THE TRUTH ABOUT THE MARYS, PART THREE
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE MARYS, PART THREE
According to Gnostic tradition, Mary Magdalene was associated with Wisdom (Sophia), represented by the sun, moon, and a halo of stars. The female gnosis of Sophia was deemed to be the Holy Spirit, thus represented on Earth by the Magdalene, who fled into exile bearing the child of Jesus. John, in Revelation 12:1-17, describes Mary and her son, and tells of her persecution, her flight into exile, and of the continued Roman hounding of the "remnant of her seed" (her descendants):
"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a drown of twelve stars: and she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns; and seven crowns upon his heads. And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brough forth a man child...And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God...And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon;...And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent...And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony;...And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place...And the dragon was worth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
In addition to Mary, other migrants to Gaul in AD 44 included Martha, and her maid Marcella. There were also Philip the Apostle, Mary Jacob (the wife of Cleophas) and Mary-Salome (Helena). Their point of disembarkation in Provence was Ratis, which later became known as Les Saintes Maries de la Mer. Despite Mary and Martha's prominence in the Gospel texts, there is no mention at all of them in Acts, nor in any of St. Paul's letters (epistles) following their westward departure in AD 44.
"The Life of Mary Magdalene" by Raban Maar (776-856), Archbishop of Mayence (Mainz) and Abbe of Fuld, incorporates many traditions about Mary dating back well beyond the 5th century. A copy of the Maar manuscript was unearthed at Oxford University in the early 1400s, and inspired the founding of Magdalen College there by William of Waynflete in 1448. The work had also been quoted earlier in the "Chronica Majora" of Matthew Paris, in around 1190, and is listed in the "Scriptorium Ecclesiasticorum Historia literaria Basilae" at Oxford. Louis XI of France (ruled 1461-1483) was insistent on Mary's dynastic position in the royal lineage of France. "Saint Mary Magdalene," by the Dominican friar Pere Lacordaire (published after the French Revolution), is a particularly informative work, as is "Le Legende de Sainte Marie Madeleine" by Jacobus de Voragine, Archbishop of Genoa (b. 1228). Both de Voragine and Maar state that Mary's mother Eucharia was related to the royal house of Israel. (This is the Hasmonean royal house rather than the Davidic House of Judah.)
Another important work by Jacobus de Voragine is the famous "Legenda Aurea" (Golden Legend), one of the earliest books printed at Westminster by William Caxton in 1483. The text was previously published in French and Latin, and had been partly translated into English before, but some important sections had been omitted. Caxton was persuaded by William, Earl of Arundel, to produce a complete version from the European manuscripts. It is a collection of ecclesiastical chronicles detailing the lives of selected saintly figures. Highly venerated, the work was given public readings on a regular (often daily) basis in medieval monasteries and churches in continental Europe.
One particular narrative from the "Legenda" is about St. Martha of Bethany and her sister Mary Magdalene. The following corresponds to a resume in modern English: "St. Martha, hostess to Lord Jesus Christ, was born into a royal family. Her father's name was Syro, and her mother's Eucharia; the father came from Syria. Together with her sister by inheritance through their mother, Martha came into possession of three properties: the castle Magdalene, and Bethany, and a part of Jerusalem. After the Ascension of our Lord, when the disciples had departed, she, with her brother Lazarus and her sister Mary, also St. Maxim, embarked in a ship, on which -- thanks to the preservation by our Lord -- they all came safely to Marseilles. They thereafter proceeded to the region of Aix, where they converted the inhabitants to the faith."
The name "Magdalene" (or Magdala) derives from the Hebrew noun "migdal" (tower). In practical terms, the statement that the "sisters" possessed three castles is a little misleading -- particularly since Marys (Miriams) were not allowed to own property. The joint heritage actually related to personal status -- that is to say they inherited high community stations (castles/towers) of guardianship, as in Micah 4:8 -- the Magdal-elder (watchtower of the flock):
(Author's Note: It is altogether possible that Micah was actually a Michael-Zadok in his own right, or a Melchizedek, which made him more than qualified to make this statement.)