Her Story 

Although Mary’s story is shrouded in mystery and we know little of her life and her ministry, we have some concrete stories and history that is potent to discover. 

Her most profound role is found in the current day bible. Her being present during the most crucial times of Jesus’s life that craft the narrative of christianity.

She was written by name in the bible as being there during his crucifixion, part of the witnessing party at his burial and the most profound being that he rose soly to her from the dead. 

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The Catholic Church officially declared her the Apostle of Apostles and gave her a feast day on July 22. 

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She is mentioned by name twelve times in the canonical gospels, more than most of the apostles and more than any other woman in the gospels, other than Jesus's family.

The Gospel of Mary was not included in the modern version of the bible, which was crafted from The Council of Nicaea, an assembly of religious delegates arranged by Constantine I between May to August AD 325. This event defined the Christian Church doctrine and beliefs, particularly relating to the holy trinity and relationship between God and Jesus, as is still accepted today. This council of Men eliminated the role of Women in the church (aside from the revered Virgin mother) and formed a narrative that serves the power of the patriarchy.

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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 and funded his work.

The portrayal of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute began in 591 AD, when Pope Gregory I defiled Mary's name. Pope Gregory's Easter sermon resulted in a widespread belief that Mary Magdalene was a repentant prostitute or promiscuous woman.

In 1969, Pope Paul VI removed the claim of Mary Magdalene being the "sinful woman" but the view of her as a former prostitute has persisted in popular culture and is still being taught from the old narrative. 

It is widely accepted among secular historians that, like Jesus, Mary Magdalene was a real historical figure. Nonetheless, very little is known about her life.

She is a central figure in later Gnostic Christian writings, including the Dialogue of the Savior, the Pistis Sophia, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, and the Gospel of Mary. These texts portray her as an apostle, as Jesus's closest and most beloved disciple, and the only one who truly understood his teachings. In the Gnostic texts or Gnostic gospels, Mary's closeness to Jesus results in tension with another disciple, Peter, due to her sex and Peter's envy of the special teachings given to her. In the Gospel of Philip's text, she is described as Jesus's companion, as the disciple Jesus loved the most, and the one Jesus kissed on the mouth, which has led some people to conclude that she and Jesus were in a relationship.

Traditionally, rabbis were expected to marry women who were devoted to Judaism. The convention was a logical one. As a symbolic exemplar of Judaism, everything a rabbi does should reflect his commitment to the Jewish religion.