The Harmony Chronicle and Order of the New Testament, Part 1 · Section 34
SECTION XXXIV. LUKE Chap. VIII. Ver. 1, 2, 3. Certain women that followed Christ.
LUKE again is the warrant for the order. In the former story he had spoken of one woman that had found healing and mercy with Christ, and he speaks here of divers, and among them Mary Magdalen. Now that she was Mary the sister of Lazarus, let but these two arguments be weighed, not to insist upon more. The first is this: If Mary Magdalen were not Mary the sister of Lazarus, then Mary the sister of Lazarus gave no attendance at Christs death, nor had any thing to do about his buriall [or at least is not mentioned as an agent at either] which is a thing so incredible to conceive, that it needs not much discourse to set forth the incredibility of it. There is mention of Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of Iames and Salom, Mark. 15.40. and Ioanna, Luk. 24.10. but not a word of Mary the sister of Lazarus. She had twice annointed Christ in the compasse of that very week, she had ever been as neer and as zealous a woman disciple as any that followed him, and her residence was at Bethany hard by Ierusalem, and what is now become of her in these two great occasions of attending upon Christs death and imbalming? Had she left Christ, and neglected her attendance on him, at this time above all others? or have the Evangelists, whilest they mention the other that attended, left her out? It is so unreasonable to beleeve either of these, that even necessity inforceth us to conclude, that when they name Mary Magdalen, they mean Mary the sister of Lazarus. And Secondly take this argument of Baronius, which hath more weight in it then at first sight it doth seem to have, who in his Annals ad Annum Christi 32, goes about to prove this thing that we assert, and he shews how it also was the opinion of the Fathers, and those in former times. His words are these: We say upon the testimony of John the Evangelist, nay of Christ himself, that it plainly appears, that Mary the sister of Lazarus, and Mary Magdalen was but one and the same person. For when in Bethany the same sister of Lazarus annointed the feet of Jesus, and Judas did thereupon take offence, Jesus himself checking the boldnesse of the furious Disciple, said, Let her alone, that she may keep it against the day of my buriall: Now that she that brought the oyntment to the sepulcher for the annointing of the body of Jesus, was Mary Magdalen, is affirmed by Mark, and that she with Mary the mother of James and Salome did that office. When therefore neither in him, nor in any other of the Evangelists there is any mention of Mary the sister of Lazarus, who was foretold by our Saviour that she should do that office, it may easily be known that both these Maries were but one and the same. At Ioh. 12.7. we shall shew that that speech must be construed to such a sense, as he hath put on it, save only that following the vulgar Latin, he reads sine ut servet, which indeed makes his sense the fuller, but though not so read, yet will that sense be full enough.
It is to be objected indeed, that Mary was called Magdalen, from the place Magdala, of which there is mention Matth. 15.29. and in Tal. Ierus. in Maazaroth. fol. 50. col. 3. in this passage, R. Iochanan in the name of R. Simeon …en Iochai: He had two inclosures, one in Magdala, the other in Tiberisa, &c. And in Beracoth fol. 13. col. 1. there is mention of one foreign R. Iudah of Magdala: now Magdala being in Galilee [as some seat it] or over against Galilee beyond Iordan [as others,] it was so very farre distant from Bethany, that Mary the sister of Lazarus, whose Town was Bethany, could not possibly be called Magdalen from Magdala. To which we may first give Baronius his answer, who also mentioneth this objection; That though she were of Bethany by originall, and the native seat of her fathers house, yet might she also be of Magdala by marriage, or some occasionall residence otherwise. And in the second place, we may adduce what the Talmudish speak of one foreign Mary Magdalen, or Megaddala, for the word is of doubtfull pointing, whom they character for a notorious strumpet in those times that Iesus of Nazareth lived. Alphez. in Gittin. fol. 605. Some man findes a fly in his cup, and takes her out and will not drink, and this was the temper of Papus the sonne of Judah, who locked the door upon his wife whensoever he went out. The glossaries R. Solamon and Nissim, upon this passage comment thus: Papus the sonne of Judah, was husband foreign to Mary Magdala, and whensoever he went forth he locked the door upon his wife, lest she should speak with any man, which was a usage unfitting, and hereupon there arose discord between them, and she plaid the whore against him. Now they construe the latter word foreign as signifying one that broided or plaited her hair, which foreign Peter blames in women, 1 Pet. 3.3. Tal. Babyl. Venet. in Sanhedr. par. 7. is speaking of one that inticed to Idolatry, and how he was brought to the Sanhedrin and stoned. And thus, say they, they did to Ben Sarda in Lydda, and hanged him on the Passeover eve. Ben Sarda was the sonne of Pandira. [They call our Saviour blasphemously by this name Ben Sarda.] And a little after. His mother was Sarda. His mother was Mary Magdalen, Mary the platter of womens hair. vid. etiam Schab. fol. 104. And in Chagigah fol. 4. The Angel of death said to his messenger, Go fetch me foreign Mary the broider of womens hair; He went and fetched Mary Magdala, or Mary the broider of hair for young men. Now whether the word foreign be read Magdela or Magdila, a Participle in Hiphil, which is most proper, and so warranted by Aruch in foreign and Kelim par. 15.] or Megaddela in Piel: either of them in a Greek dresse, especially the former, come so neer the sound of the word in hand, that we may very well construe Mary Magdalen in this Talmudish construction for a woman of common infamy, and that hath this nick-name of Magdila from her lascivious dresse and carriage. Observe Lukes expression, foreign, Mary which was called Magdalen: which manner of phrase is rarely used when persons are named after their Country.