Why do many christians think of Mary Magdalene as a former Prostitute?

Question

There is no place in the bible that suggests that she was ever promiscuous, much less a former prostitute. So why do so many christians think of her as some former hellcat or something. I would appreciate you told me some history about this myth.

Answer 1

I don't think there is any real evidence for her being a prostitute, but I also don't believe that the Catholic Church did this to keep women down. I've always felt like they wanted to sensationalize the story a little more. Peter is made to look like a dumb bloke who only cared about fishing till Jesus came along- and then went on to become the foundation of the Christian Church. Paul was a cold blooded killer of Christians- the most unlikely to believe- yet converted. And of course Mary was a horrible, demon filled prostitute, yet Jesus loved her even more than the others. It's poetic.

I don't get too rapped up in how and why they changed some of the stories. No true life movie is actually true life. People change the details to bring out the elements they want you to see. They wanted people to understand that Jesus will save ANYONE. And that's why they wanted Mary to be an ex-prostitute, it's more impressive that way.

Answer 2

Like most figures upon whom the Universe works to its benefit, the story of Jesus hinges as much upon what he (and his life) represent as to the factual data. The 'promiscuity' of Mary Magdalene exists because she represents the 'pagan' goddess of yore. Sexual fecundity, and autonomy, were characteristics of those early religions, which is why Lilith is Adam's first wife, not Eve. Lilith and Eve represent two different sides of the same woman, and since the mythology of Adam/Eve/Lilith exist to serve a distinct purpose, Eve is preferred over Lilith. However, the 'ghost' of Lilith cannot simply be let loose. A 'Lilith' figure, by nature, must eventually be 'tamed', accepted, even 'married'. This 'mythic' marriage serves not only as a symbolic closing of the circle, it also suggests a way in which an 'evil' is integrated. Thus, Jesus's 'accepting' of a prostitute (a woman sexually and socially autonomous, and reviled) symbolically marries the old with the new, hopefully creating a mythological synthesis that promotes the best of both, while mitigating the worst of both.

Answer 3

The NT was very political from its inception as a gospel. In the early days of Christianity, there were many gospels, including those of Thomas', Mary's and Philip's. These gospels have slightly version of Jesus compared to those of the canonical gospels. Therefore, the supporters of the canonical gospels attacked other versions. From gospel of John, John labelled Thomas as Thomas the unbeliever (because Thomas' version did not have the resurrection of Jesus), and Paul tried to dismiss women as credible preachers by his letters to the Corinthians. From some gospels, we note that it was mentioned that Mary was loved by Jesus above all the disciples. Hence, there was a need to destroy the credibility of women as preachers because those aligned in the same camp had the agenda to promote Jesus to the status of god. The attack against Mary went unabated till the 16th century by St Augustine, though from the NT itself, we could see that Mary Magdalene was the person who anointed Jesus with oil, and was the first to visit the tomb of Jesus. There is not a single verse in the NT that referred to Mary Magdalene as whore, and therefore the unjustified personal attack on Mary was way too much for a religion that considered itself holy.

Answer 4

She was not a prostitute and lately has been confirmed by the church that it was wrongly interpreted.

Mary Magdalene is described, both in the canonical New Testament and in the New Testament apocrypha, as a devoted disciple of Jesus. She is considered by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican churches to be a saint, with a feast day of July 22. Her name means "Mary of Magdala", after a town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Answer 5

The R.C. Church misled people for so many centuries with their misogynistic agenda & obsession with sexual sins that when they finally admitted to this particular error (in ~ `1967) no one was listening .

The more "faith" people have, the less critical thinking & the less investigation they are allowed to do without having their faith called into question.

It doesn't have to be this way but most of the time that's the way it works. The church leaders (any church - no sectarianism intended) know this and so do nothing to encourage inquiry of any kind into whatever they have presented as the Truth.

Answer 6

Some scholars do say that and I believe it not be not true. Jesus was the first one to appear to Mary Magdalene out of whom he had cast seven devils. There is no recorded history of any accounts of evil that she processed to have devils casted out of her in the holy bible. You can read more about the role she played while on earth by buying THE WOMENS OF THE BIBLE at any local bible store or order it from the reglar book store.

Answer 7

You are quite right, there isn't. This is a way to keep women down. It is quite a conspiracy as we have all heard 'the prostitute' Mary Magdelene. Let me take you back to my religious studies in college. (Catholics, forgive me, I am not talking about you). The Holy Roman Empire (preceding the Holy Roman Catholic Church) wanted to conquer. In those days, well before the days of the Arthur legends, women were quite powerful and often the leaders of tribes. This was one way to control the tribes, they badmouthed the leaders or women of the tribes. Try to find 10 'good' women in the Bible and I will tell you that it is very difficult. In exchange for slandering the women, the Empire gave the pagans (note, they were pantheistic - god and goddess, not atheistic as we are so quick to quote) many holidays and symbols unique to them. Did you ever wonder why the egg came to symbolize Easter? That was a fertility symbol as was the rite of spring. I hope you learn to read past what man has placed and continue to question what God wanted us to know.

Answer 8

biblical scholars have admitted since the sixties that there is no biblical evidence that mary magdalene was a prostitute. what it says (in luke 8): "Accompanying [jesus] were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, ... ."

the whole prostitution thing is probably just more stealing from the story of Mithra on whom the character jesus is based.

Answer 9

one of the popes made the mistake of identifying her as the nameless adultress who washed Christ's feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. From there medieval clerics called her whore and prostitute.

According to the Coptic bible, she was an apostle and Jesus's personally chosen successor to lead after his death. But Paul was jealous of her and a rift devloped in the group after his death.

Biblical scholars believe she may have been a priestess of Isthar, who was converted to Christianity (there is a poetic phrase about her having 7 demons cast out of her--7 was a holy number to the cult of Ishtar)

Answer 10

That was a nasty story started by the Romans. Mary of Bethany, known as the Magdaline, was wife to Yeshua Ben Joseph and bore him three children, a daughter named Tamar and two sons named Yeshua and Josiah. After he husband was executed (crucified) by the Romans, she fled with her Uncle, Joseph of Aremethia to the Languedoc region of South France where the bloodline florished and evolved into the Morovingian line of French Kings ending with Dagobert II. Read HOLY BLOOD, HOLY GRAIL, you'll see most of the story.