[303] There is a theological interpretation of Mary as the Magdala, The Elegant Tower and certain churches honor her as a heroine of the faith in their teachings. Did he prefer her to us? When she met him, she held a plain egg in her hand and exclaimed, "Christ is risen!" For every woman who makes herself male shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. New Testament apocrypha writings mention Mary Magdalene. Episode 1 depicts how she got these demons cast out of her by Jesus. [47] Ehrman, who previously accepted the story of Jesus' burial as historical, now rejects it as a later invention on the basis that Roman governors almost never allowed for executed criminals to be given any kind of burial[58] and Pontius Pilate in particular was not "the sort of ruler who would break with tradition and policy when kindly asked by a member of the Jewish council to provide a decent burial for a crucified victim. [28] In either case, Mary must have suffered from severe emotional or psychological trauma for an exorcism of this kind to have been perceived as necessary. In The Chosen, we see a brief flashback during Season 1, Episode 1 that strongly implies that Mary was raped by a Roman soldier. The last passage is an optional bonus for youth that like digging deeper. She is the first to meet the Risen Christ. [310] Furthermore, according to Ross King, an expert on Italian art, Mary Magdalene's appearance at the last supper would not have been controversial and Leonardo would have had no motive to disguise her as one of the other disciples,[311] since she was widely venerated in her role as the "apostle to the apostles" and patron of the Dominican Order, for whom The Last Supper was painted. [161] The notion of Mary Magdalene specifically being a former prostitute or loose woman dates to a narrative in an influential homily by Pope Gregory I ("Gregory the Great") in around 591,[153][162][149] in which he not only identifies Magdalene with the anonymous sinner with the perfume in Luke's gospel and with Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus,[149] but also, for the first time, explicitly identifies her sins as ones of a sexual nature:[149]. ", Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 2006, p. 57, Juliet Thompson, I, Mary Magdalene, Foreword, `Abdu'l-Bah, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 420, `Abdu'l-Bah, Bah' World Faith `Abdu'l-Bah Section, p. 385, `Abdu'l-Bah, Tablets of `Abdu'l-Bah Vol.2, p. 467, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, "Koinonos Meaning in Bible - New Testament Greek Lexicon - King James Version", "Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Book 1", "Picturing the Magdalene: How Artists Imagine the Apostle to the Apostles", "Lady Gaga says she 'always wanted to play' Mary Magdalene from the Bible", "FKA twigs' new fragrance fuses the virgin and the whore", "Deborah Rose, "So, Really Who was She? [89] N. T. Wright states that "it is, frankly, impossible to imagine that [the women at the tomb] were inserted into the tradition after Paul's day. [288] `Abdu'l-Bah also wrote that "her reality is ever shining from the horizon of Christ", "her face is shining and beaming forth on the horizon of the universe forevermore" and that "her candle is, in the assemblage of the world, lighted till eternity". Jesus is said to have cast seven evil spirits out of her (, As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. [263] She mentions in particular Hugh of Cluny (10241109), Peter Abelard (10791142), and Bernard of Clairvaux (10901153) among those who gave Mary Magdalene the title of apostolorum apostola (apostle of the apostles). "[136][134][137] Upon hearing this, Mary instantly fainted, to which Jesus responded by helping her up and telling her, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? "[132][130], The Borborites, also known as the Phibionites, were an early Christian Gnostic sect during the late fourth century who had numerous scriptures involving Mary Magdalene,[133][134][135] including The Questions of Mary, The Greater Questions of Mary, The Lesser Questions of Mary, and The Birth of Mary. It's certainly not, Due to COVID restrictions, my youth group watched The Chosen online using Zoom. [103] The document takes the form of a long dialogue in which Jesus answers his followers' questions. [68][69][67] Then the risen Jesus himself appeared to the women as they were leaving the tomb and told them to tell the other disciples that he would meet them in Galilee. [294], Many of the alleged relics of the saint are held in Catholic churches in France, especially at Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, where her skull (see above) and the noli me tangere are on display; the latter being a piece of forehead flesh and skin said to be from the spot touched by Jesus at the post-resurrection encounter in the garden. She may be shown either as very extravagantly and fashionably dressed, unlike other female figures wearing contemporary styles of clothes, or alternatively as completely naked but covered by very long blonde or reddish-blonde hair. The emperor laughed, and said that Christ rising from the dead was as likely as the egg in her hand turning red while she held it. [281] The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America honors Mary Magdalene on July 22 as an Apostle, albeit as a Lesser Festival. The Bible never suggests Mary . [209] Because the cult of Mary Magdalene was inextricably associated with the Catholic teaching of the intercession of saints,[210] it came under particularly harsh criticism by Protestant leaders. FYI: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. It includes sections for you to take notes on each episode's plot, your favorite quotes, personal connections, questions, and, of course, Scripture references. Season 2 Reflection P2: What was The Chosen Season 2 about? For more details, check out my post focused specifically on Lilith, Demons, and Evil Spirits. Let's look deeper into theses false stereotypes. [298], Furthermore, according to Mark 12:25, Jesus taught that marriage would not exist at all in the coming kingdom of God. After Jesus heals her evil spirit, she resumes calling herself "Mary," her birth name, and refuses to answer to the name associated with her spiritual oppression. "[219][220], The common identification of Mary Magdalene with other New Testament figures was omitted in the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar, with the comment regarding her liturgical celebration on July 22: "No change has been made in the title of today's memorial, but it concerns only Saint Mary Magdalene, to whom Christ appeared after his resurrection. [307][308] The Da Vinci Code also purports that the figure of the "beloved disciple" to Jesus' right in Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper is Mary Magdalene, disguised as one of the male disciples;[309] art historians maintain that the figure is, in reality, the apostle John, who only appears feminine due to Leonardo's characteristic fascination with blurring the lines between the sexes, a quality which is found in his other paintings, such as St. John the Baptist (painted c. You can find episode one, The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. [13][10][98] Sanders summarizes the scholarly consensus that: very, very little in the apocryphal gospels could conceivably go back to the time of Jesus. I Have Called You by Name: Directed by Dallas Jenkins. For the most part, I just clarified who characters were (see my comment above) and occasionally I briefly explained a reference or allusion that was confusing to my youth. [256], During the Counter-Reformation and Baroque periods (late 16th and 17th centuries), the description "penitent" was added to the indication of her name on her feast day, July 22. [146][147] Origen merely dismisses this, remarking that Celsus "pours on us a heap of names". In the Gospel of Philip's text she is described as Jesus' companion, as the disciple Jesus loved the most and the one Jesus kissed on the mouth,[3] which has led some people to conclude that she and Jesus were in a relationship. This event, in a sense, crowns all that has been said previously about Christ entrusting divine truths to women as well as men. [16][37] The places where she and the other women are mentioned throughout the gospels indicate strongly that they were vital to Jesus' ministry[38][39][40][41] and that Mary Magdalene always appears first, whenever she is listed in the Synoptic Gospels as a member of a group of women, indicates that she was seen as the most important out of all of them. St Peter Julian Eymard calls her "the patroness and model of a life spent in the adoration and service of Jesus in the sacrament of His Love. [68][69][78] They went inside and saw two young men dressed in white who told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. [68][69][78] In Luke's account, Jesus never appears to the women,[68][69][79] but instead makes his first appearance to Cleopas and an unnamed "disciple" on the road to Emmaus. [106] The Gospel of Thomas consists entirely of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus. Chapter XXVII of the Life of Mary Magdalene attributed to Hrabanus Maurus (c. 780 4 February 856) is headed: Ubi Magdalenam Christus ad apostolos mittit apostolam (Wherein Christ sends Magdalene as an apostle to the apostles). [67][68][69] According to Luke 24:112 a group of unnamed women went to the tomb and found the stone already rolled away, as in Mark. [82][152] The first clear identification of Mary Magdalene as a redeemed sinner comes from Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306 373). Episode 8 Guide: The Woman at the Well, Eden, & Zohara, Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers, The Chosen Season 2 Controversy (Jesus, the Bible, & the Process of Inspiration), Should Nicodemus Kneel? "[129][130] Peter responds, saying, "Did he really speak with a woman in private, without our knowledge? in, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 22:10. [322] Ehrman says that, if Jesus had been married to Mary Magdalene, the authors of the gospels would definitely have mentioned it, since they mention all his other family members, including his mother Mary, his father Joseph, his four brothers, and his at least two sisters. This story was invented by The Chosen for the purposes of the plot. [16][34][35] The Gospels writers normally relish giving dramatic descriptions of Jesus' public exorcisms, with the possessed person wailing, thrashing, and tearing his or her clothes in front of a crowd. Making a Woman 5 It hints at where the show is going: This passage takes place after Jesus' death and resurrection at the end of the Gospels. Mr . It is widely accepted among secular historians that, like Jesus, Mary Magdalene was a real historical figure. Surely the savior knows her well. "[104] Simon Peter, annoyed at Mary's dominance of the conversation, tells Jesus, "My master, we cannot endure this woman who gets in our way and does not let any of us speak, though she talks all the time. By noting how Mary is in the "Red Quarter", The Chosen is implying that she is a prostitute. [110] Ehrman explains that, in the context of the Gospel of Philip, the kiss of peace is used as a symbol for the passage of truth from one person to another[116] and that it is not in any way an act of "divine foreplay". [59][60] Ehrman notes that this was the most common fate for victims of crucifixion[61] but states that it is impossible to know for certain what happened to Jesus' body once it was removed from the cross. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. [9] Unlike Paul the Apostle, Mary Magdalene left behind no known writings of her own. [138][134] Ehrman casts doubt on the accuracy of Epiphanius's summary, commenting that "the details of Epiphanius's description sound very much like what you can find in the ancient rumor mill about secret societies in the ancient world". She displayed her hair to set off her face, but now her hair dries her tears. I have Bible studies/discussion guides for each episode of The Chosen Seasons 1-3, blogs exploring how The Chosen adapts key biblical figures, and articles exploring the controversial nature of adaptation. "The Saintly Sinner: The Two-Thousand-Year Obsession with Mary Magdalene". Mary lived in a village called Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Shoemaker, Stephen J. Did anyone notice what it was that made her recognize him? The first passage is regarding Mary Magdalene (Lilith): In case you didn't catch it, at the end of The Chosen episode 1 we discover that the character called Lilith for most of the episode is actually named Mary Magdalene. I wouldn't take too long discussing these questions. [86] In the "shorter ending", which is found in very few manuscripts, the women go to "those around Peter" and tell them what they had seen at the tomb, followed by a brief declaration of the gospel being preached from east to west. There you go! [31] The dialogue consists of a conversation between Jesus, Mary and two apostles - Thomas the Apostle and Matthew the Apostle. [75][82] His next words may be translated as "Don't touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father" or "Stop clinging to me, [etc.]" [210], During the Counter-Reformation, Roman Catholicism began to strongly emphasize Mary Magdalene's role as a penitent sinner. The story of Jesus is told in four gospels. February 02, 2023. Dan Ben-Amos explains that although this is the first extant text that records the legend of Lilith, her story probably existed earlier: [Lilith's] story seems to hover at the edges of literacy with sporadic references. Although the work is popularly known as the Gospel of Mary, it is not classed as a gospel by some scholars, who restrict the term 'gospel' to texts "primarily focused on recounting the teachings and . Her association with prostitution was a result of the proximity between the first mention of her in Luke (. [184] Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume gradually displaced Vzelay in popularity and acceptance. "[145] This may indicate that Mary Magdalene was already being conflated with the "sinful woman" in Luke 7:3650, though Tertullian never clearly identifies the woman of whom he speaks as Mary Magdalene. [117] It contains information about the role of women in the early church. [274] The Mass and Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) remain the same as they were, except that a specific preface was added to the Mass to refer to her explicitly as the "Apostle to the Apostles". Initially Mary doesn't recognize Jesus. (for LOTR: Arwen's bigger role, some action scenes. After sharing that information, you can ask: What stuck out to you about Mary Magdalene's depiction in The Chosen? He has risen, as he said. [185] The wife dies in childbirth and the governor leaves her on an island with the still-living infant at her breast. If you're like me, watching The Chosen is about more than entertainment. [226][227][228] She is portrayed as one in Nikos Kazantzakis's 1955 novel The Last Temptation of Christ and Martin Scorsese's 1988 film adaptation of it,[227] in which Jesus, as he is dying on the cross, has a vision from Satan of what it would be like if he married Mary Magdalene and raised a family with her instead of dying for humanity's sins. [183] Charles II commissioned the building of a new Gothic basilica on the site and, in return for providing accommodation for pilgrims, the town's residents were exempt from taxes. "[104] Mary defends herself, saying, "My master, I understand in my mind that I can come forward at any time to interpret what Pistis Sophia [a female deity] has said, but I am afraid of Peter, because he threatens me and hates our gender. resurrection. Mary Magdalene was the first eyewitness of the Risen Christ, and for this reason she was also the first to bear witness to him before the Apostles. [16] Although the Gospel of Mark, reputed by scholars to be the earliest surviving gospel, does not mention Mary Magdalene until Jesus' crucifixion,[22] the Gospel of Luke 8:23[23] provides a brief summary of her role during his ministry:[24]. This confusing reference is already in the original manuscript. [96] In these apocryphal texts, Mary Magdalene is portrayed as a visionary and leader of the early movement whom Jesus loved more than he loved the other disciples. [180][181] At first, the existence of the skeleton was merely asserted,[181] but, in 1265, the monks made a spectacular, public show of "discovering" it[181] and, in 1267, the bones were brought before the king of France himself, who venerated them. However, they were never admitted to the canon of the New Testament. (he calls her by name at the end when he heals her). [215] Estates of nobles and royalty in southern Germany were equipped with so-called "Magdalene cells", small, modest hermitages that functioned as both chapels and dwellings, where the nobility could retreat to find religious solace. [311] There would have even been precedent for it, since the earlier Italian Renaissance painter Fra Angelico had included her in his painting of the Last Supper. [153][154] Part of the reason for the identification of Mary Magdalene as a sinner may derive from the reputation of her birthplace, Magdala,[155] which, by the late first century, was infamous for its inhabitants' alleged vice and licentiousness. [300] The gospel, at least in its current form, clearly and consistently identifies the disciple as having masculine gender, only ever referring to him using words inflected in the masculine. [101] In saying 53, the Dialogue attributes to Mary three aphorisms that are attributed to Jesus in the New Testament: "The wickedness of each day [is sufficient]. [323], Maurice Casey rejects the idea of Mary Magdalene as Jesus' wife as nothing more than wild popular sensationalism. The Gospel of Luke chapter 8 lists Mary Magdalene as one of the women who traveled with Jesus and helped support his ministry "out of their resources", indicating that she was probably wealthy. [47] John 19:3942 does not mention any women present during Joseph's burial of Jesus,[47] but does mention the presence of Nicodemus, a Pharisee with whom Jesus had a conversation near the beginning of the gospel. . [71][73][74] Despite this, all four canonical gospels, as well as the apocryphal Gospel of Peter, agreed that Mary Magdalene, either alone or as a member of a group, was the first person to discover that Jesus' tomb was empty. She was the Samaritan woman to whom He said, "Call thy husband". Her association with prostitution was a result of the proximity between the first mention of her in Luke (Luke 8:1-3) and a story about a prostitute (Luke 7:36-50). [1][148][149] The misconception likely arose due to a conflation between Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany (who anoints Jesus' feet in John 11:112), and the unnamed "sinful woman" who anoints Jesus' feet in Luke 7:3650. See a Roman centurion fill Lilith/Mary s sight, a suggestion that the woman have. "[101] The narrator commends Mary stating "she spoke this utterance as a woman who understood everything. [186] On the last day of her life, Maximin, now the bishop of Aix, comes to her and gives her the Eucharist. Lilith is the name of Mary Magdalene when she first appears in episode one. When the light comes, then he who sees will see the light, and he who is blind will remain in darkness. The unchallenged facts about her life establish that Jesus cleansed her of seven demons (Luke 8:2 and Mark 16:9), probably . [304], Dan Brown's 2003 bestselling mystery thriller novel The Da Vinci Code popularized a number of erroneous ideas about Mary Magdalene,[305][306] including that she was a member of the tribe of Benjamin, that she was Jesus' wife, that she was pregnant at the crucifixion, and that she gave birth to Jesus' child, who became the founder of a bloodline which survives to this very day. (She wasn't.) For instance, some have said Mary and Jesus were either lovers and husband and wife. In The Chosen, when we first Mary Magdalene in Season 1 Episode 1, she has already been possessed by an evil spirit, Lilith, for some time. [142][11][143] In his anti-Christian polemic The True Word, written between 170 and 180, the pagan philosopher Celsus declared that Mary Magdalene was nothing more than "a hysterical female who either dreamt in a certain state of mind and through wishful thinking had a hallucination due to some mistaken notion (an experience which has happened to thousands), or, which is more likely, wanted to impress others by telling this fantastic tale, and so by this cock-and-bull story to provide a chance for other beggars. [11] The whole family returns to Marseille, where they meet Mary again in person. [75][81][83] She did not see anyone, but immediately ran to tell Peter and the "beloved disciple",[75][83] who came with her to the tomb and confirmed that it was empty,[75][82] but returned home without seeing the risen Jesus. The Hebrew word "lilit" only shows up in Isaiah 34:14, where most modern translations render it as something along the lines of "night bird." [102] At another point, he tells her, "Well done, Mary. [266] However the work is actually no earlier than the 12th century. There are also characters and stories from the Gospels that the creators have left out. As COVID drags on and winter sets in, if you're looking for a good activity to do online with your youth group, you might want to consider doing a series of The Chosen Viewing Parties like this. The first part of the gospel deals with Jesus' parting words to his followers after a post-resurrection appearance. In the modern vernacular, a "red light district" is a term that refers to an area of the city known for prostitution, strip clubs, and other immoral establishments. [117] Roughly half the text of the gospel in this manuscript has been lost;[122][123] the first six pages and four from the middle are missing. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. [86] The "longer ending", which is found in most surviving manuscripts, is an "amalgam of traditions" containing episodes derived from the other gospels. The Bible never suggests Mary Magdalene was a. [47] Luke 23:55 mentions "the women who had followed him from Galilee", but does not list any of their names. [194], The thirteenth-century Cistercian monk and chronicler Peter of Vaux de Cernay said it was part of Catharist belief that the earthly Jesus Christ had a relationship with Mary Magdalene, described as his concubine: "Further, in their secret meetings they said that the Christ who was born in the earthly and visible Bethlehem and crucified at Jerusalem was "evil", and that Mary Magdalene was his concubine and that she was the woman taken in adultery who is referred to in the Scriptures. These texts portray her as an apostle, as Jesus' closest and most beloved disciple and the only one who truly understood his teachings. [68][69][78] Then they went and told the eleven remaining apostles, who dismissed their story as nonsense. Hopefully these questions will prove helpful as you watch episode 1 of The Chosen with your youth group. [65] Sanders affirms Jesus' burial by Joseph of Arimathea in the presence of Mary Magdalene and the other female followers as completely historical. [297], In 1998, Ramon K. Jusino proposed an unprecedented argument that the "Beloved Disciple" of the Gospel of John is Mary Magdalene. He attempts to heal her and exorcise the evil spirit in her, but he is unsuccessful and concludes that she is beyond hope. "Mary Magdalene Saint or Sinner? Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember which you know, but we do not, nor have we heard them". [320] The extremely late Greater Questions of Mary, which has not survived, allegedly portrayed Mary not as Jesus' wife or partner, but rather as an unwilling voyeur. [62] Casey argues that Jesus was given a proper burial by Joseph of Arimathea,[63] noting that, on some very rare occasions, Roman governors did release the bodies of executed prisoners for burial.