Bible people
Who Was Mary Magdalene in the Bible?
Mary Magdalene is named in all four Gospels at the crucifixion and the empty tomb — making her, by the text's own account, the first person to witness and announce the resurrection.
Where her story appears
Luke 8:1-3 introduces her among the women supporting Jesus's ministry. She appears at the crucifixion (Matthew 27:56, Mark 15:40, John 19:25) and at the tomb in all four Gospels, with John 20:11-18 giving the fullest account.
What happened
“Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!””
John 20:18
In John's account she mistakes Jesus for the gardener until he says her name — one of the most personal recognition scenes in the Gospels.
Luke describes her as someone "from whom seven demons had come out," and lists her among the women who funded Jesus's traveling ministry out of their own means. She does not leave at the crucifixion, and she is the one who returns to the tomb first.
Why she's still discussed today
Two reasons. First, the resurrection account places a woman as the first witness in a culture where women's testimony carried limited legal weight — a detail many historians note would be an odd thing to invent. Second, her long-standing reputation as a prostitute has no basis in the text: it stems from a 6th-century homily that merged her with the unnamed woman of Luke 7, an identification the Catholic Church formally corrected in 1969.
Related: women of the Bible.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Mary Magdalene in the Bible?
A follower of Jesus from Magdala, described in Luke 8:2 as someone from whom seven demons had been driven out. She was present at the crucifixion and is named in all four Gospels as a witness at the empty tomb.
Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute?
The Bible never says so. That association comes from a 6th-century homily by Pope Gregory I that conflated her with the unnamed sinful woman of Luke 7. The Catholic Church formally corrected the identification in 1969.
Why is Mary Magdalene important?
She is the first person recorded as seeing the risen Jesus (John 20:11-18) and the one sent to tell the disciples — which is why she is sometimes called the "apostle to the apostles."
Was Mary Magdalene married to Jesus?
There is no biblical basis for this. It comes from later non-canonical texts and modern fiction, not from the Gospels.
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