A Miriamic Procession
The
Miriamic procession is both auditory and visual. From it comes a map
of both sight and sound. The sound map starts with the glorious song
of Miriam. She sings the ancient "Song of the Sea" in
Exodus 15 celebrating Israel's deliverance with music and dance. Her
performance on behalf of the nation reflects a female musical
tradition identified and described Israelite tradition. This Miriamic strand in the story of
ancient Israel not only signifies a special place for women as those
who first recognize and give voice to God's salvific deeds but also
contributes to a wider understanding of the possibilities for women
in Israelite society.
The
Miriamic
procession
continues
into
the
New
Testament and beyond--from
the
birth
stories
through
the
ministry
of
Jesus
and
on
to
the
empty
tomb
and
resurrection
accounts.
Echoes
of
Miriam's
song
resonate
in
the
Magnificat,
the
lament
psalms
of
Pistis
Sophia,
the
Manichaean
psalms,
Peter
Abelard's
Easter
sermon,
and
medieval
and
baroque
music
of
the
east
and
west.
Refracted
images
of
Miriam's
vision
appear
in
the
gospel
of
Mary
Magdalen
and
in
Christian
art.
Mary
Magdalen
is
first
to
discover
the
empty
tomb and the first to proclaim the resurrection.
John's
gospel
reports
her
subsequent
meeting
with
and
proclamation
of
the
resurrected
Lord
to
the
apostles.
In
their
meeting,
each
calls
the
other's
name.
This
exchange
of
names
becomes
an
interchange
of
sight
and
sound.
We
see
them
side
by
side.
Noli
me
tangere
is
yet
another
classification
of
their
visible
and
audible
dialogue
in
Christian
art.
As
already
noted,
the
writer
of
Luke's
gospel
forges
aural
and
literary
connections
between
Miriam
and
Mary,
the
mother
of
Jesus. Luke's gospel
and
the
extracanonical
birth
story
of
Jesus
known
as
the
Protevangelium
of
James
exploit
and
subvert
ancient
images
of
virginity
either
to
advance
or
suppress
the
Miriamic
tradition.
The
Miriamic Vision
Both the fourth gospel and Mary of the Gospel
of Mary show Mary as prophet
and originator of mission. Attention to Mary's vision as emblematic
of early Christian prophecy helps to eradicate the
overly rationalized division between resurrection and ascension
proposed by Luke. In conjunction with a prophetic and charismatic
Jesus movement, the experience of Mary Magdalen is continuous with
the vision of John the seer in Revelation and the new prophets all of
whom saw the risen Lord.
Vision
however
is
not
stasis.
Quite
the
reverse.
Christian
iconography
outlined
by
art
historians
and
depictions
of
Mary
in
Christian
Art identify an
anonymous
group
of
women
processing
to
the
tomb
in
early
third-century
frescoes.
In
the
fifth-century
a
discrete
Mary
Magdalene
emerges
within
the
context
of
"women
at
the
tomb."
By
the
seventh
century,
she
is
singular
witness
and
apostle
in
images
that
who
she
is
and
what
she
sees.
Here,
artistic
evidence
complements
textual
arguments
for
original
anonymity
and
composite
identity.
In
a
sight
map,
Titian's
Noli
Me
Tangere
may
result
from
the
Chairete
of
Byzantine
iconography.
The Miriamic Tradition
There were
some in the early church who envisaged Mary of Nazareth as a teacher
of secret wisdom who enlightened the apostles. Numerous early
Christian apocrypha, including several so-called “gnostic” texts,
include a character known as “Mary,” whose identity is usually
otherwise unspecified. Generally, this “Mary” appears as an
associate or, sometimes, as a rival, of the apostles, who is filled
with knowledge of the “gnostic” mysteries. Although scholars
have persistently identified this Mary with Mary the Magdalene,
rather than Mary of Nazareth, this interpretive dogma is based on
evidence that it at best inconclusive. Many
features of this character’s representation point also to Mary
of Nazareth. The traditions of the Virgin Mary’s Dormition (her
“death”) in particular present Mary of Nazareth in a light that
is strongly reminiscent of the gnostic Mary figure. Thus the gnostic
Mary, it turns out, is best understood as a composite figure, drawing
on the identities of both the Magdalene and the Virgin (among
others), rather than being the representation of a single historical
individual.
Subsequent
Muslim
exegetes
of
medieval
Andalusia
argued
intensely
for
the
priesthood
of
Mar,
mother
of
Jesus
and
for
women
who
received
revelation
through
the
angels
or
directly
from
God. Feminist
analysis
of
the
issues
of
Mary's
prophethood
not
only
betrays
the
androcentric
readings
projected
onto
the
text
by
Muslim
exegetes
of
the
east
but
demonstrates
the
signs
of
Mary's
prophet
hood
('lamat
nubuwwat
Maryam)
well
established
in
the
Qur'anic
text.
