A familiar Bible saying, checked in context
Mary Magdalene was a prostitute
Not stated in the text
The KJV passages naming Mary Magdalene do not identify her as a prostitute.
By @The..Mustard..Seed · Updated
Read the relevant KJV passage
Compare the evidence
The previous chapter mentions an unnamed woman described as a sinner. The text does not name her Mary Magdalene.
Luke 7:37And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
John identifies Mary Magdalene in the resurrection scene. This gives a substantial named account without assigning her an occupation.
John 20:16Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
What the context adds
Luke 8:2 names Mary Magdalene and says seven devils had gone out of her. Luke 7:36–50 tells of an unnamed woman, and the neighbouring chapters are often merged in retellings. The text itself does not make that identification, and “a sinner” is not an occupation. Mark 16:9 and John 20:1–18 provide other passages that name Mary and associate her with the resurrection witness. The careful finding is limited: these KJV accounts do not state she was a prostitute. It is not a claim that a reader knows every detail of her biography beyond the text.
A question to carry forward
Which woman is named in each passage, and what does the narrator actually tell you about her?
Keep reading
Read Luke 8:1–3 and write down only what it says about each named woman.
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