Two fun pieces of Mary Magdalene news for today.

1. True Blood

The popular HBO vampire series, True Blood, had a Mary Magdalene reference this week. A preacher’s wife (Sarah) was seducing one of the main characters while he was in the bathtub, and the following conversation (give or take a few words here and there) took place:

Sarah: “You know, Mary Magdalene showed her love for Jesus by washing his feet and then drying them off with her hair.”

Jason: “Oh yeah?”

Sarah: “Yes.”

Jason: “But, uh, wasn’t she, uh….a hooker?”

Sarah: “No, not at all. See, everybody thinks that, but it’s not in the Bible.”

Jason: “Oh, okay.”

This is the conversation to the best of my recollection. If the character Jason seems a bit dull above, it’s probably not because of my memory…he’s about as smart as a bag of rocks.

The messages sent about MM in this episode are a bit mixed. On one hand, her honor is defended when Sarah sets the record straight on whether MM was a prostitute. On the other hand, she is invoking MM’s patronage as a sexual woman doing favors for a man in the name of love. This, however, is difficult to avoid; even though it’s clear MM probably didn’t deserve the reputation of a harlot, she remains a red-blooded, sensual figure in Western imagination.

In any case, I’m applauding HBO on their excellent timing in making a not-completely-outrageous reference to MM just before her feast day.

2. La Danza de los Zancos

This week zancos, dancers in the Spanish village of Anguiano, La Rioja, whirl on meter-high stilts up and down the cobbled streets as they move an icon of their patron saint, Mary Magdalene, from the village church down to a chapel by the sea. It appears to be a colorful, festive occasion all to honor MM!

The article I’ve linked to above includes a video.

I’ve been out of the loop for a long time. In 2007, James Cameron and a film crew produced a Discovery Channel documentary about a tomb discovered in south Jerusalem in 1980. Allegedly, the tomb contained the ossuaries of Jesus’ family, including his mother, brothers, and –you guessed it– presumed wife, Mary Magdalene. Not only that, but an ossuary for someone named Judah, or Judas, who is speculated at having been Jesus and Mary Magdalene’s son.

Before you get too excited, let me first recommend that you take their findings with a few grains (or piles) of salt. There are multiple ways to read the inscriptions on the ossuaries, and as it has been pointed out, we’re not talking about names that are very unique in 1st century Palestine. It’s not inconcievable that all these names could be found in multiple family tombs (the odds, as the Discovery Channel painstakingly points out on the site, are 600:1). And unfortunately, there is no inscription that actually includes an epithet that would seal the deal: “magdalene.”

(Personally, I believe that the name “magdalene” wasn’t used until the 2nd century, so even if it WAS Mary Magdalene’s tomb, it wouldn’t surprise me if the epithet was missing. But I digress.)

The filmmakers trot out a number of experts to support their controversial claims, and in the following years, a few other scholars have seen fit to offer alternative explanations. Since I just discovered this topic today, it might take me a little while to digest all of the material. I also have to acquire a copy of the DVD to hear how the material was presented on television.

A damning piece of evidence (to me) that there is more fire than heat here is a page entitled “Patina Analysis and the James Ossuary” in the “Supporting Evidence” section of the site. The thrust of the two paragraphs presented there is that the James Ossuary that generated such a buzz in 2002 was highly likely to have come from the same tomb in which the other ossuaries (presumed to belong to Jesus’ family) were found. The James Ossuary is highly controversial, and has been declared a forgery by the Israeli Antiquities Authority.

Here are a few related links:

The Lost Tomb of Jesus (at the Discovery Channel website)

Mary Magdalene is Now Missing, a paper by Dr. Stephen J. Pfann, disputing the interpretation of the inscriptions on the ossuary presumed to belong to Mary Magdalene.

A response to the “Mary Magdalene is Now Missing” paper, by Dr. James Tabor, the scholar responsible for the Jesus Tomb scholarship.

James Ossuary Wikipedia entry. Scroll down to see the Discovery Channel Documentaries section, particularly the portion about Ted Koppel’s “The Lost Tomb of Jesus – A Critical Look.” Apparently Koppel produced written denials from several of the experts consulted for the documentary, whose conclusions were misstated.

I must admit that I’ve never seen Sister Act. Although I’ve enjoyed Whoopi Goldberg in occasional roles, it never really seemed like a film I’d be interested in. And today I learned that one of the songs from the theatrical production exhorts listeners to:

SHAKE IT LIKE MARY MAGDALENE!

New York Times Art Beat review of stage productions of Thriller Live and Sister Act

Somehow I think I would enjoy the stage show much better than the cinematic version.

I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that Mary Magdalene is a highly honored patron saint in the city of Kawit in the Philippines. Although I’ve never been there, I’ve spoken to a few people from the Philippines who consider MM their patron saint, including some sisters from a Filipino monastic order devoted to her.

It appears from this article that there is a thriving Kawiteños Filipino community in the San Diego area that holds a cultural celebration every year coinciding with MM’s feast day on July 22nd:

With this celebration, all the Kawiteños always have a chance to renew old acquaintances, acquire new friends and honor their patron saint, Saint Mary Magdalene. As we all say, although the Kawiteños are away from their native land, Saint Mary Magdalene is never forgotten and always stays in their heart, mind and soul.

From The Australian:

Righting wrongs about Mary
by Jill Rowbotham

Focusing on the opinion of one Elizabeth Fletcher, author of a book and website about women in the Bible, Rowbotham emphasizes Mary Magdalene’s Gospel importance and makes a few arguments against the DVC perspective, including:

The chief reason to believe Mary did not have a sexual relationship with Jesus was that his enemies never accused him of sexual misbehaviour.

After his death they accused him of illegitimacy, regarded as scandalous for a religious teacher, and of being “too fond of eating and drinking, especially with the wrong kind of people”.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but if Jesus was actually married to Mary Magdalene, he wouldn’t be accused of sexual misbehavior either. The above represents a rather weak argument, in my opinion. Still, it’s interesting to see the creativity being exercised in addressing this question.

I was happy to see the following article at Everything Alabama this morning (from The Birmingham News):

Jungian realizes pull of `Da Vinci’
by Kathy Kemp

Birmingham resident, Nancy Qualls-Corbett, is a Jungian psychologist whose perspective on ideas of masculine and feminine principles/qualities I find deeply interesting. Author of The Sacred Prostitute: Eternal Aspect of the Feminine, it seems to me that Qualls-Corbett has come the closest to putting her finger on why Margaret Starbird’s “sacred union” mythology has struck a nerve in our society. From the article:

She’s particularly interested in Mary Magdalene’s role in the story and the world’s increasing fascination with her. “My speculation is that people are seeing the need for balance in the world, and that would be the feminine side – of relating to each other, of appreciating the arts as well as science.”

A vast simplification, but very in line with my thinking as well.

Dr. Qualls-Corbett is giving a lecture in Birmingham on Friday; details are in the article.

In the article that follows, found at the CatholicHerald.com, we see a member of Catholic clergy defending Mary Magdalene’s traditional reputation as a sinner. This is interesting to me since it seems that the choices on this issue are:

1. Disregard the tradition entirely
2. Embrace the tradition and defend it

Embracing the tradition simply because it is tradition, without defending its historical likelihood, doesn’t appear to be an option.

Here is the article:

Straight Answers: Myths, Truths about Mary Magdalene
by Fr. William P. Saunders

Not a word uttered about the fact that Rome has distanced itself from the tradition. After concluding his defense of the sinner reputation by agreeing with Pope Gregory the Great, Fr. Saunders goes on to say (emphasis is mine):

As far as The Da Vinci Code is concerned, what one cannot construe is some of the misconceptions they erroneously present: for instance, that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus, the mother of Jesus’ child, a participant at the Last Supper, His prophetic successor, and a priestess. Such conclusions, despite the best efforts of pseudo scholars, have no foundation in sacred Scripture, sacred tradition, other historical resources or even heretical texts.

I find this amusing for some reason, even though he is clearly echoing the most commonly cited reasons for Mary Magdalene’s conflation with the other women. Maybe because one tradition is being overwritten by another for which there is about just as much evidence.

From DelawareOnline:

‘Code’ has women tapping into faith
By Gary Soulsman
The News Journal
05/19/2006

In response to the DVC movie, a local parish in Delaware has taken the opportunity as a so-called “teachable moment” rather than boycotting the film. Journalist Soulsman takes the opportunity to lightly address some questions of alienation that women feel toward Christianity and points toward Mary Magdalene–both in her Gospel role and her legendary roles–as an inspiration for empowerment.

“The Da Vinci Code” deepened Melissa Cox’s appreciation of Mary Magdalene as an apostle of Jesus.

Now that the best-selling novel is a film, the 23-year-old Newark woman plans to see it tonight with friends, hoping the film continues to fuel her passion for one of Christianity’s most debated figures.

“I see Mary Magdalene as a woman living in a patriarchal world, and standing up in the face of all those who hated her because she was a woman with her passion to live a spiritual life,” Cox said. “I am really happy that she’s being rediscovered for the amazingly powerful person she was.”

There are a couple of quotes from my interview with Mr. Soulsman in the article, and a good little sidebar about Mary Magdalene that he put together, citing me as a resource. I always appreciate good links.

Jordan Stratford, a Gnostic priest in the Apostolic Johannite Church, who leads a congregation up in Victoria, B.C. and who also happens to be an acquaintance of several years, has written a book called The Da Vinci Prayerbook. I think the title is actually a little misleading, given that its contents are far more luminous than DVC, but I understand the audience he would like to reach with this information. His volume is a collection of source material and inspirational writings that illuminate the modern reawakening to Gnostic traditions.

Although I was negilent in my failure to post his press-release (which you can read at Fr. Jordan’s blog here), I recommend the book for anyone curious about modern Gnostic outlook, particularly as it relates to interpreting Mary Magdalene as the bride of Jesus in a metaphorical manner.

Finally, the article, which turned up in the Victoria News:

Gnostic priest addresses Da Vinci Code controversy
By Mark Browne

“Gnosticism does not rely on historical literalism in the same way that Christianity does,” Stratford explained. “Let’s ask the bigger question about what this stuff means.”

The idea that Jesus married Mary Magdalene can be understood as myth that conveys the “marriage” between Christian tradition and the older religions of the divine feminine, he said. Moreover, that marriage can be interpreted as a balance between the masculine and the feminine.

“Gnosticism teaches that Mary Magdalene is an expression of the myth of Sophia, the goddess of wisdom and of the holy spirit.”

My very best wishes to Jordan, both on the publication of his book and his recent wedding!

This is an article I found this morning in the Pocono Record, which appears to be a smallish Pennsylvania periodical:

Theologian: Clergy need to learn why ‘Da Vinci’ resonates
by Helen Yanulus

A professor in the Theology/Religious Studies department of the Jesuit school, University of Scranton , Eric Plumer, is apparently working on a book called The Da Vinci Phenomenon: Why the Religious Claims Made in ‘The Da Vinci Code’ Have Struck Such a Chord in America. A rather unweildy title, but my heart sings with the knowledge that an institutional scholar is taking the reaction to DVC seriously in potentially positive ways. He echoes my own sentiment on the phenomenon in some ways:

Eric Plumer…noted that Brown’s religious thriller is “selling like hotcakes” because an element of the book — which was adapted for the big screen and made its debut last weekend — has resonated with readers.

That interest swirls around the role of Mary Magdalene.

Plumer’s belief is that Mary Magdalene’s mistaken reputation as a harlot is behind the resonance as people realize how her faulty identity and the devaluing of women throughout Christian history has damaged the appreciation of the feminine in Western culture. I believe that the appeal of the book goes beyond this into an extra-Christian interest in the “sacred feminine,” but we’re going in the right direction here.

Although Plumer obviously believes that Jesus was celibate, he goes on to reflect on issues of sexuality and the acceptance of women in Jesus’ ministry:

“Many people like the idea that Jesus was more human and capable of understanding love between a man and a woman, although Brown got his facts wrong,” Plumer said. “Jesus was celibate, but that doesn’t mean he had no sexual feelings, or he wouldn’t be human.”

Plumer noted that thoughts of sexuality were at one time regarded as degrading, impure and disgusting. But Jesus didn’t have that fear of women or sexuality.

“It’s not Dan Brown’s fault that the novel is so popular. Churches have to ask themselves, ‘What aren’t we doing?’” Plumer said.

“I think people sense that women were left out. That wasn’t the attitude of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ attitude towards women isn’t fully reflected in the church.”

Well, thank you, Professor Plumer. Although I think there is more to the resonance with DVC than what has been covered in this article, I applaud you for initiating this dialogue from within academia.