Book Reviewed: Mary of Magdala: The Wife of Jesus? By Frances Brignardello

Re-discovering Mary Magdalene

This book re-examines Mary Magdalene’s devotion to Jesus and concludes that she was not only an important figure in Jesus’s life but also a leading member of the apostolic order. She was one of Jesus’s prominent female followers who was present at the crucifixion when other disciples fled in fear of authorities. She was the witness of Jesus’s resurrection, and the first to be charged with his ministry. The Gospel of Mary Magdalene discovered in 1896 in a 5th-century papyrus codex written in Coptic language is the only known book of a female apostle. Unlike the controversial the Gospel of Jesus' Wife found years later, the Gospel of Mary does not claim Mary was married to Jesus. But it also show her to be an important disciple to whom Jesus' male disciples turn for advice and wisdom. Indeed, the apostle Peter specifically asks Mary to interpret the words of Jesus. Professor Karen L. King of Harvard Divinity School illuminates on Mary’s gospel and offers a new interpretation. The Gospel of Mary focuses on Jesus' teachings as a path to inner spiritual knowledge reminiscent of the teachings of Upanishads of Hinduism. This gospel rejects his suffering and death as a path to eternal life. This gospel offers a fascinating glimpse into the conflicts and controversies of a woman who shaped earliest Christianity. In fact many New Testament scholars suggest that Mary Magdalene is the founder of Christianism as opposed to St. Paul (Saul of Tarsus) to whom Jesus appears on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:3–9).

Canonical Gospels do not mention Jesus having a wife. But the manuscripts found in 2012, known as the “Gospel of Jesus' Wife” is interpreted by Professor King as an evidence that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. Despite all the controversies, we learn that Mary Magdalene was a comforter as well as a teacher to the other disciples. Some of the apostles respected her in that role, and yet others challenged her authority since she was a woman. There was a spiritual kinsman-ship with Jesus whom she knew intimately, she saw the light, and connected with his message.

The author of this book takes a conservative look at the life of Mary Magdalene, while Professor King takes a more modern approach to her work and her role in early Christian church. Mary Magdalene will be debated for many years to come. Historically scholars have drawn their own conclusions based on the Biblical literature. Movie making industry like Hollywood did not stay far behind in re-telling the story of Mary Magdalene. Numerous movies have been made over the years, and one of my favorite is the 1927 epic, “The King of Kings” produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille at Paramount Studios. It examines the last weeks in the life of Jesus in the company of his close apostolic friends and Mary Magdalene.