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The Resurrection is described differently by the four evangelists, but they agree on one thing: Mary Magdalene was present. Who was Mary Magdalene, or Mary of Magdala, as she is called as well? It is told that Jesus cast 7 demons out of her, (Mark 16:9, Luke 8:2) that she followed him, and was a witness of His resurrection. The most well-known text about her is John 20:1-18. After John Mary is the only woman who went to the sepulchre. She discovers that the stone was taken away, and tell this to John and Peter. They go to the sepulchre, see that it is empty, and go back. and then (11-17) But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my LORD, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
In the book Acts she is not mentioned, nor in any of the Letters, not even when Paul lists the witnesses of the resurrection. (1 Cor. 15:4-7).
Neither the other women for that matter.
But there exist many texts about her outside the New Testament.
In 1945 in Nag Hammadi papyrus codices were found in a sealed jar, which must have been there from the fourth century AD. So they are older than the oldest manuscripts of the New Testament. They are translations in Coptic from scriptures written by Gnostics.
Such writings were condemned as a heresy, and therefore they will have been hidden.
The original writing may stem from about 200 AD.
One of the writings is called the Gospel of Philip In the whole Gospel of John reference is made to a disciple whom Jesus loved. His name is mentioned nowhere, but it has to be a man. It is assumed that it is John. But in this book it is suggested it is Mary Magdalene.
It would give a completely different meaning to the text: “Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.” (John 13:23)
The church-fathers, generally kwown as women-haters, and fighting Gnosticism, show in their fight that Mary Magdalene was much more important than it is assumed later on.
When Christianity had won, and the church became interesting for the ambitious (most men), the role of Mary Magdalene is reduced even further. Pope Gregory the Great (ca. 600) establishes officially she is a whore: she is the woman who washes Jesus feet in Luke 7:36-50. (revoked in 1969).
Many further speculations about her exist.
She is supposed to be identical to Mary of Bethany.
Others suppose she was married to Jesus. A Jewish rabbi was supposed to be married, and who else could have been Jesus' wife? After his resurrection she is supposed to have gone to France, together with Lazarus and Joseph of Arimathea. The last one had to flee because he had supposedly stolen the body of Jesus. That is why we hear nothing about these tree in the Acts.
The most bizar theory lets Jesus, who survived the crucifixion, go to France as well, raise a family there with Mary Magdalene, and become the ancestor of the Merovingian dynasty, kings of France.
The most well-known king of this house is Clovis, who was converted to Christianity in 506. Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Da Vinci Code are based on this theme.
See also The Da Vinci Code, By Dan Brown.
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