Three Marys

[flowperson]

Lest we forget, according to more liberal traditions, and even some orthodox interpretations, Jesus had two brothers, James the just, and Judas Thomas (didymus or twin-twin in the Greek). Three Marys and also three brothers from the same holy family ? A coincidence, or is all of this coming from the fertile imaginings of early Christian mythmakers ?

Also, my examination of the names of the three Marys in the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance led me to believe that they were considered to be linked spiritually, such as described in Thomas' post, only there seemed to be overlap in some sharing of attributes among them.

Only the Magdalen seemed to be more apart. My tracings of the roots of her name to the Greek and Chaldean roots rendered an understanding indicating that she was known as "the bitter woman of the tower", with the word "migdal" being the indicator word for tower. It's all very curious.

flow....

 

[Thomas]

Only the Magdalen seemed to be more apart. My tracings of the roots of her name to the Greek and Chaldean roots rendered an understanding indicating that she was known as "the bitter woman of the tower", with the word "migdal" being the indicator word for tower. It's all very curious.

If you follow my analogy of the soul, then the Marys stand in a vertical hierarchy, with the Magdalene - embittered, or rather brought down, by the world - at the foot.

To push this further, if Mary is a symbol of the soul, and thus the various Marys signify the soul in varied states, she is also a symbol of the church, in which case the Immaculata is 'invisible' to all but the faithful Christian, as those outside the church can see nothing but fault and error, and so condemn the church as the Magdalene was condemned (if we follow one tradition, that she was the woman taken in adultery) - that is to say condemned by those who are far from without fault themselves.

The Immaculata 'pondered all these things in her heart' - the only occasion when she spoke to the world, I think, was at the Wedding at Cana, when she said "Do whatever he tells you" which is what the Church says throughout history.

The Greek verb for 'pondered' (used twice by Luke) is 'symballein', which means 'to put together' and is a clue to the real significance of symbolism (symbol as opposed to sign or representation).

Thomas