Mary Magdalene
— – — · Magdala
Also known as Mary of Magdala
Feast: 22 July
Disciple of Jesus from Magdala in Galilee; first witness of the resurrection in all four Gospels. Called 'apostle to the apostles' by later tradition.
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.
Primary sources
- ·Gospel of John 20:1-18
- ·Gospel of Luke 8:2
Book of the day
Centuries on Charity
Maximus the ConfessorA reading pick tied to today's figure, quote, era, or event. A more approachable route into Maximus than starting with the Ambigua.
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