Mary Magdalene is one of the most enigmatic and controversial figures of the New Testament. It seems that the most widespread image of her is that of a repentant prostitute who consecrates herself to Jesus. As a child growing up in an Armenian apostolic family and having attended Armenian Sunday school for several years, I myself have heard this description of her most frequently . My grandmother told me the story of how Jesus saved Mary Magdalene from stoning, telling her accusers “let he who is without sin cast the first stone” (John 8:7). Now I know this is false, just one of many exchanges between Mary Magdalene and other women of the time (some of whom were also called Mary). The most generally held notions about Mary Magdalene in the Gospels are that she was a follower of Christ who was there during His crucifixion and resurrection, and one of the first people who began to spread the Christian message. However, she is seen in many different lights: a madwoman possessed by seven devils, the companion of Jesus, the apostle of the apostles, the woman Jesus loved most, and many others. It's these kinds of controversies that surround her that make her so interesting and indecipherable and, in a way, the most open to interpretation. He can represent many different things to many different people, which is why he is my favorite biblical character. One reason for the confusion surrounding Mary Magdalene is that the name "Mary" appears in the New Testament many, many times. There was of course Mary, the mother of Jesus (Matthew 1:18); Mother of Mary, James, and Joseph (Mark 15:40); Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2); Mary, the wife of Clopas (John 19:25); Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus (John 11:1); and many others......middle of paper......Carroll). The Gospel of Mary describes her as having had a vision from Jesus and passed it on to the disciples, even serving to frustrate Peter, who asked, "Did [Jesus] really speak to a woman without our knowledge?" (Meyer, 2005), but with a response from Levi stating, “If the Savior has made her worthy, who are you to reject her?” (Meyer, 2005; Shoemaker). This was only made worse by a sermon delivered by Pope Gregory in 591: "She whom Luke calls the sinful woman, whom John calls Mary [of Bethany], we believe to be that Mary from whom seven devils were expelled according to Mark." (van Rien). A critical response to this by author Jane Schanber centers on the discrepancy between the fact that Jesus may have actually seen Mary Magdalene as his successor (Shamber), and the Catholic church's suppression of this, which serves to reduce the role of women in the Church.