Signs of Mary Magdalene in John 11
“If John’s christological confessor is also the first person the risen Jesus appears to,” says biblical scholar Elizabeth Schrader Polczer, “that could make her a competitor to Peter’s authority.”
New Testament scholar Elizabeth Schrader Polczer (Photo by Megan Mendenhall)
Elizabeth Schrader Polczer is assistant professor of New Testament at Villanova University. Her research focuses on textual criticism, Mary Magdalene, and the Gospel of John. Hear the full version of this interview on the Century podcast In Search Of.
Your path into biblical studies is a strange one, and it goes directly through Mary Magdalene. How did you become interested in Mary?
Maybe ten years into working in the music business, I wrote a song about Mary Magdalene, which was not the typical song that I write. It came to me after I prayed in a garden dedicated to the Virgin Mary. I actually heard words in response to my prayer, which were, Maybe you should talk to Mary Magdalene about that. Totally unexpected.
