Mary Magdalene

1st century

Also known as Myrrh-bearer · Equal-to-the-Apostles

First to see the risen Christ; later preached widely.

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St. Mary Magdalene

Hymn / ApolytikionTroparia & apolytikia to read and chant

Commemorated as

The Holy Myrrh-bearer and Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene

Come to them for

Missionary Work

Deliverance from the Occult

Healing

Life

Mary Magdalene was a first-century disciple of Jesus Christ from Magdala, a fishing village on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Genesareth) between Capernaum and Tiberias. Her epithet 'Magdalene' (the Greek Magdalene) means 'of Magdala,' identifying her by her hometown. According to the Gospel of Luke (8:2-3), Jesus cast seven demons out of her, after which she became a devoted follower who provided for Jesus and his companions out of her own resources, indicating she was relatively wealthy and supported the ministry materially.

She appears consistently first in the Gospel lists of Jesus's female followers, a placement that reflects her prominence among them. All four canonical Gospels record that she witnessed the crucifixion, and several name her among the women present at Christ's burial by Joseph of Arimathea. In the Gospel of John (20:1-18) she discovers the empty tomb and is the first to encounter the risen Christ, who commissions her to announce the resurrection to the apostles. For this she is honored as the 'Apostle to the Apostles.' The Eastern Orthodox Church venerates her as a Myrrh-bearer and as Equal-to-the-Apostles, regarding her as a primary witness to the resurrection rather than as a penitent sinner.

Customs & Traditions

By tradition she greeted the emperor with 'Christ is risen!' and an egg that turned red in her hand - the story Orthodox Christians tell of the first Paschal red egg. Her relics are venerated, and her feast is a beloved name-day.

Timeline6 momentsReadHide

1st centuryHealed at MagdalaBorn in Magdala on the Sea of Galilee, Mary is freed by Jesus of seven demons (Luke 8:2) and becomes a devoted follower, supporting the ministry from her own resources.
1st centuryCrucifixion and burialShe remains at the cross during the crucifixion and witnesses the burial of Christ by Joseph of Arimathea.
1st centuryFirst witness of the ResurrectionShe finds the tomb empty, encounters the risen Christ first, and is sent to announce the resurrection to the apostles — the first proclamation of the resurrection in the world.
1st centuryPreaching in RomeBy tradition she travels to Rome, preaches the resurrection, and presents Emperor Tiberius a red egg with the greeting 'Christ is Risen!'
1st centuryRepose at EphesusShe assists the Apostle John the Theologian at Ephesus, where she reposes in peace and is buried.
9th centuryTranslation of relicsHer relics are transferred from Ephesus to Constantinople, and later to the Lateran Cathedral in Rome.

Contributions & Legacy

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She in the Holy Scriptures

Mary Magdalene is named in all four Gospels — more frequently than most of the Twelve — and appears consistently first in the lists of the women who followed Christ. The references below trace her from her healing through her witness of the Resurrection.

Healed of seven demons and supporting the ministry: Luke 8:1-3; Mark 16:9.

Present at the Crucifixion: Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41; John 19:25.

Witness of the burial: Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55-56.

Coming to the tomb as a Myrrh-bearer: Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-18.

First to see the risen Lord and sent to announce it to the apostles: John 20:17-18; Mark 16:9-11.

Discipleship and the Resurrection

According to Luke 8:2-3, after the Lord expelled seven demons from her, Mary Magdalene followed Jesus through Galilee and Judea, serving alongside other women and providing for the ministry from her own means. The Gospels present her as one who remained faithful through the crucifixion: while the disciples fled, she stayed near the cross with the mother of Jesus and the Apostle John. Mark 15:40 names her among the women watching from a distance, alongside Mary the mother of James and Salome.

She witnessed the burial of Christ, and on the morning of the resurrection she came to the tomb and found it empty. The risen Christ appeared to her first and sent her to tell the apostles, 'I have seen the Lord!' Orthodox tradition regards this as the first proclamation of the resurrection in the world, and it is the basis for her titles 'Apostle to the Apostles' and Equal-to-the-Apostles — honored as the first messenger sent by the Lord himself to announce his rising.

Later Life and Preaching

By tradition, Mary Magdalene continued as a preacher of the resurrection after Pentecost. The synaxarion relates that she traveled to Rome and proclaimed Christ throughout Italy; some identify her with the woman named in Paul's Epistle to the Romans (16:6) who 'bestowed much labor' on the church, though this identification is uncertain.

She later assisted the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian during his missionary work, settling at Ephesus, where, according to tradition, she remained until she reposed in peace and was buried in that city.

Orthodox accounts relate that Mary Magdalene came before the Emperor Tiberius Caesar and spoke to him of the resurrection. When the emperor scoffed that a man could no more rise from the dead than an egg could turn red, the egg in her hand immediately changed color. By tradition this miracle is the origin of the custom of dyeing eggs red at Pascha, accompanied by the greeting 'Christ is Risen!'

Early Witnesses

As early as the third century, Saint Hippolytus of Rome, commenting on the Song of Songs, described the women who announced the resurrection as 'apostles to the apostles' — among the earliest surviving testimonies to Mary Magdalene's distinctive role. Later Fathers carried the same honor forward: Saint John Chrysostom repeatedly praised the courage of the Myrrh-bearing women, contrasting their faithfulness with the fear of the disciples during the Passion, and Saint Gregory Palamas, in his Homily on the Myrrhbearers, emphasized Mary Magdalene as the first witness of the resurrection.

Relics & Shrines

According to tradition, the relics of Mary Magdalene were transferred from Ephesus to Constantinople in the ninth century, during the reign of Emperor Leo VI, and were later moved to the Lateran Cathedral in Rome. Portions of her relics are also venerated at sites in France (Provence) and on Mount Athos.

Veneration and Identity

The Eastern Orthodox Church has always regarded Mary Magdalene as a virtuous Myrrh-bearer and Equal-to-the-Apostles, venerated as distinct from other women of the Gospels and never identified as a penitent sinner. In the Western Church she was long conflated with Mary of Bethany and with the 'sinful woman' of the Gospels; in 1969 Pope Paul VI removed this conflation from the Roman Calendar. Her feast is kept on July 22 in both East and West. She has an Akathist hymn dedicated to her and is commemorated liturgically through a troparion and kontakion.

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