Noli Me Tangere

Sixteenth-century theologians in their efforts to reform English religion sought to divest religion not only of its extrabiblical female saints but also its biblical female saints of their legends and their passionate expressions of sorrow. Reformers focused on deconstructing the popular weeping composite Mary Magdalene, yet their efforts were only partially successful. Thomas Walkington’s 1620 sermon, Rabboni, reveals that Protestant preachers were willing to diverge from the biblical account and use their imagination in sermons to appeal to their audience’s emotions. Rabboni demonstrates continued knowledge and leakage of Pre-Reformation extrabiblical legends into Protestant thought. The location of the sermon and the reception history of Pseudo-Origen’s De Maria Magdalena suggest why the medieval image of Mary Magdalene proved so indestructible.