Mary Magdalene

&

The Gospel of Mary

Eunhae Cho

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
1

CHAPTER ONE: THE ONE CALLED MARY MAGDALENE

Part I. Canonical Identification of Mary Magdalene 2 8

Part II. Popular Perception of Mary Magdalene: the Repentant Sinner 2. The Repentant Sinner in History

1. Identification of Mary Magdalene: Homily 33 of Gregory the Great Part III. Mary of Bethany and the Sinful Woman: The Ones Confused with Mary Magdalene 12 Part IV. Validity and Purpose of Gregory the Greats Claim 2. Purpose of Gregory the Great in Homily Part V. Conclusion 23 19 1. Validity of Gregorys Homily 33 on Mary Magdalene

CHATER TWO: THE GOSPEL OF MARY

Part I. Source of the Gospel of Mary 2. Authorship Part II. The Gospel of Mary 28 1. Gnosticism: the Faith Gospel of Mary is Based On 2. Contents of the Gospel of Mary Part III. The Question of Inclusion 41 1. Relationship between Gnosticism and Christianity 2. Relationship between the Gospel of Mary and Christianity 3. Inclusion and Its Meaning 25

1. Discovery of the Gospel of Mary

CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX 65

59 62

Cho

Introduction

This paper, Mary Magdalene and the Gospel of Mary has two purposes: one, to provide insight into Mary Magdalene, one of the few important women in the four Gospels of the New Testament. In Chapter One, Biblical identification of Mary Magdalene, and how she gained her popular misnomer, the repentant sinner in the history of Christianity will be discussed, as well as the reasons behind it. The other purpose of this paper is to introduce a text known as the Gospel of Mary (Magdalene)
1

in detail: the origin, its context, and the theology it is based on. It will be

discussed in Chapter Two within the relationship between Gnosticism, the theology it represents, and the formation of orthodox Christianity. Further analysis of the relationship between this particular Gospel of Mary, and the formation of orthodox Christianity will be presented, driving into the conclusion of why it has not been included in the Bible universally read now. In Conclusion, the final chapter, Mary Magdalenes identification and the Gospel of Mary will be summarized, as well as why the topic of this paper bears some importance in the study of History.

The Gospels official name is Gospel of Mary. Whether Mary means Mary Magdalene is undefined, yet scholars mostly assume so. See Chapter 2, The Identity of Gospel of Mary. Cho 1

Chapter One: The One Called Mary Magdalene

In Christianity, Mary Magdalene is among the most disputed and distorted characters in the Gospels of New Testament. Some associate her with Mary of Bethany, sister of Lazarus, who anoints Jesus. Some claim her to be the unnamed sinful woman with an alabaster jar in Luke, who also anoints Jesus. Some others insist that the three of them are actually one person. This commotion in defining Mary Magdalene is not entirely absurd, for there are six different Marys mentioned in the New Testament, including Mary Magdalene. If one notices that Mary Magdalene is the only one characterized by her own status, instead of being defined as some mans wife, mother, or sister, he/she may realize that differentiating between these six Marys can be very confusing. But what if this particular perplexity in identification of Mary Magdalene has a historical reason behind it?

Part I Canonical 2 Identification of Mary Magdalene

Since it is Bible that initially provided the idea for the misnomer of Mary Magdalene, and as Roman (Catholic) Church was the first to make suggestions on the identity of her, it would be appropriate to have Bible as the primary source of examining her identification. Mary Magdalene is mentioned mostly in the later parts of the four Gospels of New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Canonical mentions of her can be categorized into
2

Canonical means of texts that came to be included in the current Bible. Cho 2

six: 1. Mary Magdalene, from whom seven demons have been cast out 2. Mary Magdalene, at the foot of, or within a distance of the cross Jesus is nailed onto. 3. Mary Magdalene, who goes back to the tomb of Jesus. 4. Mary Magdalene, who sees an angel in the tomb. 5. Mary Magdalene, the first one to witness Jesus resurrection. 6. Mary Magdalene, one of the women following Jesus from Galilee, taking care of Jesus and his apostles (financial) needs.

Gospel of Matthew Matt. 27:55, 56

55

Many women were there, watching from a distance 3 . They had followed Jesus from

Galilee [to care for his needs]. 56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

Matt. 28:1-7
1

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other

Mary went to look at the tomb. 2There was a violent earthquake, for [an angel of the Lord] came down from heaven and going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for

Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see
3

Parts that directly point to her identity are underlined. (Categories 1, 2, 3) People who are described to be with her (i.e. Jesus, the angel, etc.) will be in brackets (Categories 4, 5, 6) Cho 3

the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

Gospel of Mark Mark 15:37-41

37

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38The curtain of the temple was torn in two

from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
40

Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene,

Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41[In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs].

Mark 16:1-11
1

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome

bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
4

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been

rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw [a young man dressed in a white robe] sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was

crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell

Cho

his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"
8

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said

nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

9

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary

Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

Gospel of Luke Luke 8:1-3

1

After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the

good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. [These women were helping to support them out of their own means.]

Luke 23:48, 49
48

When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they

beat their breasts and went away. 49But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Luke 24:9-12

Cho

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all

the others. 10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

Gospel of John John 19:25

25

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,

and Mary Magdalene.

John 20:1-2, 10-18

1

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the

tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" 10Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw [two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot].
13

They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"

They have taken my Lord away, she said, and I dont know where they have put him. 14At this, she turned around and saw [Jesus] standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

Cho

15

Woman, he said, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
16

Jesus said to her, "Mary."

At this, she turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
17

Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead

to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"
18

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she

told them that he had said these things to her.

If Biblical descriptions of Mary Magdalene are made into a table, 1. Seven demons Matt. Mark Luke John X O O X 2. Near the cross O O O O 3. Coming back to the tomb O (w/others) O (w/others) O (w/others) O (w/o others) 4. Seeing the angel O O O O 5. First to see resurrection X O X O 6. Financial provider O O O X

O: mentioned in the Gospel X: not mentioned in the Gospel

Cho

With exceptions of descriptions about her being cast out of seven demons, and her being the first one to see the resurrected Jesus, which are mentioned in two Gospels (Mark, Luke) out of four, and the part where she is said to be one of the women following Jesus from Galilee caring for his (financial) needs, which is not included in the Gospel of John, six categories of descriptions of her are all in concord throughout the four Gospels. Therefore, it would be safe to conclude that an accurate Canonical description of Mary Magdalene is: The woman from whom seven demons were cast out by Jesus, who stood near the cross of Jesus to watch the execution along with other women from Galilee who provided financial support. When he was buried, she came back to the tomb to anoint Jesus body, but found it devoid of Jesus and occupied by another angel. Later she was the first one to whom the resurrected Jesus appeared.

Part II Popular Perception of Mary Magdalene: the Repentant Sinner

From the previous section, it is shown that Mary Magdalene was a woman helped by Jesus, and had been a company of Jesus and his apostles ever since until witnessing the resurrection of Jesus. However, the identity of Mary Magdalene that we think of nowadays, how she is often referred to as the repentant sinner is in quite contrary, both in her identity itself, and the insinuations her names give. How did this happen? How did a devout follower of Jesus, the very first person to see the resurrection of Jesus Christ become a licentious woman in repentance?

Cho

The answer to this question is Homily 33 of Gregory the Great, and the course of history through which Gregory the Greats conviction came to be accepted without doubt.

1. Identification of Mary Magdalene: Homily 33 of Gregory the Great

In the New Testament Gospels, Mary of Bethany, sister of Lazarus whom Jesus brought back to life is mentioned several times. In John 12, this Mary anoints Jesus feet with an expensive perfume and wipes them with her hair. Also, in Luke 8, when Jesus has been invited by a Pharisee to dinner, a sinful woman comes in with an alabaster jar of perfume, wets his feet with her tears, wipes them out with her hair, and pours the perfume on them. This is the unnamed sinful woman of Luke. Other Gospels, Gospels of Matthew and Mark also deliver similar stories of a woman who comes to anoint Jesus at the house of a man named Simon in Bethany. In Rome 591, Pope Saint Gregory I, or Gregory the Great delivered a sermon, which would later be named Homily 33. In it, he mentioned the identity of the Marys that appear in the Gospels:

1Hanc vero quam Lucas peccatricem mulierem, Joannes Mariam nominat, illam esse Mariam credimus de qua Marcus septem dmonia ejecta fuisse testator. 2Et quid per septem dmonia, nisi universa vitia designantur? 3Liquet...quod illicitus actibus prius mulier intenta unguentum sibi pro odore su carnis adhibuit. 4Convertit ad virtutum numerum criminum, ut totum serviret Deo in poenitentia.

Cho

English translations: 1The one that Luke called a sinful woman, the one John called Mary, we believe to be Mary that Mark witnessed as having been freed of seven demons. 2And when it comes to seven demons, don't they mean complete vices? 3It is clear that the perfume was intended for the odor of flesh of the before-mentioned woman in illicit acts. 4She converted at the virtue of several crimes, and completely served God doing penance. Also, in his previous work Moralia in Job, XXXI, he summarized that the Seven Deadly Sins were, 1. Superbia (Pride) 2. Invidia (Envy) 3. Ira (Anger) 4. Avaritia (Avarice) 5. Tristia (Sadness or Sloth) 6. Gula (Gluttony) 7. Luxuria (Lust)

Therefore, by saying this, Gregory the Great amalgamated three different women into one called Mary Magdalene; a woman, who had committed deadly sin(s), repented, anointed Jesus, became a loyal follower of Jesus, and therefore gained salvation. Though many patristic writers in 3rd and 4th centuries commented on the identity of Mary Magdalene, an official sermon given by the Pope of the end of 6th century had a much larger effect, for Popes enjoyed more and more authority in interpreting Gods words in the Roman (Catholic) Church, as time passed on to make Church become more strongly founded. From then on, Mary Magdalene would be commonly perceived as a repentant sinner, possibly even a repentant prostitute (had

Cho 10

committed the seven vices, decorating her body to do the forbidden acts) and used in various propaganda.

2. The Repentant Sinner in History

Throughout history, Mary Magdalene has been perceived as a repentant sinner, whose seven demons were actually seven sins, which included fleshly sins, thus has been heralded as a symbol of promiscuity. One can easily realize this by stepping into a famous art museum in Europe, such as the Louvre, and examining paintings that portray this character: the majority of the paintings from Renaissance depict Mary Magdalene nude, or semi-nude. This image of her has been used in many ways by the Catholic Church and other organizations. In the Victorian era, prostitution was condoned by the Catholic Church in the name of Mary Magdalene. Then the Church went on to reclaim the prostitutes, again in the name of the forgiven saint. In present day United States, preachers in organizations such as GTW (Gather The Women) and FBW (Free Battered Women: a project of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners) give sermons using her as sort of an evidence of hope for the fallen women. The key point has always been salvation through penance for which Mary Magdalene served as a paradigm.

Not every action taken in the name of Mary Magdalene has been altruistic. In 2002, a movie called The Magdalene Sisters, the winner of Lion Gate in 2002 Venice Film Festivals revealed to the world a network of laundromats called The Magdalene Asylums. Run by the Sisters of Mercy in Ireland, it was initially set up in 19th century to rehabilitate prostitutes, just as Mary Magdalene the whore was rehabilitated by Jesus. As time passed, the asylum turned
Cho 11

into commercial laundromats financing the Order. Its inmates were mostly poor, young unwed mothers and rape victims, rejected by their families. They were forced to scrub away their sins by scrubbing the dirty clothings from various places. All kinds of brutal acts took place against these women in the secluded place; private conversation was strictly forbidden, and sexual harassments were overlooked.

Though rare, existence of such institutions shows how easily manipulated Mary Magdalene could be, and in a broader sense, how both strong and convenient her image potentially was.

Part III Mary of Bethany and the Sinful Woman: The Ones Confused With Mary Magdalene

Was Gregory the Great well-substantiated in identifying Mary of Bethany, the sinful woman and Mary Magdalene as the same person? To answer this question, the identities of Mary of Bethany and the sinful woman should first be examined. The followings are Biblical accounts of the two, and an analysis of whether they could actually be one character.

Canonical mentions of the one who anoints Jesus can be categorized into three: 1. Geographical location: Bethany / not mentioned. 2. Identification: A woman called Mary / a sinful woman / unidentified.

Cho 12

3. Place: Simons house / unidentified. Then there are other noticeable details of the anointing: 4. The one who rebukes the woman: a disciple / someone present / Simon / Judas Iscariot 5. The body part of anointing: head / feet 6. Wiping with hair: mentioned / not mentioned

Gospel of Matthew Matthew 26:6-13

6

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, 4 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she

poured on his [head] as he was reclining at the table.

8

When the [disciples] saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked.

This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor." Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done

10

a beautiful thing to me. 11The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Gospel of Mark Mark 14:3-9

Descriptions of the one who anoints are underlined. (Categories 1, 2, 3) Other noticeable details of the anointing are in brackets. [ ] (Categories 4, 5, 6) Cho 13

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as

[Simon the Leper], a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his [head].
4

[Some

of those present] were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of

perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.
6

"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful

thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Gospel of Luke Luke 7:36-50

36

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the

Pharisees's house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at this feet weeping, she began to wet his [feet] with her tears. Then she wiped them with her [hair], kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39

When the [Pharisee] who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man

were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is that she is a sinner."

Cho 14

40

Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."

"Tell me, teacher," he said.

41

"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,

and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43

Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."

"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

44

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I

came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
48

Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives

49

sins?"
50

Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Luke 10:38,39
38

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman

named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.

Cho 15

Gospel of John John 11:1

1

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and

her sister Martha. 2This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his [feet] with her [hair]. 3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."

John 12:1-8
1

Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom

Jesus had raised from the dead. 2Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4

But one of his disciples, [Judas Iscariot], who was later to betray him, objected, 5"Why

wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." 6He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7

"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. "It was intended that she should save this perfume for

the day of my burial. 8You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

If Canonical mentions of the one who anoints Jesus and other noticeable details of the anointing are made into a table,

Cho 16

1. Location Matt. Bethany

2. Identification N/A

3. Owner of the house Simon the Leper

4. One who rebukes One disciple Someone present Simon Judas Iscariot

5. The body part Head

6. Wiping with hair X

Mark

Bethany

N/A

Simon the Leper

Head

Luke John

N/A Bethany

A sinner Mary of Bethany

Simons N/A

Feet Feet

O O

O: mentioned in the Gospel X: not mentioned in the Gospel

The details of the account in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark are in agreement. In both, when Jesus stays at the house of Simon the Leper in Bethany, an unidentified woman comes into the house to anoint Jesus on his head. There is one person present who rebukes the act. In the Gospel of John, the woman is identified as Mary of Bethany, who anoints Jesus on his feet and wipes them with her hair. The place is not specified, yet the one who rebukes is described as Judas Iscariot, the disciple of Jesus who later betrays him. Considering the details from Gospels of Matthew and Mark, and the Gospel of John, one may notice that details complement each other, defining the unknown woman (Gospels of Matt., Mark) as Mary of Bethany (Gospel of John), and the one who rebukes the act (Gospels of Matt. Mark) as Judas Iscariot (Gospel of John). Though the body part Jesus is anointed on

Cho 17

differs depending on different Gospels (Mark, Matthew - head, John - feet) and the act of wiping with hair is mentioned only in John, it is evident that these three Gospels refer to one same event: Mary of Bethany, at Simon (the Leper)s house, anointing Jesus with an expensive perfume, to be rebuked later on by one of the people present, who may be Judas Iscariot. In the Gospel of Luke, there is one significant difference: the location is unspecified but they are in the house of a Pharisee called Simon. A sinful woman of the town comes in, weeps and wipes Jesus feet with her hair, and then anoints him. Simon the Pharisee, who has

invited Jesus, rebukes this act. Jesus response to the rebuke is also different. In other Gospels, Jesus chides the rebuker to leave her alone. In Luke, he does so by presenting a parable of two people in debt with different amounts. Could this be accepted as the same event that takes place in Matthew, Mark, and John? These two events show same chronological pattern: Jesus invited to a house, a woman coming in to anoint him, and rebuked by another one present. Details are in overall complementary, also. Though the one who rebukes is Simon in Luke instead of Judas Iscariot or someone else present, it undoubtedly takes place at the house of a man named Simon, and as in John, the woman wipes his feet with her hair and anoints Jesus on his head. One particularity in Luke is that the woman is not just a woman; she is a sinful woman, who had lived a sinful life. It is possible that there was a separate anointing on Jesus head by a sinful woman who is later rebuked, maybe or maybe not in Bethany, in the house of another man named Simon, recorded only in Luke. However, the fact that almost every event appears in concord within the four Gospels, that the Gospel writers wrote them with slightly different purposes and values than one another, thus stressing different details, and also the fact that the act of the sinful woman is the only anointing described in Luke make this possibility highly improbable. In summary, it is with textual support to conclude that Mary of Bethany in Gospel of

Cho 18

John and the unnamed woman in Gospels of Matthew and Mark share many common details, including the location where the anointing takes place, and the overall course of the event. Same relationship applies to Mary of Bethany in Gospel of John and the sinful woman who anoints Jesus in Gospel of Luke. Given all the details of such events from four Gospels, each of which only has one account of anointing of Jesus, it is very likely that Mary of Bethany, sister of Lazarus, and the sinful woman Gregory the Great referred to are same characters, though the details of this relationship do not perfectly match.

Part IV Validity and Purpose of Gregory the Greats Claim

For over at least 1400 years, Mary Magdalene has been a dual-faceted person. In the Bible, she has been a pious female companion of Jesus and his apostles, who followed them from Galilee in full support, both financially and spiritually. Later on, she is the first one to witness Jesus resurrected. However, through the pens and mouths of the authorities of orthodox Christianity into the credulous minds, Mary Magdalene has gained a misnomer as the repentant sinner.

1. Validity of Gregory the Greats Homily 33 on Mary Magdalene

The conclusion of Part IV shows that Gregory the Greats claim about Mary

Cho 19

Magdalene and two other Marys in Homily 33 is partially substantiated: the sinful woman of Gospel of Luke may well be Mary the sister of Lazarus who anoints Jesus in Gospel of John. However, even after analyzing every single mention related to Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, and the sinful woman (in Part I, III), evidence of the latter part of his claim - that a sinful woman Mary of Bethany can be identified as Mary Magdalene - is not found anywhere. Furthermore, there is not a single support for his suggestion that the seven demons are seven cardinal sins. Most scholars today think that the seven demons refer to either seven diseases, mental or physical, or literally demons that possess human souls. Unless being involuntarily possessed by a demon is categorized as sin, there is no reason for her to be repentant. Therefore, Gregory the Greats notion of Mary Magdalene represented in Homily 33 is deeply flawed.

2. Purpose of Gregory the Great in Homily 33

Gregory the Great, or Pope Saint Gregory I (ca. 540 March 12, 604) is one of the four leading Fathers of the Western church, along with Saints Jerome, Ambrose, and Augustine. He was noted for his excellent political skills: he made decisive moves in asserting the papal supremacy, expressing the hieratic principle that he was the foremost minister of Gods will. He was a skilled diplomat in securing peace with the Lombards and the Byzantine Empire. Above everything else, he was an erudite scholar who developed many theologies that are now accepted as orthodox, such as the concept of purgatory and penance (which became institutionalized as the Sacrament of Recouncil). Records clearly show that he was a prominent Pope, someone well informed about the Bible. Then why, in Homily 33, did he make such a

Cho 20

weakly substantiated claim about Mary Magdalene? One can get a good idea of his reasons by understanding the era he lived in. The late 6th century and the early 7th century of Western Europe was a time of chaos: afflicted by the long Gothic War (535552), swept by the Bubonic Plague and famine, and constantly under the fear of Germanic attacks. The people of Italy desperately longed for a strong leader. What they needed out of the Pope was more of a politician than a spiritual leader, who could bring physical and mental stability to their disarrayed lives. Gregory the Great was more than willing to be the kind of Pope that the people needed. During his papacy, he delivered many sermons, providing definitive interpretations of Biblical accounts. He wanted his despairing people to have a clear sense of belief and a code of conduct that would lead to salvation. He sought to provide assurance, the most effective way at the time to bring doubters back to belief. The orthodox Christian theology was still in development at the time of Gregory the Great. There hardly existed an absolute criterion by which a certain belief could be deemed orthodox or not. The current form of the Bible was already established, and basic notions such as the Holy Trinity were accepted. Yet, things like logical questions one may have after reading the Bible remained unanswered, or answered in various points of view, depending on who answered them. In other words, the Church itself was incomplete. An example can be found in the records of Gregory the Great before papacy. In Constantinople, Gregory the Great, who were then a delegate from the Roman (Catholic) Church, had an argument about the corporeality of the risen Jesus with Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople. After a long bickering, with Byzantine Emperor Tiberius as the judge, Gregory the Greats side was favored. He returned to Rome to become the first secretary of Pope Pelagius, while Eutychius teachings were condemned and burnt. This one event depicts well the situation of the era. In the story, two great authorities of Christianity still did not agree upon the corporeality of the Christ, only their own

Cho 21

ideas. The fact that the judge is an Emperor, who likely knows less about doctrines of Christianity than either one of the Fathers, and that based on his judgment, one of them is condemned, his idea proscribed from later use, shows how indeterminately susceptible to changes the Church and its doctrines were. The diction of Gregory the Great also shows this uncertainty. The first sentence from the previous excerpt from Homily 33 reads, the one Luke called a sinful woman, that John called Mary, we believe to be Mary that Mark witnessed as having been freed of seven demons. He believes so, yet does not know. It is quite obvious that he himself could not be totally sure of what his teachings about something that happened more than 500 years ago. At that time, a written agreement about which things the Church knew to be true just did not exist. Some, like The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, suggest that the Catholic Church intended a conspiracy to degrade Mary Magdalene into a prostitute, subjugating her under the male apostles, and in a broader level, women under men. However, this accusation is quite farfetched. As Gregory the Great was an industrious preacher, there remain records of forty sermons on the New Testament Gospels, twenty-two on Ezekiel, and two on the Songs of Songs. It is unlikely that one part of one sermon out of sixty-four proves that the identification of Mary Magdalene was part of a conspiracy, or even a mal-intentioned desecration. Then what was his intention of Gregory the Great? In other words, what could he get out of reidentifying her? Again, the answer lies within the historical background. The identity of Mary Magdalene and the other two Marys in the four Gospels has been questioned by ordinary believers for a long time. Yet, no one authoritative could provide a clear answer, and even if someone were, the Church did not have an organized network to actually spread the answer. By announcing Mary Magdalene as a former prostitute, who later received Gods grace of seeing Jesus resurrected, the Pope created a repentant sinner and saint. Delivering this publicly had two

Cho 22

effects: first, the effect of providing a lucid answer to a long-disputed question for those who yearned for clarity and guidance, and second, creating a very useful character to Church propaganda at that time. As mentioned, Gregory the Great was a developer of some of the most important orthodox theologies, such as the concept of penance. To justify his theology, there was no better example than Mary Magdalene. She was believed to be a prostitute, the least kind of person to be forgiven, let alone deified. Yet after confession of faith and deep repentance, she was accepted by God again. Mary Magdalene was a quintessential example that could bring sinners into repentance, and in the end, back to the control of the Church. The Roman (Catholic) Church of the 6th century was much less institutionalized and unified than it is now, let alone the doctrines it presented the believers with. Shrewd and hardworking as he was, Gregory the Greats identification of Mary Magdalene as a repentant prostitute was not anything that had a particular meaning by itself, but a part of his colossal attempt to make Church and its teachings more solid. His confident answer gained trust in his and the Churchs supremacy from the people, who would strive to emulate the exemplary life of repentance and spiritual commitment of Mary Magdalene. Ultimately, in a time of havoc, he provided leadership the way society needed, and in a way that he wanted.

Part V Conclusion

On a quest to understand the one called Mary Magdalene, in Part I, the saints Canonical identity was examined by analyzing all the descriptions in her name in the Gospels of

Cho 23

New Testament. In Part Two, the question of how Gregory the Great has played a major role in giving her the misnomer as repentant sinner, and how this identification has been used throughout history were discussed. Then, in Part III, the ones Gregory the Great associated Mary Magdalene with Mary of Bethany, and the unnamed sinner who anointed Jesus Christ were studied, prior to an assessment of validity and purpose of Gregory the Greats identification of Mary Magdalene in Homily 33 in Part IV. In the end, the four parts of Chapter One converge into a conclusion that, within Orthodox Christianity, the Canonical identity is the only thing attributable to a person named Mary Magdalene; not Mary of Bethany, or the sinful woman of Luke that Gregory the Great wanted her to be as a part of his political and religious propaganda. In the Second Vatican Council that took place in 1967, Mary Magdalenes misnomer as a repentant sinner that had tagged her along for more than a thousand years was deleted from the annotation on John 20:1-18. Now, only the Canonical identification of her remains valid in the orthodox Christian teachings. However, with falsely-informed preachers and publications around the Globe, this misnomer is far from being erased from peoples minds, and will not easily be so in the near future. Only when the ones who call themselves Christians critically examine and actually understand the belief system they weekly confess faith in, will this outrageous misunderstanding of Mary Magdalene be avoided.

Cho 24

Chapter Two: The Gospel of Mary

In December 1945, a man named Mohammed Ali, along with several other men, went to a desert area near their residence to dig up nitrate-rich fertilizer called sabakh. They lived in a town called Nag Hammadi, an area mostly of peasant producers of sugar and aluminum, located 80 kilometers north-west of Luxor, Egypt. While they were digging soil, Mohammed Alis younger brother exhumed a clay jar. In it were thirteen leather-bound papyrus manuscripts from the fourth century - forty-six different works of ancient Christian literature - which would be published in 1955 in the name of Nag Hammadi Library. The publication of these mostly unknown texts would open a new area of interest for theologians and historians. It provided a chance to redeem early Christianitys diversity and shed light on Gnosticism, one particular set of belief in early Christianity, which had long been neglected. It is Gnosticism to which the Gospel of Mary belongs, which would be introduced to the world within a short period of time.

Part I Source of the Gospel of Mary

1. Discovery of the Gospel of Mary

Cho 25

Ten years after the phenomenal discovery at Nag Hammadi, in 1955, another document later named Papyrus Berolinensis 8502 was published. Also known as Berlin Gnostic Codex or Akhmim Codex, originally excavated from an Egyptian town called Akhmim, it was acquired by a German scholar named Dr. Reinhardt in 1896 in an antiquities market of Cairo. It is a single-quire papyrus book that includes three writings also introduced in the Nag Hammadi Libray: the Apocryphon of John, Sophia of Jesus Christ, and Act of Peter. Yet, Papyrus Berolinensis 8502 had an interesting addition - the Gospel of Mary. While the Nag Hammadi Library was drawing public attention, in another Egyptian town called Oxyrhynchus, 160 kilometers south-southwest of Cairo, an extensive excavation was taking place, directed by two men called Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt. From 1910 to 1934, the texts they have discovered amounted to seventy percent of all excavated documents from Oxyrhynchus. Ten percent of what they have discovered were of literary merit. They drew particular attention because the massive collection of papyri included some unknown Christian gospels, including two segments of the Gospel of Mary, which would later be named Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 3525. In sum, there came to exist three fragmented texts of the Gospel of Mary, two of which from 3rd century in Greek, and a longer one from 5th century in Coptic. No one knows for sure how these fragments came to be buried in such places. However, history of the two cities, Akhmim and Oxyrhyncus, can provide some insight into the reasons behind the locations. Akhmim, formerly called Apu, is the largest town on the east side of the Nile in Upper Egypt, and it is famous for its cotton goods. Akhmim has many now abandoned monasteries in the neighborhood, outside of its boundaries. As early as mid 5th century, the Coptic Orthodox Church became very popular in the town, and paganism, which was formerly prevalent along with many relics were driven into extinction. It is also noted for being home of the greatest

Cho 26

magicians of Egypt throughout history. Oxyrhynchus, where the other two fragments of the Gospel of Mary were found, was the third-largest city of Egypt in Hellenistic times. It became booming with many churches and monasteries after Egypt was Christianized, before the Arab conquest of 641. The area west of the Nile, in which Oxyrhynchus is located, had almost no rain, and this particular town was not flooded by water in the rising of the Nile, unlike other areas along the riverbank. For over a thousand years, people of Oxyrhyncus have thrown garbage into a series of sites out in the desert near the city boundaries. Due to the areas dry climate, the massive amount of dump did not rot, and instead, became buried and preserved in sand overtime. Both Akhmim and Oxyrhynchus bear active religious history. They were both important capitals of commerce around the Nile, where traders came and went with not only their goods and profitable trade offers, but also, documents and theological beliefs in various religions of their owns. As Egypt is a vast country with a long history in all aspects, religion being one of them, and also, because it has often been the place of asylum for people, as well as religions of the Middle East, it is not at all incomprehensible that some of the lost scriptures of early Christianity were found in it instead of in current Israel or Palestine. Oxyrhynchus advantageous climate and rather neglectful way of disposing garbage only increased the possibility of a-thousand-year survival of the Gospel of Mary.

2. Authorship

Though the fragments themselves came to be discovered only in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Gospel of Mary has occasionally been referred to in patristic writings as early as

Cho 27

in the 3rd century. Ecclesiastical scholars agree that the text itself was written in 120-180 A.D 5 . This estimated time period of writing eradicates any possibility of having Mary Magdalene, or any of the six Marys in the New Testament as the author. However, it is also agreed among most scholars that, considering the context, Mary in the Gospel of Mary simply has to have been intended as Mary Magdalene. However, considering the doctrines of Gnosticism on which the Gospel of Mary is based, it is not important whether the text has been written by the attributed author. As will be discussed in Part II, Gnostics emphasized spiritual enlightenment, and the gospel was written in the spirit of Mary Magdalene. Whether it was actually written by the hands of Mary Magdalene was not important.

Part II The Gospel of Mary

The Gospel of Mary is a Gnostic literary work. Like almost all other Gnostic writings, it is an esoteric piece of writing. Not only are the dialogues in the gospel novel and complicated, but also, as it is typical of Gnostic writings, scholars find symbols in different places and attribute various meanings to them. That is why analyses of the gospels are incoherent among theological scholars. Since doctrines of Gnosticism are not usually dispensed among non-scholars, it is crucial to get at least a rough idea of basic beliefs of Gnosticism for understanding the Gospel of Mary.

Although many sources agree on the date, no reference with reasons behind these dates could be found. Cho 28

1. Gnosticism: the Faith Gospel of Mary Is Based On

i)

Introduction Gnosticism is a blanket term used for various religious beliefs that were widely

accepted in the first few centuries, A.D. As it is a comprehensible term to describe many diverse views, it is impossible to narrow down Gnosticism into one definition. However, the ones who call themselves Gnostics hold one general notion: The term Gnosticism comes from a Greek word gnosis, which means knowledge. Gnostics believe that people do not originally belong to this world of matter. The world itself, from its creation, was incomplete, and people should thrive to escape this entrapment to go back to the heavenly home and reunite with God for eternal happiness. In order to do this, one should have gnosis that would enable him/her to be enlightened. Those who have gained gnosis, or at least claim to have had, are called the Gnostics. A line from the Gnostic Gospel of Philip summarizes this belief well: The one who possess the knowledge (gnosis) of the truth is free.

ii)

Theology According to Gnosticism, in the beginning, there was a divine, ultimate, unknownable

One, the God of all. From this One emanated twelve less divine Aeons in pairs of twos. Like the One, these Aeons emanated many entities of lesser degree, which also emanated many other entities of lesser degree, and so on. Together with all the creations of the One, Pleroma, or fullness, was formed. Among the pairs of Aeons was one pair, Sophia and Christ. Though Aeons of a pair were meant to bond with each other spiritually, Sophia sought to know the One, the

Cho 29

ultimate being. Because the One was unknownable from the start, this evidently lead to a failure, causing Sophia to lose her vision, and creating a big confusion. During the confusion, Sophia accidentally emanated an entity called Demiurge, a cosmic disaster in the fallen state, without her intending to do so. It is this Demiurge, ignorant of all beings above it, including Sophia, that created matter, this world, and also, lesser-degree entities called Archons, of which he called himself god. Therefore, people, who are part of the world are unavoidably fallen, created by a fallen god. While Demiurge (also called Yaldabaoth) ignorantly controlled the world of matter, Sophia, the mother of Demiurge tried to give beings of the world a chance to reunite with the One; she seeded divine sparks called pneumas within them. Those who claim to have received pneumas are the Gnostics. While Sophia was concerned with the beings Demiurge had created, Sophias counterpart, Christ restored vision to Sophia who initially lost it during the confusion. Christ also came to the world of Demiurge in the form of Jesus (hence, Jesus Christ) and provided gnosis for the ones with pneumas, giving them the opportunity to finally reunite with God. Therefore, the Gnostics who try to understand the teachings of Jesus Christ are in the process of gaining salvation. 6

iii)

Origin It is not clear whether Gnosticism started as a sect of another religion, or a totally

different set of belief. Scholars suspect that Gnosticism may be rooted in Paganism with a Christian outlook, in Judaism, simply in the historical character Jesus, or in a unique religious tradition unlike others. It is also suggested that Gnosticism has been deeply influenced by Platonism, Neo-Platonism, and Stoicism. However, as Gnosticism and orthodox Christianity share many common bases, such as regarding Christ as the ultimate source of salvation (Jesus of

See Ehrman, Lost Christianities, and also, Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels, Cho 30

Nazareth), the One being spiritually bound with Christ (the Holy Trinity), the concept of heavenly home (Heaven), and so on, it is for certain that those two are deeply related. A possible course of development would be that Gnosticism and Christianity grew up along with each other out of same pre-Christian sources - Judaism. The fact that there is no orthodox Christian text that predates the Gnostic texts makes this possibility very probable. One plausible theory of development is that Gnosticism developed as a consequence of a failed form of Judaism. For example, there was a group of believers called the Apocalyticists. They believed that God had revealed to them the ultimate secrets of the world (Apocalypse means revealing), and that God would soon intervene in this wicked world to make the evil suffer and the righteous prosper. According to this belief, the prophets of the Old Testament were foretelling the coming of the Messiah, possibly Jesus, to bring justice. However, Jesus proved to be a failure in this sense, as he weakly died away instead of changing the world, thus proving a critical error in their belief. It is possible that the Apocalypticists, at this point, altered their view and started believing that there actually have been numerous chances of salvation from God, only not revealed easily to the ordinary minds (same with the Gnostics). 7 As mentioned earlier, Gnosticism does not only cover doctrines of one religion; rather, it contains elements of many different belief systems merged together to make a coherent outline. This attribute of Gnosticism, along with fluid relations between all religions in antiquity, makes it difficult for scholars to come up with one convincing answer to the question of Gnosticisms origin.

iv)

Earning and Losing Following Prior to the discoveries in Nag Hammadi and Oxyrhynchus, there scarcely was any

See Ehrman, Lost Christianities. Cho 31

document to provide a clear idea of what Gnosticism was like back in the first few centuries. The only available source was a series of writings of proto-orthodox (orthodox theology before it became orthodox) authors such as Irenaeus, attacking Gnosticism. Even with the currently discovered Gnostics texts, it is not easy to speculate what the general reaction to Gnosticism was and what part of it was particularly attractive nearly two thousand years ago. Possible reasons for its earning followers can be summarized into three: 1. Denouncing the material existence 2. Explanations for hardships and sufferings of the world 3. Hopeful Ending As mentioned before, an aspect of Gnosticism strikingly different from the orthodox Christianity was that Gnostics put no emphasis on the life in the world of matter. While orthodox Christianity emphasized a moral living according to the Ten Commandments and devoting oneself to God as the ultimate way to salvation, Gnostics only way to salvation was earning special knowledge - gnosis- through which the ones with pneuma could be saved from this evil world. This kind of guide to salvation also naturally explained the hardships of the world; this world was the evil world, created by a self-claimed god that actually was an outcome of failure. However, while maintaining the notion of evil world, Gnosticism implied a hopeful message for all in the end, as it said that anyone who has learned the essence of Jesus teachings, or gnosis, could go back to the real home. It is quite ironic how these attractive aspects of Gnosticism also contributed to its own demise. Because they assigned no importance in living, Gnostics lifestyles could be quite extreme. Some insisted on practicing celibacy and asceticism to minimize the pleasure of the body (an evil belonging to the evil world of matter). Some others with radical interpretations often practiced libertinism, saying that, by doing so, they were defiling the evil body with

Cho 32

unclean physical activities. This sort of living simply shocked the Proto-orthodox Christians, whose moral emphasis was on the opposite side. Due to this huge gap in interpreting life, Gnostics often were target of accusations and criticisms of the Proto-orthodox theologians. The third attractive factor of Gnosticism, that anyone who earns gnosis can gain eternal bliss, was undoubtedly favorable. However, this aspect also hindered to some extent the spread of Gnosticism, as the ones with gnosis (a special kind of knowledge) came to imply a small, spiritually elite group of people in the know. Unlike Proto-orthodox Christianity, which claimed that everyone was equal under God, and that nothing but an individuals deeds and faiths determined his/her fate, Gnosticism may have sounded too exclusive and esoteric. Gnosticism was almost always on the negative verge of interpreting the material world. Though its denunciation of the need to put up with agonizing daily life may have brought some relief to the believers, its remoteness from the real world in pursuit of arcane knowledge was something that could not be ignored. In addition, complete negligence of moral codes of conduct of some Gnostics assigned a negative impression of the religion. To make the case harder for Gnostics, its exclusive and superior attitude in understanding Gods teachings slowly made peoples faith in the religion abate.

2. Contents of the Gospel of Mary i) The Gospel of Mary 8 <The Gospel of Mary> (Pages 1-6 missing) 1. "...will, then, matter be saved or not?" The Savior said, "All natures, all formed things, all creatures exist in and with one another and will again be resolved into their own roots,
8

<The Bible>

Basic Tenets of Gnosticism Gnostic Attributes Ascension of Soul Importance of Mary

Brian Turner, www.comparative-religion.com a translation of Papyrus Berolinensis. Cho 33

because the nature of matter is dissolved into the roots of its nature alone. He who has ears to hear, let him hear." [Matt. 11:15]. 2. Peter said to him, "Since you have now explained all things to us, tell us this: what is the sin of the world?" The Savior said, "Sin as such does not exist, but you make sin when you do what is of the nature of fornication, which is called 'sin.' For this reason the Good came into your midst, to the essence of each nature, to restore it to its root." He went on to say, "For this reason you come into existence and die [...] whoever knows may know [...] a suffering which has nothing like itself, which has arisen out of what is contrary to nature. Then there arises a disturbance in the whole body. For this reason I said to you, Be of good courage [Matt. 28:8-10], and if you are discouraged, still take courage over against the various forms of nature. He who has ears to hear, let him hear." 3. When the Blessed One said this, he greeted all of them, saying "Peace be with you [John 14:27]. Receive my peace for yourselves. Take heed lest anyone lead you astray with the words, 'Lo, here!' or 'Lo, there!' [Matt. 24:4-5, 23-24, Luke 17:20-21] for the Son of Man is within you. Follow him; those who seek him will find him [Matt. 7:7-8]. Go, therefore, and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom [Mark 16:15]. I have left no commandment but what I have commanded

[Matt. 11:15] 15 He who has ears, let him hear [Matt 28:8-10] So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
8

[John 14:27] 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. [Matt. 24:4-5, 23-24] Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,[a]' and will deceive many. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the electif that were possible.
4

[Luke 17:20-21] 20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within[a] you." [Matt. 7:7-8] 7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Cho 34

you, and I have given you no law, as the lawgiver did, lest you be bound by it." 4. They grieved and mourned greatly, saying, "How shall we go to the Gentiles and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Son of Man? If even he was not spared, how shall we be spared?" 5. Then Mary stood up and greeted all of them and said to her brethren, "Do not mourn or grieve or be irresolute, for his grace will be with you all and will defend you. Let us rather praise his greatness, for he prepared us and made us into men." When Mary said this, their hearts changed for the better, and they began to discuss the words of the [Savior]. 6. Peter said to Mary, "Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than other women. Tell us the words of the Savior which you have in mind since you know them; and we do not, nor have we heard of them." Mary answered and said, "What is hidden from you I will impart to you." And she began to say the following words to them. "I," she said, "I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to him, 'Lord, I saw you today in a vision.' He answered and said to me, 'Blessed are you, since you did not waver at the sight of me. For where the mind is, there is your countenance' [Matt. 6:21]. I said to him, 'Lord, the mind which sees the vision, does it see it through the soul or through the spirit?' The Savior answered and said, 'It sees neither [Matt. 6:21] 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. [Mark 16:15] 15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Cho 35

through the soul nor through the spirit, but the mind, which is between the two, which sees the vision, and it is...'" (Pages 11-14 are missing) 7. "...and Desire said, 'I did not see you descend; but now I see you rising. Why do you speak falsely, when you belong to me?' The soul answered and said, 'I saw you, but you did not see me or recognize me; I served you as a garment and you did not recognize me.' After it had said this, it went joyfully and gladly away. 8. Again it came to the third power, Ignorance. This power questioned the soul: 'Whither are you going? You were bound in wickedness, you were bound indeed. Judge not' [Matt. 7:1]. And the soul said, 'Why do you judge me, when I judged not? I was bound, though I did not bind. I was not recognized, but I recognized that all will go free, things both earthly and heavenly.' After the soul had left the third power behind, it rose upward, and saw the fourth power, which had seven forms. The first form is darkness, the second desire, the third ignorance, the fourth the arousing of death, the fifth is the kingdom of the flesh, the sixth is the wisdom of the folly of the flesh, the seventh is wrathful wisdom. These are the seven participants in wrath. They ask the soul, 'Whence do you come, killer of men, or where are you going, conqueror of space?' The soul answered and said, 'What seizes me is killed; what turns me about is overcome; [Matt 7:1-2] 1 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Cho 36

my desire has come to an end and ignorance is dead. In a world I was saved from a world, and in a "type," from a higher "type" and from the fetter of the impotence of knowledge, the existence of which is temporal. From this time I will reach rest in the time of the moment of the Aeon in silence.'" 9. When Mary had said this, she was silent, since the Savior had spoken thus far with her. But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, 'Say what you think concerning what she said. For I do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly these teachings are of other ideas." 10. Peter also opposed her in regard to these matters and asked them about the Savior. "Did he then speak secretly with a woman, in preference to us, and not openly? Are we to turn back and all listen to her? Did he prefer her to us?" Then Mary grieved and said to Peter, "My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I thought this up myself in my heart or that I am lying concerning the Savior?" 11. Levi answered and said to Peter, "Peter, you are always irate. Now I see that you are contending against the woman like the adversaries. But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you to reject her? Surely the Savior knew her very well. For this reason he loved her more than us. And we should rather be ashamed and put on the Perfect Man, to

form us [?] as he commanded us, and proclaim the gospel, without publishing a further commandment or a further law than the one which the Savior spoke." When Levi had said this, they began to go out in order to proclaim him and preach him

Cho 37

i)

Context of the Gospel of Mary

The context of the gospel can be summarized into four categories, as underlined above with four different lines. The first category is parts that explain basic tenets of Gnosticism. The dialogue starts with a conversation between Jesus and his apostles. The first paragraph explains how all matters are interrelated, sharing one common root, and how it will be dissolved as one into the roots of its nature alone. In the second paragraph, Jesus explains how sin is formed: through an act of the nature of fornication (which means adultery). This refers to how Sophia, who were to seek spiritual bond only with her counterpart Christ, instead sought to know the unknownable One, and from this occasion, a sin, or the creation of Demiurge has been committed. Therefore, it can be speculated that the common root in the first paragraph refers to the One, from which Sophia, and from which, Demiurge, emanated. In the same paragraph, Savior explains the coming of Good (Jesus Christ himself) to restore all to its ultimate root - the One. According to Jesus, this is precisely the reason of being of humankind; to bear the suffering, escape what is contrary to nature (the world), and become united with the One again. He then reminds the apostles not to be swayed by other forms of nature; to avoid getting persuaded by other explanations of the Universe, or other fake gods. It is notable how even in the first two paragraphs, Jesus repeats three similar phrases: He who has ears to hear, let him hear twice in the first and second paragraphs, and whoever knows may know in the middle of the second paragraph. The three phrases imply that those who know, or those with the ability to know (He who has ears to hear, whoever knows) will be able to hear and understand what he is saying (let him hear, may know). It is even as if those who can listen and understand are indeed existent, yet limited (not everyone can hear).

Cho 38

These phrases fall into the second category: implication on Gnostic attributes of the gospel. In Matthew 11:15, there is a similar phrase which reads: He who has ears; let him hear. However, repetition of phrases with almost identical meanings in only the beginning parts of a gospel can show a particular intention of the author. In this case, it emphasizes the importance of gnosis and the existence of Gnostics, a certain group of people who are elite in interpreting Gods words, for they actually understand the meaning of them. In the middle of the sixth paragraph, Mary says to the other apostles What is hidden from you I will impart on you. The word hidden also contributes to understanding the Gnostic nature of this gospel: only those in the know, the Gnostics are able to understand the hidden, important teachings of God. In the end of the third paragraph, Jesus tells his apostles to go preach his words in accordance with his commandments. He says, I have given you no law, as the lawgiver did, lest you be bound by it.: he is reminding the apostles not to be pertained the laws of others, and perhaps, to reject following the rules that are not from him. Jesus emphasizes that there cannot be any sort of authority or rule in interpreting his words. This part again well-portrays the Gnostics tendency to reject any authority, and insist that the leader, or elite of Jesus following are not direct descendants or pupils of the apostles, but any of those who have came to understand him through various forms of enlightenment (receiving of gnosis). The third topic of the context of the Gospel of Mary is the ascent of the soul, or of Jesus Christ. Almost to the end of the eighth paragraph, there is one phrase that stands out: killer of men. Mary is here explaining that the ascending soul would be the killer of men. In the next paragraph, she elaborates on the meaning of a souls ascension. According to her, dying, thus killing means the end of desire and ignorance. A soul will be saved from a world - this wicked world-, from one type of world that belongs to a higher type of the world. The

Cho 39

existence in this world is short (temporal), and one would finally be saved from this realm of impotence of knowledge by dying to rest in the time of the moment of the Aeon in silence. These descriptions of the ascension of soul tell readers that dying actually is being reborn into a higher state of enlightenment, for this world is utterly incomplete. The last topic dealt, and perhaps, the most significant of the Gospel of Mary is the characterization of Mary. In the gospel, when Jesus leaves the apostles and ascends, the male apostles panic, not knowing how they should go to the Gentiles (non-Jews) and preach. At this moment, Mary stands up, greets, and urges them to not mourn or grieve or be irresolute, for Jesus grace will always be there for them for protection and guidance. At her words, the apostles settle down and start discussing the teachings of Jesus. It is quite strange to find Mary, not Peter, the foundation of Church, or some other male disciple to settle down the insecure crowd. Here, Mary seems to possess some acknowledgement or power among the apostles of Jesus Christ. More hints about Marys status among them are shown in the following paragraphs. In the sixth paragraph, Peter says that the Savior loved her more than other women. He then asks Mary to tell them the words of the Savior, as she knows them, and they (the rest of the apostles) do not, nor have they heard of them. Marys answer to Peters request is What is hidden from you I will impart to you. Then, she goes on describing the vision of Jesus she had, yet the details are unknown due to the four missing pages. After she is done describing the teachings she received from (the vision of) Jesus, Andrew disapproves the credibility of Marys words, saying that the ideas are too apart from what they have previously learned. Also, Peter opposes her, expressing his incredulity of Jesus imparting secret teachings to a woman in preference of men. However, Levi rebukes Peter this time for his irate temper, and his disrespect to the authority of the Savior: But if the Savior

Cho 40

made her worthy, who are you to reject her? Surely the Savior knew her very well. For this reason he loved her more than us. 9 In the Gospel of Mary, Mary is among the leading figures of Jesus apostles, if not the leader. Not only are the apostles brought to calmness by Marys assurance, but they are also being taught by her about the hidden vision revealed only to her, and none other. In addition to Peters saying that she was loved more by Savior than other women, Levi, in the end, says that the Savior loved her more than he loved the apostles. These accounts of Mary bear significant importance, for they radically change the status of Mary Magdalene. Not only is the popular, yet unintelligent consent among Christians of her being a repentant prostitute no where to be seen, or even hinted, but also, she is not merely someone following Jesus and his apostles she is among the group, and very likely, in a highly-esteemed position.

Part III The Question of Inclusion

In Part II, the Gospel of Mary, the theology it is based on, and the context of it were discussed in detail. As it can be seen from the gospel alongside the Biblical descriptions on similar situations or dictations that occur in the gospel, clearly, Gospel of Mary is deeply related with Christianity. It deals with a souls, or Jesus the Saviors resurrection and the apostles teaching of Gentiles around the world that should follow. Although the exact identity of the author is unknown, it dates well back to antiquity (120-180 A.D.), reasonably close to the time

See Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels.

Cho 41

of Jesus. Considering that there is not a single direct identification of himself by the person the gospel is named after in the Canonical gospels, (such as I, Paul) it seems tenable to argue that the Gospel of Mary is a well-certified Christian piece of writing of a long history. And if it is, it seems reasonable to find the gospel in the Bible. Why was the Gospel of Mary not included in the Bible? And far apart from it, not even known to this period of time, after two thousand years? These questions can be answered when the relationship between Christianity and Gnosticism, the faith Gospel of Mary is based on is examined, and also, that of Christianity and this particular Gnostic gospel.

1. Relationship between Gnosticism and Christianity

i)

Development of Orthodox Christianity Gnosticism was most active in the first few centuries A.D. Then it came to a near

extinction for centuries until 1955, when Nag Hammadi Library was discovered and the general conception of Christianity being homogeneous has been slowly rebuked. As Gnosticism is possibly a sect of, or at least a belief system deeply related with Christianity, it is crucial to take a look at the development of orthodox Christianity in order to see the relationship between Gnosticism and Christianity. F. C. Baur (1792-1860), a noted scholar of early Christianity said that Christianity today is more of a hybrid than of a pure form; it has been driven by a theological agenda to show that a catholic solution had been in place from the beginning. Though not many people, even the Church-goers, are aware of it, in the early days, Christianity was not homogeneous at all. It was a rather diverse collection of many different forms of belief, such as Marcionite,

Cho 42

Ebionite, Gnostic, Proto-orthodox Christianities, etc. Among various groups of believers, there had existed a long, harsh internecine battle in becoming the orthodox Christianity before the church that people know of, and the doctrines it presented became something accepted de facto. The belief system of the group that had won this battle for orthodoxy would be referred to as the Proto-orthodox. Bart. D. Ehrman, author of The Lost Christianities defines Proto-orthodox Christianity in his book as a form of Christianity that endorsed the beliefs and practices that eventually came to dominate the religion toward the middle of the third century, which may be considered the forebears of Christian orthodoxy. The common view that there was one true Christianity, directly imparted from Jesus Christ, along with some other false Christianities (heresies), attempting to dent the true Christianity, utterly lacks understanding of the Church history. Another noted scholar of Christianity, Walter Bauer (1877-1960) attacked this view by saying that uses of the very term orthodoxy and heresy are deeply flawed when describing early Christianity, because there simply did not exist one group advocating an apostolic doctrine accepted by the majority of the Christians; formation of orthodox Christianity was more or less the result of the battles in the second and third centuries, in which the winner was given the chance to rewrite history as if there existed unity within Christianity. Proto-orthodoxys success in winning is due to two main reasons: one, the favorable characteristics of Proto-orthodoxy, and second, its successful methods of proving itself to be orthodox.

Proto-Orthodoxy, an Attractive Theology In early Christianity, the question of for whom the religion was meant was aggressively

Cho 43

disputed. Though the religion is now something universal, something that applies to all humans without discrimination, if one considers the historical background of Jesus and his teachings, it also seems reasonable that Jesus is the god of Jews. After all, he was a Jew himself, born and raised Jewish to travel in Jewish lands to teach the Jewish people. A group of people who believed in its Jewish exclusiveness was the Ebionite Christians. They acknowledged Jesus authority, however, Jesus remained strictly within the history of the Jews. According to the Ebionites, one must be a Jew to be a true Christian, abiding by the Jewish laws; circumcising all males, observing Sabbath, and keeping kosher. Thus, for example, in Ebionites point of view, apostle Paul, renowned for his various attempts to convert Gentiles, would be in vain, for he did not understand properly the basics of Christianity, the impossibility for Gentiles to remain Gentiles and believe in Christianity at the same time. As opposed to the Ebionites, there was another group of Christians called Macionites, who condemned any attempt to relate Jesus and the Jewish tradition. According to their belief, it was Jesus, not Jewish laws, that was to be learned. And of course, the Old Testaments credibility was out of the question. To their support, in gospels, scenes in which Jesus is in conflict with the Pharisees, the exacting Jewish law-keepers, are not uncommon. The Marcionites often went to an extreme of detesting anything Jewish, and the apostle Paul, who is heretical in Ebionite point of view, was the apostle, the one who truly understood Jesus teachings. How did the Proto-orthodox Christians view this matter? Between these two extremes, they took a middling way, a safe point of view that partially endorsed both. For example, they claimed that God of the Old Testament was indeed the God of New Testament. The Old Testament provided the foundation for the Messiah by many prophets; Jesus Christ of the New Testament. Jesus Christ, while being Jewish in ethnicity (Ebionite), loved everyone men and

Cho 44

women, adults and children, the holy and the sinners and of course, the Gentiles (Marcionite). The God of Old Testament was the Father (Ebionite God), and the God of New Testament (Marcionte God) was the Son, who were essentially one, along with the Holy Ghost, in Trinity. This sort of explanation that denounced none of the early Christian sects proved very attractive: it could be believed by both Jews and the Gentiles, trusting both the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament. Another dispute among the Ebionites and the Marcionites was the corporeality of Jesus Christ. In an attempt to explain the existence of Jesus Christ, the Ebionites developed a belief that Jesus was an extremely devout human with a clean soul, who came to be adopted by God as his son. This view would later be called adoptionist. The Marcionites believed that Jesus only seemed to be corporeal, in the likeness of flesh. This view would later be called docetic. Again, in between these two different views, Proto-orthodox Christians believed that Jesus was the son of God that was sent from heaven to save His people to salvation. They claimed that he was indeed divine in spirit (Maricionite), yet, was not some kind of apparition, but a fleshly entity born and meant to suffer in this world by Gods will (Ebionite). In taking non-offensive, comprehensive views - products of amalgamating various extreme beliefs-, Proto-orthodox Christianity became very appealing to a diversity of people, gaining more and more support. In other words, it was universal, an attribute crucial in becoming a popular religion.

Effective Means of Becoming Orthodox Proto-orthodox Christians did not just insist upon their agreeable views and sit back. In the battle of defining orthodox Christianity, Proto-orthodoxy used various ways to distinguish itself authentic. These are:

Cho 45

1. Prophetic and Apostolic succession 2. Constant communication with one another 3. Usage of political power 4. Rejection of other beliefs by many routes 5. Compilation of the Bible

(1) Prophetic and Apostolic Succession To define itself historically authentic, Proto-orthodoxy had to go through two steps: establishing itself as a succession of entire human history (for a true religion must have been there from the beginning), and also, establishing itself as a succession of Jesus teachings. In previous paragraphs, the attitude of Proto-orthodox Christians toward the Jewish tradition was discussed. Proto-orthodox theologians must have been quite split in dilemma when they tried to delineate their opinion on this matter: If they denounced the Jewish tradition, and thus, the Jewish Bible, they had no evidence that Jesus Christ was the ultimate Messiah believed from antiquity. If they acknowledged the Jewish Bible, on the other hand, unique traditions of the Jews and the obligation to keep them were very likely to be distasteful to the Gentiles, a much larger pool of believers than only the Jews. In the end, they proved their belief to have prophetic succession, in other words, tradition by accepting the Jewish bible, along with long history of the Jews, and claiming that Jesus Christ was the point of the tradition. However, they also claimed as the Marcionites did, that the important part was Jesus teachings, not the laws of the land he was born in. The question of apostolic succession was rather easy to solve. In Proto-orthodox writings, almost everything is related with Jesus and the apostles: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, are direct recordings of Jesus life and teachings. Acts, descriptions on how the disciples taught

Cho 46

Gentiles after Jesus resurrection, was written by a company of Paul. Romans, first and second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, first and second Thessalonians, first and second Timothy, Titus, Philemon, are all letters written by Paul, the former prisoner of Christ (Saul). Hebrews, concerned with the greatness of God has an unknown author speculated to be Paul, Barnabas, or some other close to Paul. James, first and second Peter, first, second, and third John, and Jude, accounts of the context of the apostles teachings, were written by the apostles names of whom the gospels are named after. And finally Revelation, describing the coming of God, was written by John, the author of Gospel of John. By acknowledging only the direct predecessors of Jesus, they claimed that their teachings must be authentic, too. It is notable how early fathers of the church were somehow all able to connect their lineage back to the original apostles. And of course, the church founded by such people, simply had to be genuine.

(2) Constant communication with one another In the New Testament, from Romans to Philemon contain letters written by Paul to the believers in other regions. In doing this, he attempted to encourage them to fight for their beliefs, and also, make sure that those who called themselves Christians had theology not different from the sort that Paul believed to be true; seeking harmony of belief within Christian communities. This is an example of how Proto-orthodox writers were using the method of communication with one another to make Proto-orthodox more solid, reasonable, and above all, homogeneous.

(3) Usage of political power After the Great Schism in 1054 and before the Reformation, the Western Church was called the Roman Catholic Church. Considering the fact that Jesus was a Jew, born in Jerusalem,

Cho 47

it feels awkward that his church has settled down and thrived on a place far away from his origin. The explanation for this awkwardness is that Proto-orthodoxy, which became orthodox Christianity later on was deeply related with Rome. As the saying all roads lead to Rome goes, Rome was the center of culture, commerce, and administration, and the influence it exerted on the other regions of the empire was colossal. In early Christianity, the Church of Rome was generally Proto-orthodox. And this proto-orthodox Church of Rome, in the early days of Christianity, was highly concerned with exerting influence on the Churches of other regions, not purely for religious purposes, but also political and economical (Church could well be another institution of the Empire to exert influence on the other regions, or the Church could be trying to use the political influence of Rome to exert religious influences). One example of this is found in the earliest non-Canonical piece of writing called 1 Clement. In it, the Christians of Rome try to persuade Christians of Corinth to reinstate presbyters in the church. It is surprising how the Church of Rome, which has nothing to do with the Church of Corinth, or any right to interfere with the business of Corinth, tries to control the way the Church is growing. It of course can be religious, strictly out of camaraderie of being Christian, but the fact that the request concerns administration of the Church makes this event highly unlikely to be unassociated with politics. As emphasized in 1 Clement, the Proto-orthodox Christians endorsed the church hierarchy, and the authority of the clergy, validity of whom was handed down from the apostles of Jesus Christ. This organization proved extremely effective, both internally and externally. Within the Proto-orthodoxy Christianity, it provided order and effectiveness in controlling the Christian community. Outside the Proto-orthodox Christians, to the eyes of non-believers or believers of Proto-orthodox Christianity, it must have given the impression that Proto-orthodoxy

Cho 48

was very coherent, and deep-rooted.

(4) Rejection of other beliefs by many routes In the battle for Orthodoxy, the Proto-orthodox theologians mainly used written documents letters and books - to reject other beliefs. For example, Tertullian, one of the most prolific writers and shapers of early Christianity (who was denounced heretical in the later times of his life by the Orthodox Church) produced many works that denounced heretical views of Ebionites, Marcionites, Gnostics, etc., in writings like The Prescription Against Heretics and Against Marcion. Another prolific writer of Proto-orthodoxy was Irenaeus, who wrote an extensive series of five-volume book called Against Heresies in which he denounced those in the know, the Gnostics, which would later be a primary source in understanding Gnosticism before the Nag Hammadi discovery. Other means in rejecting heretical views, or rather, making other forms of Christianity look unsubstantiated and absurd to the public eye, included forging works of Christian literature. These forgeries had nontheological agenda, such as providing spiritual entertainment (i.e. the infancy gospels) and providing validity of certain teachers of early Christianity, opposition to heretics, or other subtle purposes like giving out an impression that Proto-orthodoxy was the winning side in the battle of becoming orthodox, and stopping the circulation of other ideas by writing in the name of famous Proto-orthodox writers with context subversive to theology that they were already known to endorse. Proto-orthodoxy had an alternative way to rejecting other Christian sects: making itself the most believable among them. In order to do so, unity among the scriptures was crucial. Falsification was the mean of bringing unity. They corrected their texts intentionally and unintentionally to make them more committed to the Proto-orthodox teachings, to say what they

Cho 49

should be saying, instead of what they were saying. Many scribers of Christian texts made many silly errors, and others often commented on the texts, writing down what they should mean, or what they thought they meant, and correcting what they thought was an error from the previous scribers.

(5) Compilation of the Bible Written documents have always proved effective, just as the Ten Commandments of Moses, and the written texts in rejection of others beliefs did. Yet, the single most powerful piece of writing would be a set of written documents of the Church teachings for people to constantly consort and abide by. In the course of establishing itself orthodox, and after it has started to be acknowledged as orthodox, Proto-orthodox Christianitys attempt to provide a complete set of authentic Christian teachings continuously took place. Unlike what most peoples believe, the Bible that we know of now was not the first, ultimate work of compilation. The very first attempt to compile the teachings into a book was done by a heretic Marcion, the founder of Marcionite Christianity. The first Orthodox Canon discovered is called the Muratorian Canon. It is a fragmentary text that lists which writings should be included in the holy book. Other than this piece of writing, there is no definite agreement on what was the beginning of the compiling work. Though no one can be sure of its beginning, one can get a hint on what the criteria of compilation of the holy book was. First, it had to be ancient, produced around the time of Jesus. Second, it had to be apostolic, written by an apostle or a close companion of apostle. Third, it had to be catholic, used by many churches throughout the world. And fourth, it had to be orthodox, adhering to the theology of Orthodox Christianity. The Orthodox Bible contained the Jewish Bible as the Old Testament, and a series of

Cho 50

Jesus teachings and events of life, and those of the apostles over sixty to seventy years, who were divinely inspired and authorized by Jesus himself, as the New Testament. The decisive list of books that are to be of Canon emerged in the end of the fourth century, after sixty years or so of debate. Along with the Roman imperial policy of tolerance to Christians, and the conversion of Emperor Constantine into Christianity before his death, orthodox Christianity became not only impeccable in its teachings, but also socially legitimate and even desirable. 10

ii)

Gnosticism, A Major Threat to the Orthodox Christianity While there existed many sects of Christianity as opposed to the Proto-orthodox

Christianity, Gnosticism remained one of the major threats to the Proto-orthodoxy in becoming Orthodox. While Marcionite and Ebionite views toward Jesus and his teachings could be compromised and included in the Orthodox Christianity, Gnosticism was rather difficult to be so, due to its strikingly different teachings and denunciation of the Church authority.

Difference In Teachings As mentioned previously many times, to the Gnostics, this world is utterly evil. It is neither the creation of God as it says in Genesis, or a target of salvation as Proto-orthodox Christians claimed to be; it simply is something to be escaped from. This view particularly handicapped Orthodox teachings in the importance of moral living in this world. Also, the existence of Jesus Christ bore a completely different meaning to the people of this world. In one of the Gnostic writings called Treatise on Resurrection, Jesus states: Do not suppose that resurrection is an apparition. It is not an apparition rather

10

See Ehrman, Lost Christianities. Cho 51

it is something real. Instead, one ought to maintain that the world is an apparition, rather than resurrection. Also, in the Gnostic Gospel of Philip, Jesus says: Those who say they will die first and then rise are in error. Instead, they must receive the resurrection while they live. In these quotes, it is obvious that Jesus did not come to this world to die and instead bring life to the people. In other words, his death has nothing to do with peoples salvation. Rather, he came to this world to provide teachings, gnosis, that would enable them to be saved from the apparition (world), and then died, because obviously the people of Matter were ignorant, not able to recognize their own deity. Therefore, people should strive to be enlightened while they are alive, instead of seeking eternal happiness after they are dead, for those who did not receive gnosis will not ever be able to save themselves. Notice how disloyal these Gnostic teachings are to Orthodox Christianity: it completely rejects the need for devotion to Godly living, and in a broader sense, the need to follow the teachings of the Church, the authority in God.

Political Threat to the Established Church Gnostics believed that those who have the true authority, if there ever was such thing, it should be given to those who have earned gnosis. And it was through spiritual communication with God that one could earn gnosis. Thus, should the followers of Jesus Christ ever be lead by a leader, it should definitely be done so by those who actually understood what Jesus really was trying to impart. However, the Gnostics believed that there could not possibly be a true leader of the Church, for gnosis came in different forms at different times for different person. Therefore, anyone who had reached spiritual communication with God, be it through hearing

Cho 52

words of God, or having a vision of him, became the authority by him/herself. This view on leadership of the Church had two major distasteful implications to the Orthodox Christians. First, there was no need to follow the Orthodox Church; it could neither provide spiritual unification with God, something meant to be personal, nor be the authority of God as a group, which did not exist in the first place. The Orthodox Christianity proclaimed that it had apostolic succession. But the very term apostolic succession was nonsense in a Gnostic point of view: if the apostles were given gnosis by following Jesus Christ and listening to his teachings, it was only them that became personally bonded with the One, not the Church fathers of later times who could trace their lineage back to the apostles. Listening to preachers who may or may not have earned the gnosis, and accepting their words as something of Jesus Christ was simply wrong, for nobody could earn and impart gnosis for someone else. In simpler words, to the Gnostics, the Orthodox Christianity was a total sham. The second distasteful implication of Gnostics came from their gospels and other works of writing: Anyone could be reunited in soul with God and this word anyone transcended all social categories. Therefore, women as well as men, could be the leaders of the Church. Throughout history, women were rarely allowed a major participation within the Church; they were always second to men. The current priesthood clearly shows this point, as the Roman Catholic priests, as well as most of the Protestant ministers are all male. Female followers of the Church were of course allowed as nuns. However, nuns have always been restricted in their religious quests: they were discouraged from preaching to the public, and were always to exist in support of the father within the Christian community. As early as late second century, the orthodox community accepted the domination of men over women as the divinely

Cho 53

ordained order since now. To show this point bluntly, in 1977, in answering questions of qualification in becoming a priest, Pope Paul VI declared that a woman cannot be a priest because our Lord was a man. The Orthodox Christianity has been built on the exclusivity of male priesthood from the first century, A.D. Denouncing this could indeed be denouncing the Church itself, for it was one of the founding ideas of Orthodox Church.

2. Relationship between the Gospel of Mary and Christianity

From the previous section, explanations were given on how Gnosticism was a threat to the Orthodox Christianity: it was subversive in that it had totally different notions of belief, and that it could be a powerful threat to the established Church, stating that the Orthodox Church is not the true leader, and implying that women should also be approved of authority in preaching Gods words. As a Gnostic piece of writing, Gospel of Mary reinstates, or stretches further in threatening the Orthodox Christianity.

i)

Difference in Teaching In Part II, the context of the Gospel of Mary was summarized into four categories -

basic tenets of Gnosticism, Gnostic attributes, ascension of the soul, and the importance of Mary three of which show the difference in teaching between Gnosticism and Orthodox Christianity. It is mainly concerned with Demiurges creation of matter, to which this world belongs, and how Christ, in the form of Jesus, came to the world to bring gnosis for salvation. It also states

Cho 54

how the apostles should go teach the Gentiles after Jesus has ascended. In other words, it is a reinstatement of the Gnostic teachings about the creation of the world and Jesus ascension. As a full representation of Gnosticism through describing dialogues between Jesus and his apostles, the Gospel of Mary is an extremely subversive piece of writing to Orthodox Christianity, even without its various implications.

ii)

Political Threat to the Established Church Orthodox Christianity claims its supremacy of interpreting Gods words through

providing the validity of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, and surely, Mary is not among them. Yet, in the Gospel of Mary, Jesus had imparted a vision of secret teachings to only Mary, and to no one else. Furthermore, Mary goes on to teach the apostles. In this case, Mary is the one in the know, the one with gnosis. Also, this inner quality of Mary is in direct contrast with the ignorance of Andrew and Peter who, not only had not received the vision, or understood the explanations from Mary, but also, denounced Marys authority, something directly given by the Lord himself. The confrontation of Mary and Levi with Peter and Andrew represents the battles for Orthodoxy between Gnosticism and Proto-orthodoxy. The fact that Peter is refuted and calmed away by Levi in defense of Mary seems to be on the side of the Gnostics as the true leader of the Church. Mary Magdalene is potentially very dangerous to the authority and hierarchy of the Orthodox Church by her mere existence: She shows how the twelve were not the only approved teachers of Jesus words; therefore, the Church, with the twelve apostles as its foundation, may not be the one and only authority of God. In addition, to Orthodox Christians dismay, the fact that Mary is calm and wise while Peter is irate and rather ignorant disproves the authority of

Cho 55

the Orthodox Church. 11 There is a small detail very contradictory of the Orthodox Christianity in the Gospel of Mary. In the gospel, Mary says, "I saw the Lord in a vision. For Orthodox Christians, vision is not an appropriate way of learning Jesus teachings. It has to be from a direct contact with Jesus, or taught by someone who has had such contact. However, Jesus is found to be saying in the gospel: Blessed are you, since you did not waver at the sight of me. For where the mind is, there is your countenance Then the later part of the gospel is all about the details of Jesus teachings to Mary. The fact that Jesus acknowledges learning from a vision makes the Gospel of Mary heretical. Not only the authority of Church, but also male exclusivity of the Orthodox priesthood can be questioned after reading the gospel. In the Gospel of Mary, Mary seems to know more not only about Jesus teachings, but also about Jesus himself, personally. She is, as Levi comments, loved more by Jesus than any of the other apostles, after all. If there was such person who was taught more and loved more by Jesus than the any other apostle, even the Church cannot refute the authority of this person. For Orthodox Christians, the problem lay in the fact that this person was a woman, meaning that acknowledging this person meant granting equal status of women in the Church priesthood, the same way men were acknowledged; in reference to the twelve apostles.

In conclusion, the Gospel of Mary is a threat to the Orthodox Christianity in the same way Gnosticism is. It reveals to the world the different teachings of Gnosticism how to view this world, the meaning of Jesus ascension, and how to live after Jesus leaves through

11

See Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels. Cho 56

conversation of Jesus, Mary, and other male apostles, and also, explanations of Mary of her hidden vision. It proves itself to be a critical rejection of the Orthodox Church, implying that the Church is not the true leader (because there is Mary, who also was taught by Jesus, and because Peter and Andrew show lack of understanding), and that if the gospel was taken seriously, women would have to be allowed to join priesthood.

3. Inclusion and Its Meaning

Doubtlessly, most Christians today, when they hear the word gospel think of the four Gospels of the New Testament. They hardly think that there may be other gospels less known to the world, and almost never think that such gospels could have been purposely excluded from the Bible. The Gospel of Mary was never included in the Bible, and it is highly unlikely that it was even once considered for inclusion by the Proto-orthodox theologians in their long history of renewals in making the Canonical list, and one may wonder why. However, after knowing particular theology it represents, what this gospel claims, and what kind of repercussion it could bring to the establishment of the Orthodox Church, it is even silly to ask such question. Although no one knows what really happened in the past, eighteen hundred years ago to the most, Gnosticism was declared heretical and possibly exterminated as the result of their defeat in the battle for Orthodoxy. The consequence was enormous. In addition to being heretic, their works were condemned and most likely destroyed, while the Canonical Bible spread around the Globe. Those who insisted on keeping their own faiths or even possessing heretical documents could be brought to misfortune, as serious as death, by the political power Orthodox

Cho 57

Church controlled in the Holy Roman Empire and other regions. Then it is of no question why the fragmentary, not even wholesome texts of the Gospel of Mary ended up deep in the grounds of Akhmim and the trash heaps of Oxyrhynchus. Inclusion of the Gospel of Mary could not possibly be considered by itself. It represented a broader system of belief called Gnosticism, of which an extensive series of fortysix or more texts existed. Inclusion of one of them, the Gospel of Mary, and acknowledging it to be Orthodox meant acknowledging Gnosticism itself. If this was done so, the New Testament would have contained some seventy-three or more chapters instead of the current twenty-seven, and the faith we know of now as Christianity would never have existed.

Cho 58

Conclusion
When I was assiduously trying to analyze the identities of Mary of Bethany, the nameless woman, and Mary Magdalene, a friend of mine asked, Why are you interested in a topic that nobody else seems to care about? She could not understand the importance of identifying someone in the Bible who died two thousand years ago could bear significance in studying history. However, I believe otherwise. The correct identification of Mary Magdalene bears importance equal to that of any other character in the Bible, or perhaps even more, because she has been misinterpreted for so long. Also, studying characters of the Bible and how they contributed to the shaping of history is equally important as studying any other character in history, be it Stalin or Alexander the Great. It is crucial for those who study history to get a correct understanding of what happened in the past, what caused it, and how it has affected the course of history, which I believe to be the primary reason, the essence of studying history. The same goes out for studying the Gospel of Mary. Early Christianity was not wellorganized, spontaneous, and monotheistic as it appears. It was more of an outcome of battles among many different groups of Christians, in which Gnosticism lost and became extinct. However, this defeat does not disqualify Gnosticism from being Christian. To get a clearer view of early Christianity, it is essential to study Gnosticism, and also the Gospel of Mary which portrays well parts of the diverse Christian beliefs. Perhaps it can contribute even more to the understanding considering that it was hidden in parts of Egypt, and remained unknown for more than fifteen hundred years. In the Canonical Bible, Mary Magdalene remains a woman from whom seven demons were cast out of by Jesus, who stands near the cross of Jesus to watch the execution along with

Cho 59

other women from Galilee who provided financial support. When he is buried she comes back to the tomb for anointing, but finds it devoid of Jesus and occupied by another angel. Later she sees the first one to see the resurrected Jesus. However, the popular perception of Mary Magdalene holds her as a repentant sinner, evidenced mainly back in the Homily 33 of Gregory the Great, in which he interrelated Mary of Bethany, a nameless sinful woman and Mary Magdalene to be the same person. He was weakly substantiated in doing so, yet, considering he was very much of a powerful political figure in the 6th and 7th centuries, this can be considered a very wise, decisive movement. Though Mary Magdalene has been used very effectively by the Church and other institutions throughout history, careful inspection of the Bible again proves no link between theses three women, although Mary of Bethany and the nameless sinful woman are very likely to be identical characters. The Gospel of Mary, believed to have been written in spirit of Mary Magdalene, the repentant sinner in Church history, is one of many Christian texts that came to be lost during the long battle for Orthodoxy. It represents Gnosticism, a particular sect within Christianity that believed in the notion of evil world and the need of earning gnosis to earn salvation. It is very likely that the Gospel of Mary came to be almost extinct and hidden in secluded areas because it was extremely subversive to the Orthodox Christianitys teachings. Gnosticism was a large threat to the Orthodox Christianity due to its striking difference in teaching, and also a political threat it imposed on the established Church: It implied that the Orthodox Church could not be the leader of Jesus teachings, and that the hierarchy of priesthood was deeply flawed. Gospel of Mary, which remained faithful to its doctrine Gnosticism further embellished on these points of Gnostics through recounting Jesus teachings and portraying Mary to be of a high esteem among the apostles. Thus, the question of inclusion of this particular gospel will always meet a negative answer, for admission of this one gospel to be Canon would mean admitting

Cho 60

Gnosticism to be Orthodox, and Christianity as a whole would take an utterly different shape. Both the Biblical character Mary Magdalene and the Gospel of Mary provide startling examples of how history can be not only distorted, but also, rewritten, depending on the outcome of battles between opposing groups. If Proto-orthodoxy had not won the battle of Orthodoxy in antiquity, Mary Magdalene may not have been portrayed as a repentant prostitute, useful for the moralizing agenda of the Orthodox Church, and the Gospel of Mary may have been widely know, or even included in the Bible. But because there was a certain winner in the battle of becoming Orthodox Christianity, history has come to be written in a way that is most favorable of the winning side, the Proto-orthodoxy. Outrageous as it may be, it would be irrational to blame the Orthodox Christian Church, or any winning side throughout history, be it in art or war events, for this distortion of the past. History is, after all, written by humans, who are bound to be - even in the tiniest bit - selfish, tending to write more auspiciously about things that they endorse. It remains, then, and always will remain a job for those who study history to get a thorough understanding of the past, closest to what really took place, so that another Mary Magdalene or another heretical Gospel of Mary does not allow itself to be repeated in the history to come.

Cho 61

Bibliography

BOOKS

International Bible Society. The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV): Colorado Springs, CO., USA. 1997

Ehrman, Bart D. Lost Christianities: the battles for scriptures and the faiths we never knew: New York, NY, USA., Oxford University Press, Inc., 2003.

Ehrman, Bart D. Lost Scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament: New York, NY, USA., Oxford University Press, Inc., 2003.

Pagels, Elaine. The Gnostic Gospels: New York, NY, USA, Vintage Books, 1979.

Berstein, Dan. Secrets of the Code: New York, NY, USA, Squibnocket Partners LLC, 2004.

Encyclopedia Britannica (Editor). The Encyclopedia Britannica: Chicago, IL, USA, Encyclopedia Britannica Corporation, 1995

Cho 62

VIDEOS

Mary Magdalen: An Intimate Portrait. V.I.E.W, Inc., New York, NY, 1996

One Who Was There. Vision Video, Worcester, PA, 1998.

WEBSITES

Wikimedia. The Free Encyclopedia. 2005. www.wikipedia.org

K. Knight. The Catholic Encyclopedia. 2005. www.newadvent.org

Brian Turner. excerpts from the gospel of mary. The UKs largest site for religious sources: Comparative-religion.com. http://www.comparative-religion.com/christianity/apocrypha/newtestament-apocrypha/6/1.php

Karen King. Gospel of Mary Magdala. Karen Kings Gospel of Mary of Magdala. 2003. Poleridge Inc. http://www.maryofmagdala.com/GMary_Text/gmary_text.html

The Gnostic Society. The Gospel According to Mary Magdalene. THE GNOSTIC SOCIETY LIBRARY. http://www.gnosis.org/library/marygosp.htm

Cho 63

Christopher Witcombe. Mary Magdalen and Prostitution, Gregory the Great's Homily 33 and the Identification of Mary Magdalen as a Prostitute. The Da Vinci Code. 2004. http://witcombe.sbc.edu/davincicode/contents-schedule.html

Robin Dougherty. Movies :: The Magdalene Sisters. Bostons NPR News Source. 2003. http://www.wbur.org/arts/2003/49237_20030815.asp

Kenneth

L.

Woodward.

Quite

Contrary

Mary.

Beliefnet,

Inc.

2004.

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/131/story_13188_1.html

Karen

King.

Letting

Mary

Magdalene

Speak.

Beliefnet,

Inc.

2004.

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/131/story_13186_1.html

Head of the History Department, University of Leicester. Frequently Asked Questions: Seven Deadly Sins. University of Leicester. 2001 http://www.le.ac.uk/arthistory/seedcorn/faqsds.html

Cho 64

Index: Important Terms

Canonical

2, 8, 12, 16, 23, 24, 42. 43, 44, 45, 49.

Ebionite Christianity Gentiles

36, 41, 42, 45 48.

Gnosticism Gnosticism 1, 25, 28, 29 -33, 38, 42, 49, 51, 54 61.

Gnosis 29, 30, 32, 33, 39, 52 55, 60. Pneuma 30, 32. 44 46, 49 51.

Marcionite Christianity

Proto-Orthodoxy 43, 46, 48, 49, 51, 55, 61.

Cho 65