Wednesday, July 22, 2026

It is the 22nd of July 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 

There are few characters from the Gospels that have had the wild ride that Mary Magdalene has had… what have you heard? How have artists, theologians, and novelists portrayed her?

 

Today, the 22nd of July has historically been set apart as a “feast day” for Mary Magdalene, one of the most significant characters in all of the New Testament but also one with a very curious history of interpretation and controversy.

 

Mary Magdalene is one of the most prominent characters in the New Testament- there are quite a few “Marys,” as it was amongst the most common female names in the 1st-century Levant. She is given the qualifier “Magdalene,” but even then she is often conflated- famously so- with other Marys.

 

She appears in all four gospels and is placed, quite significantly, at the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. In all four gospels, she is present at the empty tomb. Surprisingly, she and the other women are the first witnesses to the Resurrection and the first to proclaim it to the other (male) disciples. Despite the legal status of women in 1st-century Judea, she is made a cornerstone of the argument for the resurrection of Jesus.

 

In Luke’s gospel, we read that she had seven demons cast out of her- this is the only extra biographical information we are given. It was Pope Gregory the Great around the year 600 who formalized the picture of her as a prostitute- he conflated her with both Mary of Bethany and the unnamed sinful woman who anointed Jesus feet. The seven demons become the “seven deadly sins,” and Mary becomes the picture of the penitent- something that lasts into celebrations today when many communities stress penitence and conversion on her feast day.

 

Still, some of the most prominent depictions of Mary Magdalene depict her as a penitent (think of Donatello’s famous statue) despite that being a conflagration of different characters. In the 1960s, the Catholic Church officially recognized that she was NOT the sinful woman or Mary of Bethany.

 

The famous “Golden Legend” of Jacob Voragine also helped to develop a backstory for the one called “the apostle to the apostles” (that is, because she was the first to proclaim to them the resurrection). The Golden Legend takes her name- Magdalene- not for where she came from (Magdala was a town on the Sea of Galilee) but because it meant “tower” or “castle”; the Golden Legend presented her as from a noble family, along with Martha and Lazarus.

 

But other scholars have noted that “Magdalene” may have been a title- like Peter being “the rock” or James and John being “sons of thunder”- Magdalene, or “strong tower,” may have been a name given to her as a reference to her position of authority- she seems to have a parallel position, as a woman, to Peter. While this has been popular in modern scholarship, it can also be traced back as far as St. Jerome, who suggested this in the 4th century.

 

She was also prevalent in the various Gnostic Gospels. In the gospel of Thomas, the issue of a woman being close to Jesus and in some role of authority was famously “fixed” with Peter saying, “Let Mary go forth from among us, for women are not worthy of the life. Jesus said: Behold, I shall lead her, that I may make her male, in order that she also may become a living spirit like you males. For every woman who makes herself male shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

 

A Gnostic Gospel account of Jesus kissing Mary led to the tradition that they were romantically linked- that she was also identified as a former prostitute has led to some of the more absurd fictions that have appeared in places like Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ and Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code.

 

That she was once considered a “fallen woman” (despite not being the case) led to the development of “Magdalen Houses” or asylums for fallen women. The identification with her as the penitent woman crying tears also gave rise to the word “Maudlin” from “Magdalen,” meaning “overly emotional and tearful”.

 

Quite the ride for the woman who, most importantly, is at the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Despite the blending of her story with others, and despite the wild claims about a romantic relationship with Jesus, we remember Mary Magdalene on her feast day, the 22nd of July, as the one who proclaimed to the others, post-resurrection: “I have seen the Lord.”

 

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and Matthew 12:

15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. 16 He warned them not to tell others about him. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
 the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
 and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
 no one will hear his voice in the streets.

20 A bruised reed he will not break,
 and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.

21  In his name the nations will put their hope.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 22nd of July 2026 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who always wondered how women were going to get into heaven… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who thinks the split has got to be something like 60/40, right? I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.