why isn't she considered an Apostle? She was there for all the sermons and lectures, she received the Word of God from Christ Himself, she did virtually everything the 12 guys did. Yet Christ chose to reveal Himself to her first after resurrection. Was there any other reason other than her gender?
Smart alec answers will be dealt with via email and I will win.
2007-11-25 15:42:10 · 22 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Read the Lost Gospels. Really interesting reads.
Many DID see her as an apostle. She was a teacher, spreading Jesus's word. The distain for women didn't really begin until the middle ages when men got all uppity about women (Thank Paul for that. He didn't like women much) and she got demonized.
2007-11-25 15:45:54 · answer #1 · answered by ~Heathen Princess~ 7 · 11⤊ 1⤋
I cannot answer as any kind of authority, but I have long suspected that one of the very special rewards God bestows is anonymity. What a blessing the shepherds received--and who were they? We don't know today, but we DO know they were ordinary working folk who were the first to hear of the birth of the Messiah.
It is a 'true-ism' that the powerful usually write the histories, and thus what we know today is often coloured by the biases of the chronicler. In that way, mention of all but the most important women has often been missing. Very little mention is made of the Virgin Mary in Scripture--still less of Mary Magdalene, and so much less of Jesus' sisters that even their names are lost to us. Yet, like Huldah in the Old Testament, even those fleeting references infer a great deal. Perhaps if refernces to these very special women had been more cut-and-dried, speculation about them would not have resulted in the corpus of devotional art and literature that has inspired and enriched believers for centuries.
I suppose it could be said that what wasn't revealed at the time has been revealed over time, and that the key to that font of inspiration, knowledge and wisdom is not to be found in clinical fact, but in faith.
2007-11-26 00:14:16 · answer #2 · answered by Gryphon Noir 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it was 'politics'-she was female and even some of JCs followers had a problem with that. Plus, she was a Gnostic and the sect that ruled decided not to include any of that.
Africana would be interested to learn the Catholic Church stated in a small ceremony (1969) that MM was NOT a prostitute, ever. And, the rumor originated from an honest mistake in some Bishop's speech way back when. At least that part I'm pretty sure about but I can't remember the reference so I won't swear by it.
2007-11-25 23:58:08 · answer #3 · answered by strpenta 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
.....for the same reason I was never taught about the Tamars, Deborah, Jael, or any of the other powerful women of the Bible in all of the Sundays I spent at church. They want to keep us in our place as they (the church) see fit. A female apostle would upset that apple cart quick fast and in a hurry.
2007-11-26 14:50:04 · answer #4 · answered by Glee 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it was about the culture back then. I also believe that there were many women who followed Christ. Some were the wives of the disciples.
No smart alec answers here-yikes!
2007-11-25 23:47:31 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Mary was very important to Jesus. Like so many women in our society even today, we are not recognized for all we do or what we mean to those we love. No matter. We know. The Lord knows. That's all that truly matters.
2007-11-25 23:50:40 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
She was not an apostle because she was not chosen by Jesus to be an apostle. She was chosen to minister to Jesus and the disciples. and to care for their needs. This is an equally important role to play. The Body of Christ is made up of numerous different parts, and none are more or less important than another. Also, as Paul stated, a woman is not to have spiritual authority over men because it was a woman- Eve- who was deceived by Satan, not a man.
2007-11-25 23:49:19 · answer #7 · answered by utuseclocal483 5 · 1⤊ 3⤋
She is an apostle, and even a very central character, in at least one gospel. It's not included in the usual canon, obviously. Gospel of Miriam, I imagine. I'll look that up though.
I guess it's just Gospel of Mary. See link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Magdelene#Gospel_of_Mary
Looks like everyone is pretty unsure about who was who. Even "virgin" may be a mistranslation.
2007-11-25 23:48:51 · answer #8 · answered by The Instigator 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The Apostles were all called out of the worldly life and into following Jesus.
Mary M. was drawn because of God's love.
I go to church every week.
That doesn't mean I'm a deacon.
2007-11-25 23:47:14 · answer #9 · answered by Bobby Jim 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Okay folks , Mary was a prostitute until Jesus found her. She stopped doing that when she started following Jesus. In some accounts she was celibate and was among the first that can be consider nuns. She was considered a follower of Jesus and did the same work but perhaps in keeping with the custom remained humble and took no glory for herself.
ana
2007-11-25 23:54:06 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 1⤊ 3⤋