The Repentant Woman, Mary of Bethany, and Mary Magdalene: One Figure?

[Moonwood]

1. Opening Thesis

The Gospel narratives present three women whose actions, circumstances, and narrative roles overlap in striking ways:

• The unnamed repentant woman in the house of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7)
• Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, in Bethany (Matthew 26; Mark 14; John 11-12)
• Mary Magdalene, healed of seven demons and honored as the first witness of the Resurrection

I argue that these three women are best understood as one and the same person. The identification is supported by narrative continuity, distinctive repeated gestures, geographical plausibility, and the long-standing interpretive tradition of the Church.

2. The Repentant Woman in Simon the Pharisee’s House (Luke 7:36-50)

Key Narrative Features

• Publicly known as a sinner
• Brings an alabaster jar of ointment
• Weeps, wets Jesus’s feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, kisses His feet, and anoints them
• Becomes a disciple
• Receives Jesus's declaration of forgivness, salvation, and great love

Geographical Context

• Luke situates the episode in Galilee, near Nain (Luke 7:11).
• Magdala is also in Galilee, within plausible travel distance.
• Luke 7:30 notes Pharisaic hostility to John’s baptism in this region—the same environment in which the unnamed woman appears.

Interpretive Significance

Her gesture is highly distinctive:

• Anointing
• Hair‑wiping
• A posture of repentance and devotion

This combination becomes crucial when compared with Mary of Bethany.

3. Mary of Bethany (Matthew 26; Mark 14; John 11-12)

Key Narrative Features

John explicitly identifies her as “the one who anointed the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair” (John 11:2).

In John 12:1-8 she performs the gesture again:

• Brings an alabaster jar
• Anoints Jesus
• Wipes His feet with her hair

Matthew and Mark recount the same event, emphasizing the costly ointment and Jesus’s promise that her act will be remembered wherever the Gospel is preached.

Differences from Luke 7

• No tears
• Not a public act of repentance
• Motivated by devotion and anticipation of Jesus’s death
• Occurs in Bethany, not Nain

Why These Differences Support Identification

People often repeat characteristic gestures in different emotional contexts.

• In Luke 7, the gesture expresses repentance.
• In Bethany, it expresses devotion and prophetic insight.

This combination is not merely rare; it is unique in ancient literature. No other figure in antiquity is described performing this triad of actions. Its repetition strongly suggests a single woman whose personal gesture becomes a narrative signature.

4. Mary of Magdala

Key Biblical Facts

• Healed of seven demons (Luke 8:1-2)
• Financial supporter of Jesus’s ministry
• Present at the Crucifixion
• Present at the Burial
• Comes to anoint Jesus’s body
• First (or second) witness of the Resurrection

Why She Fits the Profile

If the unnamed woman of Luke 7 was a well‑known public sinner, and Mary Magdalene was a woman with a deeply troubled past (symbolized by “seven demons”), both share:

• A dramatic personal transformation
• A life of devoted discipleship
• A narrative arc from shame → healing → leadership

Early Christian tradition—most famously articulated by Gregory the Great—explicitly identified all three as the same woman. Modern scholarship debates the question, but substantial arguments remain on both sides.

5. Synthesis: Why These Three Women Are Likely One

1. The Distinctive Gesture Argument

The combination of:

• Alabaster jar
• Anointing
• Hair‑wiping

is unique in ancient literature and appears twice in the Gospels. The simplest explanation is that one woman repeated her characteristic gesture.

2. The Narrative Continuity Argument

Luke introduces the unnamed woman immediately before introducing Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:1-2).

This sequencing is unlikely to be accidental.
Luke frequently pairs narrative units to create interpretive links.
The placement of Mary Magdalene directly after the forgiven woman strongly suggests that the reader is meant to see continuity between the two figures.

3. The Character Arc Argument

All three women share:

• A troubled past
• A transformative encounter with Jesus
• A life of devoted discipleship
• A role in Jesus’s burial or anticipated burial
• A place of honor in Christian memory

4. The Early Church Tradition Argument

For over a millennium, the dominant Christian interpretation identified:

• The repentant woman
• Mary Magdalene
• Mary of Bethany

as one person. This view shaped Western liturgy, preaching, and devotion.

5. The Geographical Plausibility Argument

• The unnamed woman appears in Galilee.
• Mary Magdalene is from Magdala, also in Galilee.
• Mary of Bethany appears later in Judea—consistent with a woman who left her past behind and joined Jesus’s inner circle.

6. Anticipated Objections (Brief Replies)

Eastern Tradition
The Eastern Churches distinguish the three women.
However, this tradition developed independently of the Western interpretive trajectory and does not negate the internal narrative evidence for unity.

Chronological Objection (“Luke 7 is too early”)
Luke’s Gospel is not strictly chronological.
He frequently arranges material thematically.
The placement of Luke 7 → Luke 8 is literary, not temporal.

Johannine Specificity
John distinguishes Mary of Bethany by name, but he also explicitly identifies her as the woman who performed the hair‑wiping gesture—linking her directly to the Luke 7 act.

7. Closing Statement

The cumulative evidence—literary, geographical, psychological, and traditional—supports the identification of the repentant woman in Luke 7, Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Bethany as one remarkable disciple whose life was transformed by Jesus.

Her repeated, intimate gesture of anointing and wiping Jesus’s feet with her hair functions as a narrative signature linking the accounts. Her troubled past, profound repentance, and later prominence in the Resurrection narratives form a coherent and compelling character arc.

Thus, the most coherent reading of the Gospel material is that all three women are the same individual, remembered in Christian tradition as Mary Magdalene, the apostle to the apostles.

 

[Rockerduck]

Mary was from Magdala, close to Bethany where she lived. Notably well off and sister of Martha and Lazarus.
Mary from Magdala wiped Jesus's feet in her own house while Jesus and Lazarus were celebrating Lazarus' return to life. Mary did not cry, but poured perfume on Jesus' feet and wiped with her hair.

The other lady, at Simon the pharisee's feast was not Mary of Magdala but another whom Jesus had previously met, healed, and forgave her of her sins. She felt it greatly. She sought out Jesus to worship Him. She got past the guards at the gate somehow because this was an A list feast of who's who. She was crying and standing over Jesus's feet, wipe His feet with her hair to dry Jesus' feet and pored perfumed oil on His feet. People in those days laid down on their side and propped themselves up with their elbow. That's why she could stand over His feet. In the past tense, Jesus say's (paraphrase) Again, your sin's are forgiven. In the Greek, this is the second time Jesus has seen her. Thus, a parable is told to Simon for something that previously happened.

At an A list party at that time it was customary for the host to kiss the attendee, provide a slave to wash the feet, and give perfumed oil for the hair. They did not wear deodorant back then. This lady provided this.

They are two different women.

 

[Moonwood]

Mary was from Magdala, close to Bethany where she lived. Notably well off and sister of Martha and Lazarus.
Mary from Magdala wiped Jesus's feet in her own house while Jesus and Lazarus were celebrating Lazarus' return to life. Mary did not cry, but poured perfume on Jesus' feet and wiped with her hair.

The other lady, at Simon the pharisee's feast was not Mary of Magdala but another whom Jesus had previously met, healed, and forgave her of her sins. She felt it greatly. She sought out Jesus to worship Him. She got past the guards at the gate somehow because this was an A list feast of who's who. She was crying and standing over Jesus's feet, wipe His feet with her hair to dry Jesus' feet and pored perfumed oil on His feet. People in those days laid down on their side and propped themselves up with their elbow. That's why she could stand over His feet. In the past tense, Jesus say's (paraphrase) Again, your sin's are forgiven. In the Greek, this is the second time Jesus has seen her. Thus, a parable is told to Simon for something that previously happened.

At an A list party at that time it was customary for the host to kiss the attendee, provide a slave to wash the feet, and give perfumed oil for the hair. They did not wear deodorant back then. This lady provided this.

They are two different women.

Your description of the two women assumes distinctions that the Gospel texts themselves do not make. Several of the claims—Mary living in Bethany, Mary Magdalene hosting Jesus in “her own house,” Jesus having met the Luke 7 woman previously, or guards preventing entry to Simon’s feast—are not found anywhere in Scripture. They are later imaginative reconstructions, not textual data.

By contrast, the Gospels do explicitly connect Mary of Bethany with the hair‑wiping gesture (John 11:2), and Luke places the forgiven woman immediately before introducing Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:1-2), a literary pairing that is unlikely accidental. The distinctive triad—alabaster jar, anointing, hair‑wiping—appears only in Luke 7 and John 12, and nowhere else in ancient literature. The simplest reading is that the same woman repeated her characteristic act in different emotional contexts.

So while it is possible to distinguish the women, the textual evidence actually leans toward unity rather than separation.

 

[Rockerduck]

Your description of the two women assumes distinctions that the Gospel texts themselves do not make. Several of the claims—Mary living in Bethany, Mary Magdalene hosting Jesus in “her own house,” Jesus having met the Luke 7 woman previously, or guards preventing entry to Simon’s feast—are not found anywhere in Scripture. They are later imaginative reconstructions, not textual data.

By contrast, the Gospels do explicitly connect Mary of Bethany with the hair‑wiping gesture (John 11:2), and Luke places the forgiven woman immediately before introducing Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:1-2), a literary pairing that is unlikely accidental. The distinctive triad—alabaster jar, anointing, hair‑wiping—appears only in Luke 7 and John 12, and nowhere else in ancient literature. The simplest reading is that the same woman repeated her characteristic act in different emotional contexts.

So while it is possible to distinguish the women, the textual evidence actually leans toward unity rather than separation.

I study the history along with scripture to understand the time and customs. The Romans also described the customs of the Jews. Whatever, it is two different women. Mary's last name is not Magdalene, she was a Magdalene from Magdala. Nobody had last names then. There were two different women, at different times, and different places. One boldly sought Jesus, the other had the convenience of Jesus in her house.

 

[Moonwood]

I study the history along with scripture to understand the time and customs. The Romans also described the customs of the Jews. Whatever, it is two different women. Mary's last name is not Magdalene, she was a Magdalene from Magdala. Nobody had last names then. There were two different women, at different times, and different places. One boldly sought Jesus, the other had the convenience of Jesus in her house.

Different times and different places don’t prove different women. The same person can repeat the same distinctive gesture for different reasons, in different places, at different times — repentance in Luke 7, devotion in John 12. The hair‑wiping act is unique in ancient literature and appears only twice. That repetition is far better explained by one woman than by two unrelated women performing the same extremely unusual gesture.

 

[Rockerduck]

Different times and different places don’t prove different women. The same person can repeat the same distinctive gesture for different reasons, in different places, at different times — repentance in Luke 7, devotion in John 12. The hair‑wiping act is unique in ancient literature and appears only twice. That repetition is far better explained by one woman than by two unrelated women performing the same extremely unusual gesture.

Jesus was not bothered nor surprised that both women used their hair to wipe His feet. Also, Jesus knew Mary, Simon thought to himself that she was a sinner, and Jesus knew his thoughts. Mary was known among the Jews and Pharisees' by the amount at Lazarus's funeral wake. Its Highly likely that Simon also at least heard of this Mary, since he was a Pharisee too, and word off mouth spread quickly. Look how fast the raising of Lazarus spread to the Sanhedrin.

 

[Moonwood]

Jesus was not bothered nor surprised that both women used their hair to wipe His feet. Also, Jesus knew Mary, Simon thought to himself that she was a sinner, and Jesus knew his thoughts. Mary was known among the Jews and Pharisees' by the amount at Lazarus's funeral wake. Its Highly likely that Simon also at least heard of this Mary, since he was a Pharisee too, and word off mouth spread quickly. Look how fast the raising of Lazarus spread to the Sanhedrin.

None of the details you’re adding—Mary being well‑known at Lazarus’s funeral, Simon having heard of her, Jesus not being surprised, or the speed of word‑of‑mouth—actually prove these are two different women. They’re imaginative reconstructions, not textual evidence.

The only concrete, repeated, textual marker we have is the hair‑wiping gesture.
It appears only twice in all ancient literature:

• once in Luke 7
• once in John 12

Different time, different place, different emotional context — but the same extremely distinctive act.

A single person can repeat a meaningful gesture.
Repentance in Luke 7.
Devotion in John 12.
That is far more plausible than two unrelated women performing the same rare act.

Your argument relies on assumptions about what Simon “likely” knew, what “probably” spread among Pharisees, and what Jesus “was not surprised by.” None of that is stated in Scripture. The Gospels never say Simon recognized her, never say she was famous at Lazarus’s wake, and never say Jesus had met her before.

By contrast, the Gospels do explicitly connect Mary of Bethany with the hair‑wiping gesture (John 11:2), and Luke places the forgiven woman immediately before introducing Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:1-2), a literary pairing that is unlikely accidental.

So the question isn’t what might have happened socially.
The question is what the text actually gives us.

And the text gives us one unique gesture, repeated twice, which is far better explained by one woman than by two.

 

[Grailhunter]

1. Opening Thesis

The Gospel narratives present three women whose actions, circumstances, and narrative roles overlap in striking ways:

• The unnamed repentant woman in the house of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7)
• Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, in Bethany (Matthew 26; Mark 14; John 11-12)
• Mary Magdalene, healed of seven demons and honored as the first witness of the Resurrection

I argue that these three women are best understood as one and the same person. The identification is supported by narrative continuity, distinctive repeated gestures, geographical plausibility, and the long-standing interpretive tradition of the Church.

2. The Repentant Woman in Simon the Pharisee’s House (Luke 7:36-50)

Key Narrative Features

• Publicly known as a sinner
• Brings an alabaster jar of ointment
• Weeps, wets Jesus’s feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, kisses His feet, and anoints them
• Becomes a disciple
• Receives Jesus's declaration of forgivness, salvation, and great love

Geographical Context

• Luke situates the episode in Galilee, near Nain (Luke 7:11).
• Magdala is also in Galilee, within plausible travel distance.
• Luke 7:30 notes Pharisaic hostility to John’s baptism in this region—the same environment in which the unnamed woman appears.

Interpretive Significance

Her gesture is highly distinctive:

• Anointing
• Hair‑wiping
• A posture of repentance and devotion

This combination becomes crucial when compared with Mary of Bethany.

3. Mary of Bethany (Matthew 26; Mark 14; John 11-12)

Key Narrative Features

John explicitly identifies her as “the one who anointed the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair” (John 11:2).

In John 12:1-8 she performs the gesture again:

• Brings an alabaster jar
• Anoints Jesus
• Wipes His feet with her hair

Matthew and Mark recount the same event, emphasizing the costly ointment and Jesus’s promise that her act will be remembered wherever the Gospel is preached.

Differences from Luke 7

• No tears
• Not a public act of repentance
• Motivated by devotion and anticipation of Jesus’s death
• Occurs in Bethany, not Nain

Why These Differences Support Identification

People often repeat characteristic gestures in different emotional contexts.

• In Luke 7, the gesture expresses repentance.
• In Bethany, it expresses devotion and prophetic insight.

This combination is not merely rare; it is unique in ancient literature. No other figure in antiquity is described performing this triad of actions. Its repetition strongly suggests a single woman whose personal gesture becomes a narrative signature.

4. Mary of Magdala

Key Biblical Facts

• Healed of seven demons (Luke 8:1-2)
• Financial supporter of Jesus’s ministry
• Present at the Crucifixion
• Present at the Burial
• Comes to anoint Jesus’s body
• First (or second) witness of the Resurrection

Why She Fits the Profile

If the unnamed woman of Luke 7 was a well‑known public sinner, and Mary Magdalene was a woman with a deeply troubled past (symbolized by “seven demons”), both share:

• A dramatic personal transformation
• A life of devoted discipleship
• A narrative arc from shame → healing → leadership

Early Christian tradition—most famously articulated by Gregory the Great—explicitly identified all three as the same woman. Modern scholarship debates the question, but substantial arguments remain on both sides.

5. Synthesis: Why These Three Women Are Likely One

1. The Distinctive Gesture Argument

The combination of:

• Alabaster jar
• Anointing
• Hair‑wiping

is unique in ancient literature and appears twice in the Gospels. The simplest explanation is that one woman repeated her characteristic gesture.

2. The Narrative Continuity Argument

Luke introduces the unnamed woman immediately before introducing Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:1-2).

This sequencing is unlikely to be accidental.
Luke frequently pairs narrative units to create interpretive links.
The placement of Mary Magdalene directly after the forgiven woman strongly suggests that the reader is meant to see continuity between the two figures.

3. The Character Arc Argument

All three women share:

• A troubled past
• A transformative encounter with Jesus
• A life of devoted discipleship
• A role in Jesus’s burial or anticipated burial
• A place of honor in Christian memory

4. The Early Church Tradition Argument

For over a millennium, the dominant Christian interpretation identified:

• The repentant woman
• Mary Magdalene
• Mary of Bethany

as one person. This view shaped Western liturgy, preaching, and devotion.

5. The Geographical Plausibility Argument

• The unnamed woman appears in Galilee.
• Mary Magdalene is from Magdala, also in Galilee.
• Mary of Bethany appears later in Judea—consistent with a woman who left her past behind and joined Jesus’s inner circle.

6. Anticipated Objections (Brief Replies)

Eastern Tradition
The Eastern Churches distinguish the three women.
However, this tradition developed independently of the Western interpretive trajectory and does not negate the internal narrative evidence for unity.

Chronological Objection (“Luke 7 is too early”)
Luke’s Gospel is not strictly chronological.
He frequently arranges material thematically.
The placement of Luke 7 → Luke 8 is literary, not temporal.

Johannine Specificity
John distinguishes Mary of Bethany by name, but he also explicitly identifies her as the woman who performed the hair‑wiping gesture—linking her directly to the Luke 7 act.

7. Closing Statement

The cumulative evidence—literary, geographical, psychological, and traditional—supports the identification of the repentant woman in Luke 7, Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Bethany as one remarkable disciple whose life was transformed by Jesus.

Her repeated, intimate gesture of anointing and wiping Jesus’s feet with her hair functions as a narrative signature linking the accounts. Her troubled past, profound repentance, and later prominence in the Resurrection narratives form a coherent and compelling character arc.

Thus, the most coherent reading of the Gospel material is that all three women are the same individual, remembered in Christian tradition as Mary Magdalene, the apostle to the apostles.

There is no biblical reason to tie Mary Magdaline to the repentant woman who was probably a prostitute in Luke 7. Pope Gregory I in the 6th century tied Mary Magdaline with the repentant woman in Luke 7, but it was false.

Lazarus' home in Bethany became sort of a home base for Yeshua and Mary Magdaline was Martha's sister.

Mary Magdalene and other women anointed Yeshua, which is an interesting point. Biblically anointing is performed by someone of authority, usually religious authority. Except for Lazarus, only women financially supported Yeshua's ministry. When the list of "female followers" of Yeshua are listed Mary Magdaline is at the top.
Mary Magdaline and Yeshua's mother and the female followers of Yeshua were at the cross. And except for John, the other Apostles were in hiding.
Mary Magdaline and another Mary (Their names were Miriam, just so you know.) were at the resurrection and Yeshua first appeared to Mary Magdaline. Mary Magdaline was given the honor of proclaiming His resurrection to the Apostles who were hiding. This was one of the most significant events in Christianity so this says something about her importance.
All this shows the importance of women in Yeshua's ministry. A woman was impregnated by Yahweh. A woman delivered a God, our Savior. He had female followers that supported Him and anointed Him. They were at the cross and the resurrection while the Apostles were hiding.

Now there are those that speculate and other writings that support that Mary Magdaline and Yeshua had a romantic relationship, and possibly married. And Mary Magdaline is not her name. She is called Mary of Magdala. Some speculate that Magdaline means female of the Magi, who gave a treasure to Yeshua and protected Him. An Angel sent Him and His parent to Egypt where they probably stayed with the Magi. There are also some that speculate that the person that laid on Yeshua's chest at the Last Supper was Mary Magdaline not John. Not the position of two Jewish males? And at the cross it was Mary Magdaline that Yeshua told to look after His mother, not John. Historically it is said that Mary Magdaline and Yeshua's mother had a close relationship.
Speculation also suggests the marriage at Cana was between Lazarus and Yeshua's mother. That is why they were all there and the wine was important to Yeshua's mother. And this is why Lazarus's home became a home base for Yeshua and why Yeshua went back home to raise Lazarus from the dead, because He did not want His mother to be alone.

Now speculation-a-side.....The scriptures do not support any of this.

 

[Rockerduck]

None of the details you’re adding—Mary being well‑known at Lazarus’s funeral, Simon having heard of her, Jesus not being surprised, or the speed of word‑of‑mouth—actually prove these are two different women. They’re imaginative reconstructions, not textual evidence.

The only concrete, repeated, textual marker we have is the hair‑wiping gesture.
It appears only twice in all ancient literature:

• once in Luke 7
• once in John 12

Different time, different place, different emotional context — but the same extremely distinctive act.

A single person can repeat a meaningful gesture.
Repentance in Luke 7.
Devotion in John 12.
That is far more plausible than two unrelated women performing the same rare act.

Your argument relies on assumptions about what Simon “likely” knew, what “probably” spread among Pharisees, and what Jesus “was not surprised by.” None of that is stated in Scripture. The Gospels never say Simon recognized her, never say she was famous at Lazarus’s wake, and never say Jesus had met her before.

By contrast, the Gospels do explicitly connect Mary of Bethany with the hair‑wiping gesture (John 11:2), and Luke places the forgiven woman immediately before introducing Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:1-2), a literary pairing that is unlikely accidental.

So the question isn’t what might have happened socially. The question is what the text actually gives us.

And the text gives us one unique gesture, repeated twice, which is far better explained by one woman than by two.

The woman at Simon's house was the source of a parable and she did not anoint Jesus's feet for burial. Mary called by her name, did anoint Jesus' feet for His burial. John 12:7, the perfume was intended for Jesus's burial.

The women at Simon's house loved much (Luke 7:47), In Luke 8:2, Dr. Luke says Mary had 7 demons, also mentioned her by name.

Don't you think the Apostle John or Dr. Luke would have mentioned Mary by name at Simon's house? Or that Apostle John, who is big on details, would have said, "again" Mary anointed Jesus's feet?

 

[Moonwood]

The woman at Simon's house was the source of a parable and she did not anoint Jesus's feet for burial. Mary called by her name, did anoint Jesus' feet for His burial. John 12:7, the perfume was intended for Jesus's burial.

The women at Simon's house loved much (Luke 7:47), In Luke 8:2, Dr. Luke says Mary had 7 demons, also mentioned her by name.

Don't you think the Apostle John or Dr. Luke would have mentioned Mary by name at Simon's house? Or that Apostle John, who is big on details, would have said, "again" Mary anointed Jesus's feet?

The woman in Luke 7 is not a parable. She is a real woman whose act prompts Jesus to tell a parable to Simon. The presence of a parable doesn’t prove she’s a different woman from Mary of Bethany—Jesus often uses parables to interpret real events. What matters is the text itself, and the only repeated, distinctive marker the Gospels give us is the hair‑wiping gesture. It appears only twice in all ancient literature: once in Luke 7 and once in John 12. That repetition is far better explained by one woman than by two unrelated women performing the same extremely unusual act.

And John does indicate the act happened before. In John 11:2, he identifies Mary of Bethany as “the one who anointed the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair” before narrating the Bethany anointing in John 12. That is John’s way of saying “again”—he signals repetition through identification, not by using the literal word. The only earlier hair‑wiping event in any Gospel is Luke 7, so John is clearly pointing back to that act.

As for Luke not naming the woman in Luke 7, that is simply how Luke writes. He frequently introduces major figures without naming them: the Emmaus disciple, the bleeding woman, the widow of Nain, the rich ruler, the paralytic lowered through the roof, even the thief on the cross. Luke names people when he chooses to, not when modern readers expect him to. So the absence of a name in Luke 7 does not prove she is a different woman.

Different times and different places don’t prove different women. The same person can repeat the same distinctive gesture for different reasons, in different places, and at different times—repentance in Luke 7, devotion and prophetic insight in John 12. The hair‑wiping act is the only concrete textual link the Gospels give us, and it points toward unity, not separation.

 

[Grailhunter]

The woman in Luke 7 is not a parable. She is a real woman whose act prompts Jesus to tell a parable to Simon. The presence of a parable doesn’t prove she’s a different woman from Mary of Bethany—Jesus often uses parables to interpret real events. What matters is the text itself, and the only repeated, distinctive marker the Gospels give us is the hair‑wiping gesture. It appears only twice in all ancient literature: once in Luke 7 and once in John 12. That repetition is far better explained by one woman than by two unrelated women performing the same extremely unusual act.

And John does indicate the act happened before. In John 11:2, he identifies Mary of Bethany as “the one who anointed the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair” before narrating the Bethany anointing in John 12. That is John’s way of saying “again”—he signals repetition through identification, not by using the literal word. The only earlier hair‑wiping event in any Gospel is Luke 7, so John is clearly pointing back to that act.

As for Luke not naming the woman in Luke 7, that is simply how Luke writes. He frequently introduces major figures without naming them: the Emmaus disciple, the bleeding woman, the widow of Nain, the rich ruler, the paralytic lowered through the roof, even the thief on the cross. Luke names people when he chooses to, not when modern readers expect him to. So the absence of a name in Luke 7 does not prove she is a different woman.

Different times and different places don’t prove different women. The same person can repeat the same distinctive gesture for different reasons, in different places, and at different times—repentance in Luke 7, devotion and prophetic insight in John 12. The hair‑wiping act is the only concrete textual link the Gospels give us, and it points toward unity, not separation.

If you are looking for distinction in stories......Two different reasons for anointing Yeshua.....Two different places......
two different groups of people......Two different conversaions.....and the woman in Luke was described as a promiscuous woman.

 

[Rockerduck]

The woman in Luke 7 is not a parable. She is a real woman whose act prompts Jesus to tell a parable to Simon. The presence of a parable doesn’t prove she’s a different woman from Mary of Bethany—Jesus often uses parables to interpret real events. What matters is the text itself, and the only repeated, distinctive marker the Gospels give us is the hair‑wiping gesture. It appears only twice in all ancient literature: once in Luke 7 and once in John 12. That repetition is far better explained by one woman than by two unrelated women performing the same extremely unusual act.

And John does indicate the act happened before. In John 11:2, he identifies Mary of Bethany as “the one who anointed the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair” before narrating the Bethany anointing in John 12. That is John’s way of saying “again”—he signals repetition through identification, not by using the literal word. The only earlier hair‑wiping event in any Gospel is Luke 7, so John is clearly pointing back to that act.

As for Luke not naming the woman in Luke 7, that is simply how Luke writes. He frequently introduces major figures without naming them: the Emmaus disciple, the bleeding woman, the widow of Nain, the rich ruler, the paralytic lowered through the roof, even the thief on the cross. Luke names people when he chooses to, not when modern readers expect him to. So the absence of a name in Luke 7 does not prove she is a different woman.

Different times and different places don’t prove different women. The same person can repeat the same distinctive gesture for different reasons, in different places, and at different times—repentance in Luke 7, devotion and prophetic insight in John 12. The hair‑wiping act is the only concrete textual link the Gospels give us, and it points toward unity, not separation.

I get it now. Only Catholics fight this hard to make Mary of Magdala both women. Catholics called Mary falsely as a prostitute from Simon's house appearance.

 

[Moonwood]

I get it now. Only Catholics fight this hard to make Mary of Magdala both women. Catholics called Mary falsely as a prostitute from Simon's house appearance.

I’m not “fighting hard,” I’m simply pointing to what John actually writes. John explicitly identifies Lazarus and Martha’s sister, Mary, as “the one who anointed the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair” before narrating the Bethany anointing in John 12. That is John’s way of saying she had done this before. The only earlier hair‑wiping event in any Gospel is Luke 7, so John is clearly pointing back to that act. That means Mary of Bethany and the repentant woman in Simon the Pharisee’s house are the same person.

And Luke’s description of Lazarus and Martha's sister, Mary, in Luke 7 fits perfectly with Mary Magdalene’s background. Mary is a well‑known public sinner in Galilee who repents and is forgiven by Jesus. Mary Magdalene's deeply troubled past is mentioned immediately afterward, healed and transformed, also from Galilee. Luke places these two descriptions back‑to‑back, which is a deliberate literary move.

So the textual evidence points toward unity: one woman with a troubled past, forgiven in Galilee, who later appears in Bethany as a devoted disciple — and whom John identifies by her distinctive, repeated gesture of wiping Jesus’s feet with her hair.

 

[Rockerduck]

I’m not “fighting hard,” I’m simply pointing to what John actually writes. John explicitly identifies Lazarus and Martha’s sister, Mary, as “the one who anointed the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair” before narrating the Bethany anointing in John 12. That is John’s way of saying she had done this before. The only earlier hair‑wiping event in any Gospel is Luke 7, so John is clearly pointing back to that act. That means Mary of Bethany and the repentant woman in Simon the Pharisee’s house are the same person.

And Luke’s description of Lazarus and Martha's sister, Mary, in Luke 7 fits perfectly with Mary Magdalene’s background. Mary is a well‑known public sinner in Galilee who repents and is forgiven by Jesus. Mary Magdalene's deeply troubled past is mentioned immediately afterward, healed and transformed, also from Galilee. Luke places these two descriptions back‑to‑back, which is a deliberate literary move.

So the textual evidence points toward unity: one woman with a troubled past, forgiven in Galilee, who later appears in Bethany as a devoted disciple — and whom John identifies by her distinctive, repeated gesture of wiping Jesus’s feet with her hair.

You are following the Catholic doctrine you were taught.

 

[Grailhunter]

I’m not “fighting hard,” I’m simply pointing to what John actually writes. John explicitly identifies Lazarus and Martha’s sister, Mary, as “the one who anointed the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair” before narrating the Bethany anointing in John 12. That is John’s way of saying she had done this before. The only earlier hair‑wiping event in any Gospel is Luke 7, so John is clearly pointing back to that act. That means Mary of Bethany and the repentant woman in Simon the Pharisee’s house are the same person.

And Luke’s description of Lazarus and Martha's sister, Mary, in Luke 7 fits perfectly with Mary Magdalene’s background. Mary is a well‑known public sinner in Galilee who repents and is forgiven by Jesus. Mary Magdalene's deeply troubled past is mentioned immediately afterward, healed and transformed, also from Galilee. Luke places these two descriptions back‑to‑back, which is a deliberate literary move.

So the textual evidence points toward unity: one woman with a troubled past, forgiven in Galilee, who later appears in Bethany as a devoted disciple — and whom John identifies by her distinctive, repeated gesture of wiping Jesus’s feet with her hair.

That is John’s way of saying she had done this before. I disagree. Now if you show examples of this style it would be something to consider.

Mary, in Luke 7 fits perfectly with Mary Magdalene’s background. Mary is a well‑known public sinner in Galilee who repents and is forgiven by Jesus. Mary Magdalene's deeply troubled past is mentioned immediately afterward, healed and transformed, also from Galilee. Luke places these two descriptions back‑to‑back, which is a deliberate literary move.
Pope Gregory I assassinated Mary Magdalene's character to show an example of a forgiven sinner, but nothing in the scriptures associates her name with sin. Which generated a lot of nude art work and associated her with prostitutes and the color red. But again nothing in the scriptures show her name associated with sin or the event of repentance.
And it appears that Mary Magdalene was part of group, if not the leader of the group that financially supported Yeshua. And she is part of family.....Lazarus and Martha that support Yeshua. No indication that she was a prostitute.

 

[Moonwood]

You are following the Catholic doctrine you were taught.

This isn’t about Catholic doctrine — it’s about what John actually wrote. John explicitly identifies Lazarus and Martha's sister, Mary, as “the one who anointed the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair” (John 11:2) before narrating the Bethany anointing in John 12. The only earlier hair‑wiping event in any Gospel is Luke 7, so John is clearly pointing back to that act. That’s not Catholic or Protestant — it’s simply the plain reading of John 11:2.

And Luke’s narrative style supports this. Luke frequently introduces major figures without naming them — the Emmaus disciple, the bleeding woman, the widow of Nain, the rich ruler, the paralytic lowered through the roof, even the thief on the cross. So the unnamed woman in Luke 7 fits Luke’s normal pattern. The absence of a name doesn’t prove she’s a different person.

 

[Moonwood]

I disagree.

You can disagree, but the narrative logic of John still stands. John 11:2 identifies Mary of Bethany before the Bethany anointing as “the one who anointed the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair.” That means John is referring to a previous hair‑wiping event. He is not describing something that hasn’t happened yet. He is pointing backward.

And the only earlier hair‑wiping event in any Gospel is Luke 7. There is no other candidate. John gives no alternative earlier anointing. The Gospels give no alternative earlier hair‑wiping. So John’s identification only makes sense if Mary of Bethany had already done this act — and the only earlier instance is the woman in Simon the Pharisee’s house.

You don’t have to call that “John’s way of saying she had done this before.” But the text itself forces that conclusion. John 11:2 is a backward‑pointing identification, and Luke 7 is the only event it can point to.

 

[Grailhunter]

You are following the Catholic doctrine you were taught.

My mom was Catholic and my dad was Southern Baptist, and that is one of the reasons I think I became a Theologian. I have studied under formal schooling for most of my life. And I can tell you that no professor in Theology believes that Mary Magdeline was sexually promiscuous or a prostitute. And that is Professors in five countries.
But on the other hand, sexual promiscuity and prostitution is a significant thing and if it was the intention of the writers to show her as a repentant sinner as an inspiration and or example of forgiveness her name would be directly connected to sexual promiscuity and prostitution. Otherwise it is a general story of a forgiven sinner.
For example; Paul, Peter, and Matthew all committed grave sins and serve as examples of forgiven sinners.....by name.

 

[Moonwood]

My mom was Catholic and my dad was Southern Baptist, and that is one of the reasons I think I became a Theologian. I have studied under formal schooling for most of my life. And I can tell you that no professor in Theology believes that Mary Magdeline was sexually promiscuous or a prostitute. And that is Professors in five countries.
But on the other hand, sexual promiscuity and prostitution is a significant thing and if it was the intention of the writers to show her as a repentant sinner as an inspiration and or example of forgiveness her name would be directly connected to sexual promiscuity and prostitution. Otherwise it is a general story of a forgiven sinner.
For example; Paul, Peter, and Matthew all committed grave sins and serve as examples of forgiven sinners.....by name.

You don’t need to be a theologian to read what Scripture actually says. Luke introduces Mary Magdalene as a woman who had “seven demons” (Luke 8:2). In biblical symbolism, seven represents fullness or totality — meaning her life was profoundly disordered and morally broken. That doesn’t require her to be labeled a “prostitute,” but it absolutely places her in the category of a woman with a deeply troubled past who underwent a dramatic conversion.

And your argument that “if she were sexually sinful, the writers would have said so by name” doesn’t hold up. The Gospels frequently present repentant sinners without naming their specific sins — the sinful woman in Luke 7, the tax collectors who repented, the crowds who came to John confessing sins, even the thief on the cross. The point is the transformation, not the catalog of sins.

So the idea that Mary Magdalene had a morally broken past is not Catholic doctrine — it’s simply the plain reading of Luke’s description. And it fits perfectly with the narrative sequence: Luke presents a woman, a well-known public sinner, who had repented in Luke 7, then immediately introduces Mary Magdalene in Luke 8 as a woman healed from deep spiritual bondage. Luke places these two descriptions back‑to‑back for a reason.

 

[Grailhunter]

You don’t need to be a theologian to read what Scripture actually says. Luke introduces Mary Magdalene as a woman who had “seven demons” (Luke 8:2). In biblical symbolism, seven represents fullness or totality — meaning her life was profoundly disordered and morally broken. That doesn’t require her to be labeled a “prostitute,” but it absolutely places her in the category of a woman with a deeply troubled past who underwent a dramatic conversion.

Demons in that time period can represent illness. And no indicates that Mary Magkalene acted like she was demon possessed. And if it was actual demon possession, as today demon possession does not usually occur to overtly sinful people.
And Yeshua described this woman in Luke 7 as sexually promiscuous. But yes you right not necessary a prostitute.

Did Pope Gregory I Believe Mary Magdalene Was a Prostitute?​

Yes — in a sermon in 591 CE, Pope Gregory the Great explicitly identified Mary Magdalene with the “sinful woman” of Luke 7 and, by interpreting that term, concluded she had been a prostitute before repenting.

And yes you do not have to be a Theologian to read the Bible. But a college education takes the subject matter to a deeper depth. The linguists studies of the biblical language in understanding the scriptures and studies of the time period and culture.
Next time you need brain surgery I would not recommend a doctor that did not go to college, just read the book.