 about the need to “make the male and the female to be one and the same…so that the male is not male and the female is not female..” in order “to enter the Kingdom.”[2]

We should also be aware that the Gospel of Philip contains a passage which says “Christ came to restore the separation which had been there from the beginning, and to reunite the two, and to give life to those who died as a result of the separation and to unite them,” so this idea of Christ restoring the original oneness of humanity by uniting the male and the female categories was a strong concept in some ancient Christian circles.

Mary Magdalene in the Pistis Sophia

Quotes below are from Book 1, Chapters 1-6

After Mary Magdalene correctly responds to what Jesus has said, he says to her:

“Mary, thou blessed one, whom I will perfect in all mysteries of those of the height, discourse in openness, thou, whose heart is raised to the kingdom of heaven more than all thy brethren.” [Book 1, Pistis Sophia]

When Mary has explained the words of the prophet Isaish, Jesus says to her:

“Well done, Mary. You are more blessed than all women on earth, because you will be the fullness of fulnesses and the completion of completions.”

When Peter becomes agitated about Mary’s answers, he says to Jesus:

“My Lord, we will not endure this woman, for she taketh the opportunity from us and hath let none of us speak, but she discourseth many times..”

Later, Mary defends herself and says to Jesus:

“My Lord, my mind is ever understanding, at every time to come forwards and set forth the solution of the words that she (Pistis Sophia) hath uttered; but I am afraid of Peter, because he threatened me and hateth our sex.”

Finally, Jesus defends Mary by saying:

“Everyone who shall be filled with the spirit of light to come forwards and set forth the solution of what I say, no one shall be able to prevent him.”

When Jesus has finished speaking, Mary steps forward and says:

“My Master, my enlightened person has ears, and I accept all the words you speak. Now, my Master, this is what you said, “All souls of the human race who will receive the mysteries of light will be the first in the inheritance of the light, before all the rulers who have repented, before the entire place on the right, before the entire place of the treasury of light. Concerning this saying, my Master, you once said to us, “The first will be last and the last will be first.” That is to say, the last is the whole human race that will be first within the Kingdom of light, before the inhabitants of the places on high, which are first. For this reason, my Master, you have said to us, “Whoever has ears to hear should hear.” In other words, you wanted to know whether we have grasped all the sayings you spoke. My Master, this is the word.”

“When Mary had finished saying these things, the savior marveled greatly at the answers she gave, for she had become entirely pure spirit. Jesus answered and said to her, “Well done, Mary, pure spiritual woman. This is the interpretation of the word.”

Quote from Book 4

Mary asks Jesus about the afterlife and the re-incarnational cycle of our souls, making reference to “a cup of forgetfulness” we receive prior to every new incarnation as an explanation of why we do not remember our past lives:

 “…and then Adam, bringeth a cup filled with the water of forgetfulness and handeth it to the soul, and it drinketh it and forgetteth all regions and all the regions to which it hath gone. And they cast it down into a body, which will spend its time continually troubled in its heart. And that cup of forgetfulness becometh body outside the soul, and resembleth the soul in all – which is what is called the counterfeiting spirit.” 

Later, Mary Magdalene asks Jesus about the ‘outer darkness’ and ‘regions of chastisement’ to which Jesus responds:

“The outer darkness is a great dragon, whose tail is in its mouth, outside the whole world and surrounding the whole world. And there are many regions of chastisement within it. There are twelve mighty chastisement-dungeons and a ruler is in every dungeon and the face of the rulers is different one from another…at the dissolution of the world, that is at the ascension of the universe, those souls will perish through the violent cold and the exceedingly violent fire and be non-existent forever.”

Mary Magdalene in the Gospel of Philip

“Three women always walked with the Master: Mary his mother, his sister, and Mary Magdalene, who is called his companion. For “Mary” is the name of his sister, his mother and his companion.”

“As for the Wisdom who is called “the barren,” she is the mother of the angels. And the companion of the [Master is] Mary Magdalene. [He] loved her more than all the disciples, and used to kiss her often on her [mouth?]. The rest of the disciples […]. They said to him “Why do you love her more than all of us?” The Savior answered and said to them,”Why do I not love you like her? When a blind man and one who sees are both together in darkness, they are no different from one another. When the light comes, then he who sees will see the light, and he who is blind will remain in darkness.”

NOTE: The answer Jesus gives to the disciples when they ask “Why do you love her more than all of us?” suggests that he loves Mary more because she can see the light and she is not blind to the truth as they are.

Mary Magdalene in the Dialog of the Savior

“He took Judas, Matthew and Mary [Magdalene, to show them the final] consummation of heaven and earth, and when he placed his [hand] on them, they hoped they might see it. Judas gazed up and saw a region of great height, and he saw the region of the abyss below.”

“Mary [said to him, “Look, I] see the evil [that affects] people from the start, when they dwell with each other.” The Master said to her, “When you see them, [you understand] a great deal; they will [not stay there]. But when you see the one who exists eternally, that is the great vision….He went on to say, “Do you best to save what you can come after [me], and seek it and speak through it, so that whatever you seek may be in harmony with you. For I tell you the truth, the living God is in you, as you also are in God.”

“Mary said, “So, the wickedness of each day is sufficient. Workers deserve their food. Disciples resemble their teachers.” She spoke this utterance as a woman who understood everything.”

“Mary asked, “Tell me, Master, why have I come to this place, to gain or to lose?” The Master replied, “You show the greatness of the revealer.”

“Mary asked him, “Master, then is there a place that is abandoned or without truth?” The Master said, “The place where I am not.” Mary said, “Master, you are awesome and marvelous and like a consuming fire to those who do not know you.”

“Mary said, I want to understand all things, just as they are.” The Master said, “Whoever seeks life, this is their wealth. For the world’s rest is false, and its gold and silver are deceptive.”

“The Master said, “You have understood all the things I said to you and you have accepted them in faith. If you know them, they are yours. If not, they are not yours.

“…Mary asked, “Is everything established in this way visible?” The Master said, “I have told you, the one who can see reveals.”

“…Mary said, “There is only one saying I shall speak to the Master, about the mystery of Truth. In this we stand and in this we appear to those who are worldly.”

“…Mary asked, “Of what kind is the mustard seed? Is it from heaven or from earth?” The Master said, “When the Father established the world for himself, he left many things with the Mother of all. That is why he speaks and acts.”

“Judas said…“When and how should we pray?” The Master said, “Pray in the place where there is no woman.” Matthew says, “He tells us, “Pray in the place where there is no woman,” which means, destroy the works of the female, not because there is another form of birth but because they should stop giving birth. Mary said, “Will they never be destroyed?” The Master said, “You know they will perish once again, and the works of the female here will be destroyed as well.”

“…Mary asked the Master, “If the works are destroyed, what actually destroys a work?” The Master said, “You know. On the day I destroy it, people will go to their own places.”

Mary Magdalene in the Manichaean Psalms of Heracleides

“Mary is one who casts a net in an effort to catch the other eleven who were lost.”

“Mary is…the spirit of wisdom [Sophia].”

“…because [Mary] has listened to the her master, she has carried out his instructions with joy in her whole heart.”

A Song from the Manichaean Psalms of Heracleides

Mary, Mary, know me,

but do not touch me.

Dry the tears of your eyes,

and know that I am your master,

only do not touch me,

for I have not yet seen my father’s face.

Cast this sadness away

and perform this service.

Be my messenger to these lost orphans.

Hurry, with joy, go to the eleven …

Use all your skill and knowledge

until you bring the sheep to the shepherd.

Rabbi, my master, I shall carry out your instructions

with joy in my whole heart.

I shall not let my heart rest,

I shall not let my eyes sleep,

I shall not let my feet relax

until I bring the sheep to the fold.

Glory and triumph to the soul of blessed Mary.            

[1] See The Gospels of Mary by Marvin Meyer, with Esther A. De Boer, pg 95

[2] See Saying 114 in my book, The Quantum Sayings of Jesus: Decoding the Lost Gospel of Thomas, pg. 306-308.

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Keith Giles is the best-selling author of the Jesus Un series. He has been interviewed on CNN with Anderson Cooper, Coast To Coast Radio with George Noory, USA Today, BuzzFeed, and John Fugelsang’s “Tell Me Everything.”

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