Who Was Mary Magdalene?

We know very little about her. Here are the facts most historians agree on:

• She came from the town of Magdala, on the Sea of Galilee.

• She was a devout disciple of Jesus Christ.

• She was the first person to see the risen Christ, three days after his crucifixion.

There is also a Gospel of Mary Magdalene, dating back to the 1st century and remnants of which were discovered in 1896 and 1945. That gospel never made it into the Bible, yet according to its pages:

• She knew Jesus and his teachings better than all other disciples;

• Jesus trusted her with deep spiritual insights, because she was able to understand them better than others;

• She was a leader of early Christian communities.