Editing Mary Magdalene (section)

===Reformation and Counter-Reformation===
[[File:RubensSimonCyreneCarriesCross.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|''[[Christ and the Penitent Sinners]]'' (1617) by [[Peter Paul Rubens]] is a typical example of how Mary Magdalene was portrayed during the [[Baroque]] era, emphasizing her erotic allure and blurring the lines between religious and [[erotic art]].{{sfn|Maisch|1998|pages=63–65}}]]

In 1517, on the brink of the [[Protestant Reformation]], the leading French [[Renaissance humanist]] [[Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples]] published his book ''De Maria Magdalena et triduo Christi disceptatio'' (''Disputation on Mary Magdalene and the Three Days of Christ''), in which he argued against the conflation of Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, and the unnamed sinner in Luke.<ref name="Hufstader">Hufstader, 32–40, and throughout the rest of the article</ref>{{sfn|Haskins|2005|page=250}} Various authors published a flurry of books and pamphlets in response, the vast majority of which opposed Lefèvre d'Étaples.<ref name="Hufstader"/>{{sfn|Haskins|2005|pages=250–251}} In 1521, the theology faculty of the [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]] formally condemned the idea that the three women were separate people as heretical,<ref name="Hufstader"/>{{sfn|Haskins|2005|pages=250–251}} and debate died down, overtaken by the larger issues raised by [[Martin Luther]].<ref name="Hufstader"/>{{sfn|Haskins|2005|pages=250–251}} Luther and [[Huldrych Zwingli]] (1484–1531) both supported the composite Magdalene.<ref name="Henderson 2004, pp. 8–14">Henderson (2004), pp. 8–14</ref> Luther, whose views on sexuality were much more liberal than those of his fellow reformers,{{sfn|Roper|2016|pages=295–296}} reportedly once joked to a group of friends that "even pious Christ himself" had committed adultery three times: once with Mary Magdalene, once with the [[Samaritan woman at the well]], and once with [[Jesus and the woman taken in adultery|the adulteress he had let off so easily]].{{sfn|Roper|2016|page=295}} Because the cult of Mary Magdalene was inextricably associated with the Catholic teaching of the [[intercession of saints]],{{sfn|Haskins|2005|page=249}} it came under particularly harsh criticism by Protestant leaders.{{sfn|Haskins|2005|page=249}} Zwingli demanded for the cult of Mary Magdalene to be abolished and all images of her to be destroyed.{{sfn|Haskins|2005|page=249}} [[John Calvin]] (1509–1564) not only rejected the composite Magdalene,{{sfn|Haskins|2005|page=249}}<ref name="Henderson 2004, pp. 8–14" /> but criticized Catholics as ignorant for having ever believed in it.{{sfn|Haskins|2005|page=249}}

During the [[Counter-Reformation]], Roman Catholicism began to strongly emphasize Mary Magdalene's role as a penitent sinner.{{sfn|Maisch|1998|page=65}}{{sfn|Haskins|2005|pages=251–252}}{{sfn|Mormando|1999b|p=107–135}} Her medieval role as a patron and advocate became minimized{{sfn|Maisch|1998|page=65}} and her penitence became regarded as her most important aspect, especially in France and in the Catholic portions of southern Germany.{{sfn|Maisch|1998|page=65}} A massive number of [[Baroque]] paintings and sculptures depict the penitent Magdalene,{{sfn|Maisch|1998|page=65}}{{sfn|Haskins|2005|pages=251–253}} often showing her naked or partially naked, with a strong emphasis on her erotic beauty.{{sfn|Maisch|1998|pages=63–65}} Poems about Mary Magdalene's repentance were also popular.{{sfn|Maisch|1998|pages=65–66}} [[Anton Giulio Brignole-Sale]]'s ''Maria Maddalena peccatrice convertita'' (1636) is considered one of the masterpieces of the 17th-century religious novel, depicting the Magdalen's tormented journey to repentance convincingly and with psychological subtlety.<ref>{{cite book|last=Capucci|first=M.|year=2002|chapter=Brignole Sale, Anton Giulio|title=The Oxford Companion to Italian Literature|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-818332-7 |access-date=May 20, 2023|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198183327.001.0001/acref-9780198183327-e-506}}</ref> Estates of nobles and royalty in southern Germany were equipped with so-called "Magdalene cells", small, modest [[Hermitage (religious retreat)|hermitages]] that functioned as both chapels and dwellings, where the nobility could retreat to find religious solace.{{sfn|Maisch|1998|pages=67–70}} They were usually located in wild areas away from the rest of the property{{sfn|Maisch|1998|page=67}} and their exteriors were designed to suggest vulnerability.{{sfn|Maisch|1998|page=67}}