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[German Version] I. New Testament – II. Early Church – III. History of Art I. New Testament Named after her home town of Magdala on the west bank of the Sea of Gennesareth, she was presumably a prosperous (Luke 8:2f.) businesswoman (for the fishing industry in Magdala=Tarichaeae, see Josephus) who traveled extensively (hence the reference to her place of origin; cf. 15:21, 43). Mary was clearly unmarried (cf. Mark 15:40; Luke 8:3; John 19:25), and her age is unknown. She may have belonged to the same generati…

[German Version] Mary and Martha were unmarried sisters; according to Luke, they lived in a village in Galilee, while John locates them in Bethany, near Jerusalem. They are mentioned only in Luke 10:38–42 and John 11:1–44; 12:1–8 (with their brother Lazarus). They are presented as sedentary disciples of Jesus (see Jesus' love for them in John 11:3, 5; cf. 13:1: “his own”), who supported the Jesus movement spiritually and materially (cf. Mark 11:1–12, 19 parr.; Disciples and discipleship, Love, Hos…

[German Version] I. Letters of Paul – II. Mark – III. Matthew – IV. Luke and Acts – V. John Mary the mother of Jesus shares the commonest woman's given name in the Second Temple period with seven (or eight; see II below) other women in the New Testament (Ilan; Miriam, Mary Magdalene, Mary and Martha). The Gospels paint differing pictures of Mary (Mary, Representations of) and reflect differing historical traditions. I. Letters of Paul Jesus' birth (“having-become”) from a woman mentioned in Gal 4:4 is the only reference to Mary in Paul's letters. It emphasizes the…