The life of Mary Magdalene, one of the most devoted followers of Jesus, raises serious questions.  Either Mary of Magdala refers to her home city, Magdala, along the western side of the Sea of Galilee, or it refers to a name given her, perhaps by Jesus, which means, “Tower,” or Tower of Strength.  If a person’s name refers to her hometown, in the first century, it could suggest some form of notoriety, fame, or recognition.  Jesus of Nazareth.  Paul of Tarsus. This is called a toponymic surname, someone named after a place, a city: Mary of Magdala.  Indeed, if not for Mary, the largest city on the west coast of the Sea of Galilee, according to the Jewish historian, Josephus, would be largely forgotten today.  Jesus ignored Magdala, even though it was in proximity to the center of his ministry.  There is only one reference in the Gospels to Magdala, found in Matthew 15:39, and no event is reported there.

How would a woman of the first century attain this level of recognition?   We know that Mary was relatively wealthy because she financed Jesus’ ministry throughout his years of public ministry. Mary of Magdala could just be a simple way of distinguishing “this Mary” from so many others.  Mary was a very popular name for Jewish women in the first century.  Or, it could be a name given her, perhaps by Jesus, referring to her as a “tower of strength.”  Like “Peter, the Rock.” If Mary of Magdala was married, she would have been listed with her husband’s name.  So, we can likely assume that she was single and wealthy.  She is named for herself, not in relation to a male member of her family.

But how did she arrive at such wealth or fame, while at the same time, possessed by many demons?  Generally, people possessed by demons did not function well in society and were marginalized. Scripture says that Mary Magdalene was possessed by seven demons.  The number, seven, in scripture, often refers to totality.  Mary was totally consumed by a demonic disorder.  It wasn’t something she or others could ignore.

Mary was likely the first woman to join Jesus’ itinerant band of disciples.  Was this frowned upon?  A single woman traveling around with male disciples?  We know other women joined in, but Mary was there early and stayed all the way through Jesus’ resurrection, and beyond.  She surely became “a tower of strength.”

In John’s Gospel, Mary Magdala (John 20:17-18) came to the Empty Tomb and she alone was given the mandate by the Risen Christ to spread the Good News.  In 2016, Pope Francis declared that she would now be given the title, “The Apostle to the Apostles.”  She has been made a saint in Catholic and Orthodox churches.

In post-canonical writings, we learn that the male disciples were jealous of her close relationship with Jesus.  At no place is it suggested that theirs was a romantic relationship or that they were married or had children.  These are all legendary embellishments. It’s also annoying because it disputes the fact that single men and women can be friends without romance being involved.  Along the same vein, there is no evidence that Mary was a prostitute, a mixing of Gospel stories completely unwarranted.  This began in a sermon by Pope Gregory the Great in the fifth century.  His merging of two Gospel stories held up for centuries.  Today, it is universally felt to be unjustified.  Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute.  And, at least during Jesus’ life, she was not married.

In recent archaeological explorations around the site of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee, an unusual number of miniature objects made of glass have been found.  They were discovered in the market area of Magdala.  These glass objects were made with blown and modeled glass, and they were used to store medicinal and cosmetic ointments of various kinds. This has led researchers to believe that these small glass objects were likely made in Magdala and exported throughout the Roman world.  Magdala was prominent enough to support a world-wide market.

We have long known that Magdala had access to a wide market for it was well-known for its pickled fish which was favored in Rome and elsewhere.  Is it possible that this glass-making business was the source of Mary’s wealth and fame? 

It is interesting that this was reported by a woman, Professor Marcela Zapata-Meza, who is the Chief Archaeologist of the Magdala Archaeologist Project and a faculty member at the Anahuac University of Mexico.  Excavations have uncovered a large marketplace with 28 shops, 4,000 ancient coins, suggesting Magdala as a large-scale commercial center.  Dr. Ruth Jackson, a specialist in ancient glass and an advisor to Magdala says “…the ancient town may also have produced glass vessels.  We found evidence of glass manufacturing, such as waste glass materials, more than 1,800 glass pieces…and glass sticks.  Today, we know that these (glass) objects were made with blown and modeled glass techniques; we can also say that they were used to store medicinal and cosmetic ointments.”

“There was wealth in Magdala… Magdala is the only town in Galilee, so far, where a first-century synagogue has been discoverred with frescoes, mosaics and a unique Second Temple model carved in stone.”  (August 9, 2016, Marcela Zapata-Meza, Biblical History Daily).

Today, there is a company that offers perfume called, “Mary Magdalene.”  Is this just a marketing ploy, a coincidence, or does it suggest that there might have been a relationship between Mary Magdalene and small bottles used for perfumes, cosmetics and medicines?  Mary brought burial perfumes to the empty tomb.  Could her company have been the source?  Could Mary of Magdala have provided the expensive ointment that Mary of Bethany poured over Jesus’ head at the dinner table, preparing him for his imminent death?

What follows is a hypothetical story based on these discoveries.