why do people think Mary Magdalene?

Question

was a prositute? does the bible every state that?


The Bible never explicitly says that Mary Magdalene was ever a prostitute at any point in her life. Luke does not name her in his narrative about the "penitent whore" who washes the feet of Jesus with her hair (7:36-50). Nor is she named as the woman who was caught in the act of adultery and saved from being stoned to death by Jesus (John 8:1-11). She is identified as once having been demon-possessed (Luke 8:2). However, the assumption that her sinful past consisted primarily of sexual sin is a presumption that is not usually made about the men who are identified as former sinners

Answer 1

You're absolutely correct. I think this is because they're confusing the woman who cried on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair at Luke 7 with the references to Mary wiping His feet at John 11:2 and 12:3.

If you compare the Luke passage with the John passages, you'll see there are different people present; there are different circumstances; and one is crying and the other is not.

I was watching the History Channel last night and a program referred to Mary Magdalene as "a former prostitute," and I couldn't believe it. But, then again, you can't believe much of what you hear on that channel!

Answer 2

The misreading of Mary Magdalene is almost as ancient as the Gospels of the New Testament themselves, if only because there are up to five different Marys in the Gospels and seven in the New Testament as a whole.

The greatest damage done to Magdalene's reputation, however, is only partly the confusion of these Marys. The main problem is the way some decided to identify an unnamed woman with Magdalene in the Gospel of Luke.

In 7:37-38, Luke tells the tale of a woman, "a sinner" who goes into a dinner party and anoints Jesus' feet. The following chapter immediately introduces "Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out. ..."

In the early church, as people have placed her in art and legend and misinterpretation, they linked her with the sinner from the chapter before.

The Church has apologized for this, but the damage has been done and people still think of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute.

Answer 3

Mary Magdalene was a woman from whom Jesus cast out seven demons (Luke 8:2). The name Magdalene likely indicates that she came from Magdala, a city on the southwest coast of the Sea of Galilee. After Jesus cast seven demons from her, she became one of His followers. Mary Magdalene has been associated with the "woman in the city who was a sinner" (Luke 7:37) who washed Jesus' feet, but there is no scriptural basis for this. The city of Magdala did have a reputation for prostitution. This information, coupled with the fact that Luke first mentions Mary Magdalene immediately following his account of the sinful woman (Luke 7:36-50), has led some to equate the two women. John 11:2, however, identifies the women in Luke 7:36-50 as Mary of Bethany, not Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene is also often associated with the woman whom Jesus saved from stoning after she had been taken in adultery (John 8:1-11). But again this is an association with no evidence. The movie “The Passion of the Christ” made this connection. This view is possible, but not likely and certainly not taught in the Bible. Mary Magdalene witnessed most of the events surrounding the crucifixion. She was present at the mock trial of Jesus; she heard Pontius Pilate pronounce the death sentence; and she saw Jesus beaten and humiliated by the crowd. She was one of the women who stood near Jesus during the crucifixion to try to comfort Him. The earliest witness to the resurrection of Jesus, she was sent by Jesus to tell the others (John 20:11-18). Although this is the last mention of her in the Bible, she was probably among the women who gathered with the apostles to await the promised coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14).

Answer 4

The Bible said we are all born sinners. Even if we sin in our hearts - it is the same as real sin.

Therefore all of us are no better than prostitutes in the eyes of God.

The only GOOD NEWS for true believers is God forgives a penitent sinner, and even give us eternal life if we than accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.

Time to throw away all other fake religions whose only goal is to lead you away from your Creator.

Christ said to the prostitute in the Bible, "Your sins are forgiven - go and sin no more". How great a Mercy and Grace.

If today you are a prostitute of any kind - Confess your sins to God - and receive the gift of Salvation by Believing that Christ died for you and His resurrection gives you eternal life and you will also be saved.

Answer 5

There is a HUGE difference between what the Bible states and the dogma of manmade religions.

The Bible does not state anywhere that Mary Magdalene was a whore or a prostitute.

The trouble is that many, many people are willing to believe what they are told rather than finding out what the Bible states for themselves.

Answer 6

Jesus says "And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light." - Luke 16:8.

In other words, Christians are really not that wise about God like worldly people are about this world. I mean come on....Some Christians actually believe you can enter the Kingdom of Heaven without being born again. Although Jesus says in John 3:3 that you must be born again to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Many Christians do not know their Bibles and it is a shame. "For my people perish for the lack of knowledge." Ezekiel ?

Answer 7

How do we know for sure that a group of people lied about Mary and she was actually married to Jesus and the whole story around Jesus is a distortion of the truth. And Jesus has descendants.

Answer 8

I don't know the answer.

But I know a couple details that might help shed some light on it.

"Magdalene" means, roughly, "Of the Temple Tower".

Some use this and point to the temple prostitutes, saying she was one.

But what if she was a priestess of the Roman goddess Diana?

Oh, what a difference that would make.

Never stop questioning.

Answer 9

The Roman Catholic church gave her a bad reputation.
Maybe the men then were afraid of a woman disciple or of a woman that had Jesus' high regard?

Answer 10

Mark 16:9

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.

She had some demons, but didnt say hooker.....

Bless u
David T