Strata: How Many?

How many women named Mary are mentioned in the New Testament?

Answer: Seven

In Greek the name is Maria or Mariam, from the Hebrew Miryam, but it comes to us in English translations as Mary. Although some debate whether or not a few of these Marys might in fact be the same person, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible identifies seven distinct women named Mary in the New Testament.¹ The first and most obvious is Mary the mother of Jesus (and wife of Joseph). She is mentioned in all four gospels (though not always by name) and the Book of Acts, featuring in the infancy narratives, Jesus’ ministry and his crucifixion.

Mary Magdalene is also prominent in the gospels as a close follower of Jesus, especially at his death and burial. She is among those who find the tomb empty, and the first to whom the resurrected Jesus appears in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and John. Although she later got a reputation as a repentant sinner and prostitute (thanks largely to a sermon by Pope Gregory the Great in 591), the only gospel references to Mary Magdalene’s earlier life say simply that seven demons had been cast out of her (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2).

Mary the mother of James and Joses is mentioned a number of times in the gospels, as is Mary the sister of Lazarus, who famously sat listening at Jesus’ feet while her sister Martha busied herself with housework (Luke 10:38–42).