Life After Death_ A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion - Alan Segal [339]
The “Good” appears to be both the Neoplatonic good and their internal spiritual nature. She urges them to find peace within themselves and work towards unity. Mary’s special relationship with Jesus was already an issue when the present text was formulated because we have an apologetic included in the narration itself, significantly placed in the mouth of Peter: “Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than any other woman. Tell us the words of the Savior that you know, but which we have not heard” (Gos. Mary Mag. 6:1-2). Apostolic succession and the authority of respected women were in conflict in this exchange, as was the case in Montanism and Gnosticism. In this case, Mary’s authority comes not from visions but from her relationship with Jesus; probably disqualifying Montanism as a source because Montanism was an ecstatic, prophetic movement.
A problem arises, nonetheless, when Mary explains the “secret” teaching that Jesus has taught her:
Andrew sai[d, “B]rothers, what is your opinion of what was just said? I for one do not believe that the S[a]vior said these things, be[cause] these opinions seem to be so different from h[is th]ought.” After reflecting on these ma[tt]ers, [Peter said], “Has the sav[ior] spoken secretly to a wo[m]an and [not] openly so that [we] would all hear? Surely he did [not wish to indicate] that [she] is more worthy than we are?” (Gos. Mary Mag. 10:1-4)
The passage levels the playing field, suggesting that Mary was the equal but not superior to the other apostles, though her superiority is also implied in several places. The apostles challenge Mary’s status but not her character or teaching. They were suspicious, perhaps, because “private, privileged” meetings would be morally as well as politically suspect. Levi, however, jumps to Mary’s defense: “If the Savior considered her to be worthy, who are you to disregard her? For he knew her completely [and] loved her devotedly” (Gos. Mary Mag. 10:9-10).
Mary Magdalene is found to have an elevated status in other texts, such as the Gospel of Philip, the Dialogue of the Savior, the Gospel of Peter, and the Pistis Sophia. The Gospel of Philip, a Valentinian anthology dating from approximately 350 CE in its present form, describes Mary as one of three women who were companions of the Lord, in addition to his mother and sister. “Three women always used to walk with the Lord-Mary his mother, his sister, and the Magdalene, who is called his companion. For “Mary” is the name of his sister and his mother, and it is the name of his partner” (Gos. Phil. 59:6-10).”52 The word “partner” is particularly striking.
The following passage may clarify some of what is implied by the author:
The companion of the […] Mary Magdalene. The [… loved] her more than [all] the disciples, [and he used to] kiss her on her [… more] often than the rest of the [disciples] […]. They said to him, “Why do you love her more than all of us?” The savior answered, saying to them, “Why do I not love you like her? If a blind person and one with sight are both in the darkness, they are not different from one another. When the light comes, then the person with sight will see the light, and the blind person the darkness. (Gos. Phil. 63:32-64:8)
Jesus used to kiss Mary on the mouth. The intimacy between Mary and Jesus in this passage is deliberatively provocative. It is parallel to the love shown between Jesus and Peter, as well as to “the Beloved Disciple” in the Gospel of John. The provocation of a male master showing favor to a female disciple risks implying a sexual relationship; it also clearly states that Jesus favored a woman’s spiritual capabilities over that of a man. Having gotten the reader’s attention, this Gnostic document wants to explain, polemicizing against a fleshly relation and arguing for the special, unique, spiritual acomplishments of Mary Magdalene.
In the Dialogue of the Savior, Jesus takes Judas,