The Gospel of Mary is a Gnostic gospel. Therefore, it is not an inspired book of the Bible. There are only four gospels, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. There are several other Gnostic gospels, including the Gospel of Philip, the Gospel of Thomas, and the Gospel of Judas.
None of these “gospels” are the truly inspired works of the Lord. Since these writings are not in the Bible, we should not view them as the actual words of God.
The Gospel of Mary
Scholars are undecided over which Mary the Gospel of Mary refers to. Some scholars believe it is the Gospel of Mary, the mother of Jesus, some believe it is the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, while others believe it is written by one of Jesus’ sisters who may have been named Mary. Each of these is a theory, as we do not truly know who the writer behind the Gospel of Mary is.
The Gospel of Mary was written in Coptic and Greek and was discovered in Cairo, Egypt, in 1896. The writings contained within the Gospel of Mary are hard to understand because it is missing six pages at the beginning and four pages in the middle of the gospel.
It seems as though the major point of thought contained within the Gospel of Mary is focused on referencing the death of Christ and the teachings of Christ during His earthly life.
There are many heresies and false teachings contained within the Gospel of Mary, which simply are not true. One of the main problems with the Gospel of Mary is a sentence claimed to have been spoken by the Apostle Peter.
In this supposed sentence spoken by Peter, he says, “Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of the women. Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember — which you know (but) we do not, nor have we heard them.”
From this alleged statement, Peter is telling Mary that the Lord loved her above all other women. We know this is not true because of what the Bible says. The Bible tells us specifically that God does not show favoritism, as Paul tells us, “For God does not show favoritism” (Romans 2:11).
The Gospel of Mary is advocating for major errors which drastically go against the teachings of the Bible. The Lord loves all people equally. He doesn't love one person more than someone else.
The love God has for us is unconditional and never changing. He doesn’t play favorites, nor does He love Mary above everyone else. Many individuals try to promote the idea that Jesus had a romantic relationship with Mary Magdalene. This is completely untrue and unbiblical.
In fact, it is heresy to claim Jesus had a romantic relationship with anyone. The Lord is fully God, which means He does not have romantic relationships with anyone. To claim or believe Jesus had romantic relationships is erroneous.
The Gospel of Mary is a Gnostic gospel and should be treated as such. It is not the divine words of God; therefore, as believers, we don’t need to take any of it seriously, nor should we view it as part of the canon of Scripture.
The Gospel of Mary records the belief that Jesus loved her more than any person, and as previously stated, this is an erroneous belief. Jesus loves every single person in the world, which is why He died for the sins of the world.
The Lord tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).
From this passage of Scripture, we are told that Jesus loves the entire world. This means He loves every single one of us equally. He did not just die for Mary — He died for the sins of all of us because He loves us.
Another theme in the Gospel of Mary is the concept of sin and adultery. The high emphasis placed upon sin and adultery is a common concept within Gnostic gospels.
In each Gnostic gospel, there is always much spoken of regarding sin and adultery and the need to refrain from these things.
This is because the Gnostics practiced and adhered to asceticism. In other words, the Gnostics severely disciplined themselves and strived their best to abstain from any physical sins. The Gnostics saw that the spiritual world was good but that the physical world was bad and full of sin.
Dating of the Gospel of Mary
The dating of the Gospel of Mary traces back to the second century, yet the canon was already closed prior to AD 100. The last book of the Bible that was written was the Book of Revelation, which was written by the Apostle John in AD 95.
Since the canon of Scripture was closed after AD 95, we know that we have the completed works of the Bible. From this, we can know that the Gospel of Mary is not an authentic, inspired text of the Bible.
There are many tests a book has to go through before it can be considered a book of the Bible, which all of the books that we have in the Bible have successfully passed.
These tests of Canonicity include the test of authority, the test of uniqueness, and the test of acceptance by the churches (Charles Ryrie, Basic Theology, 122-123). The Gospel of Mary, as well as the gospels of Thomas, Philip, and Judas, do not pass these tests.
As believers, it is fine if we want to read the Gnostic gospels, yet it is vital to know that they are not true. By reading them, especially if one is new to the faith, it could lead one to believe many erroneous teachings of Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity.
If one wants to study the Gnostic gospels in order to see what they say and understand the heresy in them, this is fine just as long as the individual understands the text is not the true work of God.
However, it is best for believers to abstain from reading Gnostic gospels because they are not true. All we need to know about the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is contained in the canon of Scripture.
Many individuals become interested in the Gnostic gospels because they believe there is more information contained within them or that these Gnostic gospels will give us a different perspective from other apostles.
What Does This Mean?
The truth is that none of the Marys of the Bible wrote a gospel, nor did Philip, Andrew, or Judas. The only followers of Christ who wrote the true Gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
It is highly plausible that the Gnostic writers penned different apostles' names onto their writings to make it seem more legitimate despite it was never true information.
While each of the Marys in the Bible played an important role, none of them wrote a gospel recording Jesus’ life, nor was Mary Magdalene romantically involved with Christ.
The Gnostic gospels are filled with erroneous teachings, which do not need to be promoted within the Christian community. We can be aware of these texts and help others know the falsehood of them, but we must never believe what these Gnostic gospels tell us because they are not true.
For further reading:
What Are the Lost Books of the Bible?
What Does it Mean That the Bible Is Composed of Different Books?
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