who is Mary Magdalene ?

Mary Magdalene is definitely one of the most well-known female characters of the New Testament; popularized in dozens of films, stories and even once in popular rock opera – Jesus Christ Superstar. In almost all popular presentations she is portrayed as a former prostitute who comes to Jesus in the spirit of true repentance. While the gospels are known for its graciousness towards persons (both men and women) with moral failings; in our interpretation of the Bible, I believe we have misrepresented the person we call Mary Magdalene.

There are several Marys – not least, of course, Mary the mother of Jesus. But there are also Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus; Mary the mother of James and Joseph and Mary the wife of Cleopas. Equally important, there are two unnamed women who are expressly identified as sexual sinners – the woman who anoints Jesus’ feet with costly perfume, and an adulteress whom Pharisees bring before Jesus to see if he will condemn her (this incident is not found in most ancient manuscripts).

Do the Gospels actually support the notion that Mary Magdalene was once a prostitute? The answer is, surprisingly – “no.”

So who was Mary Magdalene? Well… we don’t know much of her story, but there are some things we do know for sure.

Mary is a traditional Jewish name (Mariam) and Magdalene is a form reflecting the Hebrew original, which means “a tower” (Migdal); referring either to a place with that name or to her character as observed by her community. So, for an experienced reader, her name should already give a hint of her towering personality that is yet to be revealed.

The association of Mary Magdalene with prostitution (albeit repentant) is the result of post-New Testament interpretations; identifying the actual Mary Magdalene with several other women; at least one of whom was indeed a prostitute. Mary was one of the, if not the most, common Hebrew name at that time. So simply because someone named Mary was a prostitute does not mean that Mary Magdalene was in fact one as well. The long and short of it is that there is simply no scriptural basis to link these “sinful women” stories to Mary Magdalene.

The interpretation hinges on a reference in Luke 8:2 that speaks of Jesus casting demons from Mary Magdalene, sometime prior to her becoming his committed follower. However, when demons left people (men included) in no case was there a demon of sexual addiction or of sexual immorality cast out. Why then, in the case of this woman, do we need to immediately think that the spirits Jesus cast out were of a sexual nature?! Have we made the same interpretive mistake here as we did with the Samaritan woman of John’s Gospel labelling her too – a woman of ill repute? Have we also allowed the chauvinistic hermeneutics of the past to influence our modern interpretation. 

fresh revealation

The Hidden Things of God

Blessed art thou...for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 16:17

Remember when you went to school and learned your ABCs? You learned them by using your five senses and your logical abilities to gather information and sort it out. That kind of knowledge is called natural knowledge and it's the only kind most people know anything about. But in the kingdom of God, there's another kind of knowing. One that works its way from the inside out instead of from the outside in. It's called revelation knowledge. Jesus spoke about this kind of knowledge in Matthew 16. He'd just asked the disciples, "Who do you say I am?" Peter had answered Him by declaring, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." "Blessed are you, Simon," Jesus responded, "because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father which is in heaven." In other words, Jesus was saying, "Peter, you didn't learn this information through your physical senses. You received it another way. You received it directly from God." If you've ever had a revelation like that, you know that when it comes, it changes things. It makes you see old things in an entirely new light. It gives you such unshakable confidence that, as Jesus said to Peter, "The gates of hell can't prevail against you." But revelations like that don't come easily. You have to meditate the Word and search the Spirit of God for them because they are "hidden" in Him. The Bible says God has hidden His wisdom for the saints (1 Cor. 2:7-9). Notice, He's hidden it for you, not from you. He wants you to have it. Don't think, however, that God is just going to drop great revelations into your lap while you're watching television. You have to seek Him. If you're hungry for revelation knowledge, get yourself in a position to receive it by meditating the Word, praying, and fellowshiping with the Lord. Begin to receive those revelations from Him. It's the most exciting kind of learning there is.

Praise the ĹORD

There is probably not a single person alive who isn’t familiar with the word “Hallelujah”. We’ve all heard this word repeated time and again in various contexts. Hallelujah is a Hebrew loan word, it was incorporated into the English language from Hebrew. But what does this word mean in Hebrew?

The word “Hallelujah” (הללויה) is actually two Hebrew words put together: “Hallelu” (הללו) and “Yah” (יה). We call them compound words. Literally “Hallelu” is an exhortation to praise someone or something, addressed to more than one person. The old English translation of “Praise, ye” is, therefore, accurate. “Yah” is a version of יהוה“YHWH” – the English transliteration of the covenant name of Israel’s God. 

Jewish belief holds that this name is too holy to be pronounced at all. And regardless, no one knows how to pronounce it correctly. The original Hebrew did not use vowels but only consonants. Most translators, both Jewish and Christian, used the word “Lord” instead. This is a rough translation of another Hebrew name for God (אֲדונָי Adonai).

To signify that YHWH is the original Hebrew word used in the text – all capital letters were used (“LORD” and not simply “Lord”). In Jewish tradition for many centuries people referred to this most holy name of God by simply referring to it as “The Name” (HaShem)or at times even the longer replacement versions such as “Holy One, Blessed be He” (HaKadosh Baruch Chu).

Today’s modern Christ followers are divided over the appropriateness of the translation (LORD), some preferring to pronounce the actual name (forbidden for pronunciation in Judaism) believing that this makes the faith more authentic and original, while others stick with the Jewish/Christian traditional ways of expressing their devotion. No matter on what side of the debate we find ourselves, we must both affirm the much needed authenticity and Israelite character of our modern prayers without losing sight of the graciousness of Israel’s God who is far more concerned about our hearts than about our grammar.