August 2007

Mary Magdalene: One Person, Many Images

It is evident, my friends, that a woman who had earlier been eager for actions which are not allowed had used the ointment as a scent for her own body. What she had earlier used disgracefully for herself she now laudably offered for the Lord. Her eyes had sought earthly things; now, chastising them through repentance, she wept. She had used her hair to beautify her face; now she used it to wipe away her tears. She had spoken proudly with her mouth, but in kissing the Lord’s feet she fixed it to the footsteps of her Redeemer.
(Gregory the Great about Mary Magdalene in Homily 33)

Content

• Point of departure
• Hermeneutical Intersections - Philosophical and Religious Education
• Links with the Flemish curriculum for secondary education
• Background Information
• Didactic Impulses
  • Images
  • Movies
  • Poetry
  • Music
• Didactic suggestions
• Reactions and experiences of fellow teachers

Point of Departure

Mary Magdalene is perhaps one of the most famous and surely also the most infamous woman of the New Testament. The contemporary interest for her person in books, movies, and visual arts shows us that she is a woman with the appeal of a true star. Yet, Mary Magdalene’s star has not always been as bright as it is today. Throughout history, she has been the victim of gross injustice, having been attacked for being a woman, a sinner and a prostitute.

We do not know much about Mary Magdalene. Her name tells us that her home was in Magdala. She travelled through Galilee alongside Jesus and was present at Jesus’ way to the cross, his crucifixion and probably also at his burial. In the Gospel of John she is even privileged to be the first to experience a christophany [the appearance of the risen Christ]. The risen Lord also appears before Mary Magdalene in the other gospels, but in those instances she is always part of a group with other women. The fact that Mary Magdalene is alone when Jesus appears before her in the Gospel of John, is not the only thing that makes her position special in this passage (John 20:11-18).

Her eyes flooded by tears, Mary does not recognise Jesus instantly and takes the man before her as a gardener. When he calls her name, she recognises Christ and addresses him as ‘Rabbouni’, ‘Teacher’ (John 20:16), a term that was only used by the disciples in other passages in the gospel (John 1:38.49; 3:2; 4:31; 6:25; 9:2; 11:8). If Mary was a disciple of Jesus’, why then was she so often branded as a fallen woman in later times? After her recognition of Jesus as the risen Christ, Jesus utters the famous words that went into (art) history as the ‘Noli me tangere’ (the Latin translation of the Greek ‘Me mou haptou’). These three words can be translated in various ways: ‘Do not touch me’, ‘Do not hold me’, and ‘Do not come near me’.

The exhibition ‘Mary Magdalene, One Person, Many Images’ that ran in the Maurits Sabbe Library in Louvain from February 23 to April 30 2006 specifically focused on this ‘Noli me tangere’ motif. It gathered a rich collection of images which each individually interpreted and depicted this one scene in their own way. The works collected for the exhibition, dating from the 16th century to our modern day, showed that Mary Magdalene was and is a woman with many sides.

Mary Magdalene and her various interpretations offer us the possibility to deal with a variety of themes in Religion classes. Mary Magdalene’s position as important woman in the early church communities makes us reflect on the position of women in the Church today. The utterance ‘Noli me tangere’ evokes the tension between the desire to touch or hold, and the exhortation not to touch or to let go. This offers enriching impulses that make it possible to address the delicate problem of sexual abuse. Mary’s historically distorted image as a degenerate woman can be translated unto the modern day view of sexuality and prostitution. It is our ambition to spur on the interest in Mary Magdalene’s person by the collection of impulses below. A manifold of themes, caught in an ever challenging outlook.

Hermeneutical Intersections
Philosophical and Religious Education

Links with the Flemish curriculum for secondary education

Area Stories
1st year, 1st grade
Curriculum p. 87-88

• The Bible is a story that through many stories tells us about the experience of God’s bond with his people and how we are (or are not) an answer to that bond
• Showing the appeal in some – also Biblical – stories

Area Inner self
2nd year, 1st grade
Curriculum p. 96

• Clarifying the coherence between symbolic language and the experience of faith in Bible stories

Area Choices
2nd year, 2nd grade
Curriculum p. 109

• Authentic choices in the life stories of actual persons (also have attention for female figures)

Area Growing Personal Commitment
3rd year, 3rd and 4th grade
Curriculum p. 189

• Bible stories as a mirror for people searching for themselves

Area Love and friendship
2nd year, 3rd grade TSO/KSO
Curriculum p. 176

• Jesus and the Beloved Disciple, Peter, Judas, Mary Magdalene

Search the curriculum (Dutch)

Background Information

1. Mary’s in the New Testament
2. Mary Magdalene in the gospels
3. How Mary Magdalene became a sinner/prostitute
4. The gospel of Mary (Magdalene)
5. Noli me tangere: John 20:17
6. Women and leadership: pastoral perspectives
7. Bibliography
8. Websites

1. Mary’s in the New Testament

When one thinks of the characters in the New Testament, one often associates them with men. It is clear, however, that women played a significant role in Jesus’ life. The most famous woman probably is Mary, Jesus’ mother. Besides this Mary, the New Testament is populated by several other Mary’s, of which Mary Magdalene ranks among the most famous and certainly is the most infamous in church history.

The name Mary comes from the Hebrew name Miriam. Its meaning has not been determined. It may be related to the Hebrew term for ‘being fat’ (a symbol of wealth) or for ‘gift (of God)’. If we make the connection to the name to an Egyptian derivation (Mirjam was Moses’  Egyptian born sister in the Old Testament), it can also mean ‘loved one’.

There are seven women with the name of Mary in the New Testament:

• Mary, wife of Joseph and mother of Jesus (e.g. Mt 1:16; Luke 1:41; Acts 1:14)
• Mary Magdalene (Mt 27:56.61; Mt 28:1; Luke 8:2; John 20:16)
• Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus (Luke 10:39-42; John 11; 12:1-8)
• Mary, mother of James the younger and Joses (Mark 15:40.47; 16:1; Luke 24:10)
• Mary, the wife of Clopas (John 19:25)
• Mary, the mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12)
• Mary, who worked very hard in Rome (Rom 16:6)

Although usually not much is said about these women, and although they are usually referred to in terms of ‘wife of’ or ‘mother of’, it does become clear that all of them individually and collectively played their role in the coming to being of the Jesus movement and the beginning of Christianity.

In a homily in 591, pope Gregory the Great associated Mary Magdalene with the anonymous sinner in Luke 7. The New Testament, however, nowhere legitimises such an identification. Preachers often harmonised the gospel stories in their preaching, and in this case it was not uncommon that the story of Mary of Bethany, who dried Jesus’ feet with her hair (John 12:1-8), was combined with the story of an anonymous sinner in Luke 7, who makes a similar gesture. Thus the anonymous sinner became a Mary, and because the Mary Magdalene is for the first time identified as one of Jesus’ disciples in the following chapter (Luke 8:1-3), she is identified with the sinner in the preceding story. Because Mary’s so-called ‘sin’ was interpreted as a ‘sexual sin’, she has traditionally gone into history as a prostitute.

The historical setting in which the gospels were written, was markedly patriarchal. In such a society it was not uncommon for women who took up leading positions in the public sphere to be denigrated by the accusation of sexual irregularities. It can be assumed that such a mechanism was also at work in the case of Mary Magdalene. Even as a converted prostitute, Mary stayed a prostitute for many, and thereby her role as a loyal disciple of Jesus and a proclaimer of the risen Christ is minimised.

2. Mary Magdalene in the gospels

1. The Synoptic gospels

Whereas Mary Magdalene symbolises faith in the resurrection in the Gospel of John, this is not the case in the first three (Synoptic) gospels. We will briefly discuss the role and place of Mary Magdalene in these gospels:

The Markean Mary Magdalene (disciple of Jesus and witness)

Text: http://www.devotions.net/bible/41mark.htm

In the Gospel of Mark, Mary Magdalene remains unmentioned until Jesus’ crucifixion. Together with Salome and another Mary she is part of a group of women that watch the scene from a distance (15:40-41). Mary Magdalene had followed from Galilee onwards (10:28) and she also served him (15:41). She was present at Jesus’ death at the cross, his burial and at the discovery of the abandoned tomb. In the Gospel of Mark, the emphasis lies on the ‘being witness’. It seems as if it is self-evident that women follow Jesus. That is why the women are specifically mentioned only when the men have fled. When Mark goes through a group of women, he always mentions Mary Magdalene first.

Conclusion: For Mark, Mary Magdalene belongs to the women who self-evidently follow Jesus.

The Matthean Mary Magdalene (caretaker and supplier)

Text: http://www.devotions.net/bible/40matthew.htm

In the Gospel of Matthew, Mary Magdalene is, together with the other Mary, present at every essential moment in the period between Jesus’ crucifixion and His resurrection. Nevertheless, the importance of women – and thus also that of Mary Magdalene – is markedly diminished by a couple of interventions on Matthew’s part. Women are not real followers of Jesus, let alone disciples. They accompany Jesus from Jerusalem to take care of Him. They do not function as witnesses of Jesus’ death but as guards of his tomb. Neither do they see the abandoned tomb, as they are stopped from doing so by an angel. When the risen Lord appears, not the relationship between Jesus and Mary is central, but that between Jesus and ‘his disciples’, whom He calls ‘my brothers’.

Conclusion: Matthew especially emphasises the role of the male disciples and tones down that of the women. Yet, he cannot go beyond the fact that in the Christian tradition there were women present at the most important moments of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

The Lukan Mary Magdalene (cured woman in Jesus’ company)

Text: http://www.devotions.net/bible/42luke.htm

The Gospel of Luke is the only Synoptic gospel wherein Mary Magdalene is also present in Jesus’ public life in Galilee. Luke writes that Jesus travels through the country to spread the message of the Kingdom of God. Not only the apostles, but also women joined Him on his journey. Among them, there were ‘some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities’ (Luke 8:2) and ‘and many others, who provided for them out of their resources’ (Luke 8:3). The names of the women in the first group are mentioned, and Mary Magdalene is one of them ‘from whom seven demons had gone out’ (Luke 8:2). It must be noted that Mary Magdalene explicitly did not belong the group of women who provided for Jesus – the emphasis lies on her being cured. She disappears into a group of anonymous women (e.g. the group of women at the abandoned tomb in Luke 24:10) at the crucifixion. Also noteworthy is the presence of Peter, who also is the one to be the first witness to Jesus’ resurrection instead of Mary Magdalene.

Conclusion: Mary Magdalene is embedded in a larger group of women in the Gospel of Luke. Everywhere women play a part in Jesus’ story, Luke also mentions men. For that reason, Mary Magdalene and other women play a much smaller role.

2. The Gospel of John (first witness to the resurrection)

Text: http://www.devotions.net/bible/43john.htm

In the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene appears for the first time at the crucifixion. What is remarkable in this gospel, is Mary’s addressing the risen Jesus as ‘Rabbouni’ (‘teacher’) in 20:7. This implies that she was a disciple of Jesus’. Mary Magdalene does not really play a role of importance before the resurrection in the Gospel of John. She, for example, is not the actual witness of Jesus’ death at the cross. This role is allotted to the Beloved Disciple (John 19:35). Neither are there women present at the burial. The mission that the risen Christ gives Mary will in later times lead to her honorary title ‘apostle to the apostles’.

Conclusion: Mary Magdalene’s role is centred on the resurrection. She is portrayed as a loyal disciple of Jesus’. She is the first one to see the risen Lord: ‘I have seen the Lord’ (20:18). Still, however, her testimony is not indispensable, as Jesus also appears before his male disciples.

3. Conclusion

Different roles are assigned to Mary Magdalene in the four gospels: disciple, witness, caretaker and a woman cured from evil spirits. In all four gospels Mary Magdalene is a prominent woman that, in the company of other women, accompanied Jesus through Galilee and even joined him in Jerusalem. Apart from Peter, Jacob and John, her name is mentioned more often in the Synoptic gospels than those of the twelve apostles. She always came to be a central figure when the male disciples deserted Jesus. She (together with other women) was present at the crucifixion and went to the grave on the first day of the week. It is assumed that the Markean Mary Magdalene is the most truthful image of this remarkable woman in historical terms. An unambiguous reconstruction of her person, nonetheless, remains problematic from an historical and hermeneutical point of view. Mary Magdalene prefers to speak to us in manifold.

3. How Mary Magdalene became a sinner/prostitute

1. Mary Magdalene: a fusion of several women

Mary Magdalene appears in different forms in several Bible passages throughout history. The following pericopes are the heart of the matter:

• Luke 8:2: Mary Magdalene is identified with the ‘sinful woman’ from the preceding pericope (7:36-50) who wets Jesus’ feet with her tears, kisses and anoints them, and dries them with her hair. Jesus tells her that her many sins are forgiven and that she shows great love.
• Luke 7:36-50: The woman in this pericope is identified with the Mary who in John 12:1-8 anoints Jesus’ feet with costly perfume and subsequently dries them with her hair.
• Through the identification of the anonymous sinner in Luke 7 and Mary of Bethany in John 12:1-8, Mary Magdalene is identified with Mary of Bethany, notwithstanding the fact that both Mary’s were from different cities.

Three biblical women (Mary of Bethany, Mary Magdalene, and the sinful women in Luke 7:36-50) are thus reduced to one woman, Mary Magdalene. Additionally, the ‘sin’ in Luke 7 is interpreted as a ‘sexual sin’. This process is significantly influenced by Gregory the Great, bishop of Rome, who in a homily in 951 brought these three women together in the figure of one singular sinner. This event established the image of Mary Magdalene for the centuries to come, leaving us with an art collection, a church history, and a pastoral theology that hold a deceptive representation of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute and a sinner.

In the course of history, Mary Magdalene was also identified with Mary of Egypt, a hermitess who, according to a 7th century legend, lived in a cave in the desert, protected only by her hair and fed by the angels.

2. The historical Mary Magdalene

The oldest sources on Mary Magdalene are the gospels (end first, beginning second century A.D.). The little material that we can reconstruct on this basis is the following:

• Mary Magdalene was from the Galilean town of Magdala, on the west coast of the Lake of Galilee.
• She accompanied Jesus in his public life, from Galilee to Jerusalem (Mark 15:41; cf. Mt 27:55; Luke 8:1-3).
• She was follower of Jesus’ (Mark 15:40-41), she calls Him ‘Rabbouni’, ‘Teacher’, which makes her a disciple (John 20:17).
• She is one of the women who are present at the crucifixion (Mark 15:40-41; Luke 23:49 [implicitly]; Mt 27:55-56; John 19:25), who watch as Jesus is laid in the tomb (Mark 15:47; Mt 27:61; Luke 23,55 [implicitly]) and who visit the tomb the next day (Mark 16:5; Mt 28:1; Luke 24:1).
• At the (abandoned) tomb, Mary, together with the other women, experiences a apparition of an angel and/or Christ (Mark 16:5-6 [a young man]; 16:9 [Jesus, the ending of the Gospel of Mark was added later]; Mt 28:5-7 [an angel].9-10 [Jesus]; Luke 24:5-7 [two men]). According to John, Mary Magdalene (alone? with others?) went to the tomb. There she sees angels and there she is the first one to behold the risen Christ (John 20:1.15-18).
• Mary Magdalene receives a mission from Jesus (according to John 20:18 she is alone, according to Mt 28:9-10 she is in the company of the other Mary).
• According to Luke 8:1-3, Jesus freed her from seven demons. One can wonder whether this is historically correct, for we lack a collection of independent sources (Mark 16:9-20 was added to the Gospel of Mark in later times and is presumably based on Luke). Some authors call Luke 8:1-3 a deliberate attempt to discredit Mary Magdalene.

4. The gospel of Mary (Magdalene)

The gospel of Mary (Magdalene) is an apocryphal gospel that was found in Cairo in 1896 and which was scientifically published in 1955. The gospel of Mary Magdalene as we know it today is estimated to date back to the third century A.D. The beginning of the text is missing. Mary Magdalene is presented as an important follower of Jesus’. While the other disciples fear that they will share in Jesus’ fate, Mary Magdalene reacts to Jesus’ assignment with words of encouragement. In response to her effort, Peter asks Mary to speak about Jesus’ words. Mary Magdalene tells of a vision of an encounter with Jesus who shares all sorts of secrets with her. What follows is an argument among the disciples about Mary Magdalene’s authority as a woman ànd a disciple. Andrew expresses doubts about the content of her message (because the difference with the known words of Jesus is too great) and Peter calls into question that Jesus would have spoken to a woman to place her in a higher position than the other disciples. Levi makes a stand for Mary Magdalene and the company goes out to proclaim and preach.

The complete text: http://www.gnosis.org/library/marygosp.htm
More information can also be found in E. De Boer’s helpful book: Mary Magdalene: Beyond the Myth, Harrisburg PA: Trinity Press, 1997.

5. Noli me tangere: John 20:17

In John 20, Mary Magdalene visits Jesus’ tomb. She sees the displaced stone and returns to the disciples to report that the body is gone. After the other disciples have left the tomb, Mary Magdalene stands crying when she sees a man. She thinks it is the gardener and asks him where Jesus is. The gardener, however, is Jesus himself, and he calls Mary by her name. Only then does Mary recognise Jesus, whom she addresses with his ‘earthly’ name Rabbouni. Jesus replies to Mary’s joy with ‘Noli me tangere’, and explains this enigmatic utterance by saying that he has not yet ascended to the Father. He commissions Mary to tell the other disciples that He has risen.

‘Noli me tangere’ is the Latin version of the originally Greek phrase ‘mê mou haptou’. These three words can be translated in different ways: ‘do not touch me’, ‘do not hold me’, ‘do not come near me’ and so on. Depending on the translation, Mary Magdalene’s actions are interpreted differently. Does she try to touch Jesus, or to hold him, or to approach him and is this prohibited or not? Or has she held Jesus and does she have to adjust to a new relationship to the risen Christ? Does she hold him and has to let go so that both of them can go their own way?

Whatever the original meaning of the phrase might have been, the three words ‘Noli me tangere’ have led to a chain of meanings and interpretations throughout history. This makes them a interesting and diverse entry point for the discussion of different theological disciplines like exegesis, pastoral theology, art and church history, etc. These various approaches are elaborately presented in remainder of the present document. For the moment, we will deal with the great diversity of meanings which are elicited by these words.

Throughout history, the ‘noli me tangere’ motif has been depicted in a great many works of art. Apart from any specific knowledge, the representation of the do not touch me/do not hold me will surely challenge a class group. What is depicted? Who is depicted and, above all, why are the characters portrayed as such? Are these works of art involved with the touching? Or precisely with not touching? Or are they involved with the approaching, or not approaching? Which eyes cross ours? That of a pious disciple of Jesus or that of a sinner, a prostitute? Where does her gaze wander off to? And where does it cross our gaze when we look around carefully?

6. Women and leadership. Pastoral perspectives

Every image that we have of Mary Magdalene is the result of a dynamic interaction between different images, views and texts. By studying these images, views and texts, we can give meaning to the figure and person of Mary Magdalene. She cannot be narrowed down to one fixed image, but is on the contrary a figure in which many different character traits, attributes and qualities are gathered. Through the centuries, a great number of different interpretations of Mary Magdalene’s person have led to a positive as well as a negative view of women. The importance of the context wherein an interpretation of Mary Magdalene happens is thus of significance. The actual, pastoral praxis makes us reflect critically on the existing images of Mary Magdalene: are they suppressing for women rather than affirmative or vice versa? When one is out to investigate whether Mary Magdalene can still be a (religious) point of reference for women in the church today, in faith or in life, one has to be prepared to question the portrayal of this woman and the consequences of that ambition for the interpretation of the ‘noli me tangere’.

Mary Magdalene can also serve as a model for many diverse purposes, as the conceptualisation of Mary Magdalene is the result of a mixture of several persons. In the catalogue for the exhibition of art centred around the motif of ‘noli me tangere’, professor Karlijn Demasure and dra. Hannelore Devoldere discuss two radically different, pastoral perspectives on the figure of Mary Magdalene, namely the model of liberation and the model of oppression:

1. Mary Magdalene as a positive model of identification

In the Middle Ages, Mary Magdalene became an example for active, secular life (the laity) as a consequence of church reform. This spirituality is still symbolised nowadays in the seven ointments that Mary Magdalene carries with her in a jar. These seven ointments represent the seven good deeds. In addition, a couple of virtues were ascribed to her: caritas, humility, chastity, generosity and mercy. These five virtues were inextricably connected with each other, but due to the complexity of Mary Magdalene’s person, this caused some problems. Humility was the ideal path to spiritual perfection. This virtue could easily be ascribed to Mary because she had shown herself to be humble and had thrown herself at Jesus’ feet. Chastity was more problematic, for the evident reason that people looked upon Mary as a sinner and a prostitute. Preachers tried to temper their listeners with a number of arguments. One of those was the legend that Mary Magdalene used to live very close to Mary, Jesus’ mother, after her conversion. After that she was said to have retired to the desert for 32 years. It was also said that she was an apostle, a martyr of compassion, a preacher of the truth, and that she spiritually was a virgin because of her humility.

2. Mary Magdalene as a model for the oppression of women

Two elements have made Mary Magdalene a model for the oppression of women:

• The interpretation of the ‘noli me tangere’ as a prohibition for women to speak in church and to serve the sacraments.
• The identification of Mary Magdalene with the sinner, the prostitute.

Ambrosius of Milano (334-379) had interpreted the ‘noli me tangere’ as a prohibition for women to teach in the Church. He believed this privilege was for only for the more ‘perfect’, male priests.

Traditionally, a distinction is made between Mary Magdalene before and after the resurrection. Before the resurrection, she was seen as a symbol of vanity, lust and pride. In addition, she was beautiful, wealthy and autonomous: characteristics which automatically led the medieval mind to the thought of prostitution.

7. Bibliography

• H.W. Attridge, 'Don't be touching me': Recent Feminist Scholarship on Mary Magdalene, in Amy-Jill Levine (ed.), A Feminist Companion to John (Feminist Companion to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings, 5), vol. 2, London - New York: Sheffield Academic Press, 2003.
• R. Atwood, Mary Magdalene in the New Testament Gospels and Early Tradition, Bern-New York: Peter Lang, 1993.
• B. Baert & R. Bieringer & K. Demasure & S. Van Den Eynde, Noli me tangere. Mary Magdalene: One Person, Many Images (Documenta libraria, 32), Louvain: Peeters, 2006.
• R. Bieringer, Mary Magdalene in the Four Gospels, in The Bible Today 43 (2005) 34-41.
• E. de Boer, Mary Magdalene: Beyond the Myth, Harrisburg PA: Trinity Press, 1997.
• C. Doumergue, Marie-Madeleine. La Reine oubliée, vol. 1: Livre 1 à 4: L'Épouse du Christ, Nîmes: Éditions Lacour, 2004.
• H.M. Garth, Saint Mary Magdalene in Medieval Literature, Baltimore: The John Hopkins Press, 1950.
• S. Haskins,  Mary Magdalen. Myth and metaphor, London: Harper-Collins, 1993.
• K.L. Jansen, The Making of the Magdalen. Preaching and Popular Devotion in the Later Middle Ages, Princeton-New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2000.
• M. Larow, The Iconography of Mary Magdalen. The Evolution of a Western Tradition until 1300, New York University, 1982.
• A. Marjanen, The Women Jesus Loved. Mary Magdalene in the Nag Hammadi Library and Related Documents, vol. 40, Leiden-New York: Brill, 1996.
• J.L. Nancy, Noli me tangere. Essai sur la levée du corps, Paris: Bayard, 2003.
• L.M. Rafanelli, The ambiguity of touch: Saint Mary Magdalene and the Noli me tangere in early modern Italy, Phd, New York: Institute of Fine Arts, 2004.
• A. Reinhartz, To Love the Lord. An Intertextual Reading of John 20, in Fiona C. Black; Ronald Boer; Erin Runions (ed.), Labour of Reading, Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 1999, pp. 53-69.
• V. Saxer, Le culte de Marie-Madeleine en Occident des origines à la fin du Moyen-Âge, Auxerre, Publications de la Société des fouilles archéologiques et des monuments historiques de l'Yonne, 1959, 2 voll.
• S.M. Schneiders, John 20:11-18: The Encounter of the Easter Jesus with Mary Magdalene - A Transformative Feminist Reading, in Fernando F. Segovia (ed.), What Is John? Readers and Readings of the Fourth Gospel, Atlanta GA: Scholars, 1996, pp. 155-168.
• P. Thimmes, Memory and Re-vision. Mary Magdalene Research since 1975 in Currents in Biblical Research 6 (1998) 193-226.
• M.R. Thompson, Mary of Magdala. Apostle and Leader, New York: Paulist Press, 1995.

8. Websites

• http://www.adam.com.au/stmarymag/links.htm#A1: links to the different places of worship of Mary Magdalene.
• http://www.womenpriests.org/magdala/magd_ovr.asp: information about different aspects: Mary Magdalene in the Gnostic writings, in the Early church, in history, in the Middle Ages and in Art.
• http://www.magdalene.org/music.php: information about different aspects of the figure of Mary Magdalene.
• http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/jesusandwomen/maglinks.stm: an entry on pieces of art about Mary Magdalene.

Didactic Impulses

1. Images

Have pupils choose an image out of a selection of works of art that are involved with the ‘noli me tangere’ motif, or have them perform a web search for an illustration of the meeting between Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

A handy reference work for this activity is B. Baert & R. Bieringer & K. Demasure & S. Van Den Eynde, Noli me tangere. Mary Magdalene: One Person, Many Images (Documenta libraria, 32), Louvain: Peeters, 2006.  This is an exhibition catalogue of the eponymous exhibition in the Maurits Sabbe Library in Louvain (23/2-30/4/06), which features some thirty photographs and adjoining explanatory notes, and four introductory articles. The catalogue gathers paintings, embroidery work, a statue, a photograph, wood engravings, devotionals, a porcelain statue, and bibles.

Mary Magdalene and Jesus

Make a collection of art works and have pupils make associations. How does the meeting between Jesus and Mary Magdalene look? What can you deduce from the work of art? Examples in case are:

• Cat. nr. 16 (lithograph of 1899)
  
  • Intimate meeting between Jesus and Mary Magdalene
  • Set in an open space in the woods
  • In this dark setting, Jesus represents light
  • Jesus keeps a distance from Mary Magdalene: he leans back and keeps Mary away with both hands
  • Mary Magdalene, on her part, welcomes Jesus: she has kneeled down and holds her arms wide open
  • They do not look at each other
  • Interpretation: Jesus and Mary Magdalene are, as it were, in a transcendental world wherein Mary, despite her desire to do so, can not be present for the moment
• Cat. nr. 24 (15th century devotional with illustration)
• The distance between Jesus and Mary Magdalene is very small
• They almost touch each other
• Jesus pulls Mary Magdalene toward him
• He makes a blessing gesture
• Mary Magdalene’s posture shows humility, she kneels with her hands folded
• The pot with ointment is next to her
• Both of them have a halo
• Interpretation: the emphasis lies on the holiness and serenity of the meeting
• Jesus is the risen Lord
• Mary Magdalene recognises him as such
• Cat. nr. 20 (Claire vanden Abbeele - 2005)
• Two figures: who is Jesus? Who is Mary Magdalene?
• Playing with ‘foreground’ and ‘background’, ‘light’ and ‘darkness’
• The shadow in a shaft of light
• Interpretation: a portrayal of the ambiguous relation between connection on the one hand, and keeping a distance on the other hand in the process of dealing with saying farewell.

Mary Magdalene: One Person, Many Images

Make a collection of several works of art and have pupils make associations.

• How does Mary Magdalene look?
• What can you deduce from the work?
• Which interpretations have been given to Mary Magdalene throughout history?

Studying different works of art which feature Mary Magdalene shows us that there are different representations of her person. She presents herself as an extremely flexible character. Some examples:

• Cat. nr. 1 (late 15th century, illustration glued onto a Flemish manuscript)
  • Abstraction of the story line: only two characters are represented
  • Female observation as a substitute for the Eucharist
  • Mary Magdalene as an example for nuns; ideal for convent life
  • Love relationship to Christ
  • Interpretation: Mary Magdalene holds a strongly privileged position above all women
• Cat. nr. 2 (1500-1520, Christ meets Mary Magdalene, panel of altarpiece)
  • Richly illustrated, detached from the story line, a snapshot of two characters
  • Conversion from worldly to spiritual love, for example the conversion of sinner to disciple (her name was often given to reception places for women)
  • Mary as an example of the transformation of ‘bad’ into ‘good’
  • Mary as a support and refuge for outcast women that want to start anew and who asked for a second chance
  • Interpretation: support and refuge
  • Hopeful
  • Exemplary function: the possibility of transformation
  • The distance between Mary Magdalene and Jesus is very small
• Cat. nr. 22 (Malou Swinnen, 1994)
  • Mary Magdalene as Philippine cleaning lady: actualisation
  • Cleaning Lady: Mary Magdalene’s servitude
  • Philippine Mary Magdalene as prostitute: not on first sight, but as a sub layer: cf. Mary Magdalene, her role as a prostitute is the result of faulty interpretation
  • Her blue clothes refer to the grace of heaven
  • Gloves: Mary Magdalene as patron saint of the glove makers
  • Symbol of purity: no direct contact, but sacral
  • Interpretation: Ambiguousness: between chastity (sacral, cleaning lady) and sensuality (Philippine: hint to prostitution), between catholic and erotic

2. Movies

Conceptualisation
- United Kingdom, 2002
- With: Ann-Marie Duff, Nora-Jane Noone, Dorothy Duffy
- Director: Peter Mullan
- 119 minutes

The Magdalene Sisters is a disconcerting drama that shows how the image of Mary Magdalene as a converted sinner has had disastrous consequences for the lives of young women up to this day. The movie tells the story of three young girls who 364 days a year are forced to live and work in a monastery/laundry under the supervision of the Magdalene sisters. Because of their ‘sins’ (being too beautiful, getting raped, getting pregnant), they are exploited, abused, and denied of their identity.

 Trailer. 

Gender Issues

• United Kingdom/United States, Czechoslovakia 1983
• With: Barbara Streisand, Mandy Patinkin, Amy Irving
• Director: Barbara Streisand
• 132 minutes

A possible approach of the gender problematics in Mary Magdalene’s story could be the movie Yentl, in which a girl dresses up like a boy to be able to study the Jewish Talmud. This film is especially involved with women’s right to study.

Trailer

Mary Magdalene: Many Images

• United States 1973
• With: Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson, Yvonne Elliman
• Director: Norman Jewison
• Music: Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice
• 108 minutes

The movie Jesus Christ Superstar, which presents us with a specific image of Mary Magdalene, can be a good starting point for a discussion of the different images of Mary Magdalene in our history and culture.

Trailer

Relevant questions:

• Which image of Mary Magdalene does the movie offer?
• On which biblical passages is this image based?
• Can you imagine Mary Magdalene’s feelings in the song ‘I don’t know how to love him’?
• Do you consider the image Mary Magdalene to be positive? Why (not) so?
• Does the image of Mary Magdalene in the movie correspond to the image you had of Mary? How (not) so?

3. Poetry

The Brief Agony of Mary Magdalene

Jesus at that moment when Mary
mistook him for the gardener
himself to Himself already
a ghostly memory on the cross
allowed her a few more minutes
so he could watch her weep
and let what he remembered as his heart
be broken one more time.
The sweetness of it, so human,
the bitter sweetness of abandonment.
He must have wished then
that he was indeed the gardener,
so he could linger to watch
the other face of the Incarnation
(the part he could never play)
resurrected by a single word, her name,
pronounced with tender authority.
God's extended finger touching Eve.

Robert Longoni, Ramah, New Mexico - Winner of the St. Mary of Magdala Poetry Contest 2004

Song of Mary Magdalene

Weep not, though the Saviour
Has gone with the dead,
For the light and the glory
Still halo his head;
The sighs and the sorrows,
The stigmas, the stains:
The anguish is over,
The glory remains.
Weep not for the Saviour:
His sorrows are o'er,
And his love shall encircle
Our hearts evermore;
The rainbow of promise!
The star ever bright!
The compass to guide through
The perilous night!
The light of the temple!
The eye of the blind!
The food of the hungry!
The friend ever kind!
The well in the desert!
The shield from the blast!
The staff of the weary!
The refuge at last!
The sun of our glory!
The light of our eyes!
Weep not for the Saviour,
For he shall arise.

McLachlan, Alexander (1818-1896)

Mary Magdalene is Asked to Recollect Her Seven Devils

It has been years since I recalled them.
They who were once formidable
driving my shame, anguish,
now sit before me in my mind
docile as drowsy children.
I was not cured so they would leave.
It was a curing as "making useful,"
the way we cure a meat or cheese
so it will nourish later on.
As they were cured, I came to know them
as my own, facets or family.
They no longer mutter, shriek
and I listen, let them speak.

The most fearsome is quiet now
who spun like a dervish of rage.
He appeared when I was young,
blasphemed from a docile girl.
His face beat perpetual red,
torn and pulled by howling forces.
Then it would suddenly whiten, stiffen
freeze and fix in solid hate
until the next outrage would break
in to find abraded red.
I can still feel the flame, contortion
rising beneath my cheeks and brow
when a girlchild is urged to silence,
broken to serve another's need.
But now I speak on her behalf,
now I chide the ignorant brutes.
I use my years, my wit, position
to serve the rage before it ices,
turn the moment to her side.

The second devil sits beside him.
She is very small, soft spoken,
She used to fret, huddle, cringe
Her heart would leap, like new caught fish
in the boats at Magdala.
whenever she would try to prove
a strength or gift she knew she had.
She would ponder coming failure,
delay, cower, make herself smaller,
feel the fish flee the netting,
make escape the work she chose.
Now, the fish swims underwater,
while she often works beside me
reveling in what we do well.

The third shone rich, flashing her jewels
but easily turned to show her teeth,
when the world did not acknowledge
entitlement to her demands.
Now, her glitter is put away.
I note the downcast eyes
that once quickly perused all others
for pearls, jasper, purple cloth
hairpins made of twisted gold.
She has given most away,
delights in the prismatic refraction
rain makes on a blade of grass.
She fills bowls for local children,
finds each face repeats her healing
reminds her of the metanoia
holy beyond all price.

This next lies here, a lusty one, and is amusing
given depictions down the ages
of me weeping for sexual sins.
This one is perfumed and lovely,
enjoying her body's smooth perfection.
She, who not many years before
had been coiled tight, ready to strike
if anyone would get too close,
now stretches here on the chaise longue
enjoying turning her ankle bracelet.
But before this transformation,
she had to relearn the silken wanting,
her body's heat, capacity,
the open energy as before rain.
Now, together we enjoy seasons,
sunlight, leaves, laughter, water.
We delight in the twining thigh,
slickened kisses, give, take.

This fifth one is an elegant figure
since the cure and transformation.
His skin is black, dark and velvet
he wears bold tones of gorgeous fabric.
Before he taunted, threatened me,
an avalanche of sudden rocks
ready to crush my face and form.
It took me many years to learn
to love a face unlike my peoples',
to recognize in his great difference
strengths I'd never thought to own.
Now he sits regal before me,
together we share the varied world.

The last two are siblings and still
can find ways to unravel
this self I have woven.
The youngest was eager to please,
empathized with others.
She would take my coins,
buy salve and balm for lepers
but mostly she liked to view herself
as generous with the poor.
She was subtle because her deeds
were laudable but also
they were her way of buying virtue,
separating herself apart.
She kept a secret mirror behind her
until I saw it and we looked in.
Now we do the same things
but I work at vigilance
to know the motivation
and only help when such help flows
from beyond and through me.

More subtle still, her brother
came when I was just a child
and others noted to my mother
my quiet meditations.
He loved the temple, the sacred words,
when others were bewildered.
I knew we possessed something
beyond their comprehension
and sometimes I was certain
they were less close to God than I.
And with that came a small contempt
for unrefined, clumsy souls.
This brother sits, hands folded,
quietly watching, reminding me
to feel the earth beneath my feet,
warm and dusty, waiting.

So, there they are, my seven.
I keep them close, not exiled
to wander in the desert places
and return thirsty and restless,
each one increased by seven more.
I shared my tale because you asked
and I hope my devils console you
as you think about your own.
It was they who first called out
and recognized the Teacher,
the one who would pronounce a cure,
turn them around forever.
I followed, a prisoner at first,
then realized that the chains were gone
as they have been these many years
of perfect freedom. Now I lead.

Penelope Duckworth

4. Music

I don’t know how to love him (Jesus Christ Superstar)

Listen to this song:

With a dial-up connection
With a broadband connection

Marys Of The Sea (Tori Amos from the album the Beekeeper)

Listen to this song:

With a dial-up connection
With a broadband connection

The Pink Flowers (the original motion picture soundtrack of the Blind Man's Son)
Listen to this song:

With a dial-up connection
With a broadband connection

Cd’s of Ani Williams about Mary Magdalene:

• Magdalene’s Gift
• Garden of the Magdalene

The artist Ani Williams is inspired by the figure of Mary Magdalene. She links Mary Magdalene with the mistress of the Grail and with a priestess of Isis, but the words ‘apostola apstolorum’ are also well-known and used by her. Ani Williams has already made two full albums about Mary Magdalene. The album ‘Garden of the Magdalene’ is characterized by harp, enchanting vocals, violira and guitar. The album ‘Magdalene’s Gift’ contains also sensual music honouring the Beloved featuring Middle Eastern tonalities with harp, voice, violin, guitar, tabla and cymbals. We can’t put all the lyrics of these two albums here, but this music about Mary Magdalene is recommended. Listen and  enjoy the spiritual sounds. For more information about the albums and about the artist Ani Williams, please see on her website: http://www.aniwilliams.com/home.htm.

Didactic suggestions

1. Biblical Mary’s

Mary

• Find passages in the Bible that feature Mary (except those that deal with Martha’s sister, see background information). Describe the Mary in the Bible text in a few words. What does the author in question consider to be the most important aspect of these women? In which view of women are they rooted? Which roles do they adopt? (the entire class with individual preparation)
• The Bible’s Mary’s are predominantly identified on the basis of their relationship to men, as ‘wife of’ or ‘mother of’. On occasion, it is their place of origin which is mentioned (Mary of Magdala, Mary of Bethany, Mary working in Rome). In general, they are background figures. Has this remained so throughout the history of Christianity? What view do we have of the role of women in contemporary society? Are women automatically allotted to the mother role or can they be more than ‘wife of’ and ‘mother of’? (Socratic dialogue)

Some suggestions for the teacher:
In the case that pupils have never before paused on the issue of gender, such a reflection can be integrated into the broader framework of reflection on gender issues by offering some introductory and concluding exercises.

• For instance: have pupils introduce a member of their family in small groups, restricting their input to a maximum of 5 summarising words. What are the most important elements in those persons’ identity (e.g.: sex, age, profession, nationality, personality, appearance, …)? Are these elements given by birth or culturally determined? Is there a certain relationship to be noted in these elements (e.g.: are youngsters spontaneously associated with their hobbies where grown-ups are associated with their profession, or are women associated with their role in the family where men are linked with their profession or hobby?)?
• In succession, the teacher can question the pupils about their experiences with the classic role patterns:
  • How many pupils’ mothers are house wives?
  • How about the ‘fathers-at-home’ (Dutch)?

The Education Pack ‘All different, all equal’ of the European Commission of against Racism and intolerance gathers some suggestions for entire workshops on diversity, prejudice and discrimination, see here.

Mary and Martha (Luke 10)

Describe the differences between Mary and Martha.

(Mary sits at Jesus’ feet and listens to what He has to say, while Martha is busy with her household tasks. The difference between the sisters’ doings is often expressed as Martha symbolising an active life, whereas Mary lives a life of reflection; Martha stands for commitment and service, Mary for reflection, study and analysis.)

• In what sense is Mary’s role radical?
  (It can be deduced from Martha’s question that a woman’s traditional role was to take care of the household, while Mary takes on the role of the disciple. ‘Sitting at the feet of’ was a typical expression to indicate that she takes Jesus as her teacher; Jesus gives Mary the explicit possibility to do so, her choice may not be prohibited.)
• This passage can be linked to the gender issue, and more specifically to that of gender in education. For Jesus (as a man!) is the teacher and He is being served. Women listen and serve. At first sight, the passage in Luke 10 seems to be role-reinforcing, but on further inquiry it becomes obvious that Mary is explicitly given the right to be a disciple of Jesus’, a role mostly reserved for men.
• A number of angles are useful for a discussion of the gender issue in the education system. A good example is that of education in Third World countries – where girls are still all too often excluded from any education whatsoever. The website of Unesco provides quite a bit information about UNGEI, a partnership between thirteen UN entities which helps governments to live up to their engagements to ensure quality education for girls, see here.

Actualisation: active and contemplative women

From a Christian point of view, find a number of examples of active and contemplative women in our society and religious communities (internet search, possibly combined with a documentation exercise in magazines and newspapers). A start can be the site RoSa – an archive and documentation centre for equality, feminism and women studies. A possibility would be to get acquainted with the substantial diversity in Christian women movements and comparing them. The RoSa site also gathers hyperlinks to the homepages of those movements, see http://www.rosadoc.be/site/rosa/english/algemeen/index.htm

The story of Mary and Martha can also be linked to ‘active’ and ‘contemplative’ conventual orders. ‘Active’ convents, too, attempt to achieve a balance between study and contemplation on the one hand, and active Christian engagements on the other hand. A visit to a convent or interviews with conventuals (active or contemplative congregations) may stir up some fascination. A couple of interesting tips: the Poor Clares (http://www.poorclare.org/), the Capuchins (http://www.ofmcap.org/en/index.php), the Franciscans (http://www.franciscancommunity.com/vocations.htm), the Dominicans (http://www.op.org/international/english/index.html ), the Benedictines (http://www.osb.org/ ) and the Cistercians  (http://www.cistercianfamily.org/ ).

2. Mary Magdalene in the gospels

Parallel group work

Divide the pupils into four groups and have each group read these four texts, and have them present the similarities and differences to the rest of the class, using a basic scheme. An ample example is this document (Dutch).

Subsequently, ask the following questions:

• What image do you get in the text of Mary Magdalene and women in general?
• What do the pupils think of Mary Magdalene?
• What is the difference between the Synoptic gospels and the gospel of John in their presentation of Mary Magdalene?

Actualisation

Have the pupils find an recent interpretation of the figure of Mary Magdalene. Have them actualise these images on the basis of contemporary female celebrities, media figures, etc.

How Mary Magdalene became a sinner/prostitute

Approach the figure of Mary Magdalene from the perspective of Dan Brown’s popular novel “The Da Vinci Code” (or its movie adaptation). The novel presents Mary as Jesus’ wife. Jesus and Mary would have had children who are the beginning of an important royal bloodline. “The Da Vinci Code” mostly revolves around complot theories that became popular in the 1980’s through books like “The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail” by Michael Baigent c.s. Sadly, people tend to forget that this book is not a history book, but ‘Fact fiction’ – a way of writing wherein a fictitious story is told against a recognizable and realistic setting. For more background information see: http://www.kuleuven.be/thomas/secundair_onderwijs/in_de_kijker/42_davinci.php. (Dutch)

The gospel of Mary (Magdalene)

The gospel of Mary Magdalene (or what has been saved of it) is but a short text: http://www.womenpriests.org/magdala/gosmary.asp

• Have pupils read the gospel. What is their first impression of the text? Is it difficult to read or understand, for instance by a heavy use of symbolism? Is its language woolly or transparent? What does all this say about the text, for instance about the skills of the author, the core of its message and the intended audience?
• Have pupils compare the figure of Mary Magdalene in this text with the image of her in the four gospels.
• Go to work with certain passages. Have the pupils find similar passages in the gospel of John and/or other gospels (group work).
• Passage 8: compare this passage with the message Jesus gives in the gospels’ resurrection stories. To what extent are they different or similar?

Noli me tangere

Have the pupils read John 20:1-18. After doing so, stimulate them to reformulate this passage according to their own estimation of it. This can be complemented by a group discussion.

• Afterwards, have the pupils choose works of art (internet search) which represent the core of the story in their understanding of it. This may be a good start for a class exhibition about Mary Magdalene and her meeting with Jesus. Watch and compare. Why is a work of art chosen?
• Subsequently give a brief exegetical background sketch of the story. Confront the pupils with the different meanings of ‘noli me tangere’ and have them chose the meaning they think is the right one.
  
• Why is it that Mary may not come near/touch/hold? Doesn’t Jesus have contact with everyone, women too? On the basis of the information they have just received, have the pupils think of an explanation of their own for this prohibition.
  
• Divide the class into three groups. Assign a moderator and a secretary. Let the pupils look up some arguments and evidence for the following standpoints:
  • Mary Magdalene had an affair with Jesus.
  • Mary Magdalene was a fallen woman, a prostitute.
    
  • Mary Magdalene was a very prominent disciple of Jesus’.

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