Was Mary Magdalene really a former prostitute who followed Jesus Christ? New discoveries suggest that one of the most famous women in history might have actually been a rich widow.
Research at a recently discovered archeological site in Magdala in Jerusalem suggests that Mary Magdalene might have been part of a ministry that followed Jesus Christ and was possibly a rich widow, not a prostitute, whose money funded a synagogue or house of prayer for believers.
Scholars said that during the first century, people were named after their hometown, hence Mary Magdalene may have been from Magdala. In the Gospels, Luke mentioned her as one of the first women who took care of Jesus with their own resources, thus the possibility that she was rich.
Reports also revealed that there was never any mention of Mary Magdalene as a sinner or prostitute in the Bible. The Gospel of Luke, however, wrote about casting seven demons out of her body (Luke 8:2), which was then interpreted as a sin relating to sex.
Pope Gregory I the Great declared Mary Magdalene to be a prostitute in 591 and the story perpetuated as the Bible became more accessible. Some scholars, however, believed that people might have also confused Mary Magdalene's identity among plenty of women, such as Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. Like Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany also wiped Jesus Christ's feet with perfumed oil and her hair.
In 1969, Vatican quietly removed Mary Magdalene's label as a prostitute. In 2017, Pope Francis declared Mary Magdalene as the "Apostle of the new and greatest hope." A year before that, the Pope signed a decree that marked Mary Magdalene's feast day as July 22, alongside the other Apostles.
The question on Mary Magdalene's actual identity has once again became the subject of contention in recent weeks because of the upcoming release of the faith-based film, "Mary Magdalene," starring Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix. Early reviews cited that the movie doesn't mention the character as a prostitute and paints the Biblical heroine as a beacon for women with unwavering faith.
