The Gospel of Mary is an early Christian text first discovered in 1896 in a fifth-century papyrus codex written in Sahidic Coptic. This Berlin Codex was purchased in Cairo by German diplomat Carl Reinhardt. Additional Greek fragments of the text were subsequently found amongst the Oxyrhynchus Papyri.
Although the work is popularly known as the Gospel of Mary, it is not classified as a gospel by most scholars, who restrict the term "gospel" to texts "primarily focused on recounting the teachings and/or activities of Jesus during his adult life".Andrew E. Bernhard, Other Early Christian Gospels: A Critical Edition of the Surviving Greek Manuscripts, Library of New Testament Studies 315 (London & New York: T & T Clark, 2006), p. 2. . There is no full copy of the book that has been found, as all available texts are missing some manuscript pages.
History
The Berlin Codex, also known as the Akhmim Codex, also contains the Apocryphon of John, the Sophia of Jesus Christ, and a summary of the Act of Peter. All four works contained in the manuscript are written in the Sahidic dialect of Coptic.Christopher Tuckett, The Gospel of Mary, p. 80. At least two other fragments of the Gospel of Mary have been discovered since, both written in Greek. Papyrus Oxyrhynchus L 3525 was "found by Grenfell and Hunt some time between 1897 and 1906, but only published in 1983"Journal for the Study of the New Testament 27 (2005), pp. 138–48.Walter Curt Till (Editor): Die gnostischen Schriften des koptischen Papyrus Berolinensis 8502, übersetzt und bearbeitet, 1st ed 1955; 2nd ed. by H. U. Schenke, 1971 pp. 24–32, 62–79. by P. J. Parsons,AD 'P.Oxy. L 3525' , Oxyrhynchus Papyri Project, Oxford University. while Papyrus Rylands 463) was published in 1938. The Coptic text of Mary was translated in 1955 by Walter Till.
Additionally, some scholars believe that Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 5577 may be an additional fragment of Mary originally located somewhere in the large gap left in the existing manuscripts.
Dating the gospel, as with most ancient literary texts, is problematic. As the earliest extant fragment of the gospel (the Rylands papyrus) dates to the early Third Century, it must predate this. Karen L. King, Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, suggested that the gospel was composed early in the Second Century, noting that it evidences familiarity with the Gospel of John, and perhaps the letters of Paul.Karen L. King, The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the first woman apostle, p. 184. Christopher Tuckett's discussion in his 2007 volume notes Pasquier's preference for a date in the second half of the century; Tuckett himself ultimately opts for a middle positionhe places it in the first half of the Second Century but later than King.
The Gospel of Mary is not present in the list of apocryphal books of section five of the Decretum Gelasianum.Decretum Gelasianum http://www.tertullian.org/decretum_eng.htm
The identity of "Mary" Scholars do not always agree which of the New Testament people named Mary is the central character of the Gospel of Mary. Stephen J. Shoemaker and F. Stanley Jones have suggested that she may be Mary the mother of Jesus.Stephen J. Shoemaker, Rethinking the "Gnostic Mary", in Journal of Early Christian Studies 9 (2001): 555–95; see also F. Stanley Jones, ed., Which Mary? Marys in Early Christian Tradition. SBL Symposium Series 20 (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002). Barbara J. Silvertsen alternatively suggests that she may be a sister of Jesus - an individual who has largely been lost in history. Silvertsen says that while none of the canonical Gospels identifies Jesus's sisters by name (, ), one of his sisters is identified as "Mary" in the Gospel of Philip.The Gospel of Philip – The Nag Hammadi Library
Arguments in favor of Mary Magdalene are based on her status as a known follower of Jesus, and her appearance in other early Christian writings. She is mentioned as accompanying Jesus on his journeys () and is listed in the Gospel of Matthew as being present at his crucifixion () and along with the "other Mary" being the first to see the Risen Lord (). In the Gospel of John, she is recorded as the sole first witness of Jesus' resurrection (); ( later manuscripts).Paul in 1 Cor 15:5 credits Cephas as the recipient of the protoChristophany, with Luke 24:34 in agreement.
Esther A. de Boer compares her role in other non-canonical texts, noting that "in the Gospel of Mary it is Peter who is opposed to Mary's words, because she is a woman. Peter has the same role in the Gospel of Thomas and in Pistis Sophia. In Pistis Sophia the Mary concerned is identified as Mary Magdalene."Esther A. de Boer, The Gospel of Mary Listening to the Beloved Disciple, pp. 14–18. The final scene in the Gospel of Mary may also provide evidence that Mary is indeed Mary Magdalene. Levi, in his defense of Mary and her teaching, tells Peter, "Surely the Saviour knows her very well. That is why he loved her more than us."The Gospel of Mary In the Gospel of Philip, a similar statement is made about Mary Magdalene.
King also argues in favor of naming Mary Magdalene as the central figure in the Gospel of Mary. She summarizes: "It was precisely the traditions of Mary as a woman, as an exemplary disciple, a witness to the ministry of Jesus, a visionary of the glorified Jesus, and someone traditionally in contest with Peter, that made her the only figure who could play all the roles required to convey the messages and meanings of the Gospel of Mary."Karen L. King, Why All the Controversy? Mary in the Gospel of Mary. “Which Mary? The Marys of Early Christian Tradition” F Stanley Jones, ed. Brill, 2003, p. 74.
Episcopal priest and scholar Richard Valantasis identifies the text's central figure as Mary Magdalene. He states it does not support popular claims of an earthly marriage to Jesus, but provides insight into the intellectual and spiritual environment of early 2nd century Gnosticism. Within the text itself, Mary's authority is depicted as contentious as Andrew questions the strangeness of her revelations, and Peter challenges her status, asking why Jesus would reveal secret teachings to a woman above the male apostles.
Contents The most complete text of the Gospel of Mary is contained in the Berlin Codex, but even so, it is missing six manuscript pages at the beginning of the document and four manuscript pages in the middle."the above figures do assume that the Gospel of Mary was indeed the first work in the codex and that nothing preceded it. This is probably the case (if there were another text preceding the gospel in the codex, it must have been very short), but given the state of existing evidence, one cannot be certain." Christopher Tuckett, The Gospel of Mary, p. 6, n. 8. As such, the narrative begins in the middle of a scene, leaving the setting and circumstances unclear. King believes, however, that references to the death of Jesus and the commissioning scene later in the narrative indicate the setting in the first section of the text is a post-resurrection appearance of Christ.Karen L King, "The Gospel of Mary Magdalene", in: Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza (ed.), Searching the Scriptures. Volume Two: A Feminist Commentary, New York: Crossroad, 1994, p. 602. As the narrative opens, Jesus is engaged in dialogue with his disciples, answering their questions on the nature of matter and the nature of sin. At the end of the discussion, Jesus departs, leaving the disciples distraught and anxious. According to the story, Mary speaks up with words of comfort and encouragement. Then Peter asks Mary to share with them any special teaching she received from the Jesus, "Peter said to Mary, 'Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of the women. Tell us the words of the Savior which you rememberwhich you know (but) we do not, nor have we heard them. Mary responds to Peter's request by recounting a conversation she had with Christ about visions.
(Mary) said, "I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to him, 'Lord, I saw you today in a vision. He answered and said to me: "Blessed are you, that you did not waver at the sight of me. For where the mind is, there is the treasure." I said to him, "So now, Lord, does a person who sees a vision see it <through> the soul <or> through the spirit?"
In the conversation, Jesus teaches that the inner self is composed of soul, spirit/mind, and a third mind that is between the two which sees the vision. Then the text breaks off and the next four pages are missing. When the narrative resumes, Mary is no longer recalling her discussion with Christ. She is instead recounting the revelation given to her in her vision. The revelation describes an ascent of a soul, which as it passes on its way to its final rest, engages in dialogue with four powers that try to stop it.
Her vision does not meet with universal approval:
But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, "Say what you think concerning what she said. For I do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly these teachings are of other ideas."Mary 9:2
Peter also opposed her in regard to these matters and asked them about Jesus. "Did he then speak secretly with a woman, in preference to us, and not openly? Are we to turn back and all listen to her? Did he prefer her to us?"Mary 9:4It contains information about the role of women in the early church."Gospel of Mary". Early Christian Writings. Peter Kirby. Retrieved May 7, 2013. The text was probably written over a century after the historical Mary Magdalene's death. The main surviving text comes from a Coptic translation preserved in a fifth-century manuscript (Berolinensis Gnosticus 8052,1) discovered in Cairo in 1896. As a result of numerous intervening conflicts, the manuscript was not published until 1955. Roughly half the text of the gospel in this manuscript has been lost; the first six pages and four from the middle are missing. In addition to this Coptic translation, two brief third-century fragments of the gospel in the original Greek (P. Rylands 463 and P. Oxyrhynchus 3525) have also been discovered, which were published in 1938 and 1983 respectively.
Interpretation The Gospel of Mary is often interpreted as a Gnostic text. According to Pheme Perkins, on the basis of thirteen works she has analyzed,The Prayer of the Apostle Paul, the Apocryphon of John, the Nature of the Archons, the Book of Thomas the Contender, The Sophia of Jesus Christ, the Dialogue of the Saviour, the First Apocalypse of James, the Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles, Apocalypse of Peter, Zostrianus, Letter of Peter to Philip, the Gospel of Mary, and Pistis Sophia. the Gospel follows a format similar to other known Gnostic dialogues which contain a revelation discourse framed by narrative elements. The dialogues are generally concerned with the idea of Jesus Christ as reminder to human beings of their bond with God and true identity, as well as the realization of the believer that redemption consists of the return to God and liberty from matter after death. The Gospel of Mary contains two of these discourses (7:1–9:4 and 10:10–17:7) including addresses to New Testament figures (Peter, Mary, Andrew and Levi) and an explanation of sin as adultery (encouragement toward an ascetic lifestyle) which also suit a Gnostic interpretation. Scholars also say that the fifth-century Coptic version of the Gospel is part of the Berlin Codex along with the Apocryphon of John and The Sophia of Jesus Christ which are typically viewed as Gnostic texts; however, while many scholars take for granted the Gnostic character of the Gospel of Mary, the Gnostic beliefs concerning creation theory and the Demiurge that would suggest an extreme dualism in the creation are not present in the portions currently retrieved.De Boer 2004