Name	Sila María Calderón Serra
Order	7th
Office	Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Term start	January 2, 2001
Term end	January 2, 2005
Predecessor	Pedro Rosselló González
Successor	Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Office2	Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Term start2	January 2, 1997
Term end2	January 2, 2001
Predecessor2	Héctor Luis Acevedo
Successor2	Jorge Santini
Birth date	September 23, 1942
Birth place	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Profession	Businesswoman
Party	Popular Democratic Party Democratic Party
Religion	Roman Catholic
Footnotes	}}

Sila María Calderón Serra (born September 23, 1942) is a Puerto Rico politician and businesswoman who served as the seventh Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 2001 to 2005. She is the first and to date only woman elected to that office. Prior to serving as Governor, Calderón held various positions in the Government of Puerto Rico, including Secretary of State and Chief of Staff. She was also Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Capital of Puerto Rico from 1997-2001.

Early life and education

Sila grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico and attended high school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Santurce, Puerto Rico. In 1964 she graduated with honors from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government. She later attended the Graduate School of Public Administration at the University of Puerto Rico but did not graduate.

Career

Her career began in 1973 when she was named Executive Aide to the Labor Secretary and later Special Aide for Economic Development to then Governor, Rafael Hernández Colón. From 1975 to 1984, she was product manager at Citibank, N.A. in San Juan. At the time, Citibank in San Juan was one of John Reed's experimental marketing centers. As part of her business development responsibilities, Mrs. Calderón designed and marketed several new consumer products which significantly increased the earnings of the Retail Division of the Bank. In 1978, she became president of Commonwealth Investment Company, a family real estate concern that owned and managed industrial buildings. Calderón became the first woman Chief of Staff in Puerto Rico in 1985. Later, she served as Secretary of State, a position which includes the responsibilities of a Lieutenant Governor.

She resigned in 1989 and returned to her business endeavors, and community work, most notably the Peninsula de Cantera Project, a public private initiative which fostered grass roots redevelopment of one of the most poverty stricken sectors of San Juan, located only steps away from the financial sector of the city. Cantera has since become a model for community development not only for Puerto Rico, but internationally. During those years, she was appointed Chair of the Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting Corporation. At the time, she also served on the boards of major local corporations such as Banco Popular and Pueblo International, as well as on the board of the Government Development Bank and the Puerto Rico Economic Development Council.

Mayor of San Juan

Sila M. Calderón returned to public life in 1995, running in the 1995 Popular Democratic Party primary for Mayor of San Juan, winning handily over her two opponents by a huge margin, and then being elected Mayor of the city of San Juan in 1996, becoming the second woman in the city's history to serve in that office and the first woman elected to the position. As mayor, she undertook one of the largest public works program in the city to date, sponsoring various urban redevelopment projects to revitalize Old San Juan, Condado, Rio Piedras, Santurce, and other deteriorated sections of the city. She also initiated the unsuccessful Special Communities Program to assist poor communities’ empowerment and economic development.

In 2000 she led the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) during a heated and close campaign for Governor against Carlos Pesquera (PNP) and Ruben Berrios (PIP). With her victory, she became the first elected female governor in the history of Puerto Rico.

Governor

As Governor, 2001–05, Calderón took action to eliminate corruption and restore confidence in the government; strengthen public finances and retain credit quality; spurred economic growth and job creation; and gave particular attention to the most disadvantaged sectors. Governor Calderón also fostered peace with vigorous efforts, together with those of the population, to end the U.S. Navy bombing exercises on the offshore island of Vieques. In 2003, Governor Calderón announced her determination to fulfill the commitments of her platform and her decision not to seek re-election in 2004. TH3XT

Although a firm believer in the Commonwealth political status of the island, an attempt to discuss mechanisms to resolve the status dispute that faces Puerto Rico among the three major political parties was unsuccessful.

On May 26, 2004, Calderón had to deal with a man who entered La Fortaleza, the governor's mansion, with a knife and took a receptionist hostage, demanding to speak directly with Calderón. After Calderón negotiated with the hostage taker, the man dropped the knife and surrendered to the police.

Calderón's daughters, Sila Mari and María Elena González, both attorneys, served as "First Ladies" of the Commonwealth. Sila Mari was elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico in November 2004, just as her mother completed her term of office as Governor. She also has a son, Francisco González, who is an investment banker at Goldman Sachs.

Honors and awards

During her career, Governor Calderón has been distinguished with numerous honors and awards:

May 1997 – Manhattanville College – Doctor of Humane Letters May 2001 – Boston University – Doctor of Laws May 2001 – New School University – Doctor of Laws Jan. 2003 – Hunter College – Doctor of Humane Letters May 2004 – Rutgers State University of New Jersey – Doctor of Humane Letters

Governor Calderón has also received other recognitions, including the Order of Isabel La Católica from the King of Spain in 1987, the Harvard Foundation Award in 2003 and the Golden Plate Award from the Academy of Achievement in Washington, D.C. in 2004, among others.

During her tenure, Mrs. Calderón gave particular attention to strengthening the economic, commercial and cultural ties between Puerto Rico and its Latin American neighbors. Underlining this effort, official visits were paid by Governor Calderón to the Dominican Republic, Panama and Costa Rica in the years 2001, 2002 and 2004. In recognition of her administration's efforts of collaboration between these countries and Puerto Rico, their governments bestowed upon her their most important civil orders: the Order of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella of the Dominican Republic; the Order of Núñez de Balboa of Panama; and the Order of Juan Santamaría of Costa Rica.

Present

Calderón is pursuing her private endeavors, a business and trade consulting firm, ''Inter-American Global Links, Inc.'' (IGlobaL), with links in Central América, the Caribbean and the United States and is also spearheading the development of an environmentally oriented 500-unit housing project in Puerto Rico. She chairs a philanthropic Foundation which has establish a non-profit and non- partisan entity –The Center for Puerto Rico: Sila M. Calderón Foundation—which gives attention to the issues of poverty, women, urban revitalization, ethical values and social responsibility.

Governor Calderón was elected Trustee of the New York Public Library in 2007 and sits on the advisory boards of Primera Chicago and of the Health and Hospital Company (HHC) Foundation of New York City.

See also

List of famous Puerto Ricans - Governors

References

# La Fortaleza. Nuestra Gobernadora. San Juan, Puerto Rico: ''Government of Puerto Rico''. 2001.

External links

Sila Calderón on the Internet Movie Database

Category:1942 births Category:Living people Category:Female heads of government Category:Governors of Puerto Rico Category:Secretaries of State of Puerto Rico Category:Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico politicians Category:People from San Juan, Puerto Rico Category:Mayors of places in Puerto Rico Category:Mayors of San Juan, Puerto Rico Category:American women mayors Category:Women in Puerto Rico politics Category:Puerto Rican people of Catalonian descent Category:Manhattanville College alumni de:Sila María Calderón es:Sila Calderón it:Sila María Calderón tl:Sila María Calderón

María Inés Calderón (1611, Madrid – 1646, Guadalajara) also known as La Calderona and Marizápalos, was a Spanish actress. She is also known as a royal mistress and as the mother of Philip IV's only recognized natural son, John of Austria the Younger (in Spanish, Juan José de Austria).

Biography

María Calderón attracted the attention of the monarch upon her debut at the theatre de Corral de la Cruz in Madrid in 1627. She was at the time involved in a relationship with Ramiro Pérez de Guzmán, Duke of Medina de las Torres, widower of the daughter of Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel. The King forced her to quit her career and installed her in a palace in Madrid. Upon the birth of her son in 1629, she lost the custody of him despite her protests. Her relationship to the king ended the same year. There where rumors at the time that her son was fathered by Ramiro Pérez de Guzmán.

In March 1642, María Calderón was forced to become a nun against her will. She retired to the monastery of San Juan Bautista of Valfermoso of the Nuns, in the Province of Guadalajara in the Utande Valley. She became abbess in 1643.

The Sierra Calderona () range at the Eastern end of the Iberian System was formerly known as ''Monts de Porta Coeli'', after the Carthusian Monastery of Porta Coeli located in the mountains. The present-day name Calderona originated in the 17th century when María Calderón "La Calderona", hid from King Felipe IV in these mountains among the highwaymen.

References

Sources

Further reading

Category:1611 births Category:1646 deaths Category:17th-century actors Category:17th-century Spanish people Category:Mistresses of Spanish royalty

es:María Calderón sv:Maria Calderon

Name	Yolandita Monge
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Yolanda Rosa Monge Betancourt
Birth date	September 16, 1955
Origin	Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
Genre	Pop, Latino
Years active	1968–present
Label	Universal (2008-present)Univision (2006-2007) Ole Music (2005)Warner Music (2002)BMG (1999-2001)WEA Latina (1992-1998)Sony (1980-1991)
Website	Yolandita, La Diva }}

Yolandita Monge (born September 16, 1955) is an international singer and actress from Puerto Rico and the first Puerto Rican female singer to be nominated to the Grammy Music Awards. She is also Puerto Rico's highest selling female artist. She has been in the music business since adolescence, and has recorded over thirty albums through her career. She is widely recognized as ''Puerto Rico's Diva''.

Biography

Early life and family

Yolandita Monge, was born as Yolanda Rosa Monge Betancourt in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico on September 16, 1955. She is the daughter of Iris Delia Betancourt and Hector Monge. She lived the first seven years of her life in New York City and then came back to Puerto Rico. In the beginning of the 70s, she met the Uruguayan Alfredo Lorenzo, in New York, and married him on November 13, 1975. They had a daughter, Noelia, but the marriage ended. In 1983, she married Venezuelan singer Balbino, whom she met in Buga, Colombia, and is the father of second daughter Paola. Years later they divorced. On December 31, 1989, Yolandita married Puerto Rican producer and Vice-President of SBS Radio Broadcast Stations, Topy Mamery, who is her manager and father to her only son Imanol.

Early career

Monge started out by winning a radio contest in 1966 (at the age of eleven). Later on, she made her TV debut on Luis Vigoreaux's show, ''Luis Vigoreaux Presenta''. She had a regular section in that show. In 1968, she signed with record label Patty Records, which released her first album, named ''Puerto Rico's Poignant... Powerful... Incomparable...''.

It was "El Estornudo" ("The Sneeze"), and her cover of Italian hit "Vida"' ("Life"), that made her a national star after she released her first album. At that young age, Yolandita would perform with legendary Argentinian singer Libertad Lamarque and then sing at the ''Festival De La Canción Nueva York'' (New York Song Festival). Soon, she found another job on TV, this time on Tommy Muñiz's show, ''El Show Del Mediodía''.

She followed up with some other hits in Puerto Rico, but then she moved to Mexico, where she signed with TECA records and had hits such as "Vete de Aqui" ("Get Out of Here"), "Dos Caminos Diferentes" ("Two Different Ways"), "Por qué Papá?" ("Why, Dad?") and "La Voz Del Silencio" ("The Voice of Silence").

International breakthrough

1975 was a big year for Monge because she released a song named "Cierra Los Ojos" ("Close Your Eyes"), which earned her wild fame in such South American countries as Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, Argentina and in the Dominican Republic. Yolandita was now an international star.

Soon after, she would be signed by Coco Records of New York, and her career kept going on a steady rise internationally. She sang at the Carnegie Hall and was backed up by her artistic godmother, legendary Argentinian singer and actress, Libertad Lamarque.

International success: 1980s

In 1980, international label CBS International, (now Sony Discos), then Julio Iglesias' label, signed her up into their line-up. ''Tanto Amor'' (So much love) composed by Lou Briel, was the first hit song of that album named ''Fantasia'' produced by Pepe Luis Soto. She then released another album ''Historia de Amour'' which included many top hits. In 1983, she won the Buga Festival, in Buga, Colombia with a song that she wrote her self called ''Sí'' (Yes).

Monge went into a stride in the middle 1980s, when she released what possibly is one of her greatest album ever: ''Luz de Luna'' (Moonlight). This album included her classics "Te Veo Pasar" (I See You Walk By), "Señor Del Pasado" (Man from the Past), and "El Poder del Amor", which was a cover of the popular song "The Power of Love" (most familiar in the Céline Dion version). With this album, she became the first Puerto Rican female singer to earn a gold record.

She came back with the production of ''Laberinto de Amor'' (Labyrinth of Love), which earned her another gold album and later went platinum. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award, years before the Latin Grammy was created. In this album, she sang the best Spanish version of "On My Own" ("Solo Yo") which is a song from the soundtrack of the famous Broadway musical ''Les Misérables''. Yolandita was a household name. This album earned her a Grammy nomination in the Best Latin Pop artist category. With this nomination she became the first Puerto Rican female singer to be nominated to the Grammy Music Awards, joined by fellow Puerto Rican singer Lunna, as well for the same nomination. The album also went gold in many countries including the United States.

In 1988, she returned to the platinum level with her album, ''Vivencias'' (''Life's Experiences''). Yolandita considers this album her best album ever and many fans and non-fans agree with her. This album included such songs as: "Acariciame" ("Caress Me") and "Este Amor Que Hay Que Callar" ("This Love That We Must Keep Quiet") composed for her by the Spanish singer and author Braulio. She became the first Puerto Rican singer to win a gold album record, a platinum record and a double platinum.

Yolandita was claimed by the America's music magazine ''Billboard'' in 1988 as "The best-selling Latin artist of the year" due to being the first Puerto Rican female artist to sell millions of records. She also was claimed by the international music press as "The most important Latin singer of the decade" (1980–1990). NBC traveled all the way to Puerto Rico to interview Yolandita because they consider her the most relevant artist of the Latin music industry and she was even compared with Madonna. In the interview the reporter said: "Yolandita has no plans to make the crossover, so Madonna can relax."

Yolandita in the 1990s

After that, she released ''Portfolio'' (1990), with the help of Venezuelan singer Ricardo Montaner. With Portfolio, she was able to sing at Puerto Rico's Centro de Bellas Artes (making a new record on sales), and at the Madison Square Garden. With her Tour Cara de Angel (Angel's Face), Yolandita established the records at the Performing Arts Center of Puerto Rico (Centro de Bellas Artes), becoming the biggest singer selling out all the concerts, without courtesy tickets, up to 12 concerts of the same tour in 1992, breaking her own record.

Also in 1992, Yolandita was invited by Spanish Tenor, Plácido Domingo, to be part of a Special Tribute to the artist Goya, the tribute was a special-release album.

In 1994, she became the first Puerto Rican female to land a commercial deal with Pepe Jeans London and also for Diet Pepsi. During that year, Monge released Fiebre de Luna, along with a change of image. The hit album included compositions from Las Diego and produced the singles "A Pesar del Tiempo" and "Como Puedes".

In 1995, she teamed with singer Ricardo Montaner to do a concert and they earned a Guinness World Records as becoming the first singers to perform 3 concerts in 3 different cities (Mayagüez, Ponce and San Juan) - all in the same day. This could be done, using air transportation by helicopter. It was called: ''El Suceso'' (The Event).

Monge was honored in 1996 by the Puerto Rican Senate for her long career as a singer and actress. She also earned two of the most prestigious awards of the Latin music industry, Premios Lo Nuestro and Premios Tu Música. Also in 1996, she participated in the annual music video special, produced by Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, dedicated to Bobby Capó, which usually includes only the most important and international singers the island has to offer.

During the late 1990s Monge took a long lay-off from her career to be with her family and to act in a Colombian telenovela and other projects.

In 1997, Yolandita released ''Mi Encuentro'', which included bomba and plena, a puertorrican rhythm. The album was a hit and cemented the singer's ability to tacke any kind of music. The singer returned with another change of image and to her signature strong ballads with the album ''Siento'' in 1999. The album was certified gold and included the hit "Mala Sangre", an ode to her detractors.

2000-present

In late 2000, Yolandita released her second live album ''Yolandita En Vivo'' recorded at Centro de Bellas Artes of Puerto Rico. It included many of her early hits and the duet "Sobrevivire" with her second daughter Paola.

Yolandita took some time off and returned with ''Sexto Sentido'' in 2002, which included a collaboration with her eldest daughter and singer Noelia. This album was produced by Colombian producer Kike Santander and was certified gold.

During June 2003, Yolandita was part of a line of witnesses in a domestic violence trial with actor and model Osvaldo Rios as defendant. Her testimony was key for the prosecution as she had witnessed the aftermath of an encounter in the face of Osvaldo's girlfriend. Later that year the defendant was found guilty. She stand out in a great campaign against domestic violence.

In 2004 she conducted her TV show for Telemundo called ''De Mujeres'' (''Of Women''). In this variety show she performed comedy skits and interviewed both local and international stars. She also sang duets with home grown singers like: Julieta Venegas, Luis Fonsi, Lucecita Benítez, Víctor Manuelle, Chucho Avellanet, Gilberto Santa Rosa, La India, Gisselle, Lissette, Tito Nieves, Dagmar, Andy Montañez, Danny Rivera, and many more. These performances were once in a lifetime duets that graced Puerto Rico's silver screen and kept the captive audience that followed the show wanting more.

After five years of not releasing a new album, Monge released on June 5, 2007, her latest album ''Demasiado Fuerte''. It debuted number one in Billboard Latin Pop Albums making her return to music one of the greatest comebacks ever seen in the Latin Market. The album was produced by José Luis Pagán and Jorge Luis Piloto. Also, the album included the hits "Y Todavia" and the title track, "Demasiado Fuerte", both of which were remixed in Reggeaton style and became hits in the urban radio stations in Puerto Rico and the Latin communities in United States.

In November 2007, Yolandita returned to Centro de Bellas Artes with five sold-out concerts. The singer received the best reviews of her career with those performances, which included duets with guest Glenn Monroig. On October 6, 2008, Monge debuted a single titled "Mala" in the radio of Puerto Rico. After that, Yolandita recorded a remix single with reggaeton Artist Tito el Bambino called "El amor", which used her same-titled smash hit from the 80s to his version. The song made it to the #1 spot in the Hot Latin Songs Chart of the Billboard Magazine

Yolandita, the actress

Monge has had a very distinguished acting career, she's acted in more than ten Spanish soap operas and theatre plays. Among the telenovelas, she acted in: ''Vida'' (''Life''), (where she performed with Johanna Rosaly), ''La Mentira'' (''The Lie''), ''Poquita Cosa'' (''Small Thing''), ''Escándalo'' (''Scandal'') (where she acted alongside Andrés García, Iris Chacón and Charytín), and ''Ave de Paso'' (''Bird of Passage''), where she played the main role, and sang the theme song: "Nunca Te Diré Adiós", composed for her by Lou Briel. This song was a big hit in 1989, and it was included in a Special Edition Album: ''Yolandita Monge Live from New York''. She also acted in the original version of the Colombian mega-hit soap opera, ''La Viuda de Blanco'' along with Osvaldo Ríos, Maria Helena Doehring, Jorge Enrique Abello and Danilo Santos. From 1996-1997, this soap opera was translated in more than 32 languages. Her theatrical debut was in ''La visita de la bestia'', which is a Spanish version of ''Extremities'', and she got good reviews from the press by playing the very dramatic main role. She also earned international recognition playing the Greek-soprano, Maria Callas, in the Spanish version of the Tony Award winner play ''Master Class'' (Clase Maestra) in 2003, for the Latin community in the United States and Latin America. Yolandita made all the critics bow when they saw her rendition of the late-diva. A year later she landed the lead female role in the musical ''La Verdadera Historia de Pedro Navaja'' (''The True Story of Mack The Knife''), opposite Gilberto Santa Rosa. For her performance as ''Diana la Maromera'' (Diana the Juggler), in this musical, she got good reviews. For the silver screen, she did the 1999 TV movie called ''Ocho años de Dolor'' (''Eight Years of Pain''), where she played a woman who is kidnnaped by a famous Puerto Rican serial killer Toño Bicicleta. Yolandita's most recent acting role was in the Puerto Rican movie ''Mujeres sin Hombres'' (''Women without Men''), in 2006, She joined Sully Diaz and Claribel Medina in this story about 3 women and the revenge of men. After that in 2010, Yolandita starred in the first episode of the Telemundo TV Series called "Extremos". In it she played the roles of twin sister. The reviews of Yolandita's acting role were good in this dramatic role. The critics indicaded that "...When it comes to acting, Yolandita can be intense and excellent as she is as a singer..."

Yolandita vs. Ednita

At one time, it was rumoured that Yolandita had alleged rivalry with Ednita Nazario, which was well published and talked about by Puerto Rico's press and gossip magazines. In 1987 Pedro Zervigón asked Ednita if she needs controversy to meet Yolandita Monge's success, Ednita said "...I do not need that kind of advertisement...". However, on the talk show ''Al Grano con Zervigón'' (''Down to Business with Zervigón''), in 1997, Yolandita expressed that she has no rivalry with Nazario. She said: "...Ednita and I have known each other since we were kids. I used to go over her house and met her parents, and she used to come over to my house as well. I respect her as an artist and I also respect all the other artists... because I am an admirer of the arts..."

Awards and recognitions

Here is an incomplete list of Yolandita's awards, honors and recognitions.

1983: Buga Song Festival - Won for the song ''Si''.

1985: The first Puerto Rican female singer to earn a Gold record.

1987: Nomination. Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album for ''Laberinto De Amor''.

1988: The best-selling Latin artist of the year, according to Billboard Magazine.

1989: Nomination for Premio Lo Nuestro Best Female Ballad/Pop Singer

1989: Paoli Award for Best Video of The Year for the video clip ''Por ti''.

1989: The first Puerto Rican female singer to earn a Platinum record.

1992: The first artist selling-out all the concerts, up to 12 concerts of the same tour.

1993: ACE Awards - Special Award.

1995: Guinness World Record - The first singer to perform 3 concerts in 3 different cities in the same day.

1996: The Puerto Rican Senate Special Honor for her long career as a singer and actress.

1997: ''Tu Musica Award'' - Projection in abroad.

1997: Quijote Award for Best Musical Transmission (Cita con las Reinas).

2000: Cassandra International Award.

2001: ''A Star in the Boulevard of Stars'' in Santo Domingo.

2002: ''Tu Musica Awards'' - Best Ballad Record by a female singer (Sexto Sentido).

2003: An Award for her Trajectory as an Actress from The PR Government Florida District.

2003 Dance Show of the Year: Yolandita Monge Sexto Sentido Concert.

2006 ''Our pride Award'' - Institute of New York City.

2007 Puerto Rican Pride Honor - 21st anniversary of Comité Puertorriqueño – a Puerto Rican heritage organization

2008 Nomination. Spanish GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Music Artist.

2008 Nomination. Billboard Latin Music Awards for Best Latin Pop Female Album for Demasiado Fuerte.

2008 Finalist. Special Tu Mundo Award in Billboard Latin Music Awards

Discography

! Year	! Album Title	! Record Label	! Notes
1969		Patty
1970	''A star is Shining''	Patty
1971	''Recuérdame''	Patty
1972	''La Personalidad''	Patty
1973	''Yo Soy''	Audiovox
1974	''Con Todo Mi Amor''	Teca
1974	''Parece Fantasía''	Teca
1975	''Floreciendo!''	Coco
1976	''Reflexiones''	Coco
1977	''Soy Ante Todo Mujer''	Coco
1978	''En Su Intimidad''	Coco
1979	''Estilo y Personalidad''	Discofono
1980		Sony
1981	''Historia de Amour''	Sony
1983	''Sueños''	Sony
1985	''Luz de Luna''	Sony
1986	''Mis Canciones Preferidas''	Sony
1987	''Laberinto de Amor''	Sony	Gold album
1988		[[Sony	Gold, Platinum, Double Platinum
1988		Sony
1990		Sony
1991		Sony
1991	''Mis Canciones Preferidas 2''	Sony
1992	''Cara de Ángel''		Gold, Platinum, Double Platinum
1992	''Mi Mejor Regalo''
1994	''Fiebre de Luna''
1995	''Yolandita (1995)''
1997	''Mi Encuentro''
1999	''Siento''	BMG
2000	''Yolandita En Vivo''	BMG
2000	''Yolandita (2000)''	Z Records - Spain
2002	''Sexto Sentido''	Warner Music
2007	''Demasiado Fuerte''	Univision Music
2008

See also

List of famous Puerto Ricans

French immigration to Puerto Rico

List of Puerto Rican songwriters

Music of Puerto Rico

Pop culture in Puerto Rico

References

prpop.org - Yolandita's Biography from the National Culture Foundation of Puerto Rico.

musicofpuertorico.com - Yolandita's entry, biography and discography.

Notes

External links

Yolandita la diva - Spanish Fansite.

YolanditaMonge.net - La Eterna Diva Spanish Fansite.

YolanditaMonge.com - Spanish Fansite

Yolandita-Monge.com - International Fansite

Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:Puerto Rican female singers Category:Puerto Rican singers Category:Puerto Rican actors Category:Puerto Rican soap opera actors

es:Yolandita Monge

Name	Mel Martínez
Image name	Mel Martinez.jpg
Jr/sr	Senator
State	Florida
Party	Republican
Term start	January 3, 2005
Term end	September 9, 2009
Predecessor	Bob Graham
Successor	George LeMieux
Residence	Orlando, Florida
Order2	12th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Term start2	January 24, 2001
Term end2	December 13, 2003
President2	George W. Bush
Predecessor2	Andrew Cuomo
Successor2	Alphonso Jackson
Birth date	October 23, 1946
Birth place	Sagua La Grande, Cuba
Spouse	Kitty Martínez
Children	Lauren Martínez SheaJohn MartínezAndrew Martínez
Profession	Lawyer
Alma mater	Orlando Junior CollegeFlorida State University
Religion	Roman Catholic }}

Melquíades Rafael Martínez Ruiz, usually known as Mel Martinez (born October 23, 1946), is a former United States Senator from Florida and served as Chairman of the Republican Party from November 2006 until October 19, 2007, the first Latino to serve as chairman of a major party. Previously, Martínez served as the 12th Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George W. Bush. Martínez is a Cuban-American and Roman Catholic. He announced he was resigning as Chairman of the Republican National Committee on October 19, 2007. He is an honorary initiate of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity through the Eta Rho Chapter at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Martínez resigned his cabinet post on December 12, 2003, to run for the open U.S. Senate seat in Florida being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Bob Graham. Martínez secured the Republican nomination and narrowly defeated the Democratic nominee, Betty Castor. His election made him the first Cuban-American to serve in the U.S. Senate. Furthermore, he and Ken Salazar (who is Mexican-American) were the first Hispanic U.S. Senators since 1977. They were joined by a third, Bob Menéndez (who is also Cuban-American) in January 2006, until Salazar resigned from the Senate on January 20, 2009, to become Secretary of the Interior. On December 2, 2008, Martinez announced he would not be running for re-election to the Senate in 2010.

On August 7, 2009, CNN and the Orlando Sentinel reported that Martinez would be resigning from his Senate seat. Later that month, Governor Crist announced that he would appoint George LeMieux as the successor to Martínez for the remaining year and a half of the Senate term.

Two weeks after resigning his Senate seat, The Hill reported that Martínez would become a lobbyist and partner at international firm DLA Piper. He is currently the chairman of Chase Bank's operations in Florida, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

Personal life

Martínez was born in Sagua La Grande, Cuba, to Gladys V. Ruíz and Melquíades C. Martínez. He came to the United States in 1962 as part of a Roman Catholic humanitarian effort called Operation Peter Pan, which brought into the U.S. more than 14,000 children. Catholic charitable groups provided Martinez a temporary home at two youth facilities. At the time Martínez was alone and spoke virtually no English. He subsequently lived with two foster families, and in 1966 was reunited with his family in Orlando.

Martínez received an Associate's degree from Orlando Junior College in 1967, a Bachelor's degree in International Affairs from Florida State University, and his Juris Doctor from Florida State University College of Law in 1973. He began his legal career working at the Orlando Personal Injury law firm Wooten Kimbrough, et al., where he became a partner and worked for more than a decade. During his 25 years of law practice in Orlando, he was involved in various civic organizations. He served as Vice-President of the Board of Catholic Charities of the Orlando Diocese.

In 1994, Martínez ran for Lieutenant Governor of Florida. He teamed up with former Family Research Council President Ken Connor, the gubernatorial candidate. The Connor/Martínez ticket was defeated in the Republican primary, finishing fifth with 83,945 votes, or 9.31% of the vote.

Before becoming Secretary of HUD, Martínez served on the Governor's Growth Management Study Commission. He previously served as President of the Orlando Utilities Commission, on the board of directors of a community bank, and as Chairman of the Orlando Housing Authority.

Serving as co-chairman of George W. Bush's 2000 presidential election campaign in Florida, Martínez was a leading fundraiser. He was one of the 25 electors from Florida, who voted for George W. Bush in the 2000 election. While serving as HUD Secretary, Martinez sat as an ex officio member of the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.

Martínez and his wife Kitty have three children (Lauren Martínez Shea, John Martínez, and Andrew Martínez) and three grandchildren. He is the brother of Rafael E. Martinez. Mel Martínez lives in the Baldwin Park neighborhood of Orlando (the neighborhood is also home to Florida's other senator, Bill Nelson) and in Washington.

U.S. Senate election, 2004

In November 2004, Martinez was the Republican nominee in the U.S. Senate election to replace retiring Democrat Bob Graham. Much of Martinez's support came from Washington: he was endorsed early by many prominent Republican groups, and publicly supported by key national Republican figures such as Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. His Cuban background and his popularity in the battleground Orlando, Florida, region both contributed to his appeal to the statewide GOP in Florida. But Internet magazine Salon reported that Martínez wanted to run for governor in 2006, though the GOP convinced him to run for Senate two years earlier instead.

Primary

Martínez's nomination by the Republican Party was far from certain. He was seriously challenged by former Congressman Bill McCollum. McCollum criticized Martinez's background as a plaintiff's attorney, and many Republicans initially feared that Martínez's nomination would destroy the GOP's ability to criticize Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards' background. Martínez was also said to be soft on tort reform, a major Republican issue in the 2004 race.

After a McCollum surge in the final weeks leading up to the primary, Martínez fought back in the last week of the race, putting out mass mailings and television ads that called McCollum "the new darling of homosexual extremists," pointing out that McCollum had sponsored hate crimes legislation while a member of the House of Representatives. Martínez pulled some of the more offensive ads from the air after a personal appeal from Governor Jeb Bush, but never disavowed them. The ''St. Petersburg Times'' took the extraordinary step of revoking its endorsement of Martínez in the Republican primary and endorsing McCollum.

In the Republican primary on August 31, Martínez won a decisive victory over McCollum (45 to 31 percent). Shortly afterward, he spoke alongside President Bush at the 2004 Republican National Convention on September 2.

During part of his tenure in the Senate, Martinez sat at the Candy desk.

General election

Martínez defeated his Democratic opponent, Betty Castor, in a very close election that was preceded by numerous negative television ads from both campaigns. Martínez's margin of victory was small enough that a winner was not declared until Castor conceded the day after the election.

President Bush won in Florida by 52%-47%, but Martínez only won 49%-48%, with a margin of about 70,000 votes. Martinez did much worse than Bush in the Tampa area, such as in Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties, and in smaller counties such as Liberty and Lafayette. The only counties that Martínez won that Bush did not were Orange and Miami-Dade.

Campaign reporting violations

In August 2006, the Martínez campaign acknowledged that the 2004 campaign had been under review by the Federal Election Commission for more than a year. Following the 2004 election, Martínez originally reported that his $12-million campaign had about $115,000 in debt, according to FEC documents. But the latest revision of that figure shows the original tally was off by about a half-million dollars: his campaign instead owed $685,000 in election expenses.

The FEC has sent Martínez at least 20 letters asking to clarify his 2004 campaign reports. His campaign has spent about $300,000 in accounting and attorney's fees since the 2004 election.

The organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which monitors political corruption, filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) in August 2006 that charged Martínez with having illegally accepted more than $60,000 from the Bacardi beverage company in the campaign. Bacardi violated the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) and FEC regulations – CREW alleges – by soliciting contributions from a list of the corporation’s vendors for these campaigns, and by using corporate funds to pay for food and beverages at campaign events held in the company’s corporate headquarters on May 11, 2004. An amended complaint by CREW in October 2006 alleged similar behavior by Bacardi for Democratic Senator Bill Nelson's 2006 re-election campaign. On October 28, 2008, Republican Sen. Mel Martínez agreed to pay $99,000 in fines for his campaign's failure to comply with federal election laws, including its acceptance of excess contributions, records show.

Documents filed by the Federal Election Commission show the resolution of the long-running dispute with the former general chairman of the Republican National Committee stemming from his 2004 campaign.

An FEC audit found Martínez's campaign accepted a total of $313,235 in contributions that exceeded limits from 186 donors. The fine was agreed to by the FEC on Sept. 10 and was posted a month later in its database.

Terri Schiavo

In the early hours of March 20, 2005, Martinzez was among the Senators who voted for the Palm Sunday Compromise, formally known as the ''Act for the relief of the parents of Theresa Marie Schiavo'' (S. 686 CPS), to allow the case of Terri Schiavo to be moved into a federal court.

Staffing controversies

On April 6, 2005, Martinez accepted the resignation of his legal counsel, Brian Darling, who was responsible for writing and circulating the Schiavo memo related to the Terry Schiavo case.

Martínez immediately denied all knowledge of Darling's involvement in the situation, noting that he himself had inadvertently passed a copy of the memo to Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, believing that it was nothing more than an outline of the Republican proposal. Martínez asserted that the memo "was intended to be a working draft," stating that Darling "doesn't really know how I got it."

The Schiavo memo is the third incident in which Martinez accepted broad responsibility while laying blame upon a staffer for the underlying deed. During the Republican primary, a staffer was blamed for a passage in a campaign flyer painting his opponent Bill McCollum as a servant of the "radical homosexual lobby". Shortly thereafter another staffer was blamed for labeling federal agents involved in the Elián González affair as "armed thugs".

In spite of Martínez's vocal objections to homosexual issues such as gay marriage, he employed two gay men in his 2004 Senate campaign. One of them, Kirk Fordham, would become a figure in the Mark Foley scandal.

Republican National Committee

In November 2006, Martínez was named general chairman of the Republican Party for the 2007–2008 election cycle (Mike Duncan handled the day-to-day operations). Some felt the choice was made in part due to the dip in support for Republicans among Latino voters in the 2006 midterm elections. Some conservatives objected to Martínez's selection, citing his positions on immigration and their general lack of enthusiasm for his performance as senator. Martínez stepped down from this position on October 19, 2007.

Interference with Spanish Justice system

Three months into Barack Obama's Presidential term, the Administration tapped Senator Mel Martinez to deliver a private message to Spanish Government officials in order to thwart a probe into former Bush Administration officials for rendition and torture of Guantanamo detainees which the U.S was failing to investigate.

According to Carol Rosenberg, "The cause for alarm at the U.S. Embassy was what a U.S. diplomat called a "well documented'' 12-inch-tall dossier compiled by a Spanish human rights group. In the name of five Guantánamo captives with ties to Spain, it accused the Bush legal insiders of laying the foundation for abuse of detainees in the months following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The six accused are: former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; David Addington, former chief of staff and legal adviser to the Vice President; William Haynes, former DOD General Counsel; Douglas Feith, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; Jay Bybee, former head of the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel; and John Yoo, a former member of Bybee’s staff.

On April 15, 2009, Martinez met with Acting Foreign Minister Angel Lossada on a visit to the Spanish foreign ministry, where he warned that an investigation would have consequences, and "that prosecutions would not be understood or accepted in the U.S. and would have an enormous impact on the bilateral relationship." Lossada told Martinez that he understood the complications but "the independence of the judiciary and the process must be respected", and "that the executive branch of government could not close any judicial investigation and urged that this case not affect the overall relationship, adding that our interests were much broader, and that the universal jurisdiction case should not be viewed as a reflection of the Spanish Government's position."

Following the outreach, the Spanish Attorney General Conde Pumpido’s press chief told the media that the Prosecutor’s office will deliver the AG’s recommendation to the National Court, where it will be up to investigating judge Baltasar Garzon to decide whether to pursue the case or not. Baltasar Garzon has been an outspoken critic of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and has publicly stated that former President George W. Bush should be tried for war crimes.

Positions

Abortion: Rated 100% by National Right to Life Committee, which indicates a pro-life stance. Morally opposed to abortion even in case of rape or incest, he supports education to reduce abortions, and supports the promotion of alternatives such as adoption. His position on the legality of abortion is unclear, but he has indicated that he would not vote for prosecuting involved parties even in the event of a reversal of ''Roe v. Wade''. In a debate moderated by Tim Russert, Martínez stated:

"The bottom line is I don't plan on prosecuting anyone. When I go to the United States Senate, I'm going to be confirming judges who will go to the courts, and the courts will deal with the issue. This is not up for a vote by the United States Senate." He added, "We're far from prosecuting people in this country over that issue"

Economy: Supports free trade generally; supports tax cuts; advocates lowering regulation of employers and reducing liability insurance burdens.

Education: Supports No Child Left Behind Act; advocates more standardized testing; supports school voucher programs; supports English-only education.

Immigration: In his 2004 campaign, Martínez said "Our immigration policy should first and foremost ensure the security of our great Nation and those individuals posing a terrorist threat should be prevented from entering our country. I strongly oppose amnesty for illegal aliens; our immigration laws should not reward lawlessness" and "I oppose amnesty for illegal aliens. I support a plan that matches workers with needy employers without providing a path to citizenship. Immigration to this country must always be done through legal means" In a 2006 after election platform reversal, he helped craft the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 that would be referred to by much of his own party as "amnesty". (see On June 28, 2007, he would later vote for the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 – which he helped form with other Senate leaders – that would allow many illegal immigrants to become citizens. The bill was defeated through being denied cloture on the Senate floor.

Environment: Supports funding state conservation preservation funding without raising taxes; supports opening up maximum amount of Forest Services federal land for hunting and shooting sports; supports "voluntary incentives" legislation to make it easier for private landowners to set aside land for hunting, shooting, and conservation purposes.

Foreign policy

*Cuba: Critical of Cuba's human rights record; supports tightening travel and strengthening the economic and trade blockade against Cuba; supports U.S. government funding of persons in Cuba who are opposed to current Cuban government; opposes foreign aid to countries that oppose U.S. policies; Advocates closure of Guantanamo Bay detainment camp Senator Martínez is also a member of the Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus

*Iraq: Supports the Bush Doctrine, but has asserted that the U.S. erred in hastily dismantling the Iraqi Army.

*Israel: Supports Israeli self-determination; supports close ties between U.S. and Israel

Health care: Supports private Medicare and Social Security accounts for new workers; advocates more thorough investigations of Medicare fraud; supports reimportation of drugs from Canada. Homeland security: Opposes base closures in Florida; advocates maintaining "the strongest military in the world." Even to the point of spending additional funds to keep Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates in service even after they have lost their air defense missile capabilities.

Religion: Supports free exercise of religion; opposes "removing all public displays of religious devotion" from society.

Same-sex marriage and gay rights: Supports an amendment to the United States Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. In June 2006, he is quoted on the matter regarding not amending the Constitution, thus leaving each State to come up with its own laws, "It isn't good enough to say, 'Leave it up to the states.' ... If we leave it up to the states we will see the erosion of marriage that we've seen by activist courts, which we otherwise will not see if we protect the institution of marriage at the federal level". He opposes legislation that would protect employers from firing gays, and has declined to endorse anti hate crimes legislation.

Senior Citizens: Lead sponsor of legislation to create a nationwide Silver Alert program to help locate missing seniors.

U.S. Supreme Court nominations: Has voted in favor of all three nominees who were nominated during his Senate tenure: John Roberts (2005), Samuel Alito (2006), and Sonia Sotomayor (2009).

Welfare: Supports Republican-style welfare reforms encouraging personal responsibility; supports programs for job training and retraining.

Public housing: Supports providing housing for peoples of a needy situation: physically, mentally, as well as financially. When secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Senator Martinez played a large part in the construction of housing and continued to do so as a junior senator.

On January 25, 2008, Martínez endorsed Sen. John McCain in the Florida Republican primary of the 2008 presidential election, citing McCain's understanding of national security and economic and foreign policy. McCain subsequently won the primary.

Electoral history

Footnotes

External links

Republican Party General Chairman Senator Mel Martínez

New York Times Melquíades Rafael Martínez News collected news and commentary SourceWatch Congresspedia Congresspedia profile

Mel Martínez for US Senate, Campaign site

{{U.S. Secretary box |before= Andrew Cuomo |after= Alphonso Jackson |years=2001–2003 |president= George W. Bush |department= Secretary of Housing and Urban Development}}

Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:Florida Republicans Category:Florida lawyers Category:American politicians of Cuban descent Category:Cuban emigrants to the United States Category:Knights of Malta Category:Seminole Caucus Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:Republican National Committee chairmen Category:United States Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development Category:George W. Bush Administration cabinet members Category:United States Senators from Florida Category:2000 United States presidential electors Category:Florida State University alumni Category:Hispanic and Latino American people in the United States Congress Category:Republican Party United States Senators

de:Mel Martínez es:Mel Martinez fr:Mel Martínez hr:Mel Martinez it:Mel Martinez nl:Mel Martinez no:Mel Martinez pl:Mel Martinez ru:Мартинес, Мел sk:Mel Martinez sh:Mel Martinez fi:Mel Martinez sv:Mel Martinez tl:Mel Martinez zh:梅尔·马丁内斯

name	Mary Magdalene
birth date	early 1st century AD
death date	mid to late 1st century AD
feast day	July 22
venerated in	Eastern OrthodoxyRoman Catholic ChurchAnglican CommunionLutheranismother Protestant churches Bahá'í Faith
birth place	Magdala, Judea
death place	Ephesus, Asia Minor or Marseilles
titles	''West:'' Penitent''East:'' Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles ''Both:'' Apostle to the Apostles
attributes	''Western:'' alabaster box of ointment ''Eastern:'' container of ointment (as a myrrhbearer), or holding a red egg (symbol of the resurrection); embracing the feet of Christ after the Resurrection
patronage	apothecaries; Atrani, Italy; Casamicciola Terme, Ischia; contemplative life; converts; glove makers; hairdressers; penitent sinners; people ridiculed for their piety; perfumeries; pharmacists; reformed prostitutes; sexual temptation; tanners; women
influences	}}

Mary Magdalene or Mary of Magdala (original Greek Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή) was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of seven demons . She became most prominent during his last days, being present at the cross after the male disciples (excepting John the Beloved) had fled, and at his burial. She was the first person to see Jesus after his Resurrection, according to both John 20 and .

Mary Magdalene is considered by the Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches to be a saint, with a feast day of July 22. The Eastern Orthodox churches also commemorate her on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers.

Name

Consistently in the four Gospels, Mary Magdalene seems to be distinguished from other women named Mary by adding "Magdalene" (η Μαγδαληνή) to her name. Traditionally, this has been interpreted to mean that she was from Magdala, a town thought to have been on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. says that she was actually "called Magdalene." In Hebrew מגדל ''Migdal'' means "tower", "fortress"; in Aramaic, "Magdala" means "tower" or "elevated, great, magnificent".

In the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene is also referred to simply as "Mary" at least twice. Gnostic writings use Mary, Mary Magdalene, or Magdalene.

Mary Magdalene's given name Μαρία (Maria) is usually regarded as a Latin form of Μαριὰμ (Mariam), which is the Greek variant used in Septuagint for Miriam, the Hebrew name for Moses' sister. The name had become very popular during Jesus' time due to its connections to the ruling Hasmonean and Herodian dynasties.''

Sources

Primary sources about Mary Magdalene can be divided into canonical texts that are collected into the Christian New Testament and apocryphal texts that were left out from the Bible, being judged as heretical during the development of the New Testament canon. These apocryphal sources are usually dated earliest to the end of the 1st and latest to the early 4th century, all possibly written well after Mary's death.

New Testament

The four Gospels included in the New Testament have little to say about Mary Magdalene. With a single exception in the Gospel of Luke, there is no mention of her in the Gospels before the crucifixion.

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According to and , Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons". Some contemporary scholars contend this concept means healing from illness. Some scholars regard the reference in Mark as a late addition, and the reference is possibly based on the Gospel of Luke.

It is at the time of the crucifixion and resurrection that Mary Magdalene comes to the fore in the gospels. Uniquely among the followers of Jesus, she is specified by name (though not consistently by any one gospel) as a witness to three key events: Jesus' crucifixion, his burial, and the discovery of his tomb to be empty. , Matthew 27:56 and mention Mary Magdalene as a witness to crucifixion, along with various other women. Luke does not name any witnesses, but mentions "women who had followed him from Galilee" standing at a distance. In listing witnesses who saw where Jesus was buried by Joseph of Aramathea, and Matthew 27:61 both name only two people: Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary", who in Mark is "the mother of James". describes the witnesses merely as "the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee". mentions no other witness to Joseph's burial of Jesus except for Joseph's assistant Nicodemus. However, John 20:1 then names Mary Magdalene in describing who discovered the tomb to be empty. says she was accompanied by Salome and Mary the mother of James, while Matthew 28:1 omits Salome. says the group who found the empty tomb consisted of "Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them".

In Mark, Matthew, and John, Mary Magdalene is first witness to the Resurrection. John 20:16 and both straightforwardly say that Jesus' first post-resurrection appearance was to Mary Magdalene alone. New Testament scholar Frank Stagg points out that Mary's role as a witness is unusual because women at that time were not considered credible witnesses in legal proceedings. Because of this, and because of extra-biblical traditions about her subsequent missionary activity in spreading the Gospel, she is known by the title, "Equal of the Apostles". In Matthew 28:9, Mary Magdalene is with the other women returning from the empty tomb when they all see the first appearance of Jesus. In the resurrection is announced to the women at the tomb by "two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning" who suddenly appeared next to them.

The first actual appearance by Jesus that Luke mentions is later that day, when Cleopas and an unnamed disciple walked with a fellow traveler they later realized was Jesus. describes the same appearance as happening after the private appearance to Mary Magdalene. The gospels of Mark and Luke record that the rest of the disciples did not believe Mary's report of what she saw, and neither Mary Magdalene nor any of the other women are mentioned by name in Paul's catalog of appearances at . Instead, Paul writes that Jesus "appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve". Indeed, after her disbelieved first report of a resurrection vision, Mary Magdalene disappears from the New Testament. She is not mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, and her fate remains undocumented.

The Gospel of John and the Gospel of Luke also mention a "Mary of Bethany", who in some Christian traditions is regarded the same person as Mary Magdalene. Mary of Bethany was the sister of Lazarus and Martha. Mary and Martha are the most familiar set of sisters in the Bible. Both Luke and John describe them as friends of Jesus. Luke's story, though only four verses long, has been a complex source of inspiration, interpretation, and debate for centuries. John's account, which says the sisters had a brother named Lazarus, spans seventy verses. Though some earlier interpreters blended the person of Mary of Bethany with Mary Magdalene and the sinful woman of Luke 7:36-50, current scholars believe she was a different person.

Among the women who are specifically named in the New Testament of the Bible, Mary Magdalene’s name is one of the most frequently found. In , the author names three women in sequence: “Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children.” In the Gospel of Mark, the author lists a group of women three times, and each time, Mary Magdalene’s name appears first. Finally, in the Gospel of Luke, the author enumerates the women who went to the tomb of Jesus, writing that, “It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them,” which once again place Mary Magdalene at the head of the list. According to Carla Ricci, “The place she [Mary Magdalene] occupied in the list cannot be considered fortuitous,” because over and over Mary Magdalene’s name is placed at the head of specifically named women, indicating her importance. The significance of this is further strengthened when one examines the lists of the named apostles. In Luke, the author writes that Jesus “took Peter, John and James.” According to Ricci, because Peter occupies the first position in the list, that place can be considered the position of highest importance. As a result, it can be argued that Mary Magdalene must have held a very central position among the followers of Jesus, whether as disciple or in some other capacity.

Mary Magdalene as prostitute

Pope Gregory the Great's homily on Luke's gospel dated 14 September 591 first suggested that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute: "She whom Luke calls the sinful woman, whom John calls Mary, we believe to be the Mary from whom seven devils were ejected according to Mark. And what did these seven devils signify, if not all the vices? ... It is clear, brothers, that the woman previously used the unguent to perfume her flesh in forbidden acts."(''homily XXXIII'')

In 1969 the Vatican, without commenting on Pope Gregory's reasoning, implicitly rejected it by separating Luke's sinful woman, Mary of Bethany, and Mary Magdala via the Roman Missal.

This identification of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute was followed by many writers and artists until the 20th century. Even today it is promulgated by some secular and occasional Christian groups. It is reflected in Martin Scorsese's film adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis's novel ''The Last Temptation of Christ'', in José Saramago's ''The Gospel According to Jesus Christ'', Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', Mel Gibson's ''The Passion of the Christ'', Jean-Claude La Marre's ''Color of the Cross'' and Hal Hartley's The Book of Life.

It was because of this association of Mary as a prostitute that she became the patroness of "wayward women", and "Magdalene houses" became established to help save women from prostitution.

Artwork

The identification of Mary Mary Magdalene as prostitute and adulteress is perpetuated by much Western medieval Christian art. In many such depictions, Mary Magdalene is shown as having long hair which she wears down over her shoulders, while other women follow contemporary standards of propriety by hiding their hair beneath headdresses or kerchiefs. The Magdalene's hair may be rendered as red, while the other women of the New Testament in these same depictions ordinarily have dark hair beneath a scarf. This disparity between depictions of women can be seen in works such as the Crucifixion paintings by the Meister des Marienlebens.

There are depictions of her also showing us how various artisits viewed her and Jesus' relationship. According to Robert Kiely, "no figure in the Christian Pantheon except Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and John the Baptist has inspired, provoked, or confounded the imagination of painters more than the Magdalene." Paintings can offer a deep insight as to what popular culture believed about an individual at a certain point in history. In Fra Angelico’s painting ''Noli me tangere''. There is no sign of "suppressed desire" and there is not tension. Fra Angelico’s painting (according to Robert Kiely) "is not a shocking or disturbing scene in which Mary overreacts, but a quiet beginning of a heavenly dance."

New Testament Apocrypha and Gnostic texts

In apocryphal texts, she is portrayed as a visionary and leader of the early movement who was loved by Jesus more than the other disciples. Several Gnostic gospels, such as the Gospel of Mary, written in the early 2nd century, see Mary as the special disciple of Jesus who has a deeper understanding of his teachings and is asked to impart this to the other disciples.

Several Gnostic writings, usually dated to 2nd and 3rd centuries, paint a drastically different picture of Mary Magdalene from that of the canonical Gospels.

In Gnostic writings Mary Magdalene is seen as one of the most important of Jesus' disciples whom he loved more than the others. The Gnostic Gospel of Philip names Mary Magdalene as Jesus' companion. Gnostic writings describe tensions and jealousy between Mary Magdalene and other disciples, especially Peter.

''Gospel of Mary''

In her introduction in ''The Complete Gospels,'' Karen King names the manuscripts available for the Gospel of Mary. She writes that only three fragmentary manuscripts are known to have survived into the modern period, two third-century fragments (P. Rylands 463 and P. Oxyrhynchus 3525) published in 1938 and 1983, and a longer fifth-century Coptic translation (Berolinensis Gnosticus 8052,1) published in 1955.

The Gospel of Mary exalts Mary Magdalene over the male disciples of Jesus. The Gospel of Mary provides important information about the role of women in the early church. It is usually dated to about the same period as that of the Gospel of Philip. The Gospel was first discovered in 1896. The Gospel is missing six pages from the beginning and four in the middle.

The identity of "Mary" appearing as the main character in this Gospel is sometimes disputed, but she is generally regarded to be Mary Magdalene. ''The Gospel of Mary'' presents her as one of the disciples, says she has seen a private vision from the resurrected Jesus and describes it to other disciples.

Peter said to Mary, "Sister we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of woman. Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember which you know, but we do not, nor have we heard them." Mary answered and said, "What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you." And she began to speak to them these words: "I, she said, I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to Him, Lord I saw you today in a vision."

Almost all of Mary's vision is within the lost pages.

When Mary had said these things, she fell silent, since it was up to this point that the Savior had spoken to her.

Mary is then confronted by Andrew and Peter, who do not take for granted what she says, because she is a woman:

"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?" Then Mary grieved and said to Peter, "My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I thought this up myself in my heart or that I am lying concerning the Savior?"

However, Mary is defended by Levi:

"But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you to reject her? Surely the Savior knew her very well. For this reason he loved her more than us."

The repeated reference in the Gnostic texts of Mary as being loved by Jesus more than the others has been seen as supporting the theory that the Beloved Disciple in the canonical Gospel of John was originally Mary Magdalene, before a later redactor made changes in the Gospel.

''Gospel of Philip''

Gospel of Philip, dating from the 2nd or 3rd century, survives in part among the texts found in Nag Hammadi in 1945. In a manner very similar to , the Gospel of Philip presents Mary Magdalene among Jesus' female entourage, adding that she was his ''koinônos,'' a Greek word variously translated in contemporary versions as partner, associate, comrade, companion.

There were three who always walked with the Lord: Mary, his mother, and her sister, and Magdalene, the one who was called his companion. His sister, his mother and his companion were each a Mary.

Others' irritation from the love and affection presented by Jesus to Mary Magdalene is claimed in the apocryphal Gospel of Philip. The text is badly fragmented, and speculated but unreliable additions are shown in brackets:

And the companion of [the saviour was Mar]y Ma[gda]lene. [Christ loved] M[ary] more than [all] the disci[ples, and used to] kiss her [often] on her [mouth]. The rest of [the disciples were offended by it and expressed disapproval]. They said to him, "Why do you love her more than all of us?" The Saviour answered and said to them, "Why do I not love you like her?"

''Gospel of Thomas''

Gospel of Thomas, usually dated to the late 1st or early 2nd century, was also among the finds in the Nag Hammadi library in 1945. It has two short references to a "Mary", generally regarded as Mary Magdalene. The latter of the two describes the sentiment towards female members of the early Gnostics:

Simon Peter said to them: Let Mary go forth from among us, for women are not worthy of the life. Jesus said: Behold, I shall lead her, that I may make her male, in order that she also may become a living spirit like you males. For every woman who makes herself male shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.

When the Gospel of Thomas was written, people commonly assumed that men were superior to women, much as humans were superior to animals. While it is surprising today to think that many believed back then that a woman would have to become male to enter the kingdom of heaven, it was an attitude consistent with the historical context.

The manuscript gives 114 "secret teachings" of Jesus. Mary is mentioned briefly in saying 21. Here, Mary asks Jesus, "Whom are your disciples like?" Jesus responds, "They are like children who have settled in a field which is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will say, 'Let us have back our field.' They (will) undress in their presence in order to let them have back their field and to give it back to them." Following this, Jesus continues his explanation with a parable about the owner of a house and a thief, ending with the common rhetoric, "Whoever has ears to hear let him hear."

''Pistis Sophia''

Pistis Sophia, possibly dating as early as the 2nd century, is the best surviving of the Gnostic writings. ''Pistis Sophia'' presents a long dialog with Jesus in the form of his answers to questions from his disciples. Of the 64 questions, 39 are presented by a woman who is referred to as Mary or Mary Magdalene. Jesus says of Mary:

"Mary, thou blessed one, whom I will perfect in all mysteries of those of the height, discourse in openness, thou, whose heart is raised to the kingdom of heaven more than all thy brethren."

There is also a short reference to a person named "Martha" among the disciples, possibly the same person who is named as the sister of Mary of Bethany.

Religious views of Mary Magdalene

Eastern Orthodox tradition

The Eastern Orthodox Church maintains that Mary Magdalene, distinguished from Mary of Bethany and the "sinful woman", had been a virtuous woman all her life, even before her conversion. They have never celebrated her as a penitent. This view finds expression both in her written ''life'' (βίος or vita) and in the liturgical service in her honor that is included in the Menaion and performed on her annual feast-day. There is a tradition that Mary Magdalene led so chaste a life that the devil thought she might be the one who was to bear Christ into the world, and for that reason he sent the seven demons to trouble her.

Mary Magdalene is honored as one of the first witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus, and received a special commission from him to tell the Apostles of his resurrection. She is often depicted on icons bearing a vessel of ointment, not because of the anointing by the "sinful woman", but because she was among those women who brought ointments to the tomb of Jesus. For this reason, she is called a Myrrhbearer.

According to Eastern traditions, she retired to Ephesus with the Theotokos (Mary, the Mother of God) and there she died. (This previous statement appears to be a conflation of Turkish local traditions about St. John and the Virgin Mary House of the Virgin Mary). Her relics were transferred to Constantinople in 886 and are there preserved.

Apostle of the Apostles

Mary Magdalene is referred to as "the apostle to the apostles" from the tenth century. From the twelfth century Abbot Hugh of Semur (died 1109), Peter Abelard (died 1142), and Geoffrey of Vendome (died 1132) all referred to Mary Magdalene as the sinner who merited the title ''apostolarum apostola'', with the title becoming commonplace during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

Hippolytus, a Christian leader in Rome around 200 AD, is thought by many to be the anonymous writer of that period that Jesus first appeared to the women at the tomb. He instructed them to go and tell his disciples that he was risen from the dead. Then he appeared to his disciples and "upbraided them for not believing the women's report." Bart D. Ehrman concludes that Mary Magdalene was the original apostle. He quotes Hippolytus as indicating: "Christ showed himself to the (male) apostles and said to them, 'It is I who appeared to these women and I who wanted to send them to you as apostles. Ehrman concludes from this that Mary and the others could therefore be thought of as "apostles sent to the apostles," a title that Mary Magdalene herself came to bear in the Middle Ages (Latin: ''apostola apostolorum''). Erhman further cites and Matthew 28:11 as evidence for his proposition.

Darrell Bock takes the view that Mary Magdalene was not singled out, but was part of a group of women who shared the honour, that for Hippolytus "she was one of a few apostles", stating the term did not originate with Hippolytus.

According to Harvard theologian Karen King, Mary Magdalene was a prominent disciple and leader of one wing of the early Christian movement that promoted women's leadership. King cites references in the Gospel of John that the risen Jesus gives Mary special teaching and commissions her as an "Apostle to the Apostles." Mary is the first to announce the resurrection and to fulfill the role of an Apostle─someone sent by Jesus with a special message or commission, to spread the gospel ("good news") and to lead the early church. The first message she was given was to announce to Peter and the others that "He is risen!"( ) Although the term is not specifically used of her in the New Testament, Eastern Christianity refers to her as "Equal to the Apostles"), and later traditions name her as "the apostle to the apostles." King writes that the strength of this literary tradition makes it possible to suggest that historically Mary was a prophetic visionary and leader within one sector of the early Christian movement after the death of Jesus.

Asbury Theological Seminary Bible scholar Ben Witherington III confirms the New Testament account of Mary Magdalene as historical: "Mary was an important early disciple and witness for Jesus." He continues, "There is absolutely no early historical evidence that Mary's relationship with Jesus was anything other than that of a disciple to her Master teacher."

In his apostolic letter ''Mulieris Dignitatem'' ("On the dignity and vocation of women", part 67-69) dated 15 August 1988, Pope John Paul II dealt with the Easter events in relation to the women being present at the tomb after the Resurrection, in a section entitled 'First Witness of the Resurrection': "The women ''are the first at the tomb''. They are the first to find it empty. They are the first to hear "He is not here. ''He has risen'', as he said." (Mt 28:6). They are the first to embrace his feet (cf. Mt 28:9), They are also the first to be called to announce this truth to the Apostles (cf. Mt 28:1-10, Lk 24:8-11). The Gospel of John (cf. also Mk 16:9) emphasizes the ''special role of Mary Magdalene''. She is the first to meet the Risen Christ. [...] Hence she came to be called "the apostle of the Apostles". Mary Magdalene was the first eyewitness of the Risen Christ, and for this reason she was also ''the first to bear witness to him before the Apostles.'' This event, in a sense, crowns all that has been said previously about Christ entrusting divine truths to women as well as men."

Roman Catholic tradition

Gregory of Tours, writing in Tours in the 6th century, supports the tradition that she retired to Ephesus, with no mention of any connection to Gaul.

How a cult of Mary Magdalene first arose in Provence has been summed up by Victor Saxer in the collection of essays in ''La Magdaleine, VIIIe – XIIIe siècle'' and by Katherine Ludwig Jansen, drawing on popular devotions, sermon literature and iconology. In Provence, Mary is said to have spent her last days alone in the wilderness, fasting and engaging in acts of penitential self-discipline, behavior that was rewarded with experiences of ecstatic union with the divine. Depictions of her last days became enormously popular in preaching and art.

Mary Magdalene's relics were first venerated at the abbey of Vézelay in Burgundy. Jacobus de Voragine gives the common account of the transfer of the relics of Mary Magdalene from her sepulchre in the oratory of Saint Maximin at Aix-en-Provence to the newly founded abbey of Vézelay; the transportation of the relics is entered as undertaken in 771 by the founder of the abbey, identified as Gerard, duke of Burgundy. The earliest mention of this episode is the notice of the chronicler Sigebert of Gembloux (died 1112), who asserts that the relics were removed to Vézelay through fear of the Saracens. There is no record of their further removal to the other St-Maximin; a casket of relics associated with Magdalene remains at Vézelay.

Afterwards, since September 9, 1279, the purported body of Mary Magdalene was also venerated at Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, Provence. This cult attracted such throngs of pilgrims that the earlier shrine was rebuilt as the great Basilica from the mid-13th century, one of the finest Gothic churches in the south of France.

The competition between the Cluniac Benedictines of Vézelay and the Dominicans of Saint-Maxime occasioned a rash of miraculous literature supporting the one or the other site. Jacobus de Voragine, compiling his ''Legenda Aurea'' (Golden Legend) before the competition arose, characterized Mary Magdalene as the emblem of penitence, washing the feet of Jesus with her copious tears (although it is now believed that Mary of Bethany was the woman known for washing or anointing the feet of Jesus) protectress of pilgrims to Jerusalem, daily lifting by angels at the meal hour in her fasting retreat and many other miraculous happenings in the genre of Romance, ending with her death in the oratory of Saint Maximin, all disingenuously claimed to have been drawn from the histories of Hegesippus and of Josephus.

The French tradition of Saint Lazare of Bethany is that Mary, her brother Lazarus, and Maximinus, one of the Seventy Disciples and some companions, expelled by persecutions from the Holy Land, traversed the Mediterranean in a frail boat with neither rudder nor mast and landed at the place called ''Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer'' near Arles. Mary Magdalene came to Marseille and converted the whole of Provence. Magdalene is said to have retired to a cave on a hill by Marseille, La Sainte-Baume ("holy cave." ''baumo'' in Provençal), where she gave herself up to a life of penance for thirty years. When the time of her death arrived she was carried by angels to Aix and into the oratory of Saint Maximinus, where she received the viaticum; her body was then laid in an oratory constructed by St. Maximinus at Villa Lata, afterwards called St. Maximin.

In 1279, when Charles II, King of Naples, erected a Dominican convent at La Sainte-Baume, the shrine was found intact, with an explanatory inscription stating why the relics had been hidden.

During the Counter Reformation and Baroque periods (late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries), the cult of Mary Magdalene saw a great, new popularity as the Catholic Church publicized her as an attractive, persusasive model of repentance and reform, in keeping with the goals of the reform Council of Trent (1545–63). Numerous works of art and theater featuring the tearful penitent Magdalene appeared in the seventeenth century. As part of this new attention to the cult of the Magdalene, in 1600, her relics were placed in a sarcophagus commissioned by Pope Clement VIII, the head being placed in a separate reliquary. The relics and free-standing images were scattered and destroyed at the Revolution. In 1814, the church of La Sainte-Baume, also wrecked during the Revolution, was restored. In 1822, the grotto was consecrated afresh. The head of the saint now lies there and has been the centre of many pilgrimages.

The traditional Roman Catholic feast day dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene celebrated her position as a penitent. The Magdalene became a symbol of repentance for the vanities of the world to various sects. In 1969, the Catholic Church allegedly admitted what critics had been saying for centuries: Magdalene's standard image as a reformed prostitute is not supported by the text of the Bible. They reportedly have revised the Roman Missal and the Roman Calendar, and now neither of those documents mention Mary Magdalene as a repentant sinner of ill repute. St. Mary Magdalene was the patron of Magdalen College, Oxford, and Magdalene College, Cambridge (both colleges pronounce her name as "maudlin"). In contrast, her name was also used for the Magdalen Asylum, institutions for "fallen women".

Protestant tradition

Protestants honor her as a highly respected apostle, disciple and friend of Jesus. Anglican and Lutheran Christians revere her as a saint and some call upon her for intercession. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America honors Mary Magdalene, Apostle on July 22 as a Lesser Festival. Most Protestant Christians do not consider that Mary Magdalene was an apostle at all. They point out that it is Protestant Christianity's most ardent critics who try to propagate that assumption, along with strange—and in their eyes blasphemous—theories that Mary Magdalene had relations with Jesus. Those Protestant denominations that do not believe in the authority of women over men insist that the Bible clearly identifies the Apostles, and they were all men. Most Protestants see Mary Magdalene as a very dedicated follower, or disciple of Jesus, but not as an Apostle. Protestants do not believe the Catholic apocryphal texts are inspired of God, or God-breathed, in contrast to the rest of the Biblical texts that were included in the Biblical_canon.(cf John McArthur)

Easter Egg tradition

For centuries, it has been the custom of many Christians to share dyed and painted eggs, particularly on Easter Sunday. The eggs represent new life, and Christ bursting forth from the tomb. Among Eastern Orthodox Christians (including Albanian, Armenian, Bulgarian, Greek, Lebanese, Macedonian, Russian, Romanian, Serbian and Ukrainian) this sharing is accompanied by the proclamation "Christ is risen!" (in Greek ''"Christos anesti"'',Serbian:"Христос Вoскрeсе!", Armenian:"Քրիստոս յառեաւ ի մեռելոց",Albanian:"''Krishti U Ngjall!")'' and the response "Truly He is risen!" (in Greek - ''"Alithos anesti"'',Serbian:" Вaистина Воскресе", Albanian:"''Vertet U Ngjall''!").

One tradition concerning Mary Magdalene says that, following the death and resurrection of Jesus, she used her position to gain an invitation to a banquet given by Emperor Tiberius. When she met him, she held a plain egg in her hand and exclaimed, "Christ is risen!" Caesar laughed, and said that Christ rising from the dead was as likely as the egg in her hand turning red while she held it. Before he finished speaking, the egg in her hand turned a bright red, and she continued proclaiming the Gospel to the entire imperial house.

Another version of this story can be found in popular belief, mostly in Greece. It is believed that after the Crucifixion, Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary put a basket full of eggs at the foot of the cross. There, the eggs were painted red by the blood of the Christ. Then, Mary Magdalene brought them to Tiberius Caesar (see above).

Bahá'í tradition

There are many references to Mary Magdalene in the sacred writings of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the religion, said that she was "the channel of confirmation" to Jesus' disciples, a "heroine" who "re-established the faith of the apostles" and was "a light of nearness in his kingdom." `Abdu'l-Bahá also wrote that "her reality is ever shining from the horizon of Christ," "her face is shining and beaming forth on the horizon of the universe forevermore" and that "her candle is, in the assemblage of the world, lighted till eternity." `Abdu'l-Bahá considered her to be the supreme example of how women are completely equal with men in the sight of God and can at times even exceed men in holiness and greatness. Indeed he claimed that she surpassed all the men of her time, and that "crowns studded with the brilliant jewels of guidance" were upon her head.

The Bahá'í writings also expand upon the scarce references to her life in the canonical Gospels, with a wide array of extra-canonical stories about her and sayings which are not recorded in any other extant historical sources. `Abdu'l-Bahá claimed that Mary travelled to Rome and spoke before the Emperor Tiberius, which is presumably why Pilate was later recalled to Rome for his cruel treatment of the Jews (a tradition also attested to in the Eastern Orthodox Church). According to the memoirs of Juliet Thompson, `Abdu'l-Bahá also compared Mary to Juliet, one of his most devoted followers, claiming that she even physically resembled her and that Mary Magdalene was Juliet Thompson's "correspondence in heaven."

Speculations

The name Mary occurs numerous times in the New Testament. There are several people named Mary in the Gospels. There also are several unnamed women who seem to share characteristics with Mary Magdalene. At different times in history, Mary Magdalene has been confused or misidentified with almost every woman in the four Gospels, except the mother of Jesus. "The idea that this Mary was 'the woman who was a sinner,' or that she was unchaste, is altogether groundless."

"Beloved Disciple" in the Gospel of John

A group of scholars, the most familiar of whom is Elaine Pagels, have suggested that for one early group of Christians Mary Magdalene was a leader of the early Church. These scholars have even suggested that Mary might even be the unidentified "Beloved Disciple" to whom the ''Gospel of John'' is ascribed.

Raymond E. Brown suggests that to make this claim and maintain consistency with scriptures, Mary's separate existence in the two common scenes with the Beloved Disciple were modifications hastily added later to give validity to the gospel in the late 2nd century. Both scenarios have contain internal inconsistencies, possibly stemming from rough editing to make Mary Magdalene and the Beloved Disciple appear as different persons.

Anne Graham Lotz summarized this reading of the texts in 2003. She demonstrated that an early Christian writing portrays authority as being represented in Mary Magdalene or in the church community structure.

Identification as Mary of Bethany

In Roman Catholic tradition, Mary of Bethany is identified as Mary Magdalene, while in Eastern Orthodox and Protestant traditions they are considered separate persons. "Mary of Bethany" itself is an anachronism, as she is just referred to as "Mary" both in and the Gospel of John.

The identification is mainly based on the Gospel of John. The Mary appearing in Bethany is introduced in only by her first name, as if her identity was self-evident. Jesus seems to know her family well and is described visiting them several times. In , Mary anoints Jesus with expensive perfume and wipes his feet with her own hair, to which Jesus says that it was intended "she should save this perfume for the day of my burial". Following this, Mary of Bethany inexplicably disappears from the narrative, while the earlier unmentioned Mary Magdalene emerges without introduction at Jesus' crucifixion, finding later his tomb empty and being the first to be visited by him after the resurrection. Furthermore, also Mary Magdalene is referred to as "Mary" in the scenes certainly involving her.

The Gnostic texts commonly refer to Mary Magdalene as Mary.

Mary Magdalene, betrothed to John the Evangelist

The monk and historian Domenico Cavalca (circa 1270-1342), citing Jerome, suggested that Mary Magdalene was betrothed to St John the Evangelist: "I like to think that the Magdalene was the spouse of John, not affirming it... I am glad and blythe that St Jerome should say so."

The Dominican monk Jacobus de Voragine in his Golden Legend reported the legend that Mary Magdalene was betrothed to St John the Evangelist, who left his bride at the altar to follow Jesus, dismissing it as a "false and frivolous tale".

In 1449 King René d'Anjou gave to Angers Cathedral the amphora from Cana in which Jesus changed water to wine, acquiring it from the nuns of Marseilles, who told him that Mary Magdalene had brought it with her from Judea, relating to the legend where she was the jilted bride at the wedding following John the Evangelist received his calling from Jesus.

Mary Magdalene, a virgin after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Ambrose (''De virginitate'' 3,14; 4,15) and John Chrysostom (''Matthew, Homily 88'') have suggested that Mary Magdalene was a virgin after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Relationship with Jesus

Gnostic texts

The Gospel of Philip depicts Mary as Jesus' ''koinonos'', a Greek term indicating a "close friend" or "companion". Mary Magdalene is mentioned as one of three Marys "who always walked with the Lord" and as his companion (Philip 59.6-11). The work also says that Lord loved her more than all the disciples, and used to kiss her often (63.34-36). The closeness described in these writings depicts Mary Magdalene, representing the Gnostics, as understanding Jesus and his teaching while the other disciples, representing the Church, did not. Kripal writes that "the historical sources are simply too contradictory and simultaneously too silent" to make absolute declarations regarding Jesus' sexuality. On the other hand, author John Dickson argues that it was common in early Christianity to kiss a fellow believer by way of greeting, and as such kissing would have no romantic connotations.

Mary Magdalene appears with more frequency than other women in the canonical Gospels and is shown as being a close follower of Jesus. Mary's presence at the Crucifixion and Jesus' tomb, while hardly conclusive, is at least consistent with the role of grieving wife and widow. There are also passages indicating that Mary of Bethany was behaving as a Jewish wife, for example in waiting to be summoned when Jesus arrived at Lazarus’ tomb. This would be resolved if Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany were one and the same character (see below).

Proponents of a companionship with Jesus argue that it would have been unthinkable for an adult, unmarried Jew to travel about teaching as a rabbi. However, in Jesus' time the Jewish religion was very diverse and the role of the rabbi was not yet well defined. It was not until after the Roman destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70 that Rabbinic Judaism became dominant and the role of the rabbi made uniform in Jewish communities.

Medieval dualism

The 13th-century Cistercian monk and chronicler Peter of Vaux de Cernay claimed it was part of Catharist belief that the earthly Jesus Christ had a relationship with Mary Magdalene, described as his concubine. Quote: "Further, in their secret meetings they said that the Christ who was born in the earthly and visible Bethlehem and crucified at Jerusalem was 'evil', and that Mary Magdalene was his concubine – and that she was the woman taken in adultery who is referred to in the Scriptures; the 'good' Christ, they said, neither ate nor drank nor assumed the true flesh and was never in this world, except spiritually in the body of Paul. I have used the term 'the earthly and visible Bethlehem' because the heretics believed there is a different and invisible earth in which – according to some of them – the 'good' Christ was born and crucified."

A document, possibly written by Ermengaud of Béziers, undated and anonymous and attached to his ''Treatise against Heretics'', makes a similar statement. Quote: "Also they [the Cathars] teach in their secret meetings that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Christ. She was the Samaritan woman to whom He said, 'Call thy husband.' She was the woman taken into adultery, whom Christ set free lest the Jews stone her, and she was with Him in three places, in the temple, at the well, and in the garden. After the Resurrection, He appeared first to her."

Mary Magdalene and Iona

The author Fiona MacLeod reported "there's a story that Mary Magdalene lies in a cave in Iona".

Mary Magdalene in historical fiction

Edgar Saltus's historical fiction novel ''Mary Magdalene: A Chronicle'' (1891) depicts her as a heroine living in a castle at Magdala, who moves to Rome becoming the "toast of the tetrarchy", telling John The Baptist she will "drink pearls... sup on peacock's tongues."

See also

Jesus bloodline

Magdalen Society of Philadelphia forced labour society

Magdalene Asylum forced labour organisation

Mary of Bethany

Saint Sarah

Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

St. Mary Magdalene's Church

References

Further reading

Acocella, Joan. "The Saintly Sinner: The Two-Thousand-Year Obsession with Mary Magdalene." ''The New Yorker'', February 13 & 20, 2006, p. 140–49. Prompted by controversy surrounding Dan Brown's ''The Da Vinci Code''.

Brock, Ann Graham. ''Mary Magdalene, The First Apostle: The Struggle for Authority''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2003. ISBN 0674009665. Discusses issues of apostolic authority in the gospels and the ''Gospel of Peter'' the competition between Peter and Mary, especially in chapter 7, "The Replacement of Mary Magdalene: A Strategy for Eliminating the Competition."

Burstein, Dan, and Arne J. De Keijzer. ''Secrets of Mary Magdalene''. New York: CDS Books, 2006. ISBN 1593152051.

Jansen, Katherine Ludwig. ''The Making of the Magdalen: Preaching and Popular Devotion in the Later Middle Ages''. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2000. ISBN 0691058504.

ISBN 0226453812.

Pearson, Birger A. "Did Jesus Marry?." ''Bible Review'', Spring 2005, pp 32–39 & 47. Discussion of ''complete'' texts.

Picknett, Lynn, and Clive Prince. ''The Templar Revelation''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. ISBN 0593038703. Presents a hypothesis that Mary Magdalene was a priestess who was Jesus' partner in a sacred marriage.

Shoemaker, Stephen J. "Rethinking the ‘Gnostic Mary’: Mary of Nazareth and Mary of Magdala in Early Christian Tradition." in ''Journal of Early Christian Studies'', 9 (2001) pp 555–595.

Thiering, Barbara. ''Jesus the Man: Decoding the Real Story of Jesus and Mary Magdalene''. New York: Simon & Schulster (Atria Books), 2006. ISBN 1416541381.

Wellborn, Amy. ''De-coding Mary Magdalene: Truth, Legend, and Lies''. Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, 2006. ISBN 1592762093. A straightforward accounting of what is well-known of Mary Magdalene.

External links

St. Mary Magdalene (pdf) from Fr. Alban Butler's ''Lives of the Saints''

"Saint Mary Magdalene." Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

The Life of St. Mary Magdalene: Saint of the Christian Church

St Mary Magdalene, Catholic Encyclopaedia 1911

Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene

St Mary Magdalen and the case for the ordination of women in the Catholic Church

Legends of Mary Magdalene

The Pesher Technique: ''The Marriage of Jesus'' by Barbara Thiering

Miriam/Myriam M'Gadola: Mary Magdalene

Articles and more than 40 Paintings

Early Christian Writings: ''Gospel of Mary''

''Gospel of Mary Magdalene''

Showing inaccuracy of ''The Da Vinci Code'' in respect to Mary Magdalene

Category:1st-century Christian female saints Category:1st-century deaths Category:Anglican saints Category:Eastern Orthodox saints Category:Equal-to-apostles Category:Followers of Jesus Category:New Testament people Category:People celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar Category:Roman Catholic saints Category:Saints from the Holy Land Category:Saints of the Golden Legend

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