Saint Mary Magdalene, or Mary of Magdala, is among the essential figures in the Gospel accounts of the Passion and the Resurrection. The Gospels present her as a disciple of Jesus, present at his death and tomb. In John 20, she is the first to meet the Risen One and receives the mission of carrying the news to the disciples. Her memory was nevertheless overlaid through the centuries by other images, particularly that of a repentant sinner. To discover her place in Christianity, one must return to her identity in the texts, then follow the history of the traditions that associated her with perfume, penance, and the sanctuaries of Provence.
| Period | 1st century |
|---|---|
| Origin | Magdala, a Galilean locality according to her name |
| Role | Disciple of Jesus and witness to the Resurrection |
| Major sources | Luke 8, Mark 15–16, Matthew 27–28, John 19–20 |
| Attributes | Perfume jar, book, empty tomb |
| Feast | July 22, celebrated as a feast since 2016 |
Mary of Magdala among the women who follow Jesus
The name Mary Magdalene indicates her connection to Magdala, a locality in the region of the Sea of Galilee. The Gospel according to Luke mentions her among the women who accompany Jesus and the Twelve and materially support their itinerant life. This information is important: it places Mary within a group of active disciples, and not only in proximity to Jesus's final days.
Luke specifies that seven demons had gone out of her. This formula belongs to the way biblical authors speak of spiritual deliverance and healing. It does not make it possible to reconstruct a medical diagnosis or to portray Mary as a woman necessarily living in sin. The text does not present her as a prostitute, even though this identification would later develop in part of the Western tradition.
The presence of women who supported Jesus's mission helps us better understand the composition of the groups of disciples. The Gospel narrative does not limit the circle of those who accompanied him to the twelve apostles. Mary of Magdala belonged to this circle and acquired a particular place in the accounts of the Passion.
At the foot of the cross and near the tomb
The Gospels report Mary Magdalene's presence at the time of Jesus's death. Mark names her among the women who observe the crucifixion from a distance and know where his body is laid. Matthew and John also place her among the witnesses to these events, with differences specific to each narrative. The texts do not give exactly the same list of women, but Mary's presence remains constant.
This faithfulness during the Passion explains much of her place in Christian memory. Several male disciples had fled or are absent from certain accounts, while the women observed the final moments and cared about Jesus's body. These episodes must be read in their context, without turning differences in narration into a complete psychological portrait of each character.
The tomb then becomes the site of a decisive experience. The Easter accounts associate Mary with the first announcements that Jesus is alive. Her identity as a witness therefore does not result from a later attribution unrelated to Scripture: it belongs to the very heart of the evangelists' narrative.
Easter morning according to John
The twentieth chapter of the Gospel according to John gives Mary of Magdala a particularly developed role. She goes to the tomb early in the morning and sees that the stone has been removed. She runs to inform Simon Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved. Both come to examine the place, then leave. Mary remains near the tomb, weeping.
She then sees two angels and encounters a man whom she initially takes for the gardener. When he calls her by name, she recognizes Jesus and replies, “Rabbouni,” a term meaning teacher. The scene is one of the most famous in Christian art: recognition occurs through dialogue, at the moment when the Risen One addresses her personally.
Jesus then entrusts her with a message intended for his brothers. Mary therefore announces to the disciples that she has seen the Lord. This passage grounds her traditional designation as “apostle of the apostles”: she receives the mission of conveying the news of the Resurrection to the apostles themselves. The title does not mean that she is retroactively incorporated into the Twelve, but that she delivers a first and decisive announcement.
Mary Magdalene is not Luke's anonymous sinner
A widespread confusion associates Mary of Magdala with the anonymous woman who enters Simon the Pharisee's house, weeps at Jesus's feet, and perfumes them in Luke 7. This account immediately precedes the mention of Mary Magdalene in Luke 8. The literary connection nevertheless does not mean that the evangelist explicitly identifies the two women.
Another figure appears in John 12: Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, pours perfume on Jesus's feet. The Gospels distinguish the contexts of these events. In the West, several interpretations gradually brought Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, and the anonymous woman of Luke 7 together, particularly in certain early sermons, including those of Gregory the Great.
This fusion marked medieval painting, literature, and preaching, to the point of presenting Mary Magdalene as a converted courtesan. The canonical texts do not provide this biography. Reading the episodes separately makes it possible to better respect the place each woman occupies in the Gospel narrative and not to erase Mary's central role as a witness to Easter.
The perfume jar and the figure of the penitent
The perfume jar has become one of Mary Magdalene's most common attributes. It recalls the accounts of anointing and the spices associated with the tomb, which tradition connected with her. In Western iconography, she appears dressed in rich fabrics, holding a flask or kneeling beside Christ. Other depictions show her isolated in a landscape of penance, accompanied by a skull or a book.
These images are powerful witnesses to Europe's spiritual and artistic history. They are not all portraits based on episodes directly recounted in the Gospels. The skull evokes meditation on death; the long hair and the jar come from an iconography that associated several figures; the book recalls contemplation and the proclamation of Christ.
The painting of the encounter in the garden, known by the Latin expression Noli me tangere, follows a different register. It depicts Mary facing the Risen One, whom she has just recognized. This scene makes her role as disciple and messenger visible, without relying on identification with the penitent of medieval tradition.
The traditions of Provence and the Sainte-Baume
The memory of Mary Magdalene holds an important place in several French sanctuaries. At Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume and in the Sainte-Baume massif, traditions recount her arrival in Provence with other disciples, her preaching, and then a long retreat devoted to prayer. These accounts grew considerably in importance during the Middle Ages and contributed to the development of pilgrimages.
The Gospels and the earliest sources do not make it possible to historically establish a journey by Mary of Magdala to Gaul. The Provençal story belongs to the Western reception of her figure, with texts, claimed relics, and sanctuaries that must be examined according to their own chronology. It is nevertheless essential for understanding her influence in France.
This distinction between the Gospel testimonies and regional traditions takes nothing away from the cultural and religious importance of pilgrimage sites. It helps place what belongs to the New Testament and what belongs to the history of Christian devotion over the centuries.
July 22 and the dignity of apostle of the apostles
Mary Magdalene is celebrated on July 22 in the Roman calendar. In 2016, Pope Francis decided to elevate this celebration from the rank of memorial to that of feast, while retaining the same date. The decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship recalls her place as the first witness and messenger of the Resurrection.
This liturgical change does not create a new identity for Mary. It places greater emphasis on the mission already recounted by John 20 and recognized in the history of Christian theology. The title “apostle of the apostles” summarizes her testimony and recalls that, in this account, the announcement of Easter was entrusted to a woman who had followed Jesus.
To discover Saint Mary Magdalene, chapters 8 of Luke and 20 of John provide an essential first reading. They show the disciple, the woman who remained near the tomb, and the messenger who announces the Risen One. Her legacy then appears more clearly, beyond the images of penance that marked several centuries of Western tradition.
Historical sources and references
Gospels: Luke 8, 1–3 (the women disciples), Mark 15 (the Passion), John 20, 1–18 (the tomb and the encounter with the Risen One).
Texts to distinguish: Luke 7, 36–50 (anonymous woman) and John 12, 1–8 (Mary of Bethany).
Holy See, decree and explanation of June 10, 2016 on elevating the celebration of Mary Magdalene to the rank of feast and her title as apostle of the apostles.
Illustration: Titian, The Penitent Magdalene (around 1531), historical work in the public domain.
