The time returns. (c2015)

Abstract

The debatable figure of Mary the Magdalene and the discovery of the Nag Hammadi gospels have caused a renewed interest in Christian discourses regarding the role of Mary the Magdalene in the four Gospels of the New Testament. Her relationship with Jesus Christ and with the other women in the Gospels has sparked controversy that reached a peak in the eighties of the last century after the publication of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (1982) by Henry Lincoln, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. The publication of this book sparked a deep interest in her ambiguous role as a witness to the Resurrection and subsequently in her representation in the mystical writings of Gnostic origins. My thesis explores the controversial character of Mary the Magdalene in the light of present day debates about the role of women in the church. Mary the Magdalene will be presented as a composite image of different layers through her representations in the different canonical and Gnostic gospels including: The Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Luke, the Gospel of John, the Gospel of Philip, the Gospel of Thomas, and the Gospel of Mary. The ultimate perspective of my study of the image of Mary the Magdalene is to see who she was. Was she a repentant prostitute, an apostle to the apostles, a high priestess, or a female aspect of Jesus Christ himself?