Why the “Inadmissible” Evidence of Mary Magdalene Proves the Resurrection
In the court of human opinion, the strength of a case often rests upon the credibility of its witnesses. If one were to fabricate a religion in the first century—seeking to convince a skeptical world of a miraculous resurrection—one would choose witnesses of high social standing, legal authority, and unimpeachable “manly” virtue.
Yet, the Gospel writers did the exact opposite. They recorded that the primary witness to the empty tomb was a woman formerly possessed by seven devils. To the modern reader, this is a beautiful story of grace; to the first-century critic, it was a legal disaster. This is precisely why it must be true.
The Legal Barrier: “The Witness of Women”
In the era of the New Testament, both Jewish and Roman law held a low view of a woman’s testimony. The Jewish historian Josephus, reflecting the cultural norms of the time, noted in Antiquities of the Jews that the testimony of women was often not admitted in courts because of “the levity and temerity of their sex.”
If the Apostles had been “crafting” a myth to deceive the masses, they would have placed Peter, John, or perhaps a sympathetic Pharisee like Nicodemus at the tomb first. By recording Mary Magdalene as the first witness, the Gospel writers were not following a PR strategy; they were recording an inconvenient fact.
“And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.” (Luke 24:11, KJV)
Even the Apostles themselves initially fell prey to the cultural bias of the day. They dismissed her report. If the Resurrection were a lie, the liars would have written a better story.
The Criterion of Embarrassment
In Christian apologetics, we use the “Criterion of Embarrassment.” This principle states that if an author includes details that are potentially embarrassing or counter-productive to their cause, those details are highly likely to be true.
The inclusion of Mary Magdalene is the ultimate application of this criterion.
- Her Past: She had been possessed by seven devils (Luke 8:2). Critics could easily claim she was hallucinating or “relapsing” into her former state.
- Her Status: As a woman, she could not testify in a formal court.
The only reason for Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to include her so prominently is that they could not change the facts. The truth demanded that her name be preserved.
The “Touch Me Not” Defense
The interaction between Jesus and Mary in the garden provides another layer of defense. In John 20, Jesus tells her, “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father” (John 20:17, KJV).
A fabricated story would likely have the witness fall into a formal, theological discourse or a grandiose proclamation. Instead, we see a raw, emotional, and slightly confused Mary who tries to cling to her Rabbi. The detail of being told “not to touch” (or “stop clinging”) is a human, gritty detail that rings with the authenticity of an eyewitness account.
The Final Argument
The “Defence of the Truth” rests on the reality that God does not play by the rules of human prestige. He chose a woman from whom He had cast out seven devils to be the herald of the King of Kings.
Mary Magdalene’s testimony remains a thorn in the side of every skeptic. To dismiss her is to ignore the historical reality that a movement which conquered the Roman Empire began with the report of a single woman standing in a garden outside a hollowed-out rock.
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” (1 Corinthians 1:27, KJV)