Vassallo: The Mysterious Mary Magdalene

“TINTORETTO – Magdalena penitente (Musei Capitolini, Roma, 1598-1602) – copia” by Domenico Tintoretto (Licensed under Public Domain – Wikipedia)

Mary Magdalene or Mary of Magdala (a town near Galilee) is one of the more mysterious individuals mentioned in the Bible. For someone who was in the midst of Jesus’ most significant events, so little is known about her. Apart from the four Gospels, Mary Magdalene is not even mentioned in the New Testament.

Who was she? Mary Magdalene supposedly first encountered Jesus early in his teaching when he found her and cast seven demons out of her. This was only possible when the demons could be identified by their names which He was able to accomplish. Following this act, she then became a devoted follower and companion.

What makes Saint Mary Magdalene so important (she was proclaimed a Saint by the Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran churches), is that she was named 12 times within the four Gospels (more than any single disciple), was present at the Crucifixion, witnessed Jesus’ burial by Joseph of Aramathea and Nicodemus and was the very first person to see Jesus after his Resurrection.

What was her relationship with the twelve? According to the gnostic Gospel of Philip, there existed a rivalry with the other disciples (especially Peter) as to which had the greatest influence with Jesus. Mary Magdalene was thought to have explained many of Jesus’ teachings to the other disciples which further accentuated this situation.

Luke refers to Mary Magdalene as a sinful woman. Pope Gregory “The Great” recognized her around 591. Mary Magdalene is also thought to be the woman with flowing long hair who dried Jesus’ feet that is described in the Bible. And according to later legends, this incredible lady, following Jesus’ Ascension, lived as a hermit in a cave for 30 years communicating with Angels.

Whoever she was, she has made quite an impact into Christianity and apparently had a tremendous relationship with our savior. Each July 22, there is a feast day in her honor wherein we can all reflect upon this mysterious woman. She is frequently referred to as one of “the three Mary’s” who followed Jesus including Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Special credit to CNN and Wikipedia for providing the background information to this article.

Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. Currently, Steve is a highly successful leader in the real estate business who lives in Oxford with his wife Rosie. You can contact Steve at sovassallo@gmail.com or call him at 985-852-7745.

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