Page "Mary Magdalene" Paragraph 16

Among the women who are specifically named in the New Testament of the Bible, Mary Magdalene ’ s name is one of the most frequently found.

In, the author names three women in sequence: “ Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children .” In the Gospel of Mark, the author lists a group of women three times, and each time, Mary Magdalene ’ s name appears first.

Finally, in the Gospel of Luke, as already remarked, the author enumerates the women who reported the tomb visit, writing that, “ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them ,” which once again places Mary Magdalene at the head of the list.

According to Carla Ricci, “ The place she Magdalene occupied in the list cannot be considered fortuitous ,” because over and over Mary Magdalene ’ s name is placed at the head of specifically named women, indicating her importance.

The significance of this is further strengthened when one examines the lists of the named apostles.

In Luke, the author writes that Jesus “ took Peter, John and James .” According to Ricci, because Peter occupies the first position in the list, that place can be considered the position of highest importance.

As a result, it can be argued that Mary Magdalene must have held a very central position among the followers of Jesus, whether as disciple or in some other capacity.