Mary Magdalene

Jesus’ relationship with Mary Magdalene has become an issue when discussing whether Jesus was unmarried. Some of the Gnostic writings have been used to support a claim that Mary was Christ’s spouse. In addition, some have claimed that Jesus intended that she head his Church. The evidence for these claims supposedly lies in a few passages in the Gnostic writings that show a closeness between Jesus and Mary and describe some hostility toward her on the part of St. Peter and St. Andrew. But these passages do not, in fact, actually state either that Mary and Jesus were married or that he intended that she head his Church.

In the New Testament, Mary Magdalene is a prominent disciple of Christ.She is one of the women described as accompanying Jesus on his earthly mission after he cast seven demons out of her (Mk 16:9, Lk 8:1-3). For many centuries she was thought to be the unnamed woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair (Lk 7:36-50). Although this association is no longer made, it was never an attempt to diminish Mary’s memory, since repentance is the first step for any disciple of Jesus, who began his ministry proclaiming, "The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mk 1:15).

All four gospels mention Mary Magdalene as being at Calvary when Jesus was crucified and as being present at his tomb to be among the first to hear of his Resurrection. In St. John’s gospel, she is the first recorded person to encounter the Risen Lord.

However, the claims about her made on the basis of the Gnostic texts cannot be taken seriously. First, the Gnostic writings are historically more distant from the time of the apostles and written significantly later than the four New Testament gospels. Second, the prominence of Mary as a disciple and her closeness to Jesus are confirmed by the gospels, not evaded by them. At the same time, at no point do they offer any support for the gratuitous assertion that Jesus and Mary were married. Jesus is also shown to have a spiritual closeness to several followers: Peter alone; Peter, James, and John together; the "beloved disciple" in St. John’s gospel; and Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary. Lastly, the New Testament does not conceal tensions among the apostles, especially, at one point, between Peter and Paul. It is not likely that it would conceal evidence of other conflicts, such as the alleged one between Mary and Peter, if it existed.