The REAL Mary Magdalene

[Грешник]

According to Scripture and Tradition

Saint Mary was not a harlot. She was not a sinful woman. She was a very holy woman. In fact, she was so virtuous, that the devil imagined she was to become the Theotokos. So, he unleashed his most violent attacks on her to defile her. But she withstood these temptations courageously.So, when the Lord cast out the demons that afflicted her, the Scripture means that He delivered her from all of these attacks...

Some More History...

After the Resurrection, St. Mary Magdalene went to Rome. Tradition teaches that when Mary first met the Roman emperor, Tiberius Caesar, she held a plain egg in her hand and greeted him with the words, “christ is risen!”

Tiberius exclaimed: “how can someone rise from the dead? This is hard to believe. It is just as likely that Christ rose from the dead as it is that the egg you are holding will turn red.”

Even as he spoke, the egg turned a brilliant red! She then preached the good news of Jesus Christ to the emperor and the imperial household.

St. Mary Magdalene left Rome for the city of Ephesus, where she died and was buried by the Bishop there, the Apostle John (the Theologian)! Emperor Leo the Wise later moved her relics to Constantinople.

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This is an amazing account, especially for myself coming from Papism where you are told that Mary Magdalene was a harlot. I have had priests both in Seminary and in churches tell me that "She was the woman caught in adultry" and also that she "might have been the woman with the 7 demons, but we can't be sure"... But never have I heard from the lips of a Roman the Resurrection account with Tiberius... just that she "left her sinful ways and converted". As I said, very interesting.

Juvenaly

[Savva24]

According to Scripture and Tradition

This is an amazing account, especially for myself coming from Papism where you are told that Mary Magdalene was a harlot. I have had priests both in Seminary and in churches tell me that "She was the woman caught in adultry" and also that she "might have been the woman with the 7 demons, but we can't be sure"... But never have I heard from the lips of a Roman the Resurrection account with Tiberius... just that she "left her sinful ways and converted". As I said, very interesting.

Juvenaly

Dear Juvenaly,

Where did you get this information? I am not comming from Papism but have been Orthodox my whole life and have never heard anything like this. Actually, what I have heard is close to what the Catholics told you. I pray to saint Mary every day and it would be important for me to know about her life.

In Christ,

Nicholas

[Грешник]

Father Hieromonk George of Dormition Skete spoke of this last night in a conversation I had with him. If you are interested in the sources beyond that I can ask or if you desire to do so you can. I guess however, thinking on it, it would be best for me to have some sources for this topic. I shall attempt to get some sources for you.

Thanks and sorry -

Juvenaly

[Liudmilla]

Holy Myrrhbearer and Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene

August 4 (July 22 old calendar)

One of the myrrh-bearing women, and equal to the apostles, St. Mary was born in Magdala by the Lake of Gennesaret, of the tribe of Issachar. She was tormented by seven evil spirits, of which she was freed and healed by the Lord Jesus. She was a faithful follower and servant of the Lord during His earthly life, and also stood beneath the Cross on Golgotha and lamented bitterly with the most holy Mother of God. After the Lord’s death, she visited His tomb three times; and when He rose again, she saw Him twice, once alone and the other time with the other myrrh-bearing women. She traveled to Rome, went before Tiberias Caesar and presented him with a red egg, greeting him with the words, “Christ is risen!” At the same time, she denounced Pilate to Caesar for his unjust condemnation of the Lord Jesus.

Caesar listened to her, and moved Pilate from Jerusalem to Gaul, where this unjust judge died under imperial displeasure after a terrible illness. After that, she returned from Rome to Ephesus, to St. John the Theologian, whom she helped in his task of preaching the Gospel. With great love for the risen Lord and with great zeal, she proclaimed the holy Gospel as a true apostle of Christ. She died peacefully in Ephesus and was buried, according to tradition, in the same cave in which the seven young men (see August 4th) had been in a charmed sleep for a hundred years. They came to life, and then died. St. Magdalene’s relics were then taken to Constantinople. Near the Garden of Gethsemane, there is a beautiful Russian church dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene.

Troparion, Tone 1

O holy Mary Magdalene, thou didst keep Christ’s commandments/ and follow Him Who for our sakes was born of a Virgin./ Today we celebrate thy memory/ and receive forgiveness through thy prayers.

Kontakion, Tone 4

When the transcendent God was incarnate/ He received thee as a true disciple in thy great love, O Myrrhbearer./ Then thou thyself didst work many healings/ and art now translated to heaven/ where thou ever intercedest for the world.

Another Kontakion, Tone 3

With others standing before the Savior’s Cross,/ weeping and suffering with the Mother of God,/ glorious Mary Magdalene offered praises saying:/ What is this strange wonder?/ He chooses to suffer Who upholds the whole creation!/ Glory to Thy Power.

[George]

A few years ago when I was teaching at Sunday School once a month, it was my turn to teach on the Sunday of the Myrrh Bearing Women, so I looked up on the Internet about the life of St Mary and found out about her going to Rome and preaching to the Caesar. I thought that it was interesting that our tradition of red eggs at Pascha goes right back to the beginning of Christianity. I hadn't read about the devil thinking that she might be being prepared to be Theotokos though, so that was interesting t read.
So far as I know, the confusion of St Mary with the woman with the demons etc came about in the Western Churches in the middle ages.

[sashaedwardovna]

I've been trying to clear this up with several people, and we're all unsure. What, exactly was Mary Magdalene? I know she wasn't the wife or "companion" of Jesus, as many like to make out. But was she the sister of Lazarus, who washed Jesus's feet with her tears and dried them with her hair? And/or was she origionally a prostitute? Or was she just some woman who wasn't especially pious and Jesus brought her to the Faith, so to speak?

[romiosini]

No no no! No Father of the Church has ever said in any Ecumenical Council that she was a whore! (a.k.a. prostitute) That catholic theory came up after the 15th century when the Catholic Reforms were happening. Now many Fathers theorized a lot on if Saint Mary of Magdala was really married or not, but if she was, why would she brake her marriage vows and hang with old group of middle-aged women? Well, that was one of the Fathers issues, another issue was, was Saint Mary Magdalene a middle-aged woman too or a young girl around the age of Jesus? Well the Fathers, being God-wise, knew that a young woman wouldn't want to hang with old woman such as Saint Mary the wife of Cleopas, or the Theotokos. Which was proven that Saint Mary Magdalene was a decent age past Jesus' age. And according to Jewish Tradition, if a couple would be married, the husband has to be older than the bride. Which is literally impossible. According to the catholics, they have the relics of Saint Mary Magdalene in France, which many testimonies have it that she went missionary work there too. (Also Saint Dionysius the Aeropagite suffered a martyr's end there too.) Now how did earn a title like herself in Orthodoxy? (Being an Equal-to-Apostle) Well, it is quite obvious, just like Saint John the Theologian, Christ loved Saint Mary Magdalene, devoutly too, as His disciple. If Christ did not found the faithfullness and devoutness in Saint Magdalene, He wouldn't of appeared to her after his three-day Resurection.