Mary Magdalene
* Date marked with an asterisk is a placeholder estimate (lifespan heuristic), not a sourced claim. Hover for the derivation.
Disciple of Jesus from Magdala in Galilee; first witness of the resurrection in all four Gospels. Called 'apostle to the apostles' by later tradition.
Why Mary Magdalene matters
Mary Magdalene funded Jesus's ministry — Luke 8:3 says she and other women supported him 'out of their own means.' She was at the cross when most of the men had run, and she was the first witness to the resurrection. In all four Gospels. The early church called her 'apostle to the apostles' because Jesus sent her to tell the others he was risen. The medieval Western confusion that turned her into a reformed prostitute has no basis in the text — that conflation came from a sermon by Gregory the Great in 591. Read the Gospels straight and she's a wealthy patron, a faithful disciple, and the first preacher of the resurrection.
Chain to Jesus
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Common questions
- Who was Mary Magdalene?
- Mary Magdalene (?–?) — Disciple of Jesus from Magdala in Galilee; first witness of the resurrection in all four Gospels. Called 'apostle to the apostles' by later tradition.
- Who taught Mary Magdalene?
- Jesus of Nazareth.
Sources for biography
- Gospel of John 20:1-18 primary
- Gospel of Luke 8:2 primary
documented connections(1)
- taught by Jesus of NazarethGospel of Luke 8:1-3 · Gospel of John 20:1-18