In a recent interview for Newsweek (https://www.newsweek.com/joaquin-phoenix-interview-mary-mag…) actor Joaquin Phoenix, regarding his portrayal of Jesus in the 2018 film "Mary Magdalene," stated that the "Gospel of Mary" was left out of the Bible due to "sexism." Umm, no.
The Gospel of Mary is part of the Akhmim Codex, a Coptic vellum codex which was written in the 4th century - a good 300 years after Mary Magdalene had been dead. It incorporates Gnostic teachings that can categorically be pin-pointed to hundreds of years after Mary, Peter, Thomas, or any other immediate follower of Jesus lived. It is part of a collection that includes other spurious writings such as the Apocryphon of John, The Sophia of Jesus Christ, and an epitome of the Act of Peter. All of these documents were penned centuries after the pseudo-names attached to them and teach things no first century Jew would have even entertained.
These apocryphal texts were not suppressed nor where they excluded. No one "made a decision" to leave these books out of the Bible due to "blatant sexism" anymore than James G. Randall decided to exclude the 2012 film "Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter," from his 1926 work on Lincoln due to an irrational fear of the undead.
No one "made a decision" to leave these books out of the Bible due to "blatant sexism" anymore than James G. Randall decided to exclude the 2012 film "Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter," from his 1926 work on Lincoln due to an irrational fear of the undead.
ReplyDeleteLove that line! I plan to plagiarize it shamelessly.
Huff made a good point in a hilarious way. Very informative too.
DeleteA (trivial) nitpick is I wish he had used a post-2012 biography of Lincoln to illustrate his point since obviously Randall's book came well before the film. (Or used a different move or book. Or just another equally hilarious example altogether.)
I thought of that too, but then I realized his use of the 1926 vs 2012 example was intentional - the real biographies about Jesus came out long before the fake!
DeleteGood point, Scott! I was a bit slow. And now I repent in dust and ashes. :)
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