The Age-Old Stigma of Mary Magdalene

Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Mary Magdalene is one of the most famous, mysterious, and perhaps controversial women in the Bible. She’s been called a friend to Jesus, his wife, one of his most devout followers, and a sex worker. Who is Mary Magdalene and how did her story become aligned with sex workers around the world?

The stigma of Mary Magdalene has endured throughout biblical times into the current era.

Mary (Miriam in Hebrew) was a Jewish woman born in the town of Magdala, about one hundred miles north of Jerusalem. [1] She’s first mentioned in the Book of Luke as a follower of Jesus, after he healed her by removing seven demons. These “demons” could’ve been a physical ailment, mental health concern, or any number of vices including greed and lust, which could have put sex work on that list. After the demons had been cast aside, Mary Magdalene became an ardent follower of Jesus. She accompanied him to Galilee, was witness to his crucifixion (according to all four canonical gospels) and was the first person to see the resurrected Jesus. [2]

Despite living a life devoted to her faith, Mary Magdalene was derided by the Catholic Church. In 591, Pope Gregory I labeled her a “sinful woman,” thus solidifying her reputation of being a sex worker. But Pope Gregory I didn’t stop there. He conflated Mary Magdalene with two other biblical women named Mary, the first was Mary of Bethany who anointed Jesus’s feet, and the second was Mary whom Jesus pardoned. [3] Although Gregory argued these women were one in the same, contemporary scholars argue they were three distinct individuals. [4] The label of “sinful woman” or prostitute was removed from Mary Magdalene 1,377 years later in 1969 by the Second Vatican Council, but the belief of her sex worker past still remains.

So, what happened to Mary Magdalene? That is an actual mystery and several theories have existed. Medieval theologians argued that she married John the Apostles. Western Catholics believe that Mary Magdalene moved to France and lived for 30 years in a cave, while eastern Catholics believed she moved to Ephesus, modern-day Turkey, with Mary the mother of Jesus.

Popular culture has kept conversation about the stigma of Mary Magdalene and her mysterious story alive. Author Dan Brown’s book, The DaVinci Code, and other works go so far as to say that Mary Magdalene was the wife of and pregnant by Jesus.

What we do know is that Mary Magdalene was canonized as a saint and said to be redeemed by her faith. Her feast day is July 22 and she is the patron saint of hairdressers, converts, sexual temptation, and women. For old pros, that means that Mary Magdalene looks after sex workers, too!