Palmtree, aka Tamara,
I wish to present some thoughts on your post as briefly as I can. They are more intuitions than hard researched facts.
For myself, I do not find it necessary to separate and identify all the Mary’s in the Bible. The name comes from Miriam, Aaron’s and Moses sister, who in Exodus 15:20 is also called a “ prophetess”. Miriam, means “ rebellion”. In Jesus day anyone having the name Miriam or Mary would live up to the name, more so than today where names are chosen from the mother’s favourite movie star.
In the accounts of Jesus ministry it says that vasts multitudes followed him. Jesus was not a militant man; he kept mostly to the wilderness outskirts of Judea, coming to the capital mostly for the festivals. It also says many women followed him and took care of his needs. They identifiedwith him. Figuratively speaking, he was more feminine in his activities, than being an aggressive male. It would take women with somewhat rebellious natures living up to their names to leave the security of their homes and follow Jesus about. It so happened that a number of these woman carried the name, “Mary”
In the account of Martha and Mary, Jesus said Mary chose the better portion by listening to Jesus rather than helping Martha in the kitchen. In the account of a “Mary” anointing Jesus with costly ointment, at the instigation of Judas Iscariot, the apostles objected the waste of costly ointment. Mary discerned something that the masculine mentality of the apostles did not. Mary discerned that Jesus was going to die. Peter previously tried to prevent Jesus from advancing to Jerusalem where he was destined to die. The apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus also loved, also could identify with Jesus’ more passive, less masculine nature. He stayed awake during the night Jesus was captured and was aware of the events taking place.
Consider the account in the Gospel of Philipp which I quote here:
And the companion of the [...] Mary Magdalene. [...] loved her more than all the disciples, and used to kiss her often on her mouth. The rest of the disciples [...]. They said to him "Why do you love her more than all of us?" The Savior answered and said to them,"Why do I not love you like her? When a blind man and one who sees are both together in darkness, they are no different from one another. When the light comes, then he who sees will see the light, and he who is blind will remain in darkness."
What does the latter part of this quotation mean? Mary with the anointing of Jesus was in the light. She was not blind regarding the events taking place. She was aware that Jesus was going to die; she was alleviating the sting, the stench of death in the air. The apostles, with the exception of the apostle that Jesus loved, at this occasion and also the events on the eve of his death were blind and did not see the unfolding of the tragic events.
In your comments about the Gospel of Mary you mention in your post, Mary Magdalene is pictured in later centuries by the Catholic Church as carrying a skull and that she was a prostitute. It was not a skull she should be carrying, it was ointment that alleviates and soothes the sting of death down to this day.
There are many other things that could be discussed. Perhaps later this discussion will continue.
Belbab
