Academic Journal
Will you help us? Our intention is to publish an academic journal devoted to the studies of Mary Magdalene in time, partly based on the papers at our annual conference.
list of categories of research and topics discussed at conferences
- Mary Magdalene in modern scholarship
- Gnostic traditions about Mary Magdalene
- Apocalyptic visions of Mary Magdalene among modern neo-gnostic groups
- Mary Magdalene as portrayed in the history of art
- How might the teachings of a Mary Magdalene church differ from conventional Christian theologies
- Jewish understandings and (re)appropriations of Mary Magdalene
- The church’s teachings on sacred sexuality
- Jesus and Mary as a “wisdom affair” and what that means
- What does the Pistis Sophia say about Mary Magdalene and where did it come from?
- What has the Gospel of Mary Magdalene from Nag Hammadi got to tell us and what is its provenance ?
- Tracing the Western art history tradition of the “Penitent Mary”
- Researching the changing images of Mary Magdalene role in literature and feminist fiction
- Is it possible to publish a new comprehensive edition of the Bible with all the lost gnostic texts included in it, including the Books of Enoch and the Gospel of Mary and the Pistis Sophia ?
- What is the status of Mary Magdalene in paganism and among contemporary pagan scholars ?
- Mary Magdalene has a long tradition of being honoured among French and European occult groups – what is the history and context of this ?
- Among scholars of Western European esotericism, has Mary Magdalene been an object of special study ?
- Druids and Druidical Christianity and their attitudes to Mary Magdalene: Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Gallic, Breton and Celtic Christian teachings on Mary Magdalene
- Which PhD students worldwide are currently focusing on Mary Magdalene for their researches ?
- Mary Magdalene in the Gospel of Philip and Thomas from Nag Hammadi was seen as Sophia – what is the Sophianic tradition of Christianity and its connection to Mary Magdalene ?
- Islam teachings on Mary Magdalene: Jesus is mentioned 49 times in the Koran, but Mary Magdalene is not mentioned once – why ? Is there any evidence Muhammad had heard of Mary Magdalene and if not, why not and what does it tell us about the differences of Christian and Islamic theology ?
- Black Madonnas, Mary and the Song of Solomon: It was customary to recite from the Song of Songs on Mary Magdalene’s day (July 22) in church liturgy – where Mary was equated to the black bride in the text – why ?
- What is the history and provenance of the sites associated with Mary Magdalene in France: Vezelay (where a huge basilica was built to her memory) Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (where she landed, in the Camargue near Arles, arriving with Mary Salome and Mary of Clopas, and Joseph of Arimathea, all three Mary’s being witnesses of the crucifixion), Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume (where she went on retreat, died and is buried), Marseilles (where Mary Magdalene, Lazarus and Martha lived some time)
- Why was Magdalene important to scholarship at Oxford and Cambridge, where two important colleges were dedicated to her memory in Mediaeval times ? Did academics in Europe especially revere Mary
- Magdalene and which other colleges in European lands are called after her ?
- How important is Mary Magdalen to Romani (Gypsy) culture and spirituality, given that St Sarah is a figure of special veneration for them, who was with Mary Magdalen; what is the history of this tradition on the South of France ?
- Among the self-identified contemporary Mary Magdalene churches, what was their history and provenance?
- Among the churches of Africa (Ethiopia, Coptic, Sub Saharan Africa, African diaspora churches, Rastafarian) what is and was the status of Mary Magdalene ?
- What was the status of Mary Magdalene among Arian, Nestorian, and other forms of Christianity ?
- Did the Cathar church have special teachings about Mary Magdalene and if so, what was it ?
- Was the equal status given to women in Cathar Christianity connected to its persecution by the mainstream church ?
- What if anything do we know of Manichean teachings about Mary Magdalene ? Does Mani mention her in his surviving writings ? Is there evidence he had heard of her ? What was Mani’s attitude to women in general ?
- Why was Mary Magdalene chosen as the patron Saint of the Dominican Order, and how does that sit with their becoming the instruments of the Inquisition ? What have Dominican thinkers made of Mary Magdalene over the centuries ?
- Mary Magdalene, Gnosticism Cathars and reincarnation: what facts can we establish regarding reincarnation theory and transpersonal history ?
- Anthroposophy: Rudolf Steiner, Mary Magdalene and Christian Gnostic traditions
- Theosophical traditions, Mary Magdalen and the status of Cathars in theosophical traditions
- Freemasonry and Mary Magdalene – how do Freemasons view Mary Magdalene ?
- The church of St Mary Magdalene at Rennes le Chateau: why so many mysteries attach to this place?
- Mary Magdalene and Comparative Diabology
- Did Mary Magdalen write the 4th gospel, later ascribed to St John ? Arguments for and against
- Does Mary present the possibility of reconciliation between exoteric and esoteric forms of Christianity ?
- Mary Magdalene and contemporary shamanistic feminist movements utilising her as their icon
- Mary Magdalene and the church’s teachings on peace: what does the Magdalene tradition say on peacemaking, war and violence ?