Memory, Jesus, and Mary Magdalene: Whose memory matters?

Abstract

This article explores how the collective memory of the Christian tradition draws on the characterisation of Mary
Magdalene in two sets of writings: the canonical Gospels, and the Gnostic Christian writing, Gospel of Mary. It argues
that the interpretations of these characterisations are deeply shaped by ideologies concerning gender and female
sexuality. This rings true for past and present contexts and is not limited to more conservative or traditional views on gender, sexuality, and theology. As such, the article attempts to highlight the role of subjectivity and ideology in the acts of remembering in the Christian tradition based on New Testament and Early Christian writings and argues for critical interpretations of both the characterisations in the writings themselves, and the subsequent “lives” of these characterisations in the Christian tradition.