Enter the historical debate surrounding Jesus and Mary Magdalene’s relationship. Explore the intrigue and controversy surrounding the question of whether Jesus had a girlfriend.
Key Takeaways:
- Examine historical and religious perspectives on Jesus and Mary Magdalene’s relationship.
- Explore the controversies and theories regarding Jesus having a girlfriend.
- Understand the varied interpretations that contribute to the ongoing discussion about Jesus’ personal life.
No. Jesus had no wife and no girlfriend. Mary Magdalene was a disciple of the Lord from whom Jesus cast out seven demons. She was also at the foot of the cross with Mary, His mother. Finally, Mary Magdalene is mentioned as the first one Jesus appeared to on Easter morning after His Resurrection. Other than that, there is nothing in the Bible or in Sacred Tradition to infer, imply, or insinuate any romance or nuptials between the two. There is no credible evidence of any offspring, either.
Conspiracy fans may believe fictional accounts found in novels such as The DaVinci Code alleging that a family was started by Jesus and Magdalene, but it is based on ludicrous sources such as the Gnostic Gospel of Mary and the Apocryphal Gospels of Philip and Thomas. Not only are these non-biblical and therefore non-inspired, but they were also contrived and manufactured some one to three hundred years after the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and well after the death of Mary Magdalene, too. Furthermore, the alleged references are taken out of context.
Even these sources themselves do not clearly indicate such a relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus: “And the companion of the (?) Mary Magdalene (?) her more than (?) the disciples (?) kiss her (?) on her (?)” (Apocryphal Gospel of Philip). The only surviving manuscript has holes in it or has places where the text is illegible, as indicated here with the bracketed question mark. The Greek word for “companion” is koinonos, while the word for wife is gyne (which is not used in this passage). Saint Paul uses the same term (koinonos) in 2 Corinthians 8:23 when he calls Titus his “partner” or “companion.” Luke uses the same word in his Gospel to refer to James and John as the “partners” or “companions” of Simon. Obviously, there is a more benign interpretation to that Greek word than the suggested romantic or spousal relationship.
There are other theories for Mary Magdalene’s role as well. “Simon Peter said to them (the disciples), ‘Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of Life.’ Jesus said, ‘I myself shall lead her, in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit, resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Apocryphal Gospel of Thomas). The Gnostics had a bizarre idea that only males could get to heaven, so even Mary Magdalene had to become a man in order to be saved, according to the passage from the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, which is certainly not a credible source by any means.
The Gnostic Gospel of Mary Magdalene does not even mention a romance or marriage between her and Jesus. It does speak of a confrontation between Peter and the Magdalene over who will be the authority in the Church. It also refers to secret knowledge (the hallmark of Gnosticism) which Jesus allegedly told Mary Magdalene but withheld from Simon Peter. The secret is that the flesh is evil and only the spirit is good. Pure Gnosticism and pure heresy. If the flesh were truly evil, then Jesus took on evil in the Incarnation when He assumed a human nature that included a human body. This would contradict two thousand years of Christian belief and would make no sense.
