Protestors outside of The Testament Of Mary — Page 2

Thanks, AEA; but I think I was half right:

Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. Mark 16:9.

No the play is based on the Virgin Mary's life in Ephesus after the Gospels.

Got it, Dubliner. Thanks for the correction. Oh, yes, some of the Marians go insane at the least provocation. I learned that the hard way with an oratorio about Marian manifestations that I thought was entirely non-controversial.

Updated On: 3/27/13 at 06:51 PM

Gaveston I'm no Gospel expert, but doesn't the resurrected Jesus first appear to women in all of them? And in at least one/some to a named Mary Magdalene? Not in spirit form I understand.

I had to check:

In MATTHEW, the two "Maries" (Magdalene and, by tradition, Jesus' mother or aunt) are met by an angel who announces the Resurrection. They return to the disciples with the news, at which point Jesus appears to the whole group.

In MARK, the two Maries meet a "young man" who tells them Jesus is gone and they should go tell the disciples. (ETA as we discussed elsewhere, there are additional verses describing a meeting with Jesus, but scholars consider them most likely to be later additions.)

In LUKE, a group of women go to prepare Jesus' body with spices, but encounter two men (probably angels) who say, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" Jesus himself appears later when the women are with male followers.

Finally, in JOHN, we get considerable embellishment: Mary Magdalene finds the tomb empty and runs to tell the disciples, several of whom visit the empty sepulcher. Mary camps outside the tomb, weeping for her dead lord. She is visited by two angels who admonish her for her lack of faith. Then Jesus himself appears to her, but she assumes he is the gardener. Finally, Jesus reveals himself to Mary and sends her to tell the disciples.

So only one of the three synoptic gospels has Mary M. greeted by anyone but angels. Even in John, Jesus tells her not to embrace him before he ascends to his heavenly Father. I'm not a biblical scholar, but I think the implication is that his corpse, while reanimated, is bloody and corrupted.

By contrast, IIRC, in the Gnostic Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Jesus appears to Mary fully restored, but does so in a sort of vision. Whether such an honor would be given to someone as important as a woman is hotly debated, as is the question of whether the Resurrection is a physical or psychic or mental event. (As you probably know, henrik, the Gnostics hotly debated whether eternal life would take place in physical form (a la Zoroastrianism) or spirit form (as most Christians believe today).

Sorry, everyone. This is all OT. Dubliner has already pointed out that the play in question is about the Virgin Mary's life after the crucifixion, not about Mary Magdalene. But the gnostic Gospel of Mary Magdalene is a great source for SOMEBODY's play. It's gender politics are absolutely current today.

Updated On: 3/27/13 at 07:12 PM

Maries?

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Okay, but let's hear about some of the Maries now.

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The protestors are calling attention to, and giving publicity to, a show that I doubt many people want to see. Tourists are excited for Matilda, Cinderella, Motown, or The Book of Mormon. In an overcrowded Broadway field, they probably haven't even heard of this show, and if they did I'm sure they have absolutely zero interest in seeing it. The only way tourists would pay $135 for a one-woman show with a topic like this, is if it starred Lady GaGa or Madonna. Good for the protestors for standing up for what they believe.

Maybe they got confused when they heard about all the Marys? (Maries?)

"Yes, they're are many Maries in the bible. It was of the most common names in that era."

As long as we're being "educational," let's get it right.

"Mary" is a translation. In Aramaic, the name is "Maryam," in Hebrew "Miryam," closer to our still-in-use "Miriam." In Greek, it's Maria or Mariam.

Updated On: 3/28/13 at 02:26 PM

They weren't walking around Nazareth like Rhoda Morgenstern saying, "hey, Mare;" it was more like Mrs. Lefkowitz in Prospect Heights saying, "shalom, Miriam."

PlayIt--well yes, I said that originally (at least about the author.) I still wonder if they think this is some "blasphemy" on the level of Corpus Christi.

Exactly. And that extends into many other aspects of life as well. Is it time for a revival of Paul Rudnick's Regrets Only, when all gay people go on strike and then straight people suddenly cannot function?

^ And don't forget every store that sells designer apparel...