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The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle

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Even in the canonical gospels Mary from Magdala was a remarkable woman. She followed Jesus, witnessed the crucifixion, saw the empty tomb and was one of the first, if not the very first person, the risen Christ appeared to. In Karen King's translation of the Gospel of Mary, she is no less remarkable.

Incomplete, brief and based on three fragments from the 5th and 3rd centuries the Gospel of Mary reveals what Andrew refers to as "strange ideas." In a dialogue first between the risen Savior and disciples, and then between the disciples themselves about a vision of Jesus and teachings revealed to Mary alone ideas are presented that are unique to this gospel although there are clearly echoes of these ideas in other sacred writings. For example, there is a distinction made between the material body and the soul with the true self defined as the soul alone. Sin exists only when the soul is distracted by passions of the body and therefore is estranged from spiritual concerns. The familiar, "seek and you will find" is interpreted as the need to seek inwardly to discover the spiritual that is within us all.

The teachings from Mary's vision of Christ are disputed by Andrew and denied by Peter who says he does not believe that Christ would tell a woman what he did not reveal to men. Levi confronts Andrew and Peter affirming that Mary is spiritually mature and as worthy as anyone. Levi then heeds the direction given by Jesus to go and teach the word.

Ms. King discusses the changing role of women in the early church and the gradual establishment of the canonical gospel. Perhaps most interesting of all, she emphasizes the variety and diversity of early church writings and beliefs reminding us that our religious heritage is much more unsettled and unsettling than out view from the present looking backwards may suggest.

Karen L. King has written a groundbreaking book about the Gospel of Mary (of Magdala), a manuscript which was discovered in the dry sands of Egypt. King's study gives us glimpses of early Christianity which she believes was far more diverse than we had ever before imagined.

The Gospel of Mary (of Magdala) was written in the 2nd Century and purports to be a conversation between the resurrected Jesus, Peter, Andrew, Levi and Mary. Each of these people, of course, was an historical figure, but their roles in the Gospel of Mary not only includes what has been remembered of the historical people, but also the positions they have come to represent in the 2nd Century Christian Church. Of prime importance is the role of women in the leadership of the Christian Church. According to King, the historical Mary of Magdala probably was an eminent leader in the early Church and the role she plays in the book is an advocate of women's leadership. Peter is opposed to her and Andrew supports him. Levi plays a peace-making role and Mary is shown to understand the teachings of Jesus more than all of the other Apostles. After Jesus departs the scene in the book's dialogue, Mary steps into his place to comfort and encourage the others demonstrating that she is the most outstanding Disciple of all.

King takes a fleeting look at other newly-discovered manuscripts of Christian origins, giving the reader a kaleidoscope view of how much the early Christian communities had different theologies, all of which stemmed from the life the teachings of the Historical Jesus.

Karen King is an excellent scholar and I highly recommend her book, The Gospel of Mary (of Magdala). It is an education.

William M. Linden
Houston, Texas
BillLindenTX@aol.com

THE GOSPEL OF MARY OF MAGDALA is a scholarly work written in a very readable style. One of the main benefits of reading this book is the opportunity to gain a greater appreciation of the many different competing ideas which flourished during the early years of Christianity. The Gospel of Mary represents one viewpoint which just happened to lose favor in the long run. Anyone interested in topics such as women's leadership in the church or the authority of apostolic tradition will surely enjoy Karen L. King's latest publication.

Reviewers who downgrade this scholarly work have confused their beliefs with an impartial evaluation of the merit of this book.

The scholarship here allows us to have a glimpse of the early Christian era separate and apart from the politics--and power--established by the Church.

To say that the Bible in its current form fell from heaven is to preach ignorance, and anyone who wants to know the truth about Jesus and his message will embrace this and other scholarly works if they love the truth.

Karen L. King is a Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard University Divinity School. In "The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle," she turns her attention to deciphering the importance of this early piece of Christian literature. The Gospel of Mary was written early in the second century A.D. but then "disappeared for over fifteen hundred years until a single, fragmentary copy . . . came to light in the late nineteenth century." Additional fragments were discovered in 1917 and 1983. The first six pages and an additional four pages from the middle of the gospel are missing. The few pages that have been found provide a very different picture of early Christianity than that which has come down to us through the established canon. King's purpose in publishing this work is not to undermine the tradition of scripture, but rather to provide a better understanding of the forces at work that helped shape early Christianity.

The entire gospel takes place after the resurrection of Jesus. He has appeared to the disciples one last time, instructing them regarding the nature of sin. Jesus tells them that sin comes from people not recognizing their true spiritual nature and instead focusing on the things of this world. After this final teaching, he directs them to go out and preach his word, and then he departs. The disciples are left, but instead of rushing out to preach, they fear for their lives. Mary Magdalene is the only one who remains steadfast and she seeks to comfort the others. Peter asks her to share any of Jesus' teaching that she alone might possess. Mary relates a vision that she had in which Jesus described the soul's departure from this world and the powers that would attempt to stop it from ascending to its final resting place. As she finishes her account, her testimony is attacked by Peter and Andrew. Peter declares that Jesus would not have given such information to a woman and that he would not have chosen her over the male disciples. Andrew questions the teaching because it appears "strange." Levi ultimately comes to her defense.

King offers a comparative study of the "Gospel of Mary." She looks at the other gospel writings, the letters of Paul, and other early Christian writings that have come to light. She also delves into the cultural framework of the day. She discusses the sources that the writer of "The Gospel of Mary" may have had at his or her disposal and the questions that the writer may have been trying to answer. In light of the male-dominated Church that has existed for most of the past two millennia, an interesting facet is the position of women as leaders. "By supporting Mary, the 'Gospel of Mary' makes it clear that leadership is to be based upon spiritual achievement rather than on having a male body."

It is also interesting to note that in a time before the Nicene Creed existed, the gospel was associated with Mary in order to claim apostolic authority for its teachings, much as the other gospel literature of the first and second centuries came to be ascribed to apostles or their followers."

"The Gospel of Mary" is interesting reading. It gives the reader a better impression of early Christianity as a fluid organism in development. These were people truly struggling to understand the Lord's teachings and how best to carry out his directives. The Church of today has much more in common with early Christianity than we might expect.


Reviewed by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur, editor of "The Spiritual Woman Newsletter (www.spiritualwoman.net) and author of "Letters to Mary from a Young Mother" (iUniverse, 2004)

How did Karen King pull a riveting 200 page rabbit out of an ancient, several page long hat? The good news that it was no trick. This gospel and King's commentary are substantial.

I have a special place in my heart for scholars who can reach me at my level: not by dumbing down their message but by lifting me up via gifted explanation. Karen King is indeed gifted.

That gift consists not just of knowledge and communication skills, but of a deep honesty that keeps her open and, it seems, a deep humanity that enables her to reach out to scholars and laypeople alike. Although the role of women is necessarily a vital part of "The Gospel of Mary" and of this book, as a male reader I felt totally included. The author of "The Gospel of Mary" and Karen King both speak to all of us. It is difficult not to feel proud of Mary (and King) and distressed that so many men have failed to extend the same inclusiveness to women.

Before being lost, "The Gospel of Mary" was circulated for several centuries: hopefully now it and King's "Gospel of Mary of Magdala" will be known for many more. As King translated from this gospel: "Anyone with two ears capable of hearing should listen!"

I love reading this book as it shows the mindset of christianity in its early stages. It is interesting after reading several gospels the irenias declared as heriesies you have to ask who qualified him to choose what gospels were right for the rest of us and which were not. Overall this book rocks and is very informative. If you as a christian who just likes to go to church and are not interested in where christianinty was then you will not like this book as it clearly goes against the version we grew up to believe is true. However if you want to know what the compitition was and a fresh glimplse in what the roman church tried to surpress in the few decades after the beath if Jesus then this book will be very intriging. I appoligize for my spelling.

WOW! This book will open the eyes of those who are willing to consider Mary Magdalene in ways other than the ways orthodox tradition has portrayed her. If you're looking to broaden your ideas of the role of Mary during post crucifixion times, this is the book for you. Karen L. King provides examples from scripture and texts from early Christianity to back up her statements. It's easy reading, yet thought provoking.

There has been quite a deal of interest in the person of Mary Magdalene in the past year due in no small part to Dan Brown's THE DA VINCI CODE. Chances are if you see Karen's King's THE GOSPEL OF MARY MAGDALA: JESUS AND THE FIRST WOMAN APOSTLE in any bookstore, it will be grouped with other books about Mary Magdalene as a way of promoting Brown's book. King's book is not meant to be fiction and readers looking for support of the information in Brown's nook will be somewhat disappointed. People with an interest in early Christianity and Biblical scholarship will not be disappointed, however.

King's book is a scholarly presentation of an early Christian document called "The Gospel of Mary." The portrait presented in this gospel is rather different from that of the Bible. In the Gospel of John, the only follower who truly understands Jesus is "the Beloved Disciple" and in The Gospel of Mary, only Mary truly understands "the Savior" and the other disciples are fumbling around a bit. While this may be accurate, Peter and the apostles' foibles are well documented by the four evangelists, the Gospel of Mary is a post-resurrection account. If we look at writings such as "The Acts of the Apostles" we see the Christian community as one where harmony with occasional misunderstandings is the order of the day. An alternate view is presented in "The Gospel of Mary." In this writing we see the befuddlement of some of the male apostles. As anyone should expect in a study of any ancient text, King provides context for understanding "The Gospel of Mary," looks at it as an individual piece, and compares and contrasts it to traditional Christianity. She also includes a thorough bibliography, a tool much appreciated by people involved in research, and a glossary of sorts that will assist people who are not familiar with early Christian writings (or those of us who have not studied them in recent years). It is probably not necessary to state that King does not hold the point of viewe that Mary of Magdala was a reformed prostitute, a point of view that was correctly debunked yaers ago.

When I purchased this book, I was not looking for a new approach to Christianity, nor was I looking for hidden or lost documents of Christianity that will shed light on the errors of mainline Christianity for the past 1500 years. I am a Catholic with a keen interest in biblical studies looking for something that will give me a new perspective on scripture. I have found in the actual "Gospel of Mary" spiritual snippets that are interesting, and King's scholarship gives me a slightly different perspective of early Christianity. The book is interesting, but has not radically reshaped my understanding of Christianity, but I have always looked at the history of Christianity from a realistic and human point of view.

I also realize that some people interested in this book may be aware that "The Gospel of Mary" would have been considered heretical by Christian leaders in its day. Of course we need to remember that some of Origen's writings were deemed heretical at one time. Meister Eckhart was likewise called a heretic. Even Thomas Aquinas, who many consider the ultimate in orthodoxy, was considered questionable in his day. Looking at "The Gospel of Mary" in a new way is appropriate and something King does rather well. With this in mind, I am not certain that the "Gospel of Mary" is necessarily a document that was suppressed without a good reason. First of all, it is not really a gospel. The canonical gospels and even The Gospel of Thomas are not post-Pentecost settings. The latest event in the canonical gospels is the Ascension. This is not the case of "The Gospel of Mary which seems to be post Ascension. "The Acts of Mary" rather than "The Gospel of Mary" may be a more accurate title of the work, since it resembles other early Christian writings in the "acts" genre. Also, in an age when many people are feeling excluded in mainline Christianity, an ancient writing that proposes a different way of looking at Christianity is intriguing, but those who originally adhered to this work would have been exclusive, so to speak, seeing others as not understanding. So this work that some are embracing because it is inclusive from our point of view, are actually embracing a work that in its day would have been exclusive. While the individual approach expressed by "The Gospel of Mary" is somewhat what we believe the interior life, which is so important in Christianity is all about, there is also a communal dimension which the canonical gospels stress, but is not really found in the fragments used in the translation of "The Gospel of Mary."

A great deal of mystery surrounds the recently discovered documents of early Christianity. The conflict they create with the accepted Gospels lead some to dispel them as heresy, refusing to acknowledge them as Christian docterine. The issue is worth examining. For those who seek, shall find!

Much of the Gospel of Mary of Magdala is missing, destroyed by years of decay where it was hidden. The portions that we have tell two main stories. One story shows Mary to be motivating the apostles to spread the word after Jesus's death. The other story is Jesus discussing the soul's passage into the afterlife. Much like the Gospel of Thomas, many of the stories from the canon gospels are absent. The Gospel of Mary does give readers insight into the importance of Mary in the development of Christianity. The author speculates as to why the canon Gospels downplay Mary's role. Karen King also explores the myth of Mary of Magdala as a prostitute as part of this discussion.

While we may never know the complete story of early Chirstianity, the new Gospels and lost writings help us get a more complete picture. Because Christianity was spread so far by different people, stories will not always be exactly the same. This accounts for differences in Gospels and schools of thought in Christianity. The big picture of Christainity stays largely unobscured.