The Fashioning of Mary Magdalene in the Gospels

The Synoptic Gospels and John present the character of Mary Magdalene in various manners. The authors of the gospels wrote at different times, under different circumstances. Some forms and possible reasons the writers chose to portray the Magdalene character differently follow.

Magdalene in Mark

Mark describes Mary Magdalene's presence at the death of Jesus as follows: "There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses and Salome...and there were many other women who had come up with him from Jerusalem." The male disciples fled, while the female disciples remained at a distance. Insinuating women not only freely followed Jesus, but they also made up a large portion of his followers. "Women are not included in the Twelve, but they are the only faithful followers at the cross and the tomb, which suggests that the Roman Christian community had women leaders."(Osiek p128).

Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices and went to anoint the body. They found the stone rolled away, and a young man dressed in a white robe, sitting to the right inside the tomb. After the man told Mary and her friends Jesus rose from the dead, they fled from the tomb seized by terror and amazement. Out of fear they said nothing to anyone. Some believe the gospel of Mark ends at this point. In which case, the gospel of Mark becomes the only gospel that says the women did not relay the message of Jesus' resurrection to the disciples. "At the conclusion of the Gospel, the women at the tomb flee, as the Twelve had done earlier, for they were afraid." (Osiek p130)