6.122: Was Jesus in love with Mary Magdalene?

Today, our theologians will answer the listener-submitted question, "Was Jesus in Love with Mary Magdalene?"

Welcome to season six of Enter the Bible, a podcast where we share “Everything You Wanted to Know about the Bible…but were afraid to ask.”

Today, our theologians will answer the listener-submitted question, “Was Jesus in Love with Mary Magdalene?”

Guest Mary Hinkle Shore is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a former professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary. Her work has appeared in The Christian Century, Journal for Preachers, Word & World, and on Working Preacher. She lives in Brevard, North Carolina, and continues to be a frequent speaker at church events.

Show notes

Biblical books and passages mentioned

John 20

Topics, themes, figures, and books mentioned

Jesus Christ Superstar
The Da Vinci Code
King James Version
Mary Magdalene
Mary of Bethany
Mary and Martha
Gnostic Gospels

Featuring

Mary Hinkle Shore

Mary is a pastor in the ELCA, with a Ph. D. in New Testament from Duke University. She taught in the Bible Division at Luther Seminary for 16 years. She now lives in Brevard, North Carolina, where she owns and operates Aging Life Care Partners, LLC, helping elders and their families navigate the challenges of later life.
She especially enjoys working with seminarians, clergy and lay preachers on biblical interpretation and the moves between text and sermon. Shore completed a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins at Duke University, and also holds a Master of Divinity from Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.

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Hosted By

Kathryn Schifferdecker

Kathryn M Schifferdecker is Professor and Elva B. Lovell Chair of Old Testament at Luther Seminary. Ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 2001, Schifferdecker was associate pastor for five years at Trinity Lutheran Church, Arkdale, Wisconsin, before coming to Luther in 2006. Schifferdecker is a frequent contributor to Working Preacher, Word & World, and the author of "Out of the Whirlwind: Creation Theology in the Book of Job" (Harvard University Press, 2008). She is currently writing a commentary on the book of Esther.

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Katie Langston

Katie Langston is a doubter by nature and a believer by grace. She grew up Mormon in a small Utah town and still isn't sure she fits in anywhere sophisticated enough to have a Target. She's the author of Sealed: An Unexpected Journey into the Heart of Grace, an acclaimed spiritual memoir about her conversion to orthodox Christianity. Katie is Pastor of Mission and Outreach at New Promise Lutheran Church in St. George, Utah. From 2020-2025, she was the director of digital strategy for Luther Seminary's innovation team, where she oversaw digital projects aimed at cultivating vibrant Christian spirituality in a post-modern, post-Christian cultural context.

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About Enter the Bible Podcast

The Enter the Bible podcast is where you can get answers (or at least reflections) on everything you wanted to know about the Bible but were afraid to ask. Each season, the podcast hosts address questions submitted by listeners. If you have a question you’d like us to discuss in the upcoming season of the Enter the Bible podcast, submit it here.

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Featuring

Mary Hinkle Shore

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Hosted By

Kathryn Schifferdecker

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Katie Langston

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