Was Mary Magdalene a Prostitute

[Trey of Diamonds]

There's no question of whether Albus Dumbledore actually existed, is there?

If someone started a thread about whether or not Dumbledore was in love with Grindelwald, would it be relevant for people to respond that Dumbledore never existed?

But hey, if you enjoy the same tired interjections of the proselytizing anti-theists, more power to you. :bow:

Ah, but the real question is how will this question be viewed in 2000 years? 2000 years ago there were people who could tell us for sure whether Mary and Jesus were real people. But now, not so much. We have to come to our own conclusions and discussions like this can help gather information in order to come to those conclusions.

Besides, it's fun!

 

[lilithu]

Ah, but the real question is how will this question be viewed in 2000 years? 2000 years ago there were people who could tell us for sure whether Mary and Jesus were real people. But now, not so much. We have to come to our own conclusions and discussions like this can help gather information in order to come to those conclusions.

If you agree (as I thought you did) that there is power in myth because of the meaning that it holds for its listeners, then questions about whether or not the protagonists are "real" are utterly irrelevant.

Besides, it's fun!

Well have fun then.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

If you agree (as I thought you did) that there is power in myth because of the meaning that it holds for its listeners, then questions about whether or not the protagonists are "real" are utterly irrelevant.

Well have fun then.

Whether the protagonists in a myth are real or not can be irrelevant but in the end it depends on the discussion and the participants. For some, only reality is relevant and I respect their beliefs even though I don't agree with them. So when having a discussion with them, what is relevant may be different than when having a discussion with someone else.

As for my personal feelings, the power of myth is awesome and more than just relevant, its the thread that binds us together and gives us our culture.

And oh yes, we'll have lots of fun!

 

[lilithu]

As for my personal feelings, the power of myth is awesome and more than just relevant, its the thread that binds us together and gives us our culture.

And that's (one reason) why we're both UUs. :namaste

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

And that's (one reason) why we're both UUs. :namaste

Can I have an Aaaaaamen!

Ooooo, sorry, that was my Baptist upbringing coming back to haunt me.

 

[logician]

Whether the protagonists in a myth are real or not can be irrelevant but in the end it depends on the discussion and the participants. For some, only reality is relevant and I respect their beliefs even though I don't agree with them. So when having a discussion with them, what is relevant may be different than when having a discussion with someone else.

As for my personal feelings, the power of myth is awesome and more than just relevant, its the thread that binds us together and gives us our culture.

And oh yes, we'll have lots of fun!

So are you admitting this all is a myth?

 

[lilithu]

So are you admitting this all is a myth?

sigh...

 

[UnTheist]

Looks like that's all he ever has to say

 

[Ben Masada]

Well, was she?

+++++++++++++++++++++

Yes, she was, but a VIP one. A courtezan of the first class, so to speak. She was the most beautiful and one of the richest in Gadara. I am still not sure, but she would run a house of prostitution in Gadara, internationally frequented by many rich Jews, especially from Babylon, who would come yearly for the Jewish festival in Jerusalem.
Many of them would even come three times a year.

It was forbidden in Israel to run houses of prostitution except in very few cities, being one of them Gadara. And Mary Magdalene was the most famous Madame of the best place in Gadara.

The text says that Jesus exorcized seven demons from Mary. It does not mean he literally exorcized demons out of her. The expression "seven demons" means how hard it was and how long it took to get through Mary to leave that life of hers. Metaphorically, the demons were: Money, responsibility toward the girls dependent on her, the business itself, and many other things involved. Now, how and where Jesus met her to work her deliverance, is something that I am still at it. Perhaps he just met her in the Market place, or somewhere else. I am just not ready to speculate that he would frequent the place.

The bottom line is that they met, fell in love with each other, and ended up by getting married in Canah of Galilee. and next moved both to Mary's second residence in Bethany, which was cared for by Martha her sister, and watched over by Lazarus.

Ben

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

So are you admitting this all is a myth?

I only admit the possiblity, I believe she was a real person. As opposed to you who believe she was a myth and refuse to admit the possiblity that she was real.

Nice try though.

 

[logician]

I only admit the possiblity, I believe she was a real person. As opposed to you who believe she was a myth and refuse to admit the possiblity that she was real.

Nice try though.

It's really not about beliefs, but evidence, there is no indepedant historical evidence that Jesus, the disciples, Mary Magdelene, and all the rest are anything but fictitious people, and that the stories depict fictitious events.

There is plenty of evidence that the tales of the gospels are quite similar to pre-existent ones of other religions such as in Mithraism, and evolved from those religions/philosophies, certainly not a surprising conclusion.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

There is plenty of evidence that the tales of the gospels are quite similar to pre-existent ones of other religions such as in Mithraism, and evolved from those religions/philosophies, certainly not a surprising conclusion.

The King Arthur tales probably originated on the Russian steppes with the nomadic Sythians who were relocated to Hadrians wall and yet the legands are hugely important to Western culture. Also, just because a British King Arthur didn't exist as the tales say, does that mean the person the original story was about didn't exist? Does it matter that his name wasn't Arthur? If he hadn't existed what would it have done to our culture?

If Jesus was based on a different person who existed years before him in a different country, does it matter? If the common belief has details that are incorrect does it negate the importance of the whole belief?

 

[tigrers99]

There have been some very interesting theories in this thread. Here is another:


The idea that Mary had been an adultress never completely disappeared in Christian mythology. Instead, the character of Mary was split into two: Mary the mother of Jesus, believed to be a virgin, and Mary Magdalene, believed to be a woman of ill repute. The idea that the character of Mary Magdalene is also derived from Miriam the mythical mother of Yeishu, is corroborated by the fact that the strange name "Magdalene" clearly resembles the Aramaic term "mgadla nshaya," meaning "womens' hairdresser." As mentioned before, there was a belief that Yeishu's mother was "Miriam the women's hairdresser." Because the Christians did not know what the name "Magdalene" meant, they later conjectured that it meant that she had come from a place called Magdala on the west of Lake Kinneret. The idea of the two Marys fitted in well with the pagan way of thinking. The image of Jesus being followed by the two Marys is strongly reminiscent of Dionysus being followed by Demeter and Persephone.


This was from a link that is loaded with interesting theories concerning Jesus of the New Testament: The Myth of the Historical Veracity of Jesus

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

This was from a link that is loaded with interesting theories concerning Jesus of the New Testament: The Myth of the Historical Veracity of Jesus

Interesting [to you] and baseless. You make assertions with no compelling evidence - it's little more than pretense and sloppy thinking ...

 

[gnostic]

The King Arthur tales probably originated on the Russian steppes with the nomadic Sythians who were relocated to Hadrians wall and yet the legands are hugely important to Western culture.

The Scythians were long gone, and really played no part in Roman history by the 2nd century CE. They were displaced by Samartians in the Russian steppe.

There were certainly no Scythians in the British Isles. By the "supposed" time of Arthurian period (5th-6th century CE), they were non-existence as a race, and the people at the didn't know who the Scythians, and they were nothing more than just name to these people.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

The Scythians were long gone, and really played no part in Roman history by the 2nd century CE. They were displaced by Samartians in the Russian steppe.

There were certainly no Scythians in the British Isles. By the "supposed" time of Arthurian period (5th-6th century CE), they were non-existence as a race, and the people at the didn't know who the Scythians, and they were nothing more than just name to these people.

Ok, the Samartians were only closely related to the Scythians as opposed to being Scythians but I think you're splitting hairs. The point is the theory that the Arthurian legends originated from the stories brought to the British Isles by the Samartians in 175AD.

The Heroic Age: The Forum/From Scythia to Camelot

 

[anders]

The Bible doesn't accuse her of being immoral. So what, like almost all people mentioned in the Book(s) she's just made up.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

The Bible doesn't accuse her of being immoral. So what, like almost all people mentioned in the Book(s) she's just made up.

How do you know? You admit yourself that some in the Bible are real and some are made up, so how do you know which are which? Did you have a point to make or are you just being antagonistic?

 

[adelpit346]

she was a bonified hoe
then she was perfected
now she is a saint of translation
can you measure up to that?
iamnothing0

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

she was a bonified hoe
then she was perfected
now she is a saint of translation
can you measure up to that?
iamnothing0

And what is your evidence? Or do you wish us to just take your word for it? Making grandiose statements is nice and all but they don't add much to the discussion.