Bible facts
Who was Mary Magdalene? What the Bible says and what is legend
Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus from Magdala, in Galilee. According to the Gospels, Jesus freed her from seven demons; she traveled with his group, helped support it, stood at the foot of the cross and was the first person to see the risen Jesus. The Bible does not say she was a prostitute or that she was Jesus’ wife.
Who was Mary Magdalene according to the Bible?
The name “Magdalene” points to her hometown: Magdala, a fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Luke lists her among the women who followed Jesus and supported him from their own means:
And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.
She appears in all four Gospels at the decisive moments: she watches the crucifixion when most of the disciples had fled (Mark 15:40), sees where Jesus is buried (Mark 15:47) and goes to the tomb on Sunday morning (Mark 16:1).
Did Mary Magdalene see the risen Jesus?
Yes. In John’s Gospel she is the first person to meet Jesus after the resurrection. At first she thinks he is the gardener; then she recognizes him when he calls her by name:
Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
Because she carried the news to the disciples, Christian tradition called her “the apostle to the apostles”.
Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute?
Nothing in the Bible says so. The idea goes back to 591, when Pope Gregory the Great, in a homily, identified Mary Magdalene with the sinful woman who anoints Jesus’ feet in Luke 7:36–50 and with Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha. Merging the three women shaped Western art and devotion for centuries. In 1969, the reform of the Catholic calendar distinguished them again, and the Orthodox churches never made that identification.
Was Mary Magdalene Jesus’ wife?
No historical source says so. The theory became popular with the novel The Da Vinci Code (2003), which draws on apocryphal texts from the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The Gospel of Philip calls her Jesus’ “companion” and has a passage about a kiss, but the manuscript is damaged at exactly that point. The Gospel of Mary, also apocryphal, shows her teaching the disciples after Jesus’ departure. None of these texts was written by eyewitnesses, and scholars read them as evidence for debates in early Christianity, not for the life of Jesus.
How each tradition sees Mary Magdalene
- Catholics: a saint celebrated on July 22. In 2016, Pope Francis raised her memorial to a liturgical feast, with the title “apostle of the apostles”.
- Orthodox: honored as “equal to the apostles” and one of the Myrrh-bearing Women. A tradition says she brought a red egg to Emperor Tiberius to announce the resurrection, the origin of red Easter eggs.
- Protestants: remembered as a model of faithful discipleship and the first witness of the resurrection, without the veneration of saints.
What happened to Mary Magdalene afterward?
The Bible does not say. An Eastern tradition holds that she went to Ephesus with the apostle John. A medieval Western legend says she sailed to Provence, in southern France, and lived in a cave at Sainte-Baume.
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Mary Magdalene?
A disciple of Jesus from Magdala, in Galilee, who followed him, was present at the crucifixion and was the first to see him risen.
Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute?
No, the Bible does not say so. The idea comes from a homily by Pope Gregory the Great (591) that confused her with the sinful woman of Luke 7.
Was Mary Magdalene married to Jesus?
There are no historical sources indicating this. The theory rests on readings of late apocryphal gospels and became famous through The Da Vinci Code.
What does “Magdalene” mean?
It means “from Magdala”, the town in Galilee she came from.
When is Mary Magdalene’s feast day?
July 22, in the Catholic and Orthodox calendars.