What the Gospels say about her
Mary Magdalene is mentioned by name 12 or more times in the Gospels, more than most of the twelve apostles. Here's everything the Bible tells us.
She was from Magdala
"Magdalene" isn't a last name. It identifies her hometown, Magdala, a fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It helped distinguish her from the many other Marys in the Gospels, including Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary of Bethany.
Jesus freed her from seven demons
Luke introduces her as one of several women "who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out" (Luke 8:2; compare Mark 16:9). The number seven may suggest the severity or completeness of her affliction. Her life was dramatically changed by Jesus.
She supported Jesus's ministry
Luke lists her with Joanna, Susanna, "and many others, who provided for them out of their means" (Luke 8:3). These women traveled with Jesus and the Twelve through Galilee and funded the mission from their own resources. Mary Magdalene was likely a woman of some independent means.
She stayed at the cross
When most of the disciples fled, Mary Magdalene and other women remained, watching Jesus die (Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41; John 19:25). She also saw where his body was laid (Mark 15:47).
She was the first witness of the resurrection
All four Gospels place Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb on the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10; John 20:1). In Matthew, she and "the other Mary" meet the risen Jesus on their way to tell the disciples (Matthew 28:9-10). In John, she meets him alone in the garden.
The prostitute myth: where it came from
Many people think of Mary Magdalene as a reformed prostitute, but the Bible never says this. The confusion arose by combining her with other women in the Gospels:
- In Luke 7:36-50, an unnamed "woman of the city, who was a sinner" anoints Jesus's feet. Luke introduces Mary Magdalene in the very next passage (Luke 8:2), and some readers linked the two.
- Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, also anoints Jesus (John 12:1-8), and people sometimes merged the Marys.
In a sermon in AD 591, Pope Gregory the Great identified Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, and the sinful woman of Luke 7 as the same person. That view became widespread in Western Christianity for centuries and shaped much of art and popular culture. Eastern Orthodox churches never adopted it.
In 1969, the Roman Catholic Church revised its calendar to separate these women, and in 2016 Pope Francis raised Mary Magdalene's memorial to a feast day, highlighting her as the first witness of the resurrection.
"Apostle to the apostles"
The word "apostle" means "one who is sent." After Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, he sends her: "Go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" She goes and announces to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord" (John 20:17-18).
Because of this, early Christian writers gave her the title "apostle to the apostles." She was the first person commissioned to proclaim the news of the risen Jesus. In a culture where women's testimony was often considered less reliable, the Gospels' choice to feature women as the first witnesses is striking and suggests the accounts weren't invented for convenience.
The garden and the new creation
John tells Mary's encounter with Jesus with rich detail. She's weeping at the tomb, which is in a garden (John 19:41). She sees Jesus but thinks he's the gardener (20:15). Then he says her name, "Mary," and she recognizes him (20:16).
John's details echo the Bible's opening pages. The story began in a garden, where the first humans were cast out. Now, on "the first day of the week" (20:1), in a garden, a woman meets the risen Jesus, the true gardener, in a sense, of a new creation. The mistake is a deeper truth. Mary is the first witness of a new creation dawning.
Frequently asked questions
Was Mary Magdalene married to Jesus?
There's no evidence in the Bible or in early historical sources that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. The idea comes mostly from modern novels and speculative readings of later, noncanonical texts written long after the New Testament.
Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute?
No. The Bible never says this. The idea came from a later merging of her with an unnamed sinful woman in Luke 7.
What does "Magdalene" mean?
It means "from Magdala," her hometown on the Sea of Galilee. The name Magdala is related to the Hebrew and Aramaic word for "tower."
Is there a Gospel of Mary?
Yes, but it isn't part of the Bible. The Gospel of Mary is a text from the second century AD, preserved in fragments, including a Coptic manuscript discovered in the late 1800s. It was written long after the New Testament Gospels and reflects later religious ideas. It was never accepted into the Christian canon, and it doesn't give reliable historical information about Mary Magdalene.
Why is Mary Magdalene important?
She was a faithful follower of Jesus, supported his ministry, stayed with him at the cross, and was the first to see and proclaim the risen Jesus. She's a central witness of the resurrection.