Having had the privilege of being the first to contemplate the Risen Lord, she was sent by Jesus Himself to proclaim the good news to the apostles. The affection felt for Mary Magdalene, as much in early Christianity as throughout the rest of the history of the Church, is reflected in the large number of churches dedicated to her. The mistake of identifying her with a repentant sinner actually has a more recent origin, in the Middle Ages.
It started with an Easter homily by Pope Gregory the Great in the year , in which he juxtaposed the repentant sinner of Luke with Mary of Bethany Luke , and with Mary Magdalene, from whom Jesus had expelled seven demons Luke , as if they were all the same woman. Many people still identify Mary Magdalene as the repentant sinner who appears in the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Luke.
Nevertheless, this understanding was opposed decades ago by Catholic theologians and by recent popes. This recognizes her importance as a disciple sent to bear witness to her faith in the Risen Christ. One must see Gregory in his context, which was a time characterized by intense disturbances: German invasions, a plague, famine β¦ the Roman world was crumbling under his feet. But even the gnostic gospels, besides having no historical value regarding Christianity and having been composed much later than the canonical Gospels, do not speak of a special relationship except in a symbolic and mystical sense.
The Gnostics had a great disdain for women, portraying them as second-class human beings as compared to men. The only gospel that speaks of a special relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene is the gnostic gospel of Philip, but it does so to propose Gnostic doctrine through the person of Jesus. Many churches were built in her honor, and in the 13th century, there was even talk of her tomb being located in Provence.
The fact is that, not only are there no traces of Mary Magdalene in France before the 9th century, but it seems all the legends are nothing but inventions. The entire legend of Mary Magdalene being in France is a medieval invention that then fed other legends. This is understandable in the context of the Middle Ages, when in the face of Muslim invasions, many regions invented claims to have relics of saints to obtain protection and prestige.
