Do you think Mary Magdalene was too much of an example of an independent woman to be the only woman to follow Jesus? Is that why Pope Gregory (591 AD) labeled her a prostitute?
by 
Vampire Of My Own Heart
ANSWERS: 2
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Many women followed Jesus. Read the Gospels.
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No. Why? According to the Bible, she was NOT the only woman to follow Jesus. She was one of several. *** PROBABLY Pope Greg labeled her a prostitute because of an unintentional confusion (equation) of THREE distinct stories in the Bible. (1) The story of the prostitute who bathed Jesus' feet in perfume. (2) The story of the unnamed woman, assumed to be Mary of Bethany (sister of Lazarus), who bathed Jesus' feet in perfume ***in a different location and a different manner*** than the prostitute mentioned in the other story (3) The story of Mary Magdalene (distinct from Mary of Bethany), who, like Mary of Bethany, was a devoted follower of Jesus. *** Note that this is not just a problem that Greg had. The "fusion" of several Bible stories and several Bible personages in teaching was a common and wide-spanning sort of error in Christian history, and one that STILL CONTINUES TODAY (though not as widespread as previously).
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