[cheerful music] NARRATOR: Mary Magdalene. She is one of the
most mysterious and misunderstood
figures in the Bible. Remembered as the prostitute
who walked with Jesus, she is said to have paid for
her years of carnal delight with decades of isolation
and tearful repentance. Recent archaeological
discoveries, however, paint an astonishing new
picture of Mary Magdalene as one of the most important leaders
of the early Christian church. Mary Magdalene was invented
in this alternate portrait as a prostitute
precisely to counter this extraordinary
strong portrait of her as an early leader and
apostolic witness and prophet. NARRATOR: Now the true
story of Mary Magdalene is beginning to emerge. And it is more amazing
than any legend. [solemn music] December 1945, Egyptian
farmers looking for fertilizer in a remote field
make a startling discovery. Beneath a boulder
buried in soft soil, they find an ancient jar filled
with priceless treasures-- papyrus books nearly
2,000 years old. These are lost gospels written
by the first generations of Christians. Believers hid them, perhaps
so they would not be destroyed by other Christians who branded
them unorthodox and heretical, perhaps so they might
reveal to future generations their amazing teachings. These ancient books contain
unexpected information about one of Jesus's
closest associates-- Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene was a
leader in the early church. She appears to have been the
leader of at least one wing of the early Christian movement. And her leadership
was based primarily on prophetic authority. [uplifting music] NARRATOR: This story of how
Mary Magdalene became a prophet and leader begins around the
time of the birth of Jesus in the village for which
she is named Magdala. Magdala was located
on the Sea of Galilee in a remote province of the
Roman Empire called Judea. Today nothing remains
of Mary's hometown. But in antiquity, it was a
bustling center of the fish trade. [solemn music] The local fisherman's
day began as the sunset. Heading out to sea, they
cast their nets and hauled in their living harvest. They did not rest
when the sun rose. The catch had to be sold. Boats and nets needed constant
maintenance and repair. Living in this Jewish
fishing village, Mary's family very
likely had a deep regard for their religious heritage. Her life would have
been marked by the cycle of the Jewish year-- the weekly observance
of the Sabbath, annual fees, such as
Passover, in spring, and the Jewish new
year in autumn. I think she was deeply
Jewish and in touch with the powerful sources
of Jewish tradition. And I think she
must have been also politically dissatisfied
with Roman imperialism. [uplifting music] NARRATOR: Mary's homeland was
under the military control of the incomparably
powerful Roman Empire. [intense music] But the Jews made poor
subjects for Rome. And Mary's hometown of Magdala
was a hotbed of rebel activity. The Jews view their overlords
with hostility and suspicion. The Romans worshipped pagan
gods, imposed heavy taxes, and brutally punish those
who oppose their rule. When Rome found its
subjects guilty of sedition, the penalty could be agonizing
death by crucifixion. The authorities sometimes
executed dozens of Jews at once, leaving their
bodies to rot out in the open in an attempt to
control the populace by terror. But Mary and her countrymen were
fiercely devoted to their way of life. And the brutality
of Roman tyrants did not subdue their spirit. Yet for many Jews of
Mary's day, the oppression was so overwhelming. It seemed that salvation
could come only from heaven. They spoke of a messiah whom
God would send to deliver them. [suspenseful music] In the synagogues and streets,
no details of the saviors coming were hotly debated. Some believed he would be
a general who would lead a final cosmic battle to
destroy this world of injustice and paved the way
for eternal paradise. Others said the Messiah would
appear when the Jews were tired to the desert
to fast and pray. Until then, day to day
life in Magdala was simple. Young girls like Mary
learned from their mothers to perform domestic tasks. They spent many hours a day
helping to prepare meals for the family. They ground meal
and baked bread, drew water from the town
well, cleaned fish, and bought provisions from local farmers. [uplifting music] Life in a fishing
village was hard. But evidence suggests
that Mary's family made a good living. Though some believe she learned
the fishing business as a girl, it is likely that Mary
was affluent enough that she did not have to
work throughout her life. What we do know about her
from the Gospel of Luke probably meant that she was, I guess
we would say, independently wealthy, that she,
in some sense, had resources that would not
have required her to work. NARRATOR: Little else is
known about her childhood. As Mary blossomed
into a young woman, her story becomes clouded by
a legend that has haunted her for thousands of years-- the belief that she
was a prostitute. I think when we say
the term prostitute, it carries with it the notion
of profession that someone is actually making their
living this way by selling sex. But in antiquity,
it could be a term that could be thrown around the
same as whore or adulterous. It meant anyone who
was sexually immoral, meant any kind of
sexual unchastity. Mary Magdalene's
wealth was considered to be a downfall for her
because it released her from having to work. She had too much
time on her hands. And idleness led to
the devil's work. It led to sin. And in Mary Magdalene's case,
it led to the very grave sin of luxuria, that is, an
exorbitant sexual appetite. [solemn music] NARRATOR: The golden legend of
a medieval account of the lives of the saints asserts that
her carnal sins were known throughout the region. [intense music] SPEAKER 1 (VOICEOVER):
"She was very rich. And sensuous pleasure keeps
company with great wealth. Renowned as she was for
her beauty and her riches, she was no less
known for the way she gave her body to
pleasure so much so that her name was forgotten. And she was commonly
called the sinner." NARRATOR: Some 2,000
years after her death, evidence suggests that
this characterization is a case of mistaken identity
compounded by medieval sexism. [uplifting music] Mary Magdalene was an affluent
and pious girl from Galilee. And yet, she gained notoriety
as a promiscuous seductress whose life of physical
passion led to years of grief and repentance. Her reputation
for licentiousness was unchallenged for millennia. Contemporary experts, however,
are reconsidering this portrait of Mary as a prostitute. It doesn't say
anywhere in the Bible that Mary Magdalene
was a prostitute. The fact that Mary Magdalene
is handed down in the tradition as a prostitute who has
repented and reformed is probably a great injustice
to the character that lies behind this legend. [solemn music] NARRATOR: One reason
for her bad reputation may simply be her common name. Mary was a very,
very common name. Over 50% of the women in
Palestine were named either Mary or Salome. [solemn music] NARRATOR: Early Christians
confused Mary Magdalene's saga with the stories of other
biblical Mary's and even women whose names were never
recorded at all in scripture-- Mary of Bethany-- a sister
to Lazarus and Martha, the woman caught in adultery,
the anonymous Samaritan with seven husbands. In the later tradition,
their individuality gets lost. And what emerges is one Mary
who has the characteristics of these several that appear
in the gospel traditions. NARRATOR: The most
important biblical tale associated with Mary Magdalene
is from the Gospel of Luke. The story of the
sinner in Luke 7 is not the story
of Mary Magdalene. But it is a story that becomes
the keystone of the Magdalene legends. NARRATOR: Luke reports that
Jesus was dining at the home of Simon the pharisee. A prostitute brazenly
entered the room and fell before Jesus,
weeping inconsolably. Her tears were so plentiful that
she was able to wash his feet with them. She then dried them with
her long, luxurious hair. Jesus forgave this unnamed
woman for her many sins. For centuries, the church
declared this anonymous sinner was Mary Magdalene. The legend is powerful. And it seems to fill
some kind of a need in the Christian psyche,
actually, for punishing women for their sexuality, I think. [solemn music] NARRATOR: In 1969, the Vatican
revised its official position and said that it had
been an error to ever say that Mary was a
prostitute or that she was the sinner from Luke. The historical Mary
Magdalene was probably a prosperous and pious young
woman from a fishing village. [cheerful music] Yet, the Bible hints
that she was troubled. [suspenseful music] According to the
gospels, the young Mary was possessed by seven demons. In the ancient world, people
ascribed physical and emotional afflictions to
demonic possession. When it says that Mary
Magdalene has seven demons cast out of her, it probably
means that she was healed of some kind of illness,
such as epilepsy, or that she was healed of some
kind of mental illness that is curable or at
least as sporadic, such as mania or psychosis,
that comes and goes. To describe someone
as having an evil spirit is to say they have some kind
of obsession or addiction or physical or
psychological condition that's not understood. And so the answer in the culture
is they have an evil spirit. Some of the stories
of demon possession could be people possessed
by, what we would call today, an overwhelming compulsion. We talk about sexual addiction
and alcohol addiction and drug addiction. And those really are
spirits of unfreedom. NARRATOR: Mary's destiny
was about to change with one momentous encounter. I think it's quite possible
that Mary Magdalene met Jesus the same way the other disciples
are described as meeting Jesus, that she was by the sea,
that she was working, and that he came
upon her and met her in a very similar manner. [solemn music] The most important moment
in the life of Mary Magdalene I would think would be her
initial encounter with Jesus because it changed her life. It set her free from whatever
it was that oppressed her. It gave her hope. It transformed her, made her a
new woman in a very real sense. [solemn music] NARRATOR: The Bible does not
tell us how old Mary was when she met Jesus. But it does say that Jesus cast
out the demons, healing her in body and spirit. What's clear is
that in antiquity, demon possession was
a sign of uncleanness, a lack of the Holy Spirit,
the opposite of holiness, if you will, by being unclean. So having these demons
cast out was a way of making Mary holy and pure. NARRATOR: Renewed and inspired
by her encounter with Jesus, Mary came to believe
that he was the Messiah. But joining his followers
would be perilous. The Roman despots who
ruled the holy land were suspicious of
any of their subjects who assembled large
public gatherings. They were concerned that the
people's anti-Roman sentiment might boil to the surface. And public peace
could be disrupted. Preachers, such as Jesus
and their followers, were in constant danger of
attracting the attention of the foreign oppressors. Yet, the very risk in joining
may have actually increased the Jesus movement's appeal
to Mary's independent nature. Following her heart and
flaunting tradition, she boldly left the
only home she had ever known to join the growing
company of men and women who followed Jesus. Although the group needed money
to feed, clothe, and house dozens of people through the
upcoming years of ministry, Jesus was not concerned. SPEAKER 2 (VOICEOVER):
"Do not be anxious saying what shall we
eat, what shall we drink, what shall we wear. Strive first for the kingdom
of God and his righteousness. And all these things will
be given to you as well," Matthew 6:31. NARRATOR: These staples
were indeed provided. Mary Magdalene had
money from her family. SPEAKER 3 (VOICEOVER):
"Mary, called Magdalene from whom seven
demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife
of Herod Steward Kuza, and Susanna and many others
provided for them out of their resources," Luke 8:2. In this culture,
Mary and others supporting Jesus meant that
they were his patronises. That is to say that they were in
the position of supporting him not in an inferior
secondary role. But he really actually places
them in a socially superior position. NARRATOR: At first, the
group stayed in Galilee, visiting the region
synagogues and proclaiming that the kingdom
of God was at hand. As Jesus continued
to heal the sick and perform other miracles,
the crowds grew ever larger. When the multitudes grew too
numerous for the sanctuaries, Jesus preached in the open
air with Mary Magdalene at his side. She must have been a pretty
brassy woman, going around the country with a
man and so forth. I see her as someone who would
choose a spiritual teacher who was very much interested
in the spiritual life. NARRATOR: In the days to
follow, Mary Magdalene would take on a stunning
and vitally important role in Jesus' life, both
public and private. ng] In Mary Magdalene's
fishing village, people had long
prayed for a messiah to come and free them
from foreign oppression. Miraculously, Mary had
met a charismatic man whom she believed was
that divine Savior. Jesus had come into her life,
healing her of whatever demons plagued her, and earning
her steadfast devotion. Mary Magdalene
left the only home she had ever known
to travel with him, preaching the good news
of the kingdom of heaven to the people of Galilee. During these days
of the ministry, there were times of
peace and contemplation when Mary and the
other disciples listened with rapt attention
as Jesus taught them alone. As they came to
understand his message, Jesus urged them to
spread the word of God. SPEAKER 4 (VOICEOVER): "These
Jesus send out charging them. Go to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. And preach as you go, saying the
kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick. Cleanse lepers. Cast out demons. You received without paying,
give without pay," Matthew 10:6. [solemn music] NARRATOR: Surprisingly, Mary
Magdalene was one of the first to preach the message that would
become known as Christianity. I think it's very possible
that Mary Magdalene was teaching or preaching
along with the men. When the men were sent out,
the women were sent out. NARRATOR: Some scholars
make a stunning assertion that her evangelical role was
of unparalleled importance. Mary Magdalene may have
been a co-prophet with Jesus. She may have been a colleague. We could think of in terms
of a partnership, someone who preached alongside of
him, someone who learned from him, and also someone
from whom he learned. [solemn music] NARRATOR: Though Mary may have
been a leader in the community during Jesus's ministry, she was
not exempt from everyday tasks. Along with the other
women, she was responsible for traditional
household duties, such as washing the clothes,
preparing the lodgings, and cooking and serving meals. But these apparently mundane
chores were actually rich with meaning. And Mary's duties were
particularly significant. Table service was a
very important activity for the Jesus movement
because eating at table and sharing a meal together
was a symbol for the kingdom of God. She is the only one that
said to have served Jesus in this capacity. NARRATOR: In the ancient papyrus
gospels that were uncovered in Egypt after being lost
for nearly two millennia, astonishing new information
is revealed about this time of fellowship and ministry. SPEAKER 5 (VOICEOVER): "Three
always walked with the Lord-- Mary his mother, her
sister, and Magdalene. And the companion of the Savior
is Mary Magdalene," the gospel of Philip. NARRATOR: According
to the ancient texts, Mary and Jesus developed
an especially close bond. Jesus took her aside
for private moments and gave her secret teachings
that she alone had the capacity to understand. The close friendship
between them caused resentment among
the male disciples. SPEAKER 6 (VOICEOVER):
"They said to him, 'Why do you love her
more than all of us?' The Savior answered
and said to them, 'Why do I not love you as I love
her?'" The gospel of Philip. NARRATOR: Some scholars
make the shocking assertion that Jesus has love for Mary was
physical as well as spiritual. This extraordinary
claim may be supported by the rediscovered
papyrus texts. SPEAKER 7 (VOICEOVER):
"Christ loved her more than all the disciples
and used to kiss her often on the mouth," the
gospel of Philip. The gospel of Philip, which
is a text that's corrupt, that is, it has holes
in it and gaps in it, says that Jesus kissed Mary
Magdalene often on her blank. It doesn't say on her what. But most scholars fill
in the word mouth. The kiss in that
literature is ambiguous. It could include a sexual
relationship, or it could not. And one scholar
emphasizes something that I think is really
important, that it just has to stay ambiguous. We would love to think that
Mary Magdalene and Jesus were lovers. It's so romantic. But I think it's unlikely simply
because I think it's unlikely that Jesus himself was in any
kind of sexual relationship. NARRATOR: Most experts flatly
reject the possibility. There's absolutely no
historical or biblical evidence that Mary Magdalene and
Jesus were anything other than very good friends. [uplifting music] NARRATOR: Whether or not there
was a romance between them, Mary was Jesus'
closest companion and his favorite disciple. Soon she would play a vital role
in the most profound mystery of Christianity-- the death and
Resurrection of Jesus. [uplifting music] For three years, Mary Magdalene
had been traveling with Jesus. But Jesus' public ministry
would soon end in agony. And an amazing transformation
would have a profound effect on Mary's life. Jesus told Mary and
the other disciples that they would
leave the Galilee and go to Jerusalem to celebrate
the festival of Passover. As they approached
the gates of the city, Jesus' followers began to sing. The people of the city lined
the streets and joined in. SPEAKER 8 (VOICEOVER): "And
those who went before and those who followed cried out,
'Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of
the Lord,'" Mark 11:9. NARRATOR: With joy
and celebration, Mary Magdalene entered Jerusalem
and her lord's company. Little did she know
what lay ahead. As the week began, Mary
and the other women scurried about the city,
preparing a Passover dinner. Although women are omitted
from most depictions of the Last Supper,
female disciples were very likely present. Mary Magdalene would have served
Jesus at the holiday meal. After the religious
rituals were fulfilled and the dishes cleared away,
some say Mary accompanied Jesus for prayer and meditation in
the nearby garden of Getsemani. If so, it was the last time
they would pray together. A mob arrived armed with swords
and clubs to arrest Jesus. He went calmly with his
captors who turned him over to the despised
Roman authorities. Mary knew the Romans
could be merciless and that Jesus might be
tortured or even killed. It must have been a long and
horrible day for her full of doubt, terror, tears,
and desperate attempts to find out what was happening
to her beloved friend. When she learned that Jesus
was to die on the cross, she must have been
utterly devastated. She longed to be by his side
throughout the terrible ordeal. But there was great risk. The Romans would see
her devotion to Jesus and might mark her
as a traitor as well. But Mary's love for Jesus
was greater than her fears. She rushed to Golgotha, where
Jesus was being crucified. Through the long
agony of his death, Mary Magdalene remained
faithfully by Jesus, as she had throughout his life. The gospels tell
us that she watched as he was laid in rocky tomb. It was the eve of the Sabbath. And Jewish law
forbade his loved ones to attend his body
on that holy day. But the first moment it was
permitted, Mary Magdalene hastened to his burial
site to anoint the corpse. As she approached
the tomb at dawn, she discovered that it was
open and Jesus' body was gone. She believed the
grave had been robbed. Wracked with grief,
she collapsed in tears. She did not know that she
was about to experience one of the most significant
encounters in history. [uplifting music] SPEAKER 9 (VOICEOVER):
"She turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know
that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, 'Woman,
why are you weeping? Whom are you looking
for?'" John 20:14. Even Mary Magdalene, who
loved him in John's account, does not recognize him. All of these are ways of saying
that there is something very different about the risen
Jesus from the Jesus they knew during his
historical life and ministry. NARRATOR: Jesus then
called Mary by name. Hearing his voice, she
recognized her teacher and beloved friend. Overcome by emotion, she
reached forward to embrace him. But Jesus gently rebuked her. SPEAKER 10 (VOICEOVER):
"Jesus said to her, 'Do not touch me because
I have not yet ascended to the Father,'" John 20:17. If you look at
it in the Greek, it's in the imperfect tense. And it doesn't say,
don't touch me. It says, don't keep
hanging on to me. Don't keep holding onto me. And what John is trying to
say in telling the story is that Jesus is saying, you
can't cling to this experience. I'm present in a new way. I'm present in the community. I'm present through the spirit. I'm in your hearts. I'm in your midst. NARRATOR: The risen
Christ gave Mary Magdalene a unique responsibility. SPEAKER 11 (VOICEOVER): "Go
to my brothers and say to them I am ascending to my
Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Mary Magdalene went and
announced to the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord.' and she told them that he had
said these things to her," John 20:17. NARRATOR: This is the last time
that Mary Magdalene appears in the Bible. But because Jesus
gave her authority to announce his Resurrection
to the apostles, Mary gained a new title
among early Christians. Mary Magdalene was call
the apostle of the apostles because she fits to a t what it
means to have been an apostle. An apostle is someone who has
seen the risen Lord and who has been sent as an apostolic
witness to his Resurrection. [uplifting music] NARRATOR: In the
years after the death and Resurrection of Jesus, some
say Mary Magdalene's life took a little known and
unanticipated turn. She traveled to unexpected far
corners of the ancient world in her special role as
apostle and evangelist. [uplifting music] According to the
Bible, Mary Magdalene had watched as Jesus
died on the cross. And soon after, she had
encountered the risen Christ. He had entrusted her with the
task of spreading the good news of his Resurrection. The early Christian gospels
recently rediscovered in Egypt reveal that the community
of Jesus' followers was discouraged and frightened
after the death of their Lord. The men feared that if they
publicly preached the teachings of their executed leader, Roman
authorities would kill them. It was Mary Magdalene
who inspired the apostles and kept the Jesus
movement alive. Mary Magdalene leads
a life of leadership. She becomes a leader. She becomes an encourager of
the discouraged and fearful apostles in several instances. She speaks boldly. She explains visionary
experiences that she had had and secret teachings that
were given only to her. NARRATOR: Again, some of the
men became jealous and resentful of her. Peter was her main detractor. The Gospel of Mary clearly
portrays Mary Magdalene as a leader, not only
among the other disciples but of the other disciples. The gospel itself has this very
intriguing scene in which Peter challenges Mary and says surely
that the Savior would not have told her things that
he didn't tell to us. Surely, he would not have
loved a woman more than us. And Levi responds basically,
yes, he would, and he did. Mary Magdalene's
role in the church began an argument
that has remained passionate from
that time to this. So from the very
first century, from the very beginnings,
from the earliest literature of the Christian movement,
we see women functioning as leaders and we see
that leadership opposed. This is true for every century
of the history of Christianity since, including our own. NARRATOR: The ancient
papyrus text due not reveal Mary Magdalene's
as ultimate fate. But the golden legend, a
medieval collection of stories about the lives
of saints, reports that Mary stayed to preach
in her homeland for 14 years. The story continues that
she then traveled halfway across the ancient world to
Marseilles, a port city in what would later be the
Provence region of France. Though the golden legend was
written more than 1,200 years after Mary's death, there is
other evidence that supports her presence in France. [solemn music] A church in the
French town of Vezelay maintains that it possesses
her earthly remains. This claim was taken
seriously by thousands of medieval pilgrims, who flock
there to touch Mary's tomb and pray to her for miracles. A legend was created to
explain how she made it to Provence. And that legend stated
that after the crucifixion of Christ, after his ascension,
his disciples and apostles were persecuted, Mary
Magdalene among them. She and her family and friends
were put into a rudderless boat and set adrift at sea. Providentially, they
washed up in Provence. NARRATOR: When the castaways
finally made it to shore, no one would take
them into their home. Mary Magdalene
and her companions found shelter in a pagan temple
and, there, watched the locals gather to worship. Distressed by the
spectacle of idolatry, Mary Magdalene began to preach. SPEAKER 12 (VOICEOVER):
"She came forward, her manner calm and
her face serene, and with well-chosen
words called them away from the cult of idols and
preach Christ fervently to them," The Golden Legend. NARRATOR: Mary had begun
to convert the pagans. But it would take patience,
perseverance, and help from heaven to
complete the task. If she could convert the
rulers of the region, the rest would follow suit. But the king and
queen were skeptical, challenging Mary
Magdalene to prove the power of the new faith. Mary had to provide
them with a miracle. For years, the royal couple
had struggled unsuccessfully to conceive an
heir to the throne. They were desperate and
so willing to bargain with the foreign evangelist. SPEAKER 13 (VOICEOVER):
"They said to her, 'We are prepared to do whatever
you tell us if you can obtain a son for us from the
God whom you preach.' The blessed Mary prayed the Lord
to deign to grant them a son," The Golden Legend. NARRATOR: Mary's prayer on
their behalf was answered. The queen became pregnant and
gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The little family
accepted baptism. And Mary was able to
convert the entire region. But now Mary was finished
with her public life. SPEAKER 14 (VOICEOVER):
"Wishing to devote herself to heavenly contemplation, she
retired to an empty wilderness and lived unknown for 30
years in a place made ready by the hands of angels,"
The Golden Legend. NARRATOR: In her
isolated grotto, Mary is said to have cast off
all earthly things, including her clothing. Her hair grew long and
covered her unclothed body. She went without food or
drink, fasting for 30 years. SPEAKER 15
(VOICEOVER): "Every day she was carried aloft by angels
and with bodily ears heard the glorious chants
of the celestial host. And she was conveyed back to
her own place by the same angels and needed no
material nourishment," The Golden Legend. Now, it's never exactly
spelled out what she was doing up there in the ether. But I think that we can safely
say that in a certain sense, she was doing as a
medieval mystic might do. She was, in a sense,
communing with the divine and probably
receiving a foretaste of the heavenly rewards. NARRATOR: One day, a
Christian hermit saw angels returning Mary to her cave. In awe and terror, he
approached the grotto. And Mary called out. SPEAKER 16 (VOICEOVER):
"She said to him, 'Because it has been
revealed to me by the Lord that I am soon to
depart from this world, please go to the archbishop and
take care to inform him that he is to go alone to his church. And there, he will find me
waited upon by angels,'" The Golden Legend. NARRATOR: The hermit
delivered the message. And on the appointed
day, the bishop indeed found Mary Magdalene
herself in his church on the brink of death. There, he performed
her last rites. And here was this very, very
powerful female Saint coming to the church to
show her obedience to the masculine institutional
authority of the church in the very last
hours of her life. NARRATOR: The earthly life
of Mary Magdalene, Jesus' intimate friend and
much loved disciple, had finally drawn to a close. Perhaps the least acknowledged
and most important of Jesus' followers, she
left behind a legacy that has profoundly influenced
Christians of every generation and every social class
for thousands of years. She can stand for
several unfinished agendas in Christianity-- the
integration of the sexual and the spiritual and the
question of whether men and women can ever
be real partners. For women, she has been
through the centuries an important figure whom we
could appeal for legitimacy for the exercise of speech,
for the presence in ministry, for discipleship, for
stewardship, and so forth. This is a woman who knew Jesus
in a very close and personal way. And that's the desire
of all Christians to have this very close
and intimate relationship with Jesus. NARRATOR: Leader and
evangelist, mystic and prophet, to this day, Mary
Magdalene continues to inspire both veneration
and controversy.
