Stephen J. Shoemaker
Journal of Early Christian Studies, Volume 9, Number 4, Winter 2001, pp.
555-595 (Article)
Published by Johns Hopkins University Press
DOI:
For additional information about this article
[ This content has been declared free to read by the pubisher during the COVID-19 pandemic. ]
https://doi.org/10.1353/earl.2001.0061
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/10238/pdf
Numerous early Christian apocrypha, including several so-called “gnostic”
texts, include a character known as “Mary,” whose identity is usually otherwise unspecified. Generally, this “Mary” appears as an associate or, sometimes, as a rival, of the apostles, who is filled with knowledge of the “gnostic”
mysteries. Although scholars have persistently identified this Mary with Mary
the Magdalene, rather than Mary of Nazareth, this interpretive dogma is
based on evidence that it is at best inconclusive. This article reexamines the
relevant apocrypha, as well as incorporating much previously overlooked
evidence to argue that Mary of Nazareth is an equally important contributor
to the “gnostic Mary’s” identity. The gnostic Mary, it turns out, is a composite
figure, who draws on the identities of both the Magdalene and the Virgin,
rather than being the representation of a single historical individual. This new
perspective will present both consequences and opportunities for feminist
interpretations of early Christianity and the veneration of Mary of Nazareth
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