Mary Magdalene and the Feminine Face of God
An on-going discussion with my oldest son over certain biblical messages—more specifically, the lack of representation and acknowledgement of women’s spiritual lives—recently led me into deeper study of the bible and other early Christian texts not included in the canon (such as the gospels of Mary Magdalene, Thomas and Philip), as well as a wide variety of historical information of the more academic variety.
Through all this, it seems to me the most relevant biblical female figure women can look to for spiritual connection is Mary Magdalene—but not the Mary so often represented liturgically: the shameless whore, turned woman possessed, transformed into repentant sinner. This cleverly crafted image (and many others) created and supported by the church’s long-standing patriarchal sway, has kept women at the root of evil, and inexplicably spiritually inferior for millennia.
However, the Mary one discovers in the gospels deemed by Roman church authorities of the 4th century unfit to be included in the canon, is an entirely different woman—a beloved companion to Christ, a seeker, an influential mystic in her own right.
Whatever one chooses to believe about the “forbidden gospels” and the bible as we know it today, the sad truth is the details of the factual history surrounding Mary Magdalene’s affiliation with Christ—her role and influence upon him and with the other disciples, as well as her own ministry after Jesus’ death—very well may be forever lost to us. Too much time has passed; too much molestation of information has transpired by people with malign agendas.
The good news is the revival of interest, and postulation over Mary’s heretofore underplayed presence, indicates a collective awakening to the long-standing absence of half the face of humanity: the feminine form of grace.
Whatever the reality of Mary’s and other iconic female mystics’, figureheads’ and priestesses’ roles were in their own time, I, like many others, can take comfort in the balming over of this ancient wound that their re-imagining, in our own time, creates.
In the spirit of this long-overdue healing journey, I offer this video I put together—the subject matter inspired by Mary Magdalene’s presence in contemporary spiritual discussions, and images produced by my all-time favorite artist, William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905).
Peace to all…
