“Christ” is a title meaning “anointed one,” translated from the Hebrew word for Messiah and deriving from an ancient practice of marking divinity. Yet another remarkable element of Jesus’ story often overlooked is that this sacred ritual is performed across all four canonical gospels, not by a high priest, but by a woman whom tradition believed to be Mary Magdalene.
Yet—none of the four anointing scenes bears Magdalene’s name. As usual, parsing the details and examining each separately reveals clues otherwise hidden. Questions arise about who the anointing woman was, what this act indicates, and what it means in terms of Mary’s legacy.
While many scholars would rather cleave Mary Magdalene from the anointing scenes entirely, such a pathway diminishes her potential significance. A notion supported by the ground-breaking research done by Dr. Elizabeth Schrader Polzcer, who has clearly demonstrated changes to the story of Mary of Bethany, who is the anointing woman in John long held to be the same as Magdalene.
In this episode, we cover:
Untangling the details of the anointing woman to present this key scene in the scripture in a way that’s clear and digestible
Shining light on clues around the anointing scene and all they may reveal to us
Possible historical truth that links the anointing woman with rituals of high priestesses
Highlight research by Dr. Polzcer that shows Mary of Bethany was edited out of key scenes in the Gospel of John in the 2nd century
Sharing our perspective on whether or not Mary Magdalene was the anointing woman
Learn more about The Magdalene Thread here. Subscribe on Substack for the latest episodes & essays.
A selection of sources mentioned in this episode include:
Mary Magdalene: Myth and Metaphor by Susan Haskins
A New New Testament: A Bible for the Twenty-first Century Combining Traditional and Newly Discovered Texts, compiled and edited by Hal Taussig
Was Martha of Bethany Added to the Fourth Gospel in the Second Century? by Elizabeth Schrader Polczer, Harvard Theological Review 110:3 (2017)
Woman with the Alabaster Box by Shane Clayton, Wandering Stars
The Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail by Margaret Starbird
Read our full source list here.
Subscribe at The Magdalene Thread.Substack.Com for new episodes and to read our full length articles that accompany each podcast episode—read Immaculate Deception here, with The Matter of Martha publishing next week.
Christ Maker