View images of artistic renditions of Mary Magdalen.
For centuries, Mary Magdalene was portrayed by the Catholic Church as a former prostitute.
A recent novel, "The Da Vinci Code," has Mary married to Jesus and giving birth to his child. But there's also been a burst of scholarly books about Mary Magdalene. Harvard professor Karen King, examines "The Gospel of Mary," a 2nd Century text that never made it into the New Testament canon. No hint of being a fallen woman, here Mary Magdalene is a forceful preacher, competing with male disciples for leadership in the early church.
Why is there so much interest in Mary Magdalene these days? Is it simply the result of a best-selling thriller? Or does Mary Magdalene raise basic questions about the way women are perceived in church and society?
