| Summary: | Mary Magdalene the so-called ‘repentant prostitute’ who became one of Christ’s disciples, has been, and remains a very much debated and enigmatic persona in Christianity from its advent
in the New Testament period. She is discussed in current films and contemporary academic and popular media and has been much deliberated upon in feminist scholarship and has even been considered to be the wife of Jesus, thus for some, attaining an almost divine status. There is a preponderance of literature from scholars who view her as a resilient, and liberated woman who buttressed Jesus financially and even spiritually. Her life was part of a social construct, and her story is told and fluctuates to serve dissimilar purposes of recollection, according to diverse social or religious developments. Mary Magdalene has also been the
victim of fallacious identification with the adulteress in the Gospel of John 7. The historical Mary Magdalene is thus topical in continuing academic and theological deliberation. In the
Gnostic gospel of Mary and the modern feminist movement, she has distinctive roles and is viewed in terms of these. The Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican churches venerate her as a Saint. This article uses a method of interpretation and exegesis based on traditional and contextual approaches to suggest who Mary Magdalene was and why she is important in the Christian faith.
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