Mary Magdalene in the Gospel of John

Abstract In modern Western culture, Mary Magdalene is perhaps best known for her being the first person to whom the risen Christ appeared (protophany) and for her presentation in the Noli me tangere art. Both of these are exclusively connected to the Gospel of John. They have given the Johannine presentation of Mary Magdalene a certain priority, but they have also had a tendency of overshadowing John’s characterization of Mary Magdalene. In this contribution, I shall present a comprehensive view of the different facets of the way the Gospel of John introduces us to Mary Magdalene. In the course of this approach, it will become obvious that the Johannine Mary Magdalene is the faithful disciple who, when all the others were absent, was entrusted the core message of this gospel. In absolute numbers the references to Mary Magdalene in John are few (5x, cf. 4x in Mark, 3x in Matthew, 2x in Luke), but the role of Mary Magdalene in the gospels and in John in particular is nonetheless crucial.