Finding Jesus (TV) - Mary Magdalene (ep. 6/6)

A series cannot talk about Jesus without discussing Mary Magdalene. Who was she? She is one of the most misunderstood characters in the Bible. Certainly devoted to Jesus. Wife of Jesus? A prostitute? The very first Christian?

The NT mentions her just twelve times. But they are central to the story of Jesus. Many of the ideas we have are merely myths.

 

The myth that Mary was a prostitute comes from a story in Luke 7, about a sinner woman comes into Simon's banquet. The story itself is certainly quite scandalous, especially in Jesus' response to the woman. The Bible itself never names this woman. None of the gospel accounts identify this woman as Mary Magdalene. The identification occurs with Pope Gregory V (The Great) when he gives a homily in which he conflates Mary with the sinner woman, a result of poor scholarship. By this time, Christian tradition had developed to where various stories could be blended together.

 

What the Bible tells us about Mary Magdalene is that she was possessed by seven demons. Many of the gospel stories occur in NW shore of the Sea of Galilee. One of the cities in the area is Magdala. (Here, Ben Witherington describes how Jesus supposedly performed exorcisms: by demanding the demons name themselves and then casting them out. This seems like an interpolation, rather than what is actually found in scripture. In a few (just one?) cases Jesus asks for the demons' names. In all other cases, Jesus simply commands them to leave.) Dramatization of Mary's exorcism. What were the demons? We don't know. A mental health issue? Depression? Whatever the case, she becomes one of the devoted women followers of Jesus.

 

Jesus had a very inclusive movement. He included many who would have been rejected by the social norms of society. It was unusual for unmarried women to leave their home and follow an itinerant rabbi. She supported Jesus financially. She may have owned a fishing business which provided her with the funds to do so. Luke describes "many women" who supported and followed Jesus as disciples. (Candida Moss suggests that because Mary controlled some of the money supply, that gave her unique and privileged access to Jesus.)

 

In 1945 a discovery is made in Egypt: thirteen ancient Christian texts. (And we get Elaine Pagels commenting.) These extra-canonical texts suggest a different role for Mary than the canonical gospels suggest.

 

The Gospel of Thomas suggest a different relationships between Mary and Jesus, and with Peter and Jesus. Here Peter demands Jesus dismiss Mary because she is a woman.

 

The Gospel of Philip suggest Jesus and Mary were romantically involved. (Here commentators suggest that early Christian missionaries were married, Rabbi Joshua Garroway suggests it was likely that as as proper Jewish man Jesus was married, Candida Moss does not say Jesus was married but suggests implications if he was.) In this text it states Mary was Jesus' consort, that Jesus loved Mary more than the other disciples, and Jesus kisses Mary but the text is missing as to what precisely what this kiss involved. (Pagels mentions Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and its fanciful extrapolation to a romantic kiss.)

 

There is no reliable extra-biblical evidence of Jesus' romantic involvement with Mary, or that she was his wife. What it does is confirm the gospel's portrayal of Mary Magdalene as somehow having a special place in Jesus' circle of disciples. What the extra-biblical portrayals are consistent in is the tension between Mary and Peter. This suggests there is some kernel of historical truth, but what exactly that might be is lost to us.

 

What we do know from the gospels is that Mary was one of the few followers that was with Jesus all the way through the trial and crucifixion. Dramatization of Palm Sunday and Last Supper. The women are not present at the Last Supper (or at least they are not mentioned in any of the gospel accounts as being present) because (Tim Gray suggests) Jesus wanted to protect them from the potential violence that would be part of his betrayal and arrest. Dramatization of Jesus carrying the cross. Pagels suggest the men fled because they could have been arrested as co-insurrectionists.

 

The women hear what has happened and they are the ones who come to be with Jesus through the crucifixion. The women show courage and faithfulness that eludes the men. Mary does the one thing she is still able to do for Jesus - be with him in his suffering. She exemplifies the ministry of presence.

 

Removal of the body and burial. Mary goes to the tomb after the Sabbath. Her devotion compels her to perform one more act of love. Mary does not know what has happened. Peter and John rush to the tomb. Mary returns to the tomb and sees what she thinks is a gardener.

 

After the Resurrection, Mary Magdalene is the first witness of the risen Jesus. For a short period, she is the sole member of the new church. And then Mary disappears from the pages of Christian history.

 

Peter emerges as the leader of the new church. And Mary's importance fades away.

 

In 1896 a German scholar purchases an ancient book, The Gospel of Mary. Does this work shed any light on what might have happened to Mary? Many of the pages are missing. It picks up after the resurrection with her telling Peter about it. In this gospel she is depicted as teacher and authority. This troubles the male disciples. Peter resents this and an open argument ensues. This is a battle for who is best fit to carry on the gospel. This gospel shows Mary finding an equal footing with the male disciples. But is this tale true? Even if it cannot be taken as historical truth, what we can see is that the early church was troubled by the questions of leadership and gender.

 

Myths and legends have given us a picture of a young, attractive Mary Magdalene. But what if this wasn't the case? She could just as easily have been an older, successful, independent businesswoman who in her later years is now focusing on a spiritual quest. Maybe she didn't live very long after the resurrection.

 

Thus on Easter Sunday this series ends with a topic central to the Resurrection: its first witness, Mary Magdalene. This episode examined a number of the myths and legends around this character, and showed what the Bible itself says about her. It looked at a number of the extra-canonical Christian texts that portray her and the male disciples differently than do the gospels. While none of these texts can be used as proof of a particular relationship between Mary and Jesus, and between Mary and the rest of the male disciples, their consistency points toward questions and controversies within the early Christian church that may have prompted the writing of these "gospel" texts. The controversy was probably around the issue of women in church leadership. The strong probability that there was controversy is evidence that in the early church, women did hold positions of leadership and authority -- something that would have run counter to cultural norms and likely raised questions about the respectability of Christianity. Thus I don't find it surprising that as Christianity sought acceptance and respectability in the Empire, it would want to shed its women leaders.

 

There were some points in this episode that I questioned, but overall it presented a decent overview of Mary Magdalene and some of the “Gnostic gospels” on which some of the her legends are based. The most intriguing is what this program reveals right at the end: that Mary might have been an older woman with a lifetime of business success that gives her the ability to leave her home and direct involvement in her business, to follow and support Jesus.

 

Overall I think the series did a fairly decent job of taking some of the popular “icons” in recent Christian thought and examine what history and science tells us, and to separate fanciful conjectures from what could be true. What this series did was describe the development of early Christianity through the relics and legends that developed during those years. The history of Christianity is just as important as the gospel texts, because it is through traditions (formal and informal) that each of us interprets the gospel texts. None of us come to it free of biases and baggage. This series helps explore some of them.

Finding Jesus (TV) – The True Cross (ep. 5/6)

We have now entered Holy Week and the series takes on the subject of the cross.

 

Does the wooden cross that Jesus was crucified upon exist? Did Helena (mother of emperor Constantine) really discover the true cross? Hacked up into pieces and spread around the world, are any of the wooden relics really part of the true cross? Where did these come from?

 

There are over a thousand supposed fragments of the cross. They are everywhere! They can't all be real. John Calvin was one of the first to question their authenticity. Charles de Ferry mapped out the relics and claims that all the relics out together could only account for 10% of the cross, meaning it is possible for the relics to be from the Cross.

 

Brief background on Helena and Constantine, and his conversion to Christianity. A scandal in the Constantine house. His son Crispus has an affair with Constantine' second wife and put to death. But Fausta may have manufactured the affair to favor her own sons as heir. She is placed in a chamber to be killed by heat exposure. Helena may have seen her son as lost by his sins of murder. Her search may have had to do with penance. (Really, this early in Christian history? But then, these are Roman converts from paganism.)

 

Dramatized scenes of Helena' search in Jerusalem. It is now a secular, pagan city. Nothing is left of the Jewish past. Her search allows her to enter into the passion and footsteps of Jesus.

 

Emperor Hadrian in 135 built a pagan temple over the spot of Jesus' crucifixion. The Legend of Helena in finding the true cross emerges around 350. In the legend Helena digs in this spot and three crosses are uncovered. One of these is supposedly the actual cross on which Jesus died. Helena divides up the cross into pieces.

 

This is the moment when the Cross turns from a symbol of defeat and death to something to be revered, something that Christians are willing to accept as part of their devotion and religion.

 

Testing of one of the relics located at Waterford, Ireland. Given by the Pope around a thousand years ago.

 

Back to Helena. She builds churches to commemorate various aspects of Jesus' life. She begins the traditions of having specific Christian buildings (i.e., churches) for public meeting. Prior to this Christians generally met in private. Helena turns Palestine into the Holy Land.

 

Is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the right spot? Did Helena really find the true Cross? Helena dies not long after her return to Rome. Constantine dies after a few more years. He became a Christian but did not act like one for most of his life. But there is evidence he may have had a full conversion in his final year.

 

Back to testing the Waterford Cross. Dates to 1100AD. It is too recent to be the True Cross. It does match the fate of the container and inscriptions. That doesn't mean there aren't others that may be.

 

This episode was about Helena, Constantine, when Christianity became recognized by the Empire, and the origins of the cross as the symbol of Christianity. It was a fascinating look into early Christianity via the means of the True Cross. This episode, unlike the earlier ones, did not quote a single Bible text.

Finding Jesus (TV) – James Ossuary (ep. 4/6)

Who was James, the brother of Jesus? And is the ossuary authentic?

 

In 2002, an ossuary is unveiled, dating to the correct period, with an inscription "James son of Joseph brother of Jesus" in Aramaic. There is no physical evidence from Jesus himself. If the ossuary is genuine, it could be the first physical evidence connected to Jesus.

Who are Jesus' siblings? Catholics have one view. Protestants have a different view. This program seems to lean toward the latter. What about Jesus' infancy and childhood? There is the infancy gospel of Thomas, dated to about 100 years after Jesus' death. It portrays Jesus and James as children, together.

Details about ancient ossuaries and how they were used. How the James Ossuary was discovered. Process of authentication. The ossuary is authentic, but did it belong to James, the brother of Jesus? Statistics based on names suggest the combination of all three together is nearly improbable.

Program assumes Joseph dies early, leaving Jesus to be head of household. Unprecedented in this culture, Jesus leaves his household and his role as primary provider for the entire family. This would have created tensions within his family and social marginalization with the rest of the village. Jesus' ministry and behaviors were not honorable acts. It brought shame to the family. Jesus' actions go against the powers of civility and order. His gathering of crowds aroused the Romans. In response his family comes to perform an intervention. In response he seems to reject his biological family.

Palm Sunday. Arrest. Execution. Jesus' family has failed to save Jesus.

How did this affect James? The Gospel of the Hebrews (apocryphal) describes James' reaction: a period of grieving and fasting, something no other disciple or family member is recorded to have done. But this suddenly ends. Quoting 1 Corinthians 15:4-7, the appearance of Jesus to James. Perhaps this appearance is when James changes his view of Jesus. (Program 50%)

Back to the ossuary. Israelis demand the ossuary' return. Israeli authorities claimed there was evidence for forgery. Oded Golan is arrested and charged with fraud and forgery. The contention is that Oded added "brother of Jesus" to the inscription. GWU professor Rollston, based on the differences in inscriptions, believes the probability of forgery is 75%. Investigation of the patina to determine claim of forgery. March 2012, Oded Golan is found guilty of trade of relics, but found not guilty of forgeries.

But the court verdict says nothing about the authenticity of the ossuary in regard to James.

In Gospel of Thomas, Jesus' disciples are instructed to go to James for leadership. He becomes the leader of the Jerusalem church. But then Paul shows up. The question of what to do about gentiles and where they fit as followers of Christ. Was there a conflict of authority between James and Paul? The Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 gives evidence that there was a conflict and it came to a head. This is the start of the separation of Christianity from Judaism. James eventually sides with Paul, but he is now branded a foe of Judaism.

Jerusalem AD62. James given ultimatum to renounce Jesus or face death. He refuses and is pushed off the Temple wall, but he does not die. He is stoned to death. A year later his bones are placed into an ossuary.

 

James is still venerated in Jerusalem by the Armenian church. Believers believe his remains are still under the St. James Cathedral.

 

We will probably never know if the James of the ossuary is the brother of Jesus.

 

What this controversy has done is raise the profile of James the Just, his role in early Christianity, and the fact that Jesus had siblings most likely by Mary. James is an important transition figure between Judaism and Christianity.

 

Once more in this series, the relic is the conversation starter. The program is more about the historical aspects of James than it is about the ossuary. In a way, this is a bit click-baitish, using Web terminology. It uses the hype around the relic to bring a more informed discussion to the public who may not otherwise tune in to or read about less prominent, but nonetheless important figures such as James.

Finding Jesus (TV) – The Shroud of Turin (ep. 1/6)

This year, 2015, we get a series on Jesus from CNN during this Lenten and Easter season. The series looks for Jesus in the handful of artifacts that claim to be connected to Jesus in one way or another. In the start to the series the Shroud of Turin is featured.

 

The episode examines the shroud and compares it to the accounts of his suffering, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection. The show attempts to depict how the various markings on the shroud correspond to descriptions in the gospel accounts. No counterevidence or counterarguments are presented during this part of the program. The question that comes to my mind is, are the researchers fitting the evidence to the account, seeing what they want to see?

 

Around the 43 minute mark it is finally revealed that the shroud fails the dating test. It cannot be the burial shroud of Jesus; it is a forgery. The program discusses the forgery of artifacts during the Middle Ages.

 

Another theory is proposed: that the shroud is the earliest example of photography. Camera obscura is discussed. The dating of this and the shroud correspond. The chemical process was known at that time. Urea in urine would have been used to remove the silver sulphate. When the process is reproduced today, the image formed is strikingly similar to what is seen on the shroud. It would then be easy to add blood by panting onto the linen. The main problem with this theory is that there are no other extent examples of this technique from the same period.

 

There is another artifact that potentially argues for the authenticity of the shroud: the face cloth claimed to have covered Jesus' face. The organic remnants on the cloth seem to evidence its authenticity.

 

I found this first episode far more compelling, believable, and worthwhile than similar series that I saw broadcast on the History and H2 channels. Most of the individuals given air time seem to be respectable scholars, rather than in the earlier series where the scholars seemed to be outnumbered by popular authors and journalists. Unlike, say The Bible series on the History channel, this episode remained quite close to the biblical text when it depicted scenes from the Bible.

 

The program itself takes the discussion and debate seriously. The concluding few minutes present voices from both sides, and suggest spiritual and devotional elements that these artifacts can lead people toward.