New evidence indicates that Mary Magdalene would have been rich and influential

Mary Magdalene is one of the most controversial characters in the Bible. She is described in the New Testament as one of the most devoted disciples of Jesus Christ, and contrary to what many believe and propagate, in no part of the Book is she appointed to be a prostitute - she is classified only as a sinner.

Organized by the Catholic Church, the Bible was written by people who, according to religious, recorded God's messages, within their limitations and under divine influence. As such, not all texts have been included in it, and many researchers now analyze the so-called New Testament Apocrypha - material not approved at the First Council of Nicaea, which sought to unify the Catholic Church.

Using this information as a basis, researcher Jennifer Ristine wrote a book entitled "María Magdalena: Perceptions from the Ancient Magdala", released July 22 and without translation into Portuguese. In it, the author seeks to unravel the mystery of the woman who has been taxed for centuries by the Church as an adulteress and prostitute.

Mary Magdalene, wife of possessions

By integrating biblical and historical references with recent archaeological discoveries, Ristine, who is director of the Magdalena Institute, was able to reconstruct part of her profile. Excavations at Magdala in the 1970s already provided important information about the locality, which, according to data, is where Mary Magdalene was born.

According to the researcher, "during the time of Mary Magdalene Magdala was already a thriving city in the fish industry." However, it was not until 2009 that the northern part of the city was discovered, where there was "a first century synagogue, a stone representation of the Jerusalem temple (the Magdala stone), ritual purification baths, domestic houses and a port, " he explained. Ristine.

Magdala's archaeological finds show that the city was rich, supporting the assumption that Mary Magdalene was a woman of wealth. Therefore, Ristine believes that there were many misunderstandings in her story, because even using the Bible itself it can be deduced that she was "a wealthy woman from an economically well-placed group" and not necessarily a prostitute, according to the author. .

As an example, in the verses of Luke VIII: 1-3, the idea is reaffirmed: “And it came to pass after this, that he walked from city to city, and from village to village, preaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God; and the twelve went with him. And some women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene, out of whom came seven demons; And Joan, wife of Cuza, Herod's procurator, and Suzana, and many others who served him with their goods. ”

Recognized as a saint, Mary Magdalene was also named in 2016 as apostolurum apostle, or "the apostle of the apostles", as she was the first witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But long before that, in the year 591, Pope Gregory the Great was one of the “prostitute” pardons, saying in his homily 33: “He whom Evangelist Luke calls a sinful woman is Mary from whom the seven demons are cast out. and what these seven demons mean if not all vices. "

Feminist movements have always tried to free her from the stigma of being a prostitute or not, but for Ristine she was, above all, “a model of leadership for women.” According to research she has done and presented in her book, Ristine says that Mary Magdalene was revolutionary because "she was an economically and socially influential woman; economically because she was a rich woman, and socially because, despite growing up and living in a strict religious society, she decides to break the mold and follow Jesus."

There is still a lot of buried information, as only 15% of the city was excavated and made available for research like this. Future archaeological finds may reveal other details that increasingly clarify Mary Magdalene's position in society at the time, elucidating facts about one of the most important and mysterious characters in the Gospels.

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