An edition and translation of the Middle Welsh Lives of Mary Magdalene and Martha

Lead Research Organisation: University of Wales Trinity Saint David
Department Name: Welsh

Abstract

Summary

Although modern Catholicism and Protestantism distinguish between Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany and the penitent in the Gospel of St Luke, throughout the Middle Ages the western Church conflated these women and considered them to be one person (Mary Magdalene). Popular legends related how Mary Magdalene and her sister Martha set sail from the Holy Land and brought Christianity to Europe / evangelizing Aix-en-Provence and slaying the dragon of Tarascon. The tales were adapted into medieval Welsh and survive in various manuscripts dating from the mid fourteenth century. This project provides an edition of the Welsh texts and makes them available in English for the first time.

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