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Who is Mary Magdalene in Orthodoxy? Who really was Mary Magdalene? Brief Life of Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene, Myrrh-Bearer

Mary Magdalene is rightfully considered the most mysterious character in the New Testament. We know nothing about her childhood, her parents, or her loved ones. We know nothing about her life either. In any case, none of the four Gospels can tell us how this woman lived after her execution Jesus Christ...

When there is little information, they make it up. The Fathers of the Church also had to think about this information when the question arose - to make the aforementioned Mary a saint or not?

Since Mary Magdalene was the first to behold the risen Christ, it was difficult to get rid of this character. And she was canonized, but... special conditions- attributing to the unfortunate woman actions and actions that she never committed! In the church understanding, the holiness of Magdalene was expressed in the fact that she turned from a great sinner into a great righteous woman.

One and a half thousand years have passed, and modern researchers of Magdalene’s life did exactly the opposite with her: they made her out of a great righteous woman great sinner and declared that it was wonderful. Who exactly was this extraordinary woman?

Entity multiplication

Mary first appears in the Bible when Jesus cast out seven demons from her. Having been healed, the woman followed the Savior and became one of His admirers.

Mary of Magdala was a wealthy woman; she willingly took on Jesus' expenses. When Jesus was captured and sentenced to death, she was present at the execution along with two other Marys - the mother of Christ and the sister of Lazarus. She took part in the burial of Jesus and anointed Him dead body oil Mir.
It was she who came to the cave where Jesus was buried and discovered that His body had disappeared. And it was she who first saw the risen Christ and told the apostles about him. It was also mentioned that she visited Rome, where she also spoke about Christ.

Nothing more can be extracted from the New Testament. But besides the four canonical Gospels, there are several that are not recognized by the church, that is, non-canonical. These Gospels were rejected by the church because of their Gnostic (teachings hostile to Christianity) origin and content.

In the first centuries, when Christianity had not yet taken shape in world religion, some Christians shared the views of the Gnostics, who affirmed the knowability of God and the possibility of acquisition by any person through knowledge of the divine essence. In the Gnostic Gospels, Mary of Magdala was given a very important role. She was considered the beloved and most faithful disciple of Christ. Mary herself was the author of one of the Gospels - the Gospel of Mary Magdalene.

Judging by this text, Mary of Magdala was most interested in the question of posthumous transformations of the soul. It is not for nothing that the non-canonical Gospels claimed that this woman became the founder of a philosophical Christian community and her own church. Of course, official Christianity smeared these Gospels as dangerous and incorrect. And it offered a completely different image of Mary of Magdala.

From student to student

Turn a loyal student into a representative of the first the oldest profession it didn't take much effort. It was only necessary to unite with Mary of Magdala all the women mentioned but not named in the New Testament.

The first candidate to complete the image of Magdalene was the woman who washed Christ’s feet with myrrh and wiped them with her hair. Another candidate is the woman who anointed Christ's hair. The third is the harlot whom Jesus saved from stoning and who followed him. As a result, unnamed women easily turned into the already famous Mary of Magdala.

The image of the improved Mary became like this: before, she walked around with a painted face and loose hair and engaged in prostitution, but Jesus saved her from death, cast out demons from her, which should be understood as vices, and Mary became a virtuous and faithful companion of the apostles.

Somewhere on background According to the Gospels, she stayed with Susanna, John and Salome. Only the mother of Jesus, in view of her complete purity and divine inspiration, was allowed to take a place next to Jesus, and only because He was her son.

Orthodox Christians had a simple attitude towards women: they were all daughters of Eve, who succumbed to temptation in paradise and thus burdened humanity with original sin. Mary of Magdala simply repeated the path of Eve, but in the opposite direction - she was cleansed from sin by her faith. And when Christians in the fifth century appeared Saint Mary of Egypt, who in her earthly life actually engaged in fornication, but repented, the image of Magdalene was completed. They say she is a harlot and nothing else.

The kiss that offended the apostles?

Centuries have passed. In 1945, famous scrolls written in Coptic were found in Nag Hammadi, Egypt. These were the same texts not recognized by the church that miraculously survived the period of struggle against heresies. Here it was unexpectedly revealed that Jesus called Mary of Magdala his beloved disciple and often kissed her on the lips.

And the other disciples were very jealous of Christ and even demanded an explanation from him why he singled out this Mary to the detriment of the others. Jesus responded to this allegorically and evasively. U modern researchers A nasty suspicion immediately arose that Jesus did not kiss Mary of Magdala as a disciple...

Mary Magdalene embraces the cross on which the Savior was crucified. She could not hug Jesus during life, but she could after death. In all the paintings and icons, she worries about the death of the Savior more than any of the apostles

Researchers were quick to note that Jesus did not just kiss Mary, but often on the lips. The peculiarity of such kisses in the 20th century was clear as day. There were two options why Jesus kissed Mary on the lips - either He lived with his disciple in sin, or He was simply married to her.

The sinful relationship somehow denigrated the name of Jesus. Well, Jesus having a wife did not contradict the Jewish laws of that time; on the contrary, a man of Jesus’ age was simply obliged to have a wife! But while in the sixth century it was possible to turn Magdalene into a harlot based on the text, in the twentieth century it was no longer possible to turn Jesus into a married man. More than one generation of theologians has worked on the purity and integrity of His image!

So He couldn’t have any wife, because He wasn’t supposed to. And the question of why Jesus kissed Mary Magdalene on the lips began to be answered with murderous logic: because in the first century it was customary among Christians to kiss each other on the lips. But the essence of the question still eluded those who answered: why then did Jesus do this so often that the other disciples were offended and indignant?

Mother of Jesus' Heirs

And then a revelation appeared from British historians and archaeologists Baigent, Ley and Lincoln, “The Sacred Riddle,” where Magdalene was declared not only the companion, disciple and wife of Jesus Christ, but also the mother of His children.

In general, there is nothing surprising in the existence of children married man No. If, of course, it weren’t for the man’s name. But in early Christian times, such versions existed safely. Let's say that some features of the knightly era are to blame for this. Even the name of Mary Magdalene was deciphered as “Mary of the city of Magdal-El,” which in turn was simply translated as “Mary of the city with towers.” Images of Mary from Magdala were readily complemented by the turret in the background.

In that wonderful era, apocryphal (hagiographical) texts appeared that depicted Magdalene’s life as follows. She was the spiritual wife of Jesus and through the virgin birth gave birth to his son Joseph the Sweetest. This baby became the ancestor of the royal house of the Merovingians. To save the child, Magdalene had to flee to Marseille. But soon her earthly life ended, and Jesus took her to heaven in the Bridal Chamber.

There is another legend. According to her at Magdalene had two children- boy and girl: Joseph and Sofia. Magdalene lived to a ripe old age and was buried in the south of France.

Although Magdalene is mentioned only 13 times in the New Testament, after she was declared a saint, holy relics of Magdalene also appeared. Bones, hair, coffin chips and even blood. There was a desperate struggle for the relics of Magdalene, and in the eleventh century there was even a period that historians call the “Magdalene ferment”! Mary Magdalene was worshiped not only by the Albigensian heretics, but also by the Knights Templar. It is not for nothing that the knightly Baphomet personified the “baby Magdalene” Sophia, that is, Wisdom. But already in the Renaissance, the image of the repentant Magdalene became the favorite image of artists. As the time goes, so do the images and relics.

Nikolay KOTOMKIN
"Riddles of History" November 2012

Despite the title, Garth Davis ("Lion", 2016) filmed the life of Jesus Christ, His journey from a preacher who gathered a handful of followers to the Savior who showed the way to the Kingdom of God. The metaphor is more than straightforward: the path to God is shown as a road movie from point A (Magdala) to point B (Jerusalem) with an intermediate stop in Cana of Galilee.

However, nowadays following the canonical text would seem archaic. So the plot was updated. The events are presented through the perception of Mary, a fisherman from Magdala, who searched for God all her life, and when she met Jesus, she followed him. This is not to say that we are looking through her eyes, but what she could not see is absent from Davis’ film.

In 2016, the Pope recognized Mary Magdalene as equal to the apostles. In the film, she, along with other followers of Christ, preaches, blesses and even baptizes converts. Equality of the sexes, you know, women also have the right to believe in God, to pray there and when the soul requires, and not when a husband or father orders. And like any man, women also have the right to renounce family and loved ones and follow their destiny, as they themselves understand it. So Garth Davis’s film is a kind of Gospel of Mary Magdalene in the era of harassment and feminism. And her last words to the apostles a direct manifesto of the #MeToo movement.

Another tribute to the era was apparently caused by accusations that Hollywood does not use enough black actors in leading roles. So for Davis, Peter (Simon) and his brother Andrew, fishermen born in Bethsaida at the confluence of the Jordan River and Lake Galilee, became black. (Peter is played by Oscar-winner Chiwetel Ejiofor). For what reasons they invited a Frenchman of Algerian origin, specializing in Arab roles, Tahar Rahim (The Prophet, 2009, The Phantom Tower, 2018) to play the role of Judas is unclear.

Rooney Mara as Mary plays not a woman, but an apostle. Her appearance is far from Hollywood standards of sexuality; she rather looks like an ascetic, exhausted not so much by hard physical labor as by the weight of moral choice. So there's nothing like that between Mary and Jesus (Joaquin Phoenix). She is not a harlot; on the contrary, she is a very religious woman. Although at first she even flirts a little with the impressive visiting preacher, as Joaquin Phoenix must seem to her. And what promising glances these two exchange! But no! Mary Magdalene is “only” the best of Christ’s disciples, who better than other followers learned the truth that God is love and mercy.

From a film about Jesus Christ we have the right to expect a vivid image of Christ, a man who gave people hope and set their hearts on fire with his sermons. Joaquin Phoenix's Jesus conscientiously preaches, slowly, clearly, often speaking directly to the camera, directly to the audience. Along the way, he performs the required miracles of healing and even resurrection from the dead, suffers, communicates alone with higher powers, listens to Maria's opinion. Keyword here in good faith. Well, he's supposed to do all this on his own life path. And he himself was immensely tired. At times he lights up at his own words. But all this happens at such a slow pace, with such monstrous pauses between words, that if he were preaching somewhere in modern city, then the audience would have fled without standing even five minutes. Still would. He knows very well how it will all end, so there is no reason or desire to fuss too much.

Of course, the pace of life in biblical times was completely different, but still the film was made for contemporaries. And Garth Davis either wanted to lull his viewers to sleep, or decided to weed out the true believers who could appreciate his work.

The film recreates in detail the life of two thousand years ago: how they greeted each other, how they prayed, how they repaired nets. The metaphor of mortality is presented in a straightforward and importunate manner. human life against the backdrop of eternal life: in almost every second frame you can see tiny human figures crawling like insects along the majestic mountain slopes. The music of Jóhan Jóhannsson constantly plays, sometimes sublime, pathetic, sometimes intrusive and annoying, apparently designed to illustrate the spiritual quest of the characters. And when it doesn’t sound, Mary hears the singing of God’s birds. Literally.

With academic rigor, Garth Davis strives to explain everything he can. Why was Mary Magdalene called a harlot for a long time? What else could ordinary people call a woman who refused to get married and went to wander the world in the company of sexually mature men in the prime of their childbearing powers? Why did Judas first enthusiastically follow Christ, and then betray him? Davis has simple answers for this too. He even tries to explain the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus. At one point Peter says, “Now I know that this is the Son of God!”

There is almost no dialogue. Characters deliver either ready-made phrases or ready-made sermons. Short bursts of emotion are interspersed with long scenes in which, if anything happens, it happens exclusively in the character’s soul. Obviously, the viewer must be imbued with the importance of each such moment, confirmed by the corresponding music.

No, the film starring Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tahar Rahim cannot be called a complete failure. This is a story of simple, not too happy people who followed the Teacher, but could not understand him. God is unknowable. And only a woman is able to approach the true understanding of God. But it still seems that you were deceived: they promised a feature film, but showed a scientific and educational reconstruction in the spirit of the History channel.

One of the most famous female figures in Orthodoxy is Mary Magdalene, with whom there is a lot of reliable information and speculation from various researchers. She is the main one among, and she is also considered the wife of Jesus Christ.

Who is Mary Magdalene?

A devoted follower of Christ who was the myrrh-bearer is Mary Magdalene. A lot of information is known about this saint:

Mary Magdalene is considered equal to the apostles, and this is explained by the fact that she preached the Gospel with special zeal, like the other apostles.
The saint was born in Syria in the city of Magdala, which is why the nickname known throughout the world is associated.
She was next to the Savior when he was crucified and was the first to exclaim “Christ is Risen!”, holding Easter eggs in her hands.
Mary Magdalene is the myrrh-bearer, since she was among those women who, on the morning of the first day of Saturday, came to the Tomb of the risen Christ, bringing with them myrrh (incense) to anoint the body.
It is worth noting that in Catholic traditions this name is identified with the image of the harlot who repented and Mary of Bethany. Associated with it a large number of legends.
There is information that Mary Magdalene is the wife of Jesus Christ, but there is not a word about this in the Bible.

What did Mary Magdalene look like?

There is no clear description of what the saint looked like, but traditionally in Western art and symbolism she is represented as young and very beautiful girl. Her main pride was long hair and she always has them loose. This is due to the fact that when the girl poured the ointment on Christ’s feet, she wiped them with her hair. More often than usual, Mary Magdalene, the wife of Jesus, is depicted with her head uncovered and a vessel of incense.

Mary Magdalene - life

In her youth, it would be hard to call the girl righteous, since she led a depraved life. As a result of this, she was possessed by demons who began to subjugate her. Equal to the Apostles Mary Magdalene was saved by Jesus, who cast out demons. After this event, she believed in the Lord and became his most faithful disciple. There is a lot connected with this Orthodox figure important events for believers who are described in the Gospel and other scriptures.

Appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene

Holy Scripture tells about the saint only from the moment she became a disciple of the Savior. This happened after Jesus delivered her from seven demons. Throughout her life, Mary Magdalene maintained her devotion to the Lord and followed him until the end of his earthly life. IN Good Friday together with the Mother of God she mourned the dead Jesus. Finding out who Mary Magdalene is in Orthodoxy and how she is connected with Christ, it is worth pointing out that she was the first who came to the Savior’s tomb on Sunday morning to once again express her fidelity to him.

Wanting to pour incense on His body, the woman saw that only the burial shrouds remained in the coffin, but the body itself was missing. She thought it had been stolen. At this time, Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene after the resurrection, but she did not recognize him, mistaking him for a gardener. She recognized him when he addressed her by name. As a result, the saint became the one who brought good news to all believers about the resurrection of Jesus.

Children of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene

Historians and archaeologists in Britain, after their research, declared that the saint was not only the faithful companion and wife of Jesus Christ, but also the mother of His children. There are apocryphal texts that describe the life of Equal-to-the-Apostles. They tell us that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had spiritual marriage, and as a result of the immaculate conception she gave birth to a son, Joseph the Sweetest. He became the founder of the royal house of the Merovingians. According to another legend, Magdalene had two children: Joseph and Sophia.

How did Mary Magdalene die?

After Jesus Christ was resurrected, the saint began to travel around the world to preach the Gospel. The fate of Mary Magdalene brought her to Ephesus, where she assisted the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. According to church tradition, she died in Ephesus and was buried there. The Bollandists claimed that the saint died in Provence and was buried in Marseille, but this opinion has no ancient evidence.

Where is Mary Magdalene buried?

The grave of the Equal-to-the-Apostles is located in Ephesus, where John the Theologian lived in exile at that time. According to legend, he wrote chapter 20 of the Gospel, in which he talks about his meeting with Christ after his Resurrection, under the guidance of the saint. Since the time of Leo the Philosopher, the tomb of Mary Magdalene has remained empty, since the relics were transferred first to Constantinople and then to Rome to the Cathedral of John Lateran, which was later renamed in honor of Equal-to-the-Apostles. Some parts of the relics are also located in other churches in France, Mount Athos, Jerusalem and Russia.

The Legend of Mary Magdalene and the Egg

Traditions are associated with this holy woman. According to existing tradition, she preached the Gospel in Rome. In this city, Mary Magdalene and Tiberius, who was the emperor, met. At that time, the Jews observed an important tradition: when a person first comes to famous person, then he must definitely bring him some kind of gift. Poor people in most cases brought vegetables, fruits and eggs, with which Mary Magdalene came.

One version says that the egg taken by the saint was red, which surprised the ruler. She told Tiberius about the life, death and resurrection of Christ. According to another version of the legend “Mary Magdalene and the Egg,” when the saint appeared to the emperor, she said: “Christ is Risen.” Tiberius doubted this and said that he would believe it only if the eggs turned red before his eyes, which is what happened. Historians doubt these versions, but the people have beautiful tradition with a deep meaning.

Mary Magdalene - prayer

Thanks to her faith, the saint was able to overcome many vices and cope with sins, and after her death she helps people who turn to her in prayer.

Since Mary Magdalene conquered fear and unbelief, those who want to strengthen their faith and become more courageous turn to her.
Prayer requests in front of her image help to receive forgiveness for sins committed. Women who had an abortion ask her for repentance.
Prayer to Mary Magdalene will help protect yourself from bad addictions and temptations. People turn to her with problems to get rid of them as quickly as possible.
The saint helps people get protection from magical influence from the outside.
She is considered the patroness of hairdressers and pharmacy employees.

Mary Magdalene – interesting facts

With this famous female figure There is a lot of information associated with the Orthodox faith, among which several facts can be highlighted:

Saint Mary Magdalene is mentioned 13 times in the New Testament.
After the church declared the woman a saint, relics from Magdalene appeared. These include not only relics, but also hair, chips from the coffin and blood. They are distributed throughout the world and are found in different temples.
There is no direct evidence in the known Gospel texts that Jesus and Mary were husband and wife.
The clergy claim that the role of Mary Magdalene is great, since it was not for nothing that Jesus himself called her his “beloved disciple,” because she understood him better than others.
After the appearance of various films related to religion, for example, The Da Vinci Code, many people had various doubts. For example, there are a huge number of people who believe that on the famous icon “ last supper“Next to the Savior is not John the Theologian, but Mary Magdalene herself. The Church assures that such opinions are absolutely groundless.
Many paintings, poems and songs have been written about Mary Magdalene.

The Church dedicates the third week of Paskha to us. We tell you who the women were, who remained faithful to their Lord and Teacher to the end -tsa, who stood at the Cross of the Savior, who came to anoint His Body with aro-ma-ta-mi, and heard from an -he-la-joyful news about the Resurrection of Christ.

Who are these mi-ro-no-si-tsy?

Women-mi-ro-no-si-tsy - after-the-wa-tel-ni-tsy of Jesus Christ, who came first to the funeral -noy pe-sche-re, where on-ka-nun there was a-lo-same-but body Spa-si-te-lya. The women came to anoint His body in accordance with the Jewish ritual. -tsi-al-ny-mi blah-won-ny-mi laugh-mi-mi, which-rye donkeys would have been during the process of disintegration.

The wives are presented to the Evan-ge-lists in different ways. For example, in the Gospel of Matthew, only Mary Mag-da-li-na and “the other Mary” () figure. In the Gospel of Mark - Ma-ria Mag-da-li-na, Ma-ria Ia-ko-vle-va () and Sa-lo-miya (). In the Gospel from Luke - “Mag-da-li-na Ma-ria), and John-na, and Ma-ria, the mother of Ia-ko-va, and others with them” (). Evan-ge-lie from Ioan-na testifies that only of the wives-mi-ro-no-sits that morning came twice to the grave -ko Ma-ria Mag-da-li-na. In this way, the name of Mary Mag-da-li-na is mentioned in all four-of-the-none-of-the-evan-ge-li -I. In the story about going to the grave, the Evan-ge-lists Mark and Lu-ka also feature Sa-lo-mia and Ioan-na .

According to the Holy Tradition, when Judas betrayed Christ to the first holy people, all His teachings were -li. Apostle Peter followed the Savior to the courtyard of the holy place, where he denied Him three times, about -my as His disciple. The whole Jewish people then shouted to Pi-la-tu: “Take him, take him, crucify him!” (). When the Savior was crucified, everyone who walked past laughed at Him, and only His Mother and her teacher com John stood at the Cross and the women who followed Him and His teachings. These were Ma-ria Mag-da-li-na, John-na, Ma-ria, Mother Ia-ko-va, Sa-lo-mia, and others who received in -consequence of the name of the women-mi-ro-no-sits.

Wi-de-tel-ni-tsy of the resurrection

The wives remained faithful to Spa-si-te-lyu to the end. At the same time, they did not have any possibility of doing anything and did not have the right to speak - but only silently -I’m a hundred at the Cross, staying with my Teacher until the last minute.

The women were the first to know about the Resurrection of Christ and saw Him risen.

When the women went to the burial place of Spa-si-te-la, they decided who could remove stones from in the ballroom cave. But before their arrival, an Angel came down from the house, after which an earth-shaking happened, which caused something -lo stone and is-pu-ha-lo guard. The angel testified to us that Christ had risen and preceded them in Galilee. In the Gospel of John, it is especially emphasized that Mary Mag-da was the first to come to the tomb. li-na, after which she returned to the apostles Peter and John and said that “we don’t know where the place is.” lived Him” (), seeing that his body was not in the tomb.

Ma-riya Mag-da-li-na pla-ka-la and du-ma-la, that the body is Spa-si-te-la in hi-ti-li. At that time, Christ appeared to her, Whom she slept and mistook for the garden. He told her not to approach Him until He had ascended to the Father, and asked her to communicate with His teaching. Kam about His resurrection. Mary Mag-da-li-na, returning to the students, meets another Mary - and Christ appears a second time. swarm again, again ordered to communicate about His resurrection to the teachings. The apostles, having heard about the resurrection of Spa-si-te-la, did not believe in it.

However, there is also the same legend that the first Jesus appeared not to Mary Mag-da-lina, but to His Ma-te-ri - Ma -rii. And in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus appears to all of us at once ().

“On the same day, two of them went to the village, sixty-ten stades from Ieru-sa-li-ma, called Um-mouse; and talk between each other about all these things. And when they met and discussed each other, Jesus Himself came close and went with them . But their eyes were held back, so that they did not recognize Him. He said to them: what are you talking about, walking, arguing among each other, and why are you sad? One of them, named Cleopas, answered Him: Are you really one of those who came to Jerusalem and don’t know about what happened in him these days? And he said to them: about what? They said to Him: what happened to Jesus Na-za-rya-nin, Who was a prophet, strong in deed and word before God? gom and everyone's home; how He was given first-priest and chief among us for condemning Him to death and crucifying Him. And we thought that He was the One Who was supposed to bring the women out of the world; but with all that, it is already the third day since this happened. But some of our women also stared at us: they were early at the tomb and did not find His body and, when they arrived, -You know that they also saw the appearance of the Angels, who say that He is alive. And some of ours went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Him. Then He said to them: O foolish and slow-hearted ones, to believe everything that was told about them. ro-ki! ().

Ma-ria Mag-da-li-na

Ma-Riya Mag-da-li-na - holy equal-to-capital, in-chi-ta-e-may Right-glorious Church-view as one of zhen-mi-ro-no-sits. In the New Testament, the name of Mary Mag-da-li-na is mentioned only in six episodes:

1. When she was cured by Jesus Christ from being possessed by seven be-sa-mi (; );
2. After this, she followed Christ, serving Him ();
3. She was present at Gol-go-fa during the death of Christ on the cross ();
4. Became a witness to His burial ();
5. She became one of the women-mi-ro-no-sits (10), whom the Angel announced about His resurrection ();
6. She was the first to see the resurrected Savior, mistaking Him for a gardener. ().

The holy equal of the capital Ma-ria Mag-da-li-na was born in the city of Mag-da-la (from where, for some reason) in a row of opinions and comes from her nickname - “Mag-da-li-na”, Hebrew “ur-wives of the city of Mi-gdal” -El"), in Ga-li-ley, in the northern part of the Holy Land, on the shore of Gen-ni-sa-ret-skogo lake, not -far from the place where John the Baptist baptized.

What about the first part of the life of the holy equal of Mary Mag-da-li-na, it is known that she would -I was under-believe-on a certain illness, I was over-powered, according to the Gospel of Luke, “family be-sa-mi" (). The reasons and circumstances of the incident with her are not specified. It is believed that Ma-ria Mag-da-li-na was possessed not as a result of her sin, but because The vision of God was done so that the Lord Jesus Christ would reveal the Glory of God - a miracle of miracles -the love of Mary Mag-da-li-na, the enlightenment of her mind and her attraction to faith in Christ the Savior and to eternal spa.

One day, Ma-ria the Magus heard about the Miracle-creator, “healing all illnesses and all infirmities” in people" (). She begins to look for Him, sees that “He healed many from illnesses and ailments, and from evil spirits, and deaf , and the blind, and the lame, and the pro-women, and the dead resurrected” (; etc.). Ma-ria Mag-da-li-na-flame-but believes in His omnipotence, runs to His Divine power, asks for treatment for herself and receives my pro-si-s: the tormenting power of evil spirits leaves her, she masters -God-is-from-the-work-of-be-himself and her life is sanctified by the Divine Si-I-n-him of her Is-ce- li-te-la.

In the Vi-zan-ti-skaya li-te-ra-tu-re it is said that after the death on the cross, Spa-si-te-la, Ma-ria The magician went to Ephesus together with the Most Holy God to St. apostle John to God's word and help him in his labors. It is believed that Ma-ria Mag-da-li-na bla-go-west-vo-va-la in Rome (). She also died in Ephesus.

Who else was among the wives of mi-ro-no-sits?

Holy Sa-lo-mia

Daughter of Joseph, betrothed to the holy Virgin Mary, born from her first marriage. St. Sa-lo-mia was married to Ze-ve-de-em and had two sons from this marriage, ap. John-on-God-words and Ia-ko-va. Together with others, Sa-lo-mia served Christ when He went hya in Ga-li-ley. Evangelist Matthew, describing the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, says that there would have been the same look-re- Are there many women who follow Jesus from Galilea, serving Him? Between them was the mother of the sons Ze-ve-de-e-vyh (). Among other wives-mi-ro-no-sits (13), she also came to the tomb of the resurrected Lord and learned from an-ge -words about His Resurrection and the command to inform the disciples that He has risen from the dead and “precedes you in Ga-li-lee: there you will see Him” ().

Saint John

Saint John-na - same-na Khu-zy, do-mo-pra-vi-te-la Iro-do-va. When the head of John on the Cross was born, the murderers didn’t want to live with the head of the Pre-those together with his body, fearing that he might be resurrected; the teachings of the Pre-te-chi in Se-va-stia, and the head of the enemy was hidden in the palace of Iro-do-vom. Ioan-na, Khu-za’s wife, before Iro-da, who was the secret of paradise after-you, found out about this. the body of Christ. She secretly took the honest head and, having taken her to court, rowed her to the estate with the blessing Iro-yes, on Mount El-on-skaya. The Holy Gospel of Luke in his Gospel, speaking about the walk of Jesus Christ through cities and villages -no-yam for pro-po-ve-di and good-west-in-va-niya, notices that some wives are following Him -schi-ny, among whom he speaks about John, the wife of Khu-za, the predecessor of Herod, who served whether He has his own (). In addition, St. Evan-ge-list Lu says that these same people followed Christ from Ga-li-lea to Jerusalem and at the crucifixion The Lord stood in the distance and looked at the crucifix, at the coffin, and how the body of the Lord looked like it.

Saint Mary Cleo-po-va

Ma-ria Cleo-po-va is the daughter of Joseph, the hand-in-hand of the Most Holy Virgin Mary. She was going to marry Joseph's younger brother, Cleopas. She was still a maiden when the Most Holy Virgin, betrothed by Joseph, entered his house and lived with her to Joseph in tender love, like sisters. On the basis of this tender love of St. Evan-ge-list John calls Mary Cleo-po-vou the sister of Ma-te-ri Jesus (). She was privileged to be present at the Cross of the Savior and to hear the Divine mustache of the State of Love -bi-my-go-teacher of his-e-Holy Bo-go-ro-di-tse. We have nothing in the churches about the further life and death of Mary Cleo.

Saint Su-san-na

Only one Evan-ge-list Lu-ka mentions Su-sanna and only once: when he talks about the pass-by de-nii of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the cities and villages for the pro-po-ve-di and good-west-vo-va-niya, then Of the wives accompanying him, he also named Su-san-nu (), as serving Christ on behalf of their estates.

Holy Mary, mother of Jacob the lesser and Josiah

Celebration

Day of pa-my-ti wives-mi-ro-no-sits so-ver-sha-et-sya on the fifth day, starting from Easter (third Sunday -sen-nye). On this church women's holiday, congratulate your close women - spouse, mother, sister. Wives are an example of true sacrificial love and self-reliance th service of the State. The Church celebrates this day as a holiday of all women, the right-glorious Women's Day - every woman on earth -does one of the wives appear in the world: she brings peace to the world, to her family, to the home-mash-not my heart, my child gives birth, it is my husband’s support. A number of right-of-glorious people say that this day should become the al-ter-na-ti-voy light of the Inter-family -on Women's Day, from March 8th.

Dmitry Bo-ri-sov

Mary Magdalene: biography

Mary Magdalene is a follower mentioned both in Catholicism and in Orthodoxy and Protestantism. Shelters for fallen women are named after her, the image of a repentant sinner is identified with her, and prayers addressed to the icon of Magdalene bestow humility, courage, help in persecution and admonition of non-believers. Mary is traditionally considered the patroness social workers, preachers and teachers. Mary Magdalene was also a favorite subject of Renaissance artists.

Childhood and youth

The biography of Magdalene is full of mysteries and secrets, because the only source pointing to the reality of the life of the legendary follower of Jesus Christ is the Gospel text. Therefore, to this day, biographers and scientists cannot confirm or deny whether Mary Magdalene is a historical figure.

There is practically no information about the childhood and youth of this heroine. The name of the supporter of the Messiah is mentioned only in some sources - in the Gospel of Luke, where, in the narration of the existence of the Son of God, miraculous healing from demons is mentioned, as well as in the other three manuscripts - John, Matthew and Mark - the woman’s name can be found only in a few episodes.

Equal to the Apostles Mary Magdalene was born in the Israeli city of Magdala, located on the shores of Lake Gennesaret, in the northern part of the Holy Land.

One can only guess in what family Mary grew up and was brought up, and who her parents were, because the holy scriptures are silent about this. Although Western European legends say that her parents were called Sir and Eucharia, other sources indicate that Magdalene was an orphan and worked in the market.

It is worth paying attention to the name of the disciple of Jesus Christ. Mary comes from the Hebrew language, and Christian tradition translates this name as “lady.” According to traditional biblical beliefs, this was the name of the mother of Jesus Christ, after whom other revered Christian figures were named. And the nickname Magdalene has geographical roots and means “a native of the city of Migdal-El.”

Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Gethsemane

The toponym literally stands for “tower”, and there are reasons for this. The fact is that in the Middle Ages these buildings were a feudal symbol of knighthood, and, therefore, this noble connotation was transferred to the personal qualities of Magdalene, who was endowed with an aristocratic character.

But there is another assumption regarding the nickname Virgin Equal to the Apostles: in the multi-volume religious codex the Talmud there is an expression “magadella”, which translated from Hebrew means “hair curler”.

Meeting with Jesus Christ

Based on the Holy Scriptures, it can be assumed that the first meeting of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene took place in the house of the Pharisee Simon, where the Savior was anointed with myrrh. Confirmation is a sacrament in which the believer, along with specially prepared consecrated oil, is given the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

According to the legend, the woman who appeared to Christ poured water on the head of Jesus from an alabaster vessel, and also washed His feet with tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. Judging by the four Gospels, the disciples of Jesus were unhappy that the visiting guest was wasting expensive oil, which could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. The Pharisee also noted that the one touching Christ was a sinner, but Jesus, comparing Simon’s inhospitality and Mary’s efforts, said:

“Therefore I tell you: her many sins are forgiven because she loved much, but he who is forgiven little loves little. He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

But some suggest that the meeting of Magdalene and Jesus took place earlier than in Simon's house. Christ said that she “loved much,” that is, Himself, so it can be assumed that Mary may have been among those who followed the Messiah to Jerusalem. After forgiveness, Magdalene began to be considered Christ’s best disciple, but Mary was not among the 12 apostles in the painting “The Last Supper.”

Magdalene began to follow Christ, serving him and sharing her property, and the messiah trusted this woman with even the most intimate secrets, which is why Magdalene earned the dislike of Christ’s disciples, who demanded that the virgin be removed from His circle.

According to legend, this woman was the only one who did not abandon the Savior when he was arrested, while Peter, the most devoted of the apostles, denied his leader three times after he was taken into custody.

It is known that Mary Magdalene was present at the execution of Jesus Christ along with His mother, mother’s sister and Mary of Cleopas. The follower of the Son of God stood next to Christ, sharing the great maternal suffering of the Mother of God. When the Savior’s heart stopped beating, Mary mourned the Savior, and then accompanied the body of Jesus to the tomb carved by Joseph in the rock.

Byzantine literature indicates that after the crucifixion, Mary Magdalene, along with the Mother of God, went to ancient city Ephesus, to John the Theologian, and helped him in his labors. By the way, it is the Gospel of John that contains the most information about the life of Magdalene.

According to legend, Mary Magdalene returned a day after the death of Christ to that cave to show her devotion to the Savior by anointing His body with aromatic oils and myrrh. But when Jesus’ companion approached the rocky mountain, she discovered that the stone covering the entrance to the cave had been moved and the cave itself was empty.

Desperate Mary in grief went to John and Peter to tell them that the body of the Messiah had disappeared from the burial place. Then the apostles, together with Magdalene, again went to the rocky mountain and saw that the cave was empty. The disciples of Christ left the grotto in grief, while Mary remained next to the tomb, crying and trying to understand the reason for the disappearance of Jesus Christ.

Mary Magdalene raised her tear-stained eyes and saw two angels sitting in front of her. When they asked about the reason for the suffering of the unfortunate maiden, she replied that she was tormented by the unknown. Then the woman looked up and saw Jesus Christ, whom she initially mistook for a gardener and asked to indicate where the teacher’s grave was located. But when the one who came said her name, she recognized the Son of God and threw herself at His feet. Based on the gospel accounts, Jesus answered Mary:

“Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; But go to My brothers and say to them: “I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.”

Christianity

According to biblical legends, the holy virgin became a follower of Jesus Christ after healing from evil spirits and repentance for sins, which is why many admirers Christian traditions There was an idea that Mary Magdalene was a great harlot and sinner.

This identification of Mary with the nameless woman of the Gospels who washed the Savior’s feet can be found in Catholic tradition, however, the fornication of a follower of Christ is not mentioned either in the Menaion or in its akathist. Thus, in Catholicism, Magdalene takes the form of a former harlot, and the Italian painter was able to convey the woman’s emotions in his painting “The Penitent Mary Magdalene.”

According to Catholicism, Mary Magdalene was a representative of the oldest profession, and when she met the Son of God, she abandoned her craft and became his follower.

It is worth noting that Orthodox scriptures speak only about Magdalene’s demonic possession, denying her riotous past. But Mary's life was not sweet, because the virgin was not married and had no children. In those days, such women were looked upon with suspicion, and in order to protect herself from the advances of men, Maria had to pretend to be possessed.

In the Orthodox tradition, Mary Magdalene appears as the Holy Myrrh-Bearer Equal to the Apostles (in Protestantism - exclusively as the Holy Myrrh-Bearer). She made an undeniable contribution to the work of preaching. Mary spread the word about Jesus in Italy and one day visited the pagan leader Tiberius.

The woman handed him a gift egg, for lack of anything else, and said “Christ is Risen!” Tiberius stated that resurrection was as impossible as the fact that a donated egg would turn scarlet. However, the egg turned blood red. This is how I was born Easter tradition.

It is believed that Christ’s companion worked a lot in Rome, as evidenced by the book of the New Testament, which contains the collections of the letters of the Holy Apostle Paul.

As for Catholicism, it is said that Mary Magdalene spent the second part of her life in the desert, where she led ascetic image life and repented of my sins every day. The clothes of the holy virgin had decayed, so the woman’s nakedness was covered with long hair, and Mary herself was carried into heaven by angels in order to heal her exhausted old body. But it is worth saying that this plot is borrowed from the description of the life of the Christian saint Mary of Egypt, considered the patroness of confessing women.

Love theories

The personal life of Mary Magdalene is shrouded in a halo of mystery, so it is not surprising that various love theories about the Equal-to-the-Apostles saint appear among historians. For example, some believe that Mary Magdalene was the wife of John the Theologian, while others are confident that the myrrh-bearer was the wife of Jesus Christ, because this woman plays a significant role in almost the most important episode of the New Testament.

Since church representatives tried to get rid of unofficial books, there is practically no news about who Jesus’ beloved was, and there is an assumption that the lines about family life the messiahs in the New Testament were specifically cut out.

But most scholars are inclined to favor Magdalene. In the Gospel, there is an indicative episode when the disciples of the Son of God were jealous of Jesus for Magdalene because of a kiss on the lips.

Also in those days single woman had no right to accompany wanderers on the road, unlike the wife of one of them. Among other things, scientists refer to the fact that after the resurrection Christ appeared to Mary, and not to his disciples. And besides, men who did not have a wife were considered a strange phenomenon, so an unmarried Jesus would hardly have been able to become a prophet and teacher.

Death

In Orthodoxy, Mary Magdalene died quietly and calmly, a woman died in Ephesus, and her relics were transferred to the Constantinople monastery of St. Lazarus.

According to another branch of the Christian movement, while Mary was a hermit in the desert, she was given communion by a priest who accidentally wandered into those parts, who was at first embarrassed by the naked appearance of the woman. According to Catholicism, the remains of the Equal-to-the-Apostles saint are kept in the church of Saint-Maximin-la-Saint-Baume, in Provence.

In memory of Mary Magdalene, many colorful paintings were painted and filmed documentaries. It is noteworthy that on the canvases the disciple of Christ is depicted in individual scenes extremely rarely, whereas she can often be seen in the image of the myrrh-bearer, with a vessel of incense.