Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene was a devoted follower of Christ, healed of seven demons, who stood by His Cross and became the first witness of His Resurrection — honored in the East as "equal to the apostles" and first of the Myrrh-bearing Women.

Overview

• Mary of Magdala was among the women who followed Jesus and supported His ministry, "from whom seven demons had gone out" (Luke 8.2).
• She stood by the Cross when most of the disciples had fled, and came to the tomb at dawn — becoming the first person to see the risen Christ and to announce His Resurrection to the apostles (John 20.1-18).
• Orthodoxy honors her as a Myrrh-bearer and "equal-to-the-apostles," and does not identify her with the repentant sinful woman of Luke 7 (a later Western conflation).

Summary

Mary Magdalene appears in all four Gospels as a faithful disciple of Jesus, delivered by Him of seven demons (Luke 8.2) and thereafter among the women who followed and provided for Him. She was present at the Crucifixion and burial, and on the first day of the week came with spices to anoint the body — which is why the Church calls her and her companions the Myrrh-bearing Women. Finding the tomb empty, she was the first to meet the risen Lord, who sent her to tell the apostles; for this the Fathers call her "the apostle to the apostles" (John 20.1-18; Mark 16.9). Eastern tradition remembers her as a fearless preacher of the Resurrection who reposed at Ephesus. Importantly, Orthodoxy keeps her distinct from the unnamed sinful woman and from Mary of Bethany, figures with whom the medieval West merged her. Cross-link Pascha, The Passion, Theotokos.

Sources

[^1]: Luke 8.2 (WEB) — Mary Magdalene, "from whom seven demons had gone out.". [^2]: John 20.1-18; Mark 16.9 (WEB) — Mary Magdalene as the first witness of the risen Christ, sent to announce it to the disciples.