00:00There is a detail in the history of Christianity that almost no one notices at first glance,
00:05But that changes everything the moment you see it.
00:09A woman was there when the world seemed to be falling apart.
00:13She didn't run away, she didn't hide, she didn't deny it.
00:17While experienced disciples disappeared into the night for fear of death, she remained.
00:23And it was this woman who heard, before any other human being, the news that would change history forever.
00:33Yet, for centuries, her name has been associated not with courage, nor with fidelity, nor with spiritual authority, but with the shame of Mary Magdalene.
00:44A familiar figure, frequently depicted in paintings, sermons, and traditions, but profoundly unknown in her essence.
00:52And the more its true history is investigated, the more uncomfortable it becomes for official versions that preferred silence to complexity.
01:03In the very first accounts of the New Testament, the name of Mary Magdalene appears at crucial moments.
01:08Not as a supporting character, not as background, but as a constant presence in the most dramatic moments of the Christian narrative.
01:17She appears when others disappear.
01:18He is there on Gogota, beneath the cross, when the sky darkens and hope seems to die.
01:24It is there when the body is hastily buried.
01:28He is there at dawn on the third day, when the tomb is empty and the impossible happens.
01:36The four Gospels agree on this point, although they differ on many others.
01:42Mary Magdalene was the first witness of the resurrection.
01:45This is not a decorative detail; it is the core of the Christian faith.
01:50Without resurrection, there is no Christianity.
01:53And without Mary Magdalene, there is no initial testimony of the resurrection.
01:58This fact alone should raise profound questions.
02:02In the Jewish world of the first century, female testimony had no legal value.
02:08A woman could not serve as an official witness in court.
02:13His word was not considered proof.
02:16If the Gospels were an artificial construct,
02:19a carefully planned advertisement designed to persuade,
02:24Putting a woman as the first witness would be a monumental strategic error.
02:29And yet, all four accounts maintain this information.
02:33No one tries to correct it.
02:35No one can replace Mary with Peter, John, or any other male apostle.
02:41This suggests something powerful.
02:43There was such a strong tradition surrounding the role of Mary Magdalene.
02:46that not even the authors of the gospels felt free to alter it.
02:51But then the paradox arises.
02:53How can a woman occupy such a central place in the oldest texts?
02:58over time, it has been transformed almost exclusively
03:02As a symbol of sexual sin and repentance?
03:05Where does this image of the weeping prostitute, with her hair loose, at the feet of Jesus come from?
03:12The answer is not in the Gospels.
03:14There is not a single line in the canonical texts
03:16that describes Mary Magdalene as a prostitute, adulteress, or sexual sinner.
03:21This association does not originate from the Bible.
03:25It stems from a specific historical decision, made centuries later.
03:30At the end of the 6th century, more precisely in the year 591,
03:34Pope Gregory I, known as Gregory the Great,
03:39He delivered a homily that would redefine Mary Magdalene for over a thousand years.
03:44In this sermon, he merged three distinct women from the Gospels into a single figure.
03:50Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, and an anonymous woman.
03:54described as a sinner in the Gospel of Luke,
03:57They began to be treated as if they were the same person.
04:01This merger had no textual basis.
04:05It was an interpretation, not a biblical fact.
04:08But when this interpretation came from the Bishop of Rome,
04:12It gained institutional, liturgical, and cultural importance.
04:16The anonymous woman, traditionally seen as a prostitute,
04:20She became Mary Magdalene.
04:23And so, a silent leader was rewritten.
04:27as a symbol of redeemed shame.
04:30What is most revealing is that this interpretation was never universal.
04:33The Eastern Orthodox Church never accepted this merger.
04:37For Eastern Christians, Mary Magdalene has always been a distinct figure.
04:41honored, respected.
04:43He even received an impressive title,
04:47like the apostles.
04:49Not below them, not on the margins, equal.
04:52Two Christian traditions, starting from the same fundamental texts,
04:57They reached radically opposite conclusions about the same woman.
05:02This is no coincidence.
05:03It is the direct result of historical choices.
05:06regarding which narratives would be emphasized and which would be silenced.
05:12And the silence becomes even more deafening.
05:15when ancient Christian texts that were left out of the Bible are discovered.
05:20Texts preserved in the desert, forgotten for centuries,
05:25Hidden not by chance, but to survive.
05:28In 1945, in Egypt, an unexpected discovery changed the study of early Christianity forever.
05:37Near the village of Nag Hammadi, a farmer unearthed a sealed jar.
05:41which contained papyrus codices with dozens of ancient Christian writings.
05:47Gospels, treatises, dialogues, and theological texts that revealed
05:52a much greater Christian diversity than the dominant tradition had admitted.
05:58Among these texts, Mary Magdalene emerges with a surprising prominence.
06:03not as a sinner, but as a teacher, not as a secondary figure,
06:08but like someone who comforts terrified disciples,
06:11which conveys profound teachings and faces direct resistance from male leaders.
06:18In the so-called Gospel of Mary, for example,
06:21She appears encouraging the disciples after Jesus' departure.
06:26when everyone is gripped by fear.
06:28She is the one who stands up when others hesitate.
06:31It is to her that Peter asks to share teachings that Jesus had revealed only to her.
06:37This request, coming specifically from Pedro, is no small matter.
06:42He publicly acknowledges that Maria possesses knowledge that others do not have.
06:48The conflict that follows is revealing.
06:52André and Pedro themselves begin to question Maria's legitimacy.
06:57They are not only arguing about the content of what she says, but also about the fact that she says it.
07:02A woman teaching men.
07:05A woman claiming spiritual authority.
07:08Maria cries because of the rejection.
07:10And another disciple, Levi, comes to his defense.
07:13asserting that if the Savior himself deemed her worthy,
07:18No one has the right to reject it.
07:20This scene is not just an isolated narrative.
07:23It echoes in other ancient texts,
07:26where Peter repeatedly appears in conflict with Mary Magdalene.
07:30A pattern too consistent to ignore.
07:33These conflicts reflect real debates from the early centuries of Christianity.
07:38Discussions about authority, leadership, and especially the role of women.
07:44This is not a simple conspiracy, nor are the villains cartoonish.
07:49These are diverse communities trying to define what it meant to follow Jesus.
07:54Some of these communities accepted female leadership.
07:57Others rejected it.
07:58Over time, one vision prevailed.
08:01The other one was marginalized.
08:03His writings were labeled as heretical.
08:06Some were destroyed.
08:07Others buried.
08:09The Gospel of Philip, another text found in Nag Hammadi,
08:13This adds even more complexity to the story.
08:17In it, Mary Magdalene is described as a companion of Jesus.
08:21someone he loved in a special way.
08:24One passage mentions that he used to kiss her.
08:27But the manuscript is damaged precisely at the point that would indicate where.
08:33This detail has been exploited in a sensationalist way throughout the modern centuries.
08:39But the original context points to something different.
08:42In Gnostic circles, the kiss symbolized the transmission of spiritual knowledge.
08:48not romantic intimacy.
08:50The word used for companion does not necessarily mean wife.
08:55It indicates a partnership, an association, someone who shares a mission.
09:01Nothing in these texts proves that Jesus was married or had children.
09:05This idea, popularized by modern works, lacks solid historical support.
09:10But this does not diminish the importance of Mary Magdalene.
09:14On the contrary, what these texts show is perhaps something even more radical.
09:18A woman recognized as a spiritual authority, a bearer of profound teachings,
09:25close to the master in a way that disturbed emerging power structures.
09:31Over the centuries, simplified versions have prevailed.
09:35More complex narratives were left aside.
09:39The leader Mary Magdalene gave way to the repentant Mary Magdalene.
09:42A transformation that shaped not only the perception of this historical woman,
09:48but also the way the female role was understood within Christianity.
09:53Stories have consequences.
09:55And when a story is told repeatedly for over a thousand years,
10:00It shapes mindsets, institutions, and boundaries.
10:04Today, thanks to archaeology, textual criticism, and the serious work of researchers,
10:11These layers begin to be removed, not to destroy faith, but to deepen it.
10:18Understanding the complexities of the past does not weaken spirituality.
10:23On the contrary, it restores humanity to origins and courage to those who seek to understand without fear.
10:28If you've made it this far, it's because you feel there's more to it than just superficial versions.
10:33And that's exactly why this channel exists.
10:37We are deeply grateful to everyone who follows Knowing the Truth.
10:42especially to the channel members,
10:44that make this work of research, analysis and dissemination possible.
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10:58Honest questioning and a sincere search for the truth.
11:01Mary Magdalene doesn't need to be reinvented to be extraordinary.
11:06Its true importance, supported by ancient texts and historical evidence,
11:11It's already powerful enough.
11:13A woman who stayed behind when others fled,
11:16who spoke when others were silent,
11:18who saw when others doubted,
11:20and whose story, for a long time, was told incompletely.
11:25Thank you for watching until the end.
11:27And until our next meeting here at Knowing the Truth.
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