completed icon of st Mary Magdalene

here is a piece on Mary Magdalene from the Orthodox Chrisitian web site: site http://www.denver.goarch.org/parishes/Grand_Junction/mary_magdalene/

The Life of Mary Magdalene

First, a word about this Saint, one of the holy Myrrh Bearers and Equal to the Apostles, Mary Magdalene.She is NOT in any way whatsoever as portrayed in that blasphemous and sacrilegious contemporary novel titled the DaVinci Code.

Mary Magdalene was a Jewish woman, of the tribe of Isaachar, born in the city of Magdala (thus her name, "Mary of Magdala" or "Mary Magdalene"). Her family was very devout and she was raised in traditional Jewish piety. She was orphaned at the age of ten, but continued her pious life while growing up among her extended family, attending the synagogue frequently and reading the Scriptures. By the way, it was not uncommon for Jewish women of that time to be educated and to read the Scriptures at home.

Mary was afflicted with seven demons: those of pride, envy, wrath, avarice, sloth, gluttony, and lust. Mary struggled against the fierce attacks of these demons, and never succumbed to them. She was unable, by her own power, to totally cast them away from herself, and it was thus necessary for Jesus Himself to cast these demons out of her. Mary Magdalene is referred to in the New Testament as the "woman out of Whom Jesus cast the seven demons." Mary Magdalene was about six years younger than [Mary Mother of Jesus]the Panagia, the Theotokos, and was well known to her. The Mother of God loved her like a sister, and it is thus not surprising that Mary of Magdala became one of her Son's followers. Apparently she was a woman of some means, and her family of some significance for she helped support the work of Jesus and His disciples, and later had access to Caesar in Rome. After Jesus' death and burial, Mary Magdalene was naturally among His kinswomen who came to the tomb early in the morning to complete the process of preparing His body for burial since Joseph of Arimathea and Nikodemos were forced to do so hurriedly on Friday afternoon before the sun set and the Sabbath began. After the resurrection, Mary Magdalene became a strong witness and traveling preacher of the Gospel, and for this she is referred to as an "equal to the Apostles." Mary Magdalene died peacefully and was buried in a cave that is said to be the same place where years later the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus were buried. Her relics were later taken to Constantinople.

The Red Egg

Her travels eventually took Mary Magdalene to Rome, where because of her family's standing she was able to obtain an audience with the Roman Emperor, Tiberius Caesar. Her purpose was to protest to him that his governor in Judea, Pontius Pilate, and the two high priests, Annas and Caiaphas, had conspired and executed an innocent man, namely our Lord Jesus Christ. According to the tradition, everyone visiting the Emperor was supposed to bring him a gift.  Mary Magdalene took an egg (representing the stone which had been rolled away) to the Emperor's palace and handed it to Tiberius Caesar with the greeting: "Christ is risen!" Tiberius Caesar, naturally, could not believe what he heard and responded to her: "How could anyone ever rise from the dead? It is as impossible as that white egg to turn red." While Tiberius was speaking these words, the egg in the hand of Mary Magdalene began changing color until it finally became bright red. Thus the Pascha greeting -- in universal Christendom, both East and West -- has ever since remained "Christ is risen!" and it became traditional for Christians throughout the world to color eggs in red. Mary Magdalene then went on to explain to Tiberius Caesar that the now-red egg symbolized life rising from a sealed chamber, Mary Magdalene is painted in iconography holding the red egg once presented to Tiberius Caesar, which she used to explain the mystery of Christ rising from a sealed tomb. She then assisted St. John the Theologian in Ephesus. She preached boldly the gospel of the Risen Lord whom she loved.