Questions on Mary Magdalene

Last night I watched a very good program on Mary Magdalene. The first question posed: Was she or wasnt she a harlot? I have never believed this myself as it was a catholic view since recinded by pope john paul II. The concensus was that she wasnt. That Mary M. wasnt the sinner who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears. And her 7 demons were not sexual addiction.(I had never ever heard that slant before, in fact the experts on the show declared them not to be demons at all. So what did Jesus cast out if not demons like the bible says?) The experts all came from well known schools of teaching. Harvard, Yale etc. Most of the history of Mary was derived not only from the bible but also from other material like the Apocrypha, Gnostic works other Gospels etc. My question is this. How much of this other work is taught in Adventist theology? Does any of it have light even though it wasnt included in the bible? How is Mary M. taught in theology?

Amelia

Hmmm. Interesting topic Amelia! Thank you for posing this question. I am sure that many will respond, but I wanted to let you know that I will be back once I have had an opportunity to study this a little more in depth and have my resources at hand.

God bless you in your search for truth!

Thankyou Sara, Im eager to hear what you and others have to say. Most of what Ive found on the net have been based on myth or catholic teachings. Myth is ok as it can have a thread of truth in it but Id like to stay away from any catholic saint issues.

Amelia

Thanks for raising this subject, Amelia. The story of Mary Magdalene is really instructional for all of us. I had some good things impressed upon my soul while looking up these references :-)

Starting with the Bible, we have 12 verses which speak of "Mary Magdalene" specifically. These are Matthew 27:56, 27:61, and 28:1; Mark 15:40, 15:47, 16:1, and 16:9; Luke 8:2 and 24:10; and John 19:25, 20:1, and 20:18. None of these verses speak of her as being a harlot, so neither should we.

Where the seven devils is concerned, the Greek word "daimonion" is used for the English "devils" in Mark 16:9, "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven devils." The same word "daimonion" is used in Luke 8:2, "And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils."

This same Greek word is used many times throughout the gospels, notably in Mark 1:34: "And He healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew Him." Also Luke 8, the account of the Gadarene demoniac -- "And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him." Luke 8:30.

So whatever these "devils" were, that were cast out of Mary Magdalene, the same type of thing was cast out of the Gadarene, and many others. For "experts" to say that the devils cast out of Mary weren't really demons at all, is to say that there really is no such thing as devils in the first place! Which is a common practice these days. Modern psychiatry has consigned the idea of evil spirits to the "superstitious old wives' tale" category, which is unfortunate. "Science falsely so called" (1 Timothy 6:20) is helping Satan cloak his doings, and those of his helpers.

The Bible passages mentioning Mary Magdalene don't establish her identity as being the same Mary who was sister of Lazarus and Martha; who anointed Jesus' feet with oil, washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair (Luke 7:36-50; John 11:1-2, 12:1-8). But Ellen White does make this identification.

"At the table the Saviour sat with Simon, whom He had cured of a loathsome disease, on one side, and Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead, on the other. Martha served at the table, but Mary was earnestly listening to every word from the lips of Jesus.....At great personal sacrifice she had purchased an alabaster box of 'ointment of spikenard, very costly,' with which to anoint His body." - Desire of Ages, pp. 558-559.

Still in the same chapter, speaking of the same Mary: "Mary had been looked upon as a great sinner, but Christ knew the circumstances that had shaped her life.....Seven times she had heard His rebuke of the demons that controlled her heart and mind....Mary was first at the tomb after His resurrection. It was Mary who first proclaimed a risen Saviour." DA 568. Scripture says it was Mary Magdalene who first saw the empty tomb, then the risen Christ, and who first ran to the apostles with the news that He was alive. John 20:1-18. What an incredibly high honor! She emptied herself and made some of the greatest sacrifices for her Lord, showed great love for Him; and was highly rewarded for it. "Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." Matthew 26:13. (Not to mention her reward when He comes again, and for all eternity afterwards.)

[ April 15, 2002: Message edited by: John ]

I want to thank you Amelia for bringing up this topic. I never realized before that Mary was not identified in the Scriptures as to her specific life of sin. I believe there is a lesson in this for us! Jesus did not dwell on who she WAS, but only on who she became through Him!

I had always accepted the common idea that she was the prostitute whom the leaders trapped when Jesus wrote in the sand, but I have not found anywhere that supports that in the Bible or EGW. Thank you John for sharing your supports and conclusion as well.

As John indicated, many in today's society no longer believe in demons - in fact one of my prior employers told me that he did not believe in the devil. I was thinking a few moments ago that those who refuse to believe in the devil are, in essence, calling God a liar because He very much states that there is a devil and that the devil is the enemy of God.

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He who gave back to the widow her only son as he was carried to the burial is touched today by the woe of the bereaved mother. He who wept tears of sympathy at the grave of Lazarus, and gave back to Martha and Mary their buried brother; who pardoned Mary Magdalene; who remembered His mother when He was hanging in agony upon the cross; who appeared to the weeping women, and made them His messengers to spread the first glad tidings of a risen Saviour--He is woman's best friend today, and is ready to aid her in all the relations of life. {RC 170.5}

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Great study.

I have changed the font color where the Spirit of Prophecy is mentioning the different women Jesus helped while here on this earth. The way I am reading it it is saying that Mary, Martha and Lazuras's sister, is different than Mary Magdalene. How do you all read it? Seems to me that I heard somewhere in SDA circles that they thought Mary Magdalene was the sister Mary. But this quote lists her separate from Mary their sister.

In The Blessed Hope

Avalee

[ April 18, 2002: Message edited by: Avalee ]

Avalee, that is something I also noticed when studying this topic, in fact, Mary seems to be a very popular name at Jesus' time (as it is today) and perhaps this has caused part of our confusion!

One movie, actually, that brought the difference clearly to my mind is "The Greatest Story Ever Told". This movie, while it is not always Biblically accurate, nor complete, does it's best to portray the Scripture and Christ's life with no interpretations, and also does not portray Lazarus' sister as being the adulterous woman, nor Mary Magdelene! (In fact, Mary of Bethany is introduced very early in the movie - much before the adulterous woman and Mary Magdelene is not identified very clearly at all - much is not included, probably in a bid to shorten the movie which is already 3 hours.)

On the other hand, much that has been written under the impression that Mary Magdelene, Mary of Bethany and the adulterous woman are one and the same have been a great blessing to many! I draw attention to the book "At Jesus' Feet" by Doug Bachelor which has been a great blessing to me and to my friends (some of whom are not Adventists nor Christians). (In fact, if you can handle the inaccuracy of the identity of Mary, I would definitely recommend this book to everyone!)

Sarah....I have read the book by Pastor Batchelor you are talking about....I thought I should since he is my pastor LOL....I have to admit I have such a bad memory that I do not remember much of it..but it seems to me that who he said Mary was does not go with the quote I posted from above. I may be wrong...a friend let me read her book so I do not have it to check and see who he said Mary was.

And yes Mary seemed to be a very popular name. There is one scripture or quote that uses the phrase "and the other Marys"

I thought I read somewhere in the SOP writings that they are all the same person.

Daryl, I had the same vague recollection, but when I went to find it I couldn't. Of course, I may not have the right book(s). I also thought there was some relation to Simon (the leper). ?? Anyone know?

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Originally posted by Daryl Fawcett:
I thought I read somewhere in the SOP writings that they are all the same person.

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Daryl I think this is what I thought to but when I read the following quote from the Spirit of Prophecy I am not sure:

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He who gave back to the (1)widow her only son as he was carried to the burial is touched today by the woe of the bereaved mother. He who wept tears of sympathy at the grave of Lazarus, and gave back to (2)Martha and (3)Mary their buried brother; who pardoned (4)Mary Magdalene; who remembered (5)His mother when He was hanging in agony upon the cross; who appeared to the weeping women, and made them His messengers to spread the first glad tidings of a risen Saviour--He is woman's best friend today, and is ready to aid her in all the relations of life. {RC 170.5}

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I have given where I thought this was talking about 5 different women each a number this time. Notice the Mary's numbers 3 & 4. If it meant the same Mary as Lazarus' sister Mary, why use the last name Magdalene when speaking about the number 4 woman? To me this would be because it is a different Mary all together. Of course this is just my thought. I have not done anymore searching in the Spirit of Prohecy lately on this...

Hi, all!

I was doing a study on my own to find out why people thought Mary of Bethany was a bad person as I had read that she was in the cradle roll lesson.

If you look back in John's message from April 15, this is the passage from EG White that would cause me to believe that Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene are one and the same.

"Mary had been looked upon as a great sinner, but Christ knew the circumstances that had shaped her life.....Seven times she had heard His rebuke of the demons that controlled her heart and mind....Mary was first at the tomb after His resurrection. It was Mary who first proclaimed a risen Saviour." DA 568.

I am still searching though...

Lorelei

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Originally posted by Lorelei Grecian:
If you look back in John's message from April 15, this is the passage from EG White that would cause me to believe that Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene are one and the same.

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Thank you Lorelei for your post. I have read that but I must have forgotten it and also must have missed it in the above post. I am going to take my DA to work today and re-read the whole chapter. Thank you again for bringing this to our attention. So very grateful for study of the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy to bring out the truths.

I took the Desire of The Ages to work yesterday and received such a blessing from the study of Mary Magdelene. I am going to share the places from this book that shows that Mary, Martha and Lazarus's sister was Mary Magdelene.

These quotes will be from The Desire of The Ages, Chapter 62 - The Feast at Simon's House; and Chapter 82 - Why Weepest Thou?

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While this plotting was going on at Jerusalem, Jesus and His friends were invited to Simon's feast. At the table the Saviour sat with Simon, whom He had cured of a loathsome disease, on one side, and Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead, on the other. Martha served at the table, but Mary was earnestly listening to every word from the lips of Jesus. In His mercy, Jesus had pardoned her sins, He had called forth her beloved brother from the grave, and Mary's heart was filled with gratitude....Breaking her box of ointment, she poured its contents upon the head and feet of Jesus; then, as she knelt weeping, moistening them with her tears, she wiped His feet with her long, flowing hair. {DA 558.4}

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Simon the host had been influenced by the criticism of Judas upon Mary's gift, and he was surprised at the conduct of Jesus. His Pharisaic pride was offended. He knew that many of his guests were looking upon Christ with distrust and displeasure. Simon said in his heart, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth Him: for she is a sinner." {DA 566.1}...Simon had led into sin the woman he now despised. She had been deeply wronged by him.

This above quote does not really need to be in here for showing who Mary was..I just wanted to include it as I thought it was a good lesson for all of us.

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Mary had been looked upon as a great sinner, but Christ knew the circumstances that had shaped her life. He might have extinguished every spark of hope in her soul, but He did not. It was He who had lifted her from despair and ruin. Seven times she had heard His rebuke of the demons that controlled her heart and mind.

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...It was Mary who sat at His feet and learned of Him. It was Mary who poured upon His head the precious anointing oil, and bathed His feet with her tears. Mary stood beside the cross, and followed Him to the sepulcher. Mary was first at the tomb after His resurrection. It was Mary who first proclaimed a risen Saviour. {DA 568.2}]

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The women had not all come to the tomb from the same direction. Mary Magdalene was the first to reach the place; and upon seeing that the stone was removed, she hurried away to tell the disciples.

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I thought I would look up some Bible texts on this.

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Luke 8:2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,

John 8:3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

John 11:1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

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It is obvious that it was Mary of Bethany who "anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair."

Now what about the woman caught in adultery? Where or how does she fit into the scheme of things?

The search continues.

Hi, All!

SOP writes of Mary in Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce (Chapter Title: Love for the Erring and Tempted). She does not come right out and say that Mary's sins were of that nature.she does refer to the woman accused of adultery later in the same section, however, not in reference to Mary, but rather as another example.

Still searching

Lorelei

From DA 566 comes the following which Avalee had also quoted:

"Simon had led into sin the woman he now despised."

Isn't this referring to the woman caught in adultery scene?

Now let us take another look at Luke 8:2 below:

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Luke 8:2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,

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Let us compare this with the following SOP quote from DA page 568:

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Seven times she (Mary) had heard His rebuke of the demons that controlled her heart and mind.

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This would mean that Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany are the same person?

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Originally posted by Daryl Fawcett:
From DA 566 comes the following which Avalee had also quoted:

"Simon had led into sin the woman he now despised."

Isn't this referring to the woman caught in adultery scene?

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Simon the host had been influenced by the criticism of Judas upon Mary's gift, and he was surprised at the conduct of Jesus. His Pharisaic pride was offended. He knew that many of his guests were looking upon Christ with distrust and displeasure. Simon said in his heart, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth Him: for she is a sinner." {DA 566.1}...Simon had led into sin the woman he now despised. She had been deeply wronged by him.

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This tells us that Simon had led Mary, Martha and Lazarus sister, who is also Mary Magdalene into sin. This is all from the same chapter about the Feast at Simon's house. Very plain that Simon led her into sin and had been wronged by him..