Maria Magdalene is one of the most important female saints of piety in the Middle Ages. In her study, Madeleine Boxler demonstrates how the image of the saint developed from her biblical roots through patristic writings and the explanation of early Christianity up to medieval literary texts.

As a significant counterpoint, she compares this image with the depiction of Mary Magdalene in esoteric and Gnostic sources, thereby providing the modern audience with the foundation for a contemporary approach to her status as a disciple and apostle.

The book also offers a comprehensive overview of the extensive medieval tradition of German legends of Mary Magdalene, whose texts are published here for the first time. Using a selected legend from around 1500—which represents both a pinnacle and a conclusion of the legendary imagination surrounding Mary Magdalene—the study exemplifies the possibilities for processing and interpreting legends.