Mary Magdalene: From Tormented Demoniac to Faithful Disciple

From the earliest days of Church History, misunderstandings have abounded about the identity of Mary of Magdala. She has been mistaken for the woman caught in adultery (Jn 8:1-11); for the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet (Lk 7:36-50); for Mary of Bethany, who also anointed Jesus’ feet (Mk. 14:3–9; Mt. 26:6–13; Jn 12:1–8); for the Samaritan woman (Jn. 4:1-42); and for Jesus’ wife (the non-canonical gnostic Gospel of Phillip). Some of the confusion surrounding Mary Magdalene’s identity has been due to how common her name was. Mary, or Miriam in Hebrew/Aramaic, was the most common name for a woman...