Female disciples

The women who bankrolled the Apostles

In recent years there has been a great deal of effort put into reevaluating the role of women in Jesus’ life, trying to find the historical facts that might give us a fuller picture of the real figure. Historians Joan Taylor and Helen Bond, for instance, uncovered a trail of information regarding three women that put them in a new context. Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute, as popular understanding might still believe, but a noblewoman who helped to fund the disciples and their mission. Joanna is also identified as a follower of Jesus who had been married to a leading political figure and added her wealth to the mission too. Finally, there was Salome, a practising healer, whose skills are praised in her tomb. More research and analysis continues to bring more depth to these biblical women, often sidelined by history.