[33][27][28] Bruce Chilton, a scholar of early Christianity, states that the reference to the number of demons being "seven" may mean that Mary had to undergo seven exorcisms, probably over a long period of time, due to the first six being partially or wholly unsuccessful. I have Bible studies/discussion guides for each episode of The Chosen Seasons 1-3, blogs exploring how The Chosen adapts key biblical figures, and articles exploring the controversial nature of adaptation. Season 2 Reflection P2: What was The Chosen Season 2 about? [146][147] Origen merely dismisses this, remarking that Celsus "pours on us a heap of names". Making it the largest crowd-funded media venture in entertainment history. Why do you think The Chosen is trying to connect episode 1 to what will happen when Jesus is resurrected? [16][19][20] Mary was, by far, the most common Jewish given name for girls and women during the first century,[16][c][21] so it was necessary for the authors of the gospels to call her Magdalene in order to distinguish her from the other women named Mary who followed Jesus. Meanwhile, in the youth ministry that I lead, I had the chance to view and discuss season one of The Chosen with several high schoolers and found it very fruitful. She is demon possessed and it is implied that she has adopted the name of the demon that possesses her. FYI: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. [178], In western Europe, elaborate and conflicting legends began to develop, which said that Mary Magdalene had travelled to southern France and died there. As the swooning Virgin Mary became more common, generally occupying the attention of John, the unrestrained gestures of Magdalene increasingly represented the main display of the grief of the spectators. She is the first to meet the Risen Christ. The Saviour answered and said to them, "Why do I not love you like her? Pope Gregory's Easter sermon resulted in a widespread belief that Mary Magdalene was a repentant prostitute or promiscuous woman. Myths Dispelled: Mary Magdalene in the Bible In The Chosen, we see a brief flashback during Season 1, Episode 1 that strongly implies that Mary was raped by a Roman soldier. [27][28][29] That seven demons had possessed Mary is repeated in Mark 16:9,[30][31] part of the "longer ending" of that gospel this is not found in the earliest manuscripts and is actually a second-century addition to the original text, possibly based on the Gospel of Luke. There are also characters and stories from the Gospels that the creators have left out. The Gospel of Philip uses cognates of koinnos and Coptic equivalents to refer to the literal pairing of men and women in marriage and sexual intercourse, but also metaphorically, referring to a spiritual partnership, and the reunification of the Gnostic Christian with the divine realm. [102] At another point, he tells her, "Well done, Mary. [266] However the work is actually no earlier than the 12th century. It's certainly not The Exorcist, but demonic stuff can really freak some people out. That's why I'm excited to share with you a new resource that I've created to help you study biblical adaptations & reflect on how they apply to everyday life. [181] On December 9, 1279, an excavation ordered by Charles II, King of Naples at Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, Provence, led to the discovery of another purported burial of Mary Magdalene. [276], Modern Protestants honor her as a disciple and friend of Jesus. "[104] Mary defends herself, saying, "My master, I understand in my mind that I can come forward at any time to interpret what Pistis Sophia [a female deity] has said, but I am afraid of Peter, because he threatens me and hates our gender. [227] Mary is likewise portrayed as a reformed prostitute in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's 1971 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. Whether you're studying on your own or with your small group or ministry, Come and See is a perfect resource to help you dig deeper into The Chosen. Over time, the label stuck and now many adaptations depict her this way. [224] Mary of Bethany's feast day and that of her brother Lazarus is now on July 29, the memorial of their sister Martha. Among Eastern Orthodox Christians this sharing is accompanied by the proclamation "Christ is risen!" The Bible never suggests Mary Magdalene was a. "[129][130] Andrew and Peter's responses are intended to demonstrate that they do not understand Jesus' teachings[129][130] and that it is really only Mary who truly understands. "[113], For early Christians, kissing did not have a romantic connotation and it was common for Christians to kiss their fellow believers as a way of greeting. One is inaccurately . "[109] Jesus responds, "They are like children who have settled in a field which is not theirs. [307][308] The Da Vinci Code also purports that the figure of the "beloved disciple" to Jesus' right in Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper is Mary Magdalene, disguised as one of the male disciples;[309] art historians maintain that the figure is, in reality, the apostle John, who only appears feminine due to Leonardo's characteristic fascination with blurring the lines between the sexes, a quality which is found in his other paintings, such as St. John the Baptist (painted c. [110] Ehrman explains that, in the context of the Gospel of Philip, the kiss of peace is used as a symbol for the passage of truth from one person to another[116] and that it is not in any way an act of "divine foreplay". Why is Mary Magdalene Called Lilith in The Chosen? In subsequent religious legend, Mary's story became conflated with that of Mary of Egypt, a repentant prostitute who then lived as a hermit. [288] `Abdu'l-Bah also wrote that "her reality is ever shining from the horizon of Christ", "her face is shining and beaming forth on the horizon of the universe forevermore" and that "her candle is, in the assemblage of the world, lighted till eternity". When he encounters her again in Season 1 Episode 2, he is surprised to discover that she has been completely healed and is free of the evil spirits. Initially Mary doesn't recognize Jesus. Elizabeth Tabish: Mary Magdalene, Lilith - IMDb [47] Mark 15:40 lists the names of these women as Mary Magdalene; Mary, mother of James; and Salome. [270] The women are also the first to be called to announce this truth to the Apostles. [47] Matthew 27:5556 lists Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James and Joseph, and the unnamed mother of the sons of Zebedee (who may be the same person Mark calls Salome). In the ensuing centuries, a heretical Christian sect called the Cathars forwarded the theory that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were a romantic couple. [133] None of these texts have survived to the present,[133][135] but they are mentioned by the early Christian heretic-hunter Epiphanius of Salamis in his Panarion. You can find episode one free on YouTube here, although there are lots of ads. [180][181] At first, the existence of the skeleton was merely asserted,[181] but, in 1265, the monks made a spectacular, public show of "discovering" it[181] and, in 1267, the bones were brought before the king of France himself, who venerated them. "[221][222] Elsewhere it said of the Roman liturgy of July 22 that "it will make mention neither of Mary of Bethany nor of the sinful woman of Luke 7:3650, but only of Mary Magdalene, the first person to whom Christ appeared after his resurrection". 1. Lilith in the Bible - Did She Exist and Who Is She - Crosswalk.com [117] It contains information about the role of women in the early church. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023). `Abdu'l-Bah said that Mary traveled to Rome and spoke before the emperor Tiberius, which is presumably why Pilate was later recalled to Rome for his cruel treatment of the Jews (a tradition also attested to in the Eastern Orthodox Church). Many characters and stories are based on events in the Gospels, but there are also characters and events that the creators made up to tie things together. They are the first to hear 'He is not here. By noting how Mary is in the "Red Quarter", The Chosen is implying that she is a prostitute. [68][69][78] In Luke's account, Jesus never appears to the women,[68][69][79] but instead makes his first appearance to Cleopas and an unnamed "disciple" on the road to Emmaus. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus were the most important women in Jesus's life. [185][187] Fourteen years after Jesus' crucifixion, some pagans throw Mary, Martha, Lazarus (who, in this account, is their brother due to a conflation with Mary of Bethany), and two other Christians named Maximin and Cedonius onto a rudderless boat in the Mediterranean Sea to die. Season 2 Reflection P1: What is The Chosen Season 2 about? Mary Magdalene[a] (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and Without getting too detailed, I found it helpful to get my youth thinking about what adaptations are and how they work. [203], In the middle of the fourteenth century, a Dominican friar wrote a biography of Mary Magdalene in which he described her brutally mutilating herself after giving up prostitution,[197] clawing at her legs until they bled, tearing out clumps of her hair, and beating her face with her fists and her breasts with stones. [47] Matthew 27:61 lists Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" as witnesses. The creators of The Chosen probably chose this name because it is associated with demons in Jewish traditions. "[144] The Church Father Origen (c. 184 c. 253) defended Christianity against this accusation in his apologetic treatise Against Celsus, mentioning Matthew 28:1, which lists Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" both seeing the resurrected Jesus, thus providing a second witness. She is clearly sleeping with a man out of wedlock when the episode begins and they are sleeping together in "the Red Quarter" - a sleazy part of town. The same passage also states that seven demons had been driven out of her, a statement which is repeated in Mark 16. In chapter 8, when the Pevensie children are speaking to Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, they learn that a human must rule Narnia, and while she claims to be human, the White Witch is not at all human. [45][41], All four canonical gospels agree that several other women watched Jesus' crucifixion from a distance, with three explicitly naming Mary Magdalene as present. She whom Luke calls the sinful woman, whom John calls Mary, we believe to be the Mary from whom seven devils were ejected according to Mark. [47] Luke 23:55 mentions "the women who had followed him from Galilee", but does not list any of their names. With Shahar Isaac, Jonathan Roumie, Elizabeth Tabish, Paras Patel. Do you believe Jesus knows you by name? [67][69][77] Casey argues that the reason for this abrupt ending may be because the Gospel of Mark is an unfinished first draft. Jesus is said to have cast seven evil spirits out of her (, As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Her association with prostitution was a result of the proximity between the first mention of her in Luke (. [167] Not only John Chrysostom in the East (Matthew, Homily 88), but also Ambrose (De virginitate 3,14; 4,15) in the West, when speaking of Mary Magdalene after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, far from calling her a harlot, suggest she was a virgin. The 1552 edition omitted the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, which was restored to the Book of Common Prayer only after some 400 years. [274] The Mass and Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) remain the same as they were, except that a specific preface was added to the Mass to refer to her explicitly as the "Apostle to the Apostles". [96] In these apocryphal texts, Mary Magdalene is portrayed as a visionary and leader of the early movement whom Jesus loved more than he loved the other disciples. [176] Honorius mentions that, out of love for Jesus, Mary repented and withdrew into a life of quiet isolation. It hints at where the show is going: This passage takes place after Jesus' death and resurrection at the end of the Gospels. Why was Mary Magdalene called Lilith in The Chosen? [145] A sermon attributed to Hippolytus of Rome (c. 170 235) refers to Mary of Bethany and her sister Martha seeking Jesus in the garden like Mary Magdalene in John 20, indicating a conflation between Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene. Episode 7 Guide: Did Nicodemus Follow Jesus? There you go! [293] Bahs have noted parallels between Mary Magdalene and the Bab heroine-poet Thirih. [75] Then the risen Jesus approached her. For other uses, see, The Old and New Testament and Gnostic contexts and the text are discussed by. [264] The same chapter says she did not delay in exercising the office of apostolate with which he had been honored (apostolatus officio quo honorata fuerat fungi non distulit). Have you seen other examples of how Jesus can show up suddenly and change someone's life in a big way? [151] The sermon describes the conflated woman as a "second Eve" who compensates for the disobedience of the first Eve through her obedience. I wouldn't take too long discussing these questions. [62] Casey argues that Jesus was given a proper burial by Joseph of Arimathea,[63] noting that, on some very rare occasions, Roman governors did release the bodies of executed prisoners for burial. [307] There is no historical evidence (from the canonical or apocryphal gospels, other early Christian writings, or any other ancient sources) to support these statements. (which is Aramaic for "teacher"). [67][68][69] According to Luke 24:112 a group of unnamed women went to the tomb and found the stone already rolled away, as in Mark. After sharing that information, you can ask: What stuck out to you about Mary Magdalene's depiction in The Chosen? How does that truth encourage you? She is mentioned several times in the Gospels as a devoted follower of Jesus who was present at his crucifixion and burial. Making a Woman 5 The Gospel of Mary is a non-canonical text discovered in 1896 in a 5th-century papyrus codex written in Sahidic Coptic.This Berlin Codex was purchased in Cairo by German diplomat Carl Reinhardt.. [47] Mark 15:47 lists Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of Jesus as witnesses to the burial of Jesus. [260][261][262], According to Darrell Bock, the title of apostola apostolorum first appears in the 10th century,[152] but Katherine Ludwig Jansen says she found no reference to it earlier than the 12th, by which time it was already commonplace. [59][60] Ehrman notes that this was the most common fate for victims of crucifixion[61] but states that it is impossible to know for certain what happened to Jesus' body once it was removed from the cross. [209] Because the cult of Mary Magdalene was inextricably associated with the Catholic teaching of the intercession of saints,[210] it came under particularly harsh criticism by Protestant leaders. [294], Many of the alleged relics of the saint are held in Catholic churches in France, especially at Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, where her skull (see above) and the noli me tangere are on display; the latter being a piece of forehead flesh and skin said to be from the spot touched by Jesus at the post-resurrection encounter in the garden. And we also just had fun chatting about random stuff, like how Quintus was totally fitting the stereotype of the evil bald guy. After Jesus heals her evil spirit, she resumes calling herself "Mary," her birth name, and refuses to answer to the name associated with her spiritual oppression. [265] Raymond E. Brown, commenting on this fact, remarks that Hrabanus Maurus frequently applies the word "apostle" to Mary Magdalene in this work. 15131516). Below I'll share an outline describing how to do a Viewing Party for The Chosen Episode 1 (I Have Called You by Name). When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurrection. At one point, Jesus says, "Mary, thou blessed one, whom I will perfect in all mysteries of those of the height, discourse in openness, thou, whose heart is raised to the kingdom of heaven more than all thy brethren". In the Gospel of Philip's text she is described as Jesus' companion, as the disciple Jesus loved the most and the one Jesus kissed on the mouth,[3] which has led some people to conclude that she and Jesus were in a relationship. The rest of the disciples [were offended by it and expressed disapproval]. The equivalent of the phrase apostolorum apostola may have appeared already in the 9th century. The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. NOTE: The name Lilith is not mentioned in the Bible and certainly is not actually affiliated with Mary Magdalene.Uncategorized ; June 21, 2022 was mary magdalene once called lilith. [185] The wife dies in childbirth and the governor leaves her on an island with the still-living infant at her breast. [160], The unnamed "sinful woman" in Luke 7:3650 is never identified as a prostitute[161] and, in Jewish society at the time the gospel was written, "sinful" could have simply meant that she "did not assiduously observe the law of Moses". They speak to different audiences & look good on screen), Can you think of characters or stories that the film left out? "[156] Ambrose (c. 340 397), by contrast, not only rejected the conflation of Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, and the anointing sinner,[157] but even proposed that the authentic Mary Magdalene herself was, in fact, two separate people:[157][158] one woman named Mary Magdalene who discovered the empty tomb and a different Mary Magdalene who saw the risen Christ. [64] Nonetheless, he rejects that Jesus could have been interred in an expensive tomb with a stone rolled in front of it like the one described in the gospels,[65] leading him to conclude that Mary and the other women must not have seen the tomb. What did these seven devils signify, if not all the vices? Disciples resemble their teachers. However, some scholars believe the word would be better translated as demoness and see it is a reference to a Mesopotamian spiritual being. [75][81][83] She did not see anyone, but immediately ran to tell Peter and the "beloved disciple",[75][83] who came with her to the tomb and confirmed that it was empty,[75][82] but returned home without seeing the risen Jesus. Why is mary magdalene called lilith in the chosen [204] Poems about Mary Magdalene's repentance were also popular. The Chosen, a TV show on the Angel Studios' free streaming service, chronicles the life of Jesus and his many followers. While watching the show, I made occasional comments through the chat but I tried to not do too much teaching - I wanted the youth to enjoy The Chosen and not just see it as an elaborate preaching illustration. [168] Starting in around the eighth century, Christian sources record mention of a church in Magdala purported to have been built on the site of Mary Magdalene's house, where Jesus exorcized her of the seven demons. In the passage, who is it that says, "I have called you by name"? [31] The dialogue consists of a conversation between Jesus, Mary and two apostles - Thomas the Apostle and Matthew the Apostle. It is widely accepted among secular historians that, like Jesus, Mary Magdalene was a real historical figure. Mary Magdalene, Lilith, & the Redeemer (Exploring The Chosen with Youth), Elizabeth Tabish as Lilith/Mary Magdalene in The Chosen, Over the past year, we've been exploring how The Chosen adapts biblical characters like, You may want to warn students beforehand that this episode contains some demonic activity. [218] Edgar Saltus's historical fiction novel Mary Magdalene: A Chronicle (1891) depicts her as a heroine living in a castle at Magdala, who moves to Rome becoming the "toast of the tetrarchy", telling John the Baptist she will "drink pearls sup on peacock's tongues". I offer my work for free and rely on the generous support of readers like you. [296], Her left hand relic is kept in the Simonopetra Monastery on Mount Athos. His sister,[e] his mother and his companion were each a Mary. If you liked this post, you might want to check out some of my other posts on The Chosen and Bible adaptation. Gospel of Mary - Wikipedia She was the woman taken into adultery, whom Christ set free lest the Jews stone her, and she was with Him in three places, in the temple, at the well, and in the garden. In particular, Mary is often shown naked in the legendary scene of her "Elevation", where she is sustained in the desert by angels who raise her up and feed her heavenly manna, as recounted in the Golden Legend. "[101] The narrator commends Mary stating "she spoke this utterance as a woman who understood everything. "[136][134][137] This story was supposedly the basis for the Borborite Eucharist ritual in which they allegedly engaged in orgies and drank semen and menstrual blood as the "body and blood of Christ" respectively. [68][69][79] Luke's narrative also removes the injunction for the women to tell the disciples to return to Galilee and instead has Jesus tell the disciples not to return to Galilee, but rather to stay in the precincts of Jerusalem. He has risen, as he said. St Peter Julian Eymard calls her "the patroness and model of a life spent in the adoration and service of Jesus in the sacrament of His Love. Mary Magdalene in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters) [86] First, it describes an appearance by Jesus to Mary Magdalene alone (as in the Gospel of John),[86] followed by brief descriptions of him appearing to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (as in the Gospel of Luke) and to the eleven remaining disciples (as in the Gospel of Matthew). "[145] This may indicate that Mary Magdalene was already being conflated with the "sinful woman" in Luke 7:3650, though Tertullian never clearly identifies the woman of whom he speaks as Mary Magdalene. [94] He does conclude later, however, that Mary Magdalene must have been one of the people who had an experience in which she thought she saw the risen Jesus,[95] citing her prominence in the gospel resurrection narratives and her absence everywhere else in the gospels as evidence.[95]. (Jesus), What about Jesus' identity does this hint at? [300] The gospel, at least in its current form, clearly and consistently identifies the disciple as having masculine gender, only ever referring to him using words inflected in the masculine. [207] Luther, whose views on sexuality were much more liberal than those of his fellow reformers,[208] reportedly once joked to a group of friends that "even pious Christ himself" had committed adultery three times: once with Mary Magdalene, once with the Samaritan woman at the well, and once with the adulteress he had let off so easily. Surely the savior knows her well. [157] Augustine of Hippo (354 430) entertained the possibility that Mary of Bethany and the unnamed sinner from Luke might be the same person,[159] but did not associate Mary Magdalene with either of them. Menu. [13][10] They are not regarded by bible scholars as reliable sources of information about her life. Can you think of moments when you may need to be reminded that God is with you? [323], Maurice Casey rejects the idea of Mary Magdalene as Jesus' wife as nothing more than wild popular sensationalism. [304], Dan Brown's 2003 bestselling mystery thriller novel The Da Vinci Code popularized a number of erroneous ideas about Mary Magdalene,[305][306] including that she was a member of the tribe of Benjamin, that she was Jesus' wife, that she was pregnant at the crucifixion, and that she gave birth to Jesus' child, who became the founder of a bloodline which survives to this very day. Did anyone notice what it was that made her recognize him? In all the four canonical gospels, Mary Magdalene was a witness to the crucifixion of Jesus and, in the Synoptic Gospels, she was also present at his burial. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. Mary lived in a village called Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. [86], In his book published in 2006, Ehrman states that "it appears virtually certain" that the stories of the empty tomb, regardless of whether or not they are accurate, can definitely be traced back to the historical Mary Magdalene,[87] saying that, in Jewish society, women were regarded as unreliable witnesses and were forbidden from giving testimony in court,[88] so early Christians would have had no motive to make up a story about a woman being the first to discover the empty tomb.