Four years ago, I sent a sermon to my Cottage readers that I’d preached at the Wild Goose Festival. It was based on the research of my friend, Elizabeth Schrader-Polczer, aka, “Libbie,” about Mary Magdalene. She had discovered inaccuracies in an ancient text and developed what some now refer to as the “single sister thesis” of John 11 — that Lazarus didn’t have two sisters, Mary and Martha, but only one. And that one sister is Mary Magdalene.

Much to our surprise, that 2022 post, Mary the Tower, went viral. As far as we know, more than a million people around the world have listened to the sermon.

Since then, Libbie earned her doctorate at Duke University in New Testament and has joined the faculty of Villanova University. She’s continued on with her research on Mary Magdalene. Interest in her work has expanded to include a large popular audience and an international discussion among scholars about the Gospel of John and Mary Magdalene.

In this conversation, Libbie shares important news about the reception of this research at the highest level of global scholarship.

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During the first part of our conversation, she reviews her thesis and the importance of John 11, and she talks about scholars who both agree and disagree with her. After a compelling conversation that includes additional recent research, we turn to the NEWS she is eager to share with you.

If you are familiar with her work, you can fast forward to around 43:00 and pick up the discussion at that point — where she announces news about her work and John 11. The second half of our conversation is focussed specifically on what she shares with us, especially its implications moving forward.

The Bible she refers to is the Novum Testamentum Graece (Nestle-Aland). The “Nestle-Aland,” or “NA,” is the source from which almost all versions of the New Testament are translated into every language around the world. It is THE text behind your Bible. If you went to seminary, chances are that you already know “the blue book” (I sure did - and I still have my copy from the 1980s). You can read about the Novum Testamentum Graece (Nestle-Aland) here. It is a really big deal.

If you look carefully, you might see that I almost start to cry near the end.

If you want to listen to the song that started all of this, check out Libbie’s “Magdalene” from 2012.

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Out beyond ChristianityMagdalene and Jesus are dancing

in a garden where things grow wild,where things grow into what they are.

Many paths lead here, not one,and the gates are always open.

Over each gate there’s a sign:‘Wanderers Welcome.’

Mary thinks Jesus is the gardener,and he is.

They drink the wine that turnstemples into bodies again.

She reaches out to take his hand:he lets her.

There are three rules here:Yearn, Risk Everything, Connect.

— Fred LaMotte

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