Magdala

Biblical References

In the New Korean Revised Version of the Bible, "Magdala" appears mostly as part of the name Mary Magdalene. Luke 8:2, in introducing the women who followed and ministered to Jesus, calls her "Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils." Mary Magdalene appears repeatedly at the crucifixion (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40; John 19:25), at the burial of Jesus (Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47), and at the empty tomb as a witness to the resurrection (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10; John 20:1, 20:18). "Magdalene" is therefore understood to indicate this woman's place of origin.

Matthew 15:39 is cited as a passage in which the town itself is named. After the feeding with seven loaves and a few fishes, Jesus traveled by boat to a place that the New Korean Revised Version renders "Magadan." Some manuscripts and the King James Version, however, read "Magdala" ("came into the coasts of Magdala"). Mark 8:10, which recounts the same event, calls the place "Dalmanutha." Scholars differ on whether these place names refer to the same location as Magdala.

Background

Magdala is believed to have been located on the western side of the Sea of Galilee, north of Tiberias and near the southern end of the Plain of Gennesaret. Its name is thought to derive from the Hebrew migdal (Aramaic magdala), meaning "tower." Jewish literature also preserves a name meaning "tower of fish." A widely held view identifies it with Taricheae (meaning "salted fish"), a fishing town mentioned by the Jewish historian Josephus, although this identification is disputed.

These names suggest that Magdala prospered through fishing and fish processing on the Sea of Galilee. Modern excavations are reported to have uncovered the remains of a synagogue dating to around the first century. The site lies not far from Capernaum, where Jesus often stayed.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Magdala itself is not portrayed as the setting of any major event. However, a woman from this town is introduced as one of those who followed Jesus and ministered to Him during His Galilean ministry. She then accompanied Him to Jerusalem and became one of the first witnesses to the crucifixion and the resurrection. Because of this progression, Magdala is sometimes read as a link between the ministry of Jesus that began in Galilee and the testimony to His resurrection.

Interpretations and Debates

• Relationship to Magadan and Dalmanutha: Whether the "Magadan" of Matthew 15:39 should be identified with Magdala is bound up with differences among the manuscripts, so the question is difficult to settle with certainty.
• Traditions attached to Mary Magdalene: The text says only that Mary Magdalene was delivered from seven demons. In the Western church, however, following the sermons of Pope Gregory I (Gregory the Great) in the late sixth century, an interpretation long prevailed that identified her with the "sinful woman" of Luke 7 or with Mary of Bethany (Martha and Mary). This interpretation gave rise to the image of the "repentant prostitute." The Eastern Orthodox Church has traditionally distinguished these women, and modern Roman Catholic liturgy, along with most Protestant scholars, regards this identification as lacking any basis in the text.
• The meaning of "Magdalene": Most interpreters read it as a reference to her place of origin, though a minority view takes it as an epithet drawing on the meaning "tower."

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Magdala is mentioned chiefly in connection with Mary Magdalene in Easter sermons, where she is presented as the first witness to the resurrection. On pilgrimages to Israel, the site is sometimes visited as one of the stops around the Sea of Galilee.