Is there any evidence that Mary Magdalene was one of the apostles, or that Jesus married her (or was her lover)? Lots of popular books and movies seem to take it for granted that she was.

No, there is no shred of evidence for these wild positions. On the other hand, it would be misleading to imply that only men followed the Lord. There were women who not only followed him, but supported him financially (Luke 8:3)! A couple of centuries after the N.T. was written, there were a few speculative books placing Mary Magdalene in a position of greater prominence. I would remind my readers, none of these books is an inspired work. Though interesting to read, they are practically useless as far as filling in the details of Jesus' earthly life and ministry.

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