Editing Mary Magdalene (section)

===Gospel of Mary===
{{Main|Gospel of Mary}}
[[File:Gospel of Mary.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Papyrus Oxyrhynchus L 3525]], a fragment of the Greek text of the [[Gospel of Mary]]]]

The Gospel of Mary is the only surviving apocryphal text named after a woman.{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|page=238}} It contains information about the role of women in the early church.{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|page=239}}<ref name="GOM" /> The text was probably written over a century after the historical Mary Magdalene's death.{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|page=247}} The text is not attributed to her and its author is anonymous.{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|page=247}} Instead, it received its title because it is ''about'' her.{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|page=247}} The main surviving text comes from a Coptic translation preserved in a fifth-century manuscript (''Berolinensis Gnosticus'' 8052,1) discovered in [[Cairo]] in 1896.{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|pages=238–249}}{{sfn|Casey|2010|page=535}}<ref name="GOM" /> As a result of numerous intervening conflicts, the manuscript was not published until 1955.{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|page=238}} Roughly half the text of the gospel in this manuscript has been [[Lost literary work|lost]];{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|page=249}}{{sfn|de Boer|2005|p=52}} the first six pages and four from the middle are missing.{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|page=249}} In addition to this Coptic translation, two brief third-century fragments of the gospel in the original Greek ([[Papyrus Rylands 463|P. Rylands 463]] and [[Papyrus Oxyrhynchus L 3525|P. Oxyrhynchus 3525]]) have also been discovered, which were published in 1938 and 1983 respectively.{{sfn|Casey|2010|page=535}}<ref name="GOM" />

The first part of the gospel deals with Jesus's parting words to his followers after a post-resurrection appearance.{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|pages=239–242}} Mary first appears in the second part, in which she tells the other disciples, who are all in fright for their own lives: "Do not weep or grieve or be in doubt, for his grace will be with you all and will protect you. Rather, let us praise his greatness, for he has prepared us and made us truly human."{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|page=242}} Unlike in the Gospel of Thomas, where women can only be saved by becoming men, in the Gospel of Mary, they can be saved just as they are.{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|pages=242–243}} Peter approaches Mary and asks her:

{{blockquote|"Sister we know that the Saviour loved you more than the rest of woman. Tell us the words of the Saviour which you remember which you know, but we do not, nor have we heard them". Mary answered and said, "What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you". And she began to speak to them these words: "I", she said, "I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to Him, Lord I saw you today in a vision".|source={{harvnb|de Boer|2005|p=74}} }}

Mary then proceeds to describe the [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] cosmology in depth, revealing that she is the only one who has understood Jesus's true teachings.{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|pages=243–245}}{{sfn|Casey|2010|pages=535–536}} [[Andrew the Apostle]] challenges Mary, insisting, "Say what you think about what she said, but I do not believe the savior said this. These teachings are strange ideas."{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|page=245}}{{sfn|Casey|2010|page=536}} Peter responds, saying, "Did he really speak with a woman in private, without our knowledge? Should we all listen to her? Did he prefer her to us?"{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|page=245}}{{sfn|Casey|2010|page=536}} Andrew and Peter's responses are intended to demonstrate that they do not understand Jesus's teachings{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|page=245}}{{sfn|Casey|2010|page=536}} and that it is really only Mary who truly understands.{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|pages=245–246}}{{sfn|Casey|2010|page=536}} Matthew the Apostle comes to Mary's defense, giving a sharp rebuke to Peter:{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|page=245}}{{sfn|Casey|2010|page=536}} "Peter, you are always angry. Now I see you arguing against this woman like an adversary. If the savior made her worthy, who are you to reject her? Surely the savior knows her well. That is why he loved her more than us."{{sfn|Ehrman|2006|page=246}}{{sfn|Casey|2010|page=536}}