The gardener metaphorically is God's son, Adam. Just as Inanna's descent and the resurrection of Attis took three days, so did that of Jesus, following on from Jonah: Matt 12:40 "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." "St Paul says that Christ' descended into the lower parts of the earth' (Eph. 4:9). St Peter writes that Christ' preached unto the spirits in prison (1 Pet. 3:19) and also that' the gospel was preached to them that are dead' (1 Pet. 4:6). The Apostles' Creed states explicitly that Christ' descended into hell"'

"There is still the question of why it was to her Christ appeared after his resurrection, and why, if a fundamental part of the Christian kerygma (preaching) is based on the witness of Mary Magdalene and other women, its importance and meaning has been played down in the Christian tradition"

Although other information about her is more fantastic, she is repeatedly portrayed as a visionary and leader of the early movement.( Mark 16:1-9; Matthew 28:1-10; Luke24:1-10; John 20:1, 11-18; Gospel of Peter ). In the Gospel of John, the risen Jesus gives her special teaching and commissions her as an apostle to the apostles to bring them the good news. She obeys and is thus the first to announce the resurrection and to play the role of an apostle, although the term is not specifically used of her. Later tradition, however, will herald her as "the apostle to the apostles." The strength of this literary tradition makes it possible to suggest that historically Mary was a prophetic visionary and leader within one sector of the early Christian movement after the death of Jesus. The newly discovered Egyptian writings elaborate this portrait of Mary as a favored disciple. Her role as "apostle to the apostles" is frequently explored, especially in considering her faith in contrast to that of the male disciples who refuse to believe her testimony. She is most often portrayed in texts that claim to record dialogues of Jesus with his disciples, both before and after the resurrection. In the Dialogue of the Savior, for example, Mary is named along with Judas (Thomas) and Matthew in the course of an extended dialogue with Jesus. During the discussion, Mary addresses several questions to the Savior as a representative of the disciples as a group. She thus appears as a prominent member of the disciple group and is the only woman named. Moreover, in response to a particularly insightful question, the Lord says of her, "´You make clear the abundance of the revealer!'" (140.17-19). At another point, after Mary has spoken, the narrator states, "She uttered this as a woman who had understood completely"(139.11-13). These affirmations make it clear that Mary is to be counted among the disciples who fully comprehended the Lord's teaching (142.11-13). In another text, the Sophia of Jesus Christ, Mary also plays a clear role among those whom Jesus teaches. She is one of the seven women and twelve men gathered to hear the Savior after the resurrection, but before his ascension. Of these only five are named and speak, including Mary. At the end of his discourse, he tells them, "I have given you authority over all things as children of light," and they go forth in joy to preach the gospel. Here again Mary is included among those special disciples to whom Jesus entrusted his most elevated teaching, and she takes a role in the preaching of the gospel. In the Gospel of Philip, Mary Magdalene is mentioned as one of three Marys " who always walked with the Lord" and as his companion (59.6-11). The work also says that Lord loved her more than all the disciples, and used to kiss her often (63.34-36). The importance of this portrayal is that yet again the work affirms the special relationship of Mary Magdalene to Jesus based on her spiritual perfection. In the Pistis Sophia, Mary again is preeminent among them.
 

The woman who anointed Jesus in the days before the crucifixion was actually Mary Magdalene, and she was re-enacting an old fertility ritual called the hieros gamos, or "sacred marriage." In older sacred marriage rituals, a woman who represented the "goddess" and the land was wedded to the king. Their union symbolized many things, depending on the time and place such a ritual was practiced, including the blessing of ongoing fertility, the rejuvination of the land and the community soul, and the connection between humans and the Divine. Some of these old ceremonies included a ritualistic slaying of the king, either symbolically or literally, after he was married to the priestess/goddess. In the symbolic slayings, he would then rise again in a mystical resurrection echoing the cycles of death and rebirth evident in nature.  the Gospel accounts of the anointing and the events that follow reflect hieros gamos-like practices. If Mary Magdalene was the woman who performed the anointing, she would have been the woman filling the symbolic role of priestess/goddess, and therefore would have been married to Jesus.

Themes You Will Find At SpiritBride.. Spiritual Mystique, Gardens and Sanctuaries, Weddings and Honeymoons, Wellness and Solutions, The Philo Sophia, angels, Christian, Goddess, Jesus, groom, married, bride, divine, holy spirit, Mary Magdalene, female, women, wedding, Sophia, Mother Mary, woman's, Bible, hagia, study, love, spirit, rosaries, recipes, spice, tea, herbs, wine making supplies, roses, oils, scents, salts, learning, holiday, planner, glassware, kitchenware, software, weddings, faith, soul, happiness, tao, quan, kaun, yin, bodhisattva, fairies, princess, fey, faery, faeries, plant spirits, country, living, herbal, lifestyle, herb gardening, bird houses, crafts, silver, semi precious stones, jewelry, art, music, messages, blog, posts, ministry, hope, zen, "