Mary Magdalena in Apocryphal Texts from a Feminist Point of view

Religion and its nexus with culture in explaining the women’s status in society can be examined from a new perspective; in particular, the most religious texts are written by men and the status of women has been affected by the masculine perspective of these texts. In feminist studies, however, a new approach has evolved reviving the women’s role in religious experiences in order to improve their positions in religious communities. Hence, in Christian studies, feminine investigations were conducted not only in New Testament but also in other religious texts, including the Apocryphal books. Even though the apocryphal texts were not considered canonical, the scholars think that they are so important because they reflect the ideas and beliefs of some elite members of the early Christianity. By investigating the views of the authors of these texts, a better model of women's religious experiences in that period can be grasped, in particular with respect to Mary Magdalene and her controversial personality. The descriptive-analytical method of this article at first throws some light on Mary Magdalene’s relationship with Jesus, and then paints a new perspective with respect to her personality conforming to the feminists’ four axes.