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No one had last names as we know them in those days. Occasionally people were known by two or more first names - as examples John/Mark (who wrote Marks gospel), Peter/Simon, Paul/Saul, and even Jesus/Emmanuel. If there were two or more people in an area who had the same name, to differentiate between them, a characteristic, or ancestor, or district from where they came was used.

As an example, James, the brother of John and James son of Alphaeus were both disciples, as were Simon (also called Peter) and Simon the Zealot, and Judas and Judas Iscariot (Judas from Iscaria) - the one who betrayed Jesus. In the case of Mary Magdalene, there are several Marys in the stories of Jesus.

There is Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary of Bethany (who was the sister of Martha and brother of Lazarus), and Mary Magdalene. 'Magdalene' simply means 'from Magdala' a village near Jerusalem, and hence she could be called 'Mary of Magdala' which means the same thing. Therefore 'Magdalene' is not a 'surname' but a description of Mary to differentiate her from the others in the stories of Jesus.

There are about 6 different 'Mary's' mentioned in the Gospels -it was a popular name - so nicknames were used to differentiate them.

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8y ago
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14y ago

== == Mary's last name is used to distinguish her from all the other Marys the scriptures mention, and it refers to where she was from, e.g. Mary of Magdala. Christ is NOT Jesus' last name. It is His Greek title of "anointed one," the equivalent of the Hebrew "Messiah." If a person of the time had used Jesus' "full" name, it probably would have been "Joshua bar [son of] Joseph," it being presumed that Jesus was the son of Mary's husband.

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12y ago

Magdalene is NOT her last name.

People back then did NOT have Last names. Not even this Mary.

People were identified by their parent's name; ie Jesus, son of Mary & Joseph.

They were also identified by other identifiers; ie Mary of the town of Magdala.

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Q: Why does Mary Magdalene have a last name?
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Is Magdalene Mary last name or is Magdalene the place she came from?

Magdalene was Marys last name.


Magdalene in English?

"Magdalene" in Aramaic means "elegant", "great" or "magnificent"; in Hebrew it means "tower". It is the last name of Mary Magdalene from the Bible, but not her surname as we have one today. Place names and family names (Mary bat-Nathanial, aka Mary, the daughter of Nathanial) were used to identify individuals in her era. So she was Mary Magdalene, or Mary of (the area of) Magdala. Magdalene, in the Biblical terminology, refers to the region of Magdala. The name appears to have made its way into common usage as a female name, but essentially it still means "from the region of Magdala".


What was the last name of Mary the mother of Jesus?

In those days they did not have any last names like today.In that time period, in that culture, there weren't last names. People were designated by who their parents were, or where they lived.


What is the name of the woman Jesus saved?

Mary Magdalene


Who was Mary Magdalene's daughter?

Mary Magdalene had no children.


Did both Mary Magdalene and Mary the sister of Lazarus annoint Jesus feet?

Mary Magdalene was the sister of Lazarus.


Who did Da Vinci want the woman in 'The Last Supper' to be?

He wanted it to be Mary Magdalene.


Where did Mary Magdalene come from?

Mary Magdalene is believed to have come from the town of Magdala, which is located near the Sea of Galilee in Israel. She is mentioned in the Bible as a devoted follower of Jesus Christ.


How many children did Mary Magdalene have?

To the best of our knowledge, Mary Magdalene had no children.


What is Mary Magdalene's date of death?

The date of Mary Magdalene's death is not known,


What was Mary Magdalene's occupation?

Mary Magdalene was Martha's sister, not Jesus's mother.Mary Magdalene was a reformed prostitute who followed Jesus.


Why do you think the person painted Mary Magdalene in the picture with Jesus at the last supper and why is there on 13 people including Jesus Is Mary Magdalene suppose to be one of the 12 disciples?

No that is not Mary magadelene, it is John. As John was the youngest of the twelve disciples.