Dan Brown illuminates the “ greatest screen up in human history ” ( 249 ) and the truth that could perchance weaken the Church ‘s power. Mary Magdalene, the ill-famed cocotte, was in fact the married woman of Jesus Christ, the female parent of his girl, and the replacement of the Christian Church. But the male-dominated Church denied the facts. Church leaders could non let the power of the Church to fall in the custodies of a adult female. To protect itself, the Church tried to extinguish the grounds of Jesus ‘ lineage and any cogent evidence of Mary ‘s importance. By defaming Mary and her position, the Church denigrated the female gender and created a faith that oppressed adult females. In Dan Brown ‘s The Da Vinci Code, the rejection of Mary Magdalene ‘s instructions and matrimony to Jesus parallels the favoritism of adult females in Christianity.
To continue male laterality, the Church defamed Mary Magdalene as a iniquitous cocotte. In The Da Vinci Code, she is “ no such thing ” as a evildoer ; On the contrary, Brown suggests that “ the Church needed to slander Mary Magdalene in order to cover up her unsafe secret ” ( 244 ) . It is possible that Mary was called a cocotte to weaken her powerful image for adult females ( Lovgren 2 ) . If adult females were able to see her as a positive theoretical account, Mary could hold perchance tipped the graduated tables of power in the male-dominated Church. In response, the Church smeared her name in order to protect itself from losing its male domination. Allegedly Pope Gregory was the first to name her a cocotte ( Newman 153 ) , yet there is “ no scriptural grounds ” ( Parrish ) that she was a evildoer or a cocotte.
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Alternatively, Mary had been “ cured of a serious unwellness ” non a wickedness ( Parrish ) . Gregory ‘s claim was based on his ain male chauvinist beliefs. He proclaimed all adult females as evildoers who, like Mary, can be cleansed by penitence. Another ground the Church slandered Mary ‘s name was to convey hope to “ humanity ‘s ain boisterous shadow energy ” ( Parrish ) . Mary would be an illustration to all that anyone can be forgiven, even for the most iniquitous act of going a cocotte. Her name and repute was tainted so the Church could supply false hope to humanity. Even though Mary really preached the instructions of Jesus to all, she had lost her “ topographic point as an evangelistaˆ¦only the evildoer and cocotte remained ” ( Newman 158 ) .
Blinded by sexism, many work forces could non see Mary equal to the Apostles ( Parrish ) . Even Apostles were hostile toward “ Mary when she tries to hearten them by uncovering some of the instructions that Jesus imparted to her alone before his decease ” ( Lovegren 2 ) . Jealous of Jesus ‘ love for Mary, they resented that Jesus entrusted his instructions to a adult female, whom they believed had no authorization to prophesy. Brown states that the apostle Peter expressed “ discontent over playing 2nd violin to a adult female ” ( 248 ) . In the Apostles ‘ eyes, adult females were non equal to, but “ defined by the work forces whom they belong ” ( Johnson ) . Harmonizing to the Gospel of Thomas, the lone manner Mary could perchance equal the Apostles was if Jesus would “ do her male ” ( qtd. in Newman ) . However, Jesus was non proposing Mary had power over men- he was seeking to convey equality to adult females and work forces in his Church. Despite Mary ‘s effort to interrupt the boundaries between males and females in Christianity, the Apostles stuck to their male chauvinist beliefs. They could non ” accept adult females as adult females ” ( Newman 328 ) . To them, adult females had no right to prophesy with them or to sit following to the Lord ‘s boy.
Like Eve, Mary was accused of taking those who followed her down a way of prevarications and pandemonium. Pope Gregory called her the “ New Eve ” and proclaimed that “ adult female was the cause of decease for a adult male ” ( Newman 153 ) .Because Mary was a adult female, Pope Gregory concluded that Mary could non be trusted. Comparing Mary to Eve, Gregory suggested that adult females were the enchantresss of devastation and nil more. He discriminated against Mary, badmouthing the female gender. But it must be remembered that Man, non God, created the narrative of Eve ‘s enticement of Adam. The creative activity of the “ original wickedness ” was due to “ the power of the female and her ability to bring forth life ” and its danger to the “ rise of the preponderantly male Church ” ( Brown 238 ) . Afraid of adult females and their power over work forces, the Church preached the immorality of Eve to eschew adult females ‘s gender and increase male domination. Many began to look at adult females as “ the expletive of God ” that had “ destroyed the image of God ” ( Johnson ) . The Church deprecated adult females ‘s self-respect and blamed Mary ‘s instructions as the way of convulsion.
Because adult females had no power in Christianity, Mary could non prophesy in the “ male-dominated ” faith. ( Johnson ) . Although Mary Magdalene “ preached-when adult females were out to prophesy ” ( “ Saint ” ) , adult females had no spiritual functions in Christianity. Many claimed that Jesus wanted Peter to set up his Church, but it was “ non Peter to whom Christ gave waies with which to set up the Christian Church. It was Mary Magdalene ” ( Brown 248 ) . Yet many Apostles feared a adult female with that high of position in the Church could destroy the power of adult male. The rejection of Mary was based on the thought that adult females were “ less worthy as human existences than adult male ” ( Johnson ) . Recognized merely by their functions as female parent and partner, adult females were subordinated to the will and power of work forces because work forces were created in “ image of God ” ( “ Women ” ) . Yet there is no touchable cogent evidence that God is a adult male. Man interpreted that the “ masculinity of Jesus reveals the masculinity of God ” and concluded that “ masculinity is closer to the human ideal than feminineness ” ( Johnson ) . To males, the creative activity of adult female was an accident. Males were closer to God and Jesus than adult females. Womans were second-class human existences who had no power in the Church ( Johnson ) . Therefore by the will of God, males were the vass of Jesus ‘ instructions non Mary Magdalene or any other adult females.
Mary Magdalene, the “ most maligned and ailing understood figure in early Christian religion ” ( Parrish ) , represents adult females as the castaway of Christianity. The Church debased her instructions merely because of her gender. Mary, a “ adult female who defied male resistance ” ( “ Saint ” ) , posed a menace to male authorization in Christianity. Womans have small say in the Church ‘s decision-making, small authorization to prophesy, and have no control in the “ moral determinations refering adult females ‘s gender ” ( “ Women ” ) . The Church vilified Mary to non merely decrease her power and repute, but that of all adult females as good. In society, adult females might hold gained a great trade of equality, but they are still shown fiddling sums of regard in Christianity. Even though many authors try to carry others with the true narratives of Mary Magdalene, they can non “ compete with centuries of established history, particularly when that history is endorsed by the ultimate best seller of all timeaˆ¦the Bible ” ( Brown 146 ) .
