“The Gospel of Mary Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle” is a compelling look into the controversy and debate of early Christianity. The gospel, originally written in the 2nd century CE, disappeared for over 1500 years, only reappearing in the late 19th century, leaving me wondering about the reason for its loss in history. The article suggestions two possible reasons: the gospel was either suppressed or neglected. As this is a class titled Forbidden Texts, I will focus on the possibility that the gospel was suppressed. During a time where debate on how to correctly practice Christianity was intense and rampant, it would make sense for those with power to exert their influence to recopy only the gospels that fit their preferences in practice. Even within the gospel itself, Mary’s words, the radical teaching given to her by Jesus, are met with skepticism. The apostle Andrew calls the message “strange,” and Peter refuses to believe that Jesus would give such an important teaching to a woman instead of one of the male apostles, going as far to imply that she was lying about having received the message to improve her status among them. If this was the response within the gospel, it is plausible that readers may have held the same skepticism. The falsehood around Mary Magdala’s history, since she is often incorrectly described as a prostitute, which demeans her and understates her importance, may have also contributed to possible suppression. Even if it was just neglected, it says something about how the gospel was taken and perceived by people, if they did not consider it necessary to keep in circulation. I had always been under the impression that she was a prostitute, so it was interesting to learn that she was not, and that she played a much bigger role than I had thought. I am planning on majoring in history, so I was also intrigued by the historical context of early Christianity, and how that affected the fate of Mary Magdala’s gospel.