(T+ t = B) = (B+ t = T)

From Newsweek - May 29th, 2006 issue.

“Why, then, did this woman, whom the New Testament tells us was Jesus' constant companion and whom the Gnostics claim was privileged above all others, disappear after the resurrection? If Mary were so important to Jesus, why is there no mention of her in Acts, or in the Epistles?”

I've really had enough of the "DaVinci Code" fever that's produced everything from diet books to video games. However, when I saw the latest issue of Newsweek and read the cover story "The Mystery of Mary Magdalene," I couldn't resist recording a couple of observations about the history of the Church, and the origin of the Bible that help shed light on the subject and possibly, or hopefully, help establish a more firm foundation for discernment when it comes to matters of great importance, like seeking Truth (with a capital "T".)

The Proof for the Truth ((T+ t = B) = (B+ t = T))

Since the days of the so-called Reformation in the 16th century, there have been a number of dogmatic beliefs that have been "added" to the original teachings of the ancient Church, not the least of which is the claim of "Sola Scriptura" (Latin: By scripture alone.) Support for this is found in "Statements of Belief" for many, if not all Protestant churches these days. This concept of discerning truth ONLY by making reference to the Bible has been the cause of much confusion throughout history, and ultimately has resulted in the proliferation of literally thousands of "denominations" of Churches - as someone wisely quipped "All it takes to start a new denomination today is a couple of disgruntled Christians meeting over a cup of coffee!"

So, borrowing from the discipline of Mathematics where methods of proof are stated as formulas, I'd like to recommend a formula for the verification of the truth of Christ and His Church.

The formula is quite simple:

(T+ t = B) = (B+ t = T)

Where T = Truth, t = Tradition, B = Bible.

Stated grammatically, the formula says: Truth (As it was experienced), plus tradition (as the experiences were recorded) equals the written Bible. Therefore, the Bible plus Tradition equals the Truth.

In the opening words of the Gospel according to St. Luke (Note: the word "according" is included in the traditional title) we read:

"Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed."

- St. Luke 1:1-4

When I was a disgruntled Evangelical Protestant, I used to "blow by" these sorts of statements, to get to what I thought was the more important stuff. In Orthodoxy however, we tend to highlight all those passages that are not in red! They're there for a reason.

You see, the Bible came from the community of faith; the Old Testament from the Jews, called out to be the vehicle for God's revelation to mankind, and the New Testament from the Church, - as early believers recorded the "eyewitness" accounts for posterity. The purpose was to ensure that everyone who followed after them "may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed," or in other words, would know that what you were told was true. The Sola Scriptura view implies the opposite view - as if the Bible "magically" appeared.

So, as I read the article about "The Mystery of Mary Magdalene," I saw how easy it was to draw the conclusion that nothing is known about Mary Magdalene because there's "no mention of her in Acts, or in the Epistles."

Actually, in the Orthodox Church, there are many traditions that have been handed down through the ages that explain and de-mystify these questions. For example, the traditional history of Mary Magdalene "records" the following:

• In the Eastern Orthodox Church she is called "The Equal of the Apostles."
• That she was young and pretty and led a sinful life. (It says in Luke 8:2 that the Lord expelled seven devils from Mary).
• From the moment of her healing Mary led a new life, and became a true disciple of the Savior.
• Together with the pious women Joanna, wife of Choza (steward of Herod), Susanna and others, she served Jesus from her own possessions (Luke 8:1-3) and undoubtedly shared with the Apostles the evangelic tasks in common with the other women.
• During Christ's Crucifixion she remained fearlessly at the Cross together with Mary, Jesus' Mother, and the Apostle John while all the other disciples ran away.
• She was the first to preach about the Resurrection. The Apostles proclaimed the Glad Tidings to the world, but she proclaimed it to the Apostles themselves.
• When the Apostles departed from Jerusalem to preach to all the ends of the earth, Mary Magdalene also went with them.
• She went beyond her native borders and went to preach in pagan Rome.
• Tradition relates that in Italy Mary Magdalene visited Emperor Tiberias (14-37 A.D.) and proclaimed to him Christ's Resurrection. According to Tradition, she took him a red egg as a symbol of the Resurrection, a symbol of new life with the words: "Christ is Risen!" Then she told the emperor that in his Province of Judea the unjustly condemned Jesus the Galilean, a holy man, a miracleworker, powerful before God and all mankind, had been executed and the sentence confirmed by the procurator appointed by Tiberias, Pontius Pilate.
• Thanks to Mary Magdalene the custom of giving gifts of "Easter" eggs on the day of the Resurrection of Christ spread among Christians over all the world.
• On one ancient Greek manuscript, written on parchment, kept in the monastery library of St Athanasius near Thessalonica, is a prayer read on the day of Holy Pascha for the blessing of eggs and cheese. In it is indicated that the igumen in passing out the blessed eggs says to the brethren: "Thus have we received from the holy Fathers, who preserved this custom from the very time of the holy Apostles, therefore the holy Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene first showed believers the example of this joyful offering."
• Mary Magdalene continued her preaching in Italy and in the city of Rome itself. Evidently, the Apostle Paul has her in mind in his Epistle to the Romans (16: 6), where together with other ascetics of evangelic preaching he mentions Mary (Mariam), who as he expresses "has bestowed much labor on us."
• She extensively served the Church in its means of subsistence and its difficulties, being exposed to dangers, and sharing with the Apostles the labors of preaching.
• She remained in Rome until the arrival of the Apostle Paul, and for two more years following his departure
• From Rome, St Mary Magdalene, as an older woman, moved to Ephesus where the Apostle John unceasingly labored. There the saint finished her earthly life and was buried.
• Her holy relics (remains) were transferred in the ninth century to Constantinople, and placed in the monastery Church of St Lazarus.
• During the Crusades they were transferred to Italy and placed at Rome under the altar of the Lateran Cathedral.
• Part of the relics of Mary Magdalene are said to be in Provage, France near Marseilles, where over them at the foot of a steep mountain a splendid church is built in her honor.
• The Orthodox Church honors the holy memory of St Mary Magdalene, the woman called by the Lord Himself from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.

DOING IT BY THE BOOK

All of the best colleges and universities, as institutions of higher learning, are founded on the principle of handing-down, through the practical experience of masters or skilled interpreters, the rich “traditional” or ancient wisdom of those who originally discovered or developed the knowledge.

If I had to place my life in the hands of a surgeon, my first choice would be someone who had built their skill on years of training based on the traditions of their profession, rather than somebody who’d read a book on the subject – even if they’d memorized it!!

Likewise, if I were brought before a court accused of a crime, I’d want a well qualified Judge and Jury to base their judgment on the traditional interpretation of the law that places a high value on corroborative evidence of multiple eyewitnesses. Rather than be tried based on the purely personal interpretation of the law based on a popular novel or an article from Newsweek!!!

So why, when it comes to matters of eternal significance; like seeking the meaning and purpose of life, do we think that we can go with what “sounds” or “feels” right???

As Rob Bell, author of "Velvet Elvis," says: “If it’s true, it isn’t new.”