The Gospel of Mary Magdalene was found in the Akhmim Codex, a gnostic text of the New Testament apocrypha acquired by Dr. Rheinhardt in Cairo in 1896. However, it was not published until 1955, after the Nag Hammadi library had also appeared. The other texts of the Akhmim Codex were in the Nag Hammadi texts, but not this Gospel. In this only known copy of the text, pages 1–6 and 11–14 are missing. It has been suggested in popular literature that this is a Gospel of Mary Magdalene, and thus has become known by this name, although her last name is not mentioned in the text, and it could be any one of the other six Marys from the New Testament. The term Unknown is used in a number of contexts: To indicate the lack of knowledge, such as the list of unsolved problems, unsolved problems in physics or the unknown unknown To refer to anonymity In mathematics, as a noun, the unknowns of an equation are the quantities (or variables... In 1896, the Coptic Berlin Codex (aka. ... Oxyrhynchus (Greek: Οξύρυγχος; sharp-nosed; ancient Egyptian Per-Medjed; modern Arabic el-Bahnasa) is an archaeological site in Egypt, considered one of the most important ever discovered. ... The John Rylands Library (inaugurated October 1899) is a collection of historic books and manuscripts in Manchester, England. ... In 1896, the Coptic Berlin Codex (aka. ... Gnosticism is a blanket term for various religions and sects most prominent in the first few centuries A.D. General characteristics The word gnosticism comes from the Greek word for knowledge, gnosis (γνῶσις), referring to the idea that there is special, hidden mysticism (esoteric knowledge) that only a few possess. ... The category of New Testament apocrypha reminds the modern reader of the wide range of responses that were engendered in interpreting the message of Jesus of Nazareth during the first several centuries of the Common Era, as mainstream Christianity emerged. ... Cairo (Arabic: القاهرة; transliterated: al-Qāhirah) is the capital city of Egypt (and previously the United Arab Republic) and has a metropolitan area population of approximately 15. ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Nag Hammadi library is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered in the town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. ... Mary Magdalene is described, both in the canonical New Testament and in the New Testament apocrypha, as a devoted disciple of Jesus. ...

The fragmentary text survives in two 3rd century Greek fragments and a longer 5th century translation into Coptic, in which the testimony of a woman first needed to be defended, reflecting the change in Christian views of women between the 3rd and 5th centuries. // Overview Events 212: Constitutio Antoniniana grants citizenship to all free Roman men 212-216: Baths of Caracalla 230-232: Sassanid dynasty of Persia launches a war to reconquer lost lands in the Roman east 235-284: Crisis of the Third Century shakes Roman Empire 250-538: Kofun era, the first... // Overview Events Romulus Augustus, Last Western Roman Emperor 410: Rome sacked by Visigoths 452: Pope Leo I allegedly meets personally with Attila the Hun and convinces him not to sack Rome 439: Vandals conquer Carthage At some point after 440, the Anglo-Saxons settle in Britain. ... Coptic is the last phase of ancient Egyptian. ... Christian views of women vary considerably today and have varied even more throughout the last two millennia, evolving along with or counter to the societies in which Christians have lived. ...

All of these manuscripts were first discovered and published between 1938 and 1983, but there are Patristic references to the Gospel of Mary as early as the 3rd century. In the fragmentary text, the disciples ask questions of the risen Savior (a designation that dates the original no earlier than the 2nd century) and are answered. A manuscript (Latin manu scriptus, written by hand), strictly speaking, is any written document that is put down by hand, in contrast to being printed or reproduced some other way. ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The (Early) Church Fathers or Fathers of the Church are the early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian Church, particularly those of the first five centuries of Christian history. ... Savior refers to a person who helps people achieve Salvation. ... // Events Roman Empire governed by the Five Good Emperors (96–180) – Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius. ...

Then they grieve, saying, "How shall we go to the Gentiles and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Son of Man? If even he was not spared, how shall we be spared?" And Mary bids them take heart: "Let us rather praise his greatness, for he prepared us and made us into men." She then delivers a vision of the Savior she has had, and reports her discourse with him, which shows Gnostic influences. The word Gentile from the Latin gentilis, can either be a translation of the Hebrew Goy/גוי or of the Hebrew word Nochri/נכרי. In the most common modern use it refers to the former being derived from the Latin term gens (meaning clan or a group of families) and it is... The phrase son of man is a primarily Semitic idiom that originated in Ancient Mesopotamia, used to denote humanity or self. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Her vision does not meet with universal approval:

"But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, 'Say what you think concerning what she said. For I do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly these teachings are of other ideas."

"Peter also opposed her in regard to these matters and asked them about the Savior. "Did he then speak secretly with a woman, in preference to us, and not openly? Are we to turn back and all listen to her? Did he prefer her to us?"

Karen King has observed, "The confrontation of Mary with Peter, a scenario also found in The Gospel of Thomas, Pistis Sophia, and The Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians, reflects some of the tensions in second-century Christianity. Peter and Andrew represent orthodox positions that deny the validity of esoteric revelation and reject the authority of women to teach." (introduction, The Nag Hammadi Library) The Gospel of Thomas, completely preserved in a papyrus Coptic manuscript discovered in 1945 at Nag Hammadi, Egypt, is a list of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus. ... The important Gnostic text, the Pistis Sophia, in five copies, which scholars date c. ... Two versions of the suppressed Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians (which is quite distinct from the Greek Gospel of the Egyptians), were among the codices in the Nag Hammadi library, discovered in 1945. ... The town of Nag Hammadi in Egypt Nag Hammâdi (Arabic نجع حمادي; transliterated: Naj Hammādi) (26°03′N 32°15′E), is a town in the middle of Egypt, called Chenoboskion in classical antiquity, about 80 kilometres north-west of Luxor with some 30,000 citizens. ...

The text is primarily concerned with

• mortality and the origin of mortality as a result of the demi-urge
• Jesus' ascension
• The ascent of the soul according to gnosticism

The larger part of these concerns is expressed as a dialogue between the disciples and Mary, who is the person providing the answers. After the departure of Jesus, within the text, in Mary has been placed the authority of the church, likely indicating that the text originates within a sect who either held their founder to have been Mary, or otherwise valued Mary above other apostles. Part of this favouring of the one known female disciple may have been due to her ability as a female to represent the importance figure of Sophia, the female syzygy of Christ, within gnostic theology. The term Demiurge (or Yaldabaoth, Yao and several other variants, such as Ptahil used in Mandaeanism) refers in some belief systems to a deity responsible for the creation of the physical universe and the physical aspect of humanity. ... Jesus (Greek: , Iēsous) (8-2 BC/BCE – 29-36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus the Nazarene, is the central figure of Christianity, in which context he is known as Jesus Christ, where Christ is a Greek title meaning Anointed, corresponding to the Hebrew... Icon of the Ascension. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... In Gnostic tradition, the term Sophia (Σoφíα, Greek for wisdom) has an esoteric meaning. ... Syzygy may refer to any one of several different concepts or things, many of which ultimately derive their meaning from the Greek σύζῠγος (syzygos), yoked together. ...

See also

• New Testament apocrypha

The category of New Testament apocrypha reminds the modern reader of the wide range of responses that were engendered in interpreting the message of Jesus of Nazareth during the first several centuries of the Common Era, as mainstream Christianity emerged. ...

External links

• Early Christian Writings: Gospel of Mary
• Gospel of Mary Magdalene (In Persian)
• Gospel of Mary: (English), syncretic text, incorporating Coptic and earlier Greek versions; further web links
• Gospel of Mary