How Jesus Heals Mary Magdalene (III): With Veganism. By Dr Chapman Chen
- Chapman Chen
- 5 hours ago
- 5 min read
Introduction: As aforementioned, the seven demons cast out from Mary Magdalene by Jesus (see Luke 8:2 and Mark 16:9) symbolise severe spiritual, mental, and physical ailments. Jesus must have healed Mary not only through hands-on healing and love therapy but also by turning her vegan. According to the Gospel of Mary, a private revelation from Jesus explained to Magdalene that the soul must overcome the seven powers of wrath, to return to its spiritual home. The seven powers probably correspond to the seven demons by which Mary Magdalene had been possessed. The seven powers include Darkness, Desire, Ignorance, Zeal for Death, The Kingdom of the Flesh, The Foolish Wisdom of Flesh, and The Wisdom of Anger (Gospel of Mary, Ch. 8, v. 19). In my interpretation, they are all related to the very opposite of veganism. Note that all disciples of Jesus the Vegan Christ (n.1) were vegan, according to Eusebius’ Proof of the Gospel), and, according to according to Gnostic gospels such as the Gospel of Mary, Gospel of Philip, Pistis Sophia, etc., most Gnostic communities were vegan (note 2),
A vegan diet can heal or mitigate many spiritual, psychological, and physical diseases.
1. Veganism Removes Demons from the Soul
In early Christian thought (especially among groups like the Ebionites and many Gnostic sects), abstaining from meat was connected to purity and spiritual enlightenment. If demonic possession in the ancient world was sometimes a metaphor for inner turmoil, disease, or sin, then becoming vegan could symbolize a move toward purity and healing.
Specifically, the Seven Demons or the Seven Powers of Wrath, as listed in the Gospel of Mary, that had afflicted Magdalene’s probably represent seven anti-vegan tendencies. Darkness may refer to the Satanic side of human soul including animal abuse, treachery, conspiracies, etc.
Ignorance in general may refer to ignorance about the illusory, inconstant nature of the mundane world, failure to see the presence of the omnipresent Divine, turning a deaf ear to the call of the conscience, etc. In particular, it may refer to cognitive dissonance about animals, which explains why people follow carnism rather than veganism even when exposed to the truth of animal exploitation, and why they only apply the principle of compassion in some circumstances involving some animals, but not others.
Zeal for Death naturally evokes enthusiasm for or participation in killing and destruction. It could therefore be a synonym for Thanatos, or violence against animals and humans.
Desire could mean attachment to, or obsession with, transient worldly pleasures and ego-driven pursuits, such as carnist gluttony, vain fame, wealth and power as the ultimate meaning of life, lasciviousness, and the pursuit of violence.
The Kingdom of the Flesh could include banquets centred on animal flesh as a manifestation of dominion by the flesh.
The Foolish Wisdom of Flesh could refer to the flesh foolishly and complacently indulging in all kinds of sinful and self-destructive lusts, such as meatism, sadomasochism, lechery, drug abuse, and car racing, while still considering itself wise.
The Wisdom of Anger is the false wisdom born of defensive wrath. When the ego's attachment to sin—for example, meatism or animal abuse—is challenged, it becomes hostile rather than repentant and employs plausible but fallacious argumentation to justify violence and exploitation instead of embracing truth and compassion.
1.2. The Golden Rule
In Clementine Homilies, as translated by James Donaldson (1886), Peter asserts that the Golden Rule is “abstain from the table of devils, not to taste dead flesh (Hom. 7, Ch. IV); and that “refraining from the table of devils…you can escape everlasting punishment, and be constituted heirs of eternal blessings” (Hom. 9, Ch. XXIII). in Saying 87, the Gospel of Thomas, as translated and edited by Stevan Davies (2002), Jesus says, "Wretched is a body depending on a body". Now, how can a body be dependent on another body? Only if the body eats the other body (cf. Davids 2002).
2. Veganism Heals the Mind
A well-planned vegan diet may help improve mood, reduce depression and even schizophrenia, and support mental well-being — likely due to its anti-inflammatory, gut-friendly, and nutrient-rich properties (Lakhan and Vieira 2008; Massara & Dimmock 2021; Medawar et. al. 2021; Rao et al 2010; Cooke and Gilbody 2018).
3. Veganism Heals the Body
Plant-based (especially whole-food vegan) diets have been shown to prevent, significantly improve, or even reverse certain severe health conditions, particularly cardiovascular disease or coronary artery disease (Ornish et al., 1990), type 2 diabetes (Barnard et al., 2006), hypertension (Yokoyama et al., 2014), chronic kidney disease (Chen et al., 2019), rheumatoid arthritis (Kjeldsen-Kragh et al., 1991), obesity and metabolic syndrome (Barnard, Levin, & Yokoyama, 2015), Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline (Morris et al., 2015), Parkinson’s disease (Seidel et al., 2019), overall cancer risk (Tantamango-Bartley et al., 2013), prostate cancer (Ornish et al., 2005), colorectal cancer (Key et al., 2009), and multiple sclerosis (Yadav et al., 2016).
4. Conclusion
Veganism heals people holistically. If we want to recover from our spiritual, psychical, and physical troubles, we had better try Jesus’ medicine – veganism – for Mary Magdalene. #VeganChrist #VeganGod #VeganTheology #VeganChurch
Notes
1. Jesus is steadfastly vegan. Jesus desires compassion, NOT sacrifice (Matthew 9:13; Panarion Book I, 30.16.5; The Gospel of the Ebionites 22.4; Panarion Book I, 30.18.9); Jesus comes from a vegan family (Eusebius, Church History 2.23.5–6; Eisenman 2021:392); Jesus warns against flesh-eating (Luke 21:34, Evangelion Da-Mepharreshe — Old Syriac-Aramaic Manuscript of the NT Gospels; Gospel of Thomas, Saying 87); Jesus cares about animals (Mark 12:31; Matt. 10:29, 21:1-7, 25:40; Linzey 2010: 60-61.; Luke 14:5), just like God (Gen. 1:20, 1:21, 1:24, 1:30, 9:4); Jesus is in peaceable companionship with the wild animals (Mark 1:12-13). Above all, Jesus died for animal liberation. In emptying the Temple of animals about to be slaughtered for sacrifice, and in calling the Temple-turned-butcher-shop "a den of murderers", quoting Jeremiah 7:11, Jesus debunked the fraudulent and evil nature of animal sacrifice, and disrupted the lucrative revenue stream of the chief priests and scribes, who immediately afterwards conspired to destroy Him (Mark 11:15-18), eventually leading to His arrest, trial, and crucifixion (Akers 2020). How could He ever have the heart to murder and devour innocent sentient creatures of God? I would submit that even in a survival situation, He would still rather die than hurt other blameless sentient beings, given His self-costly love for all creation. https://www.hkbnews.net/post/jesus-is-staunchly-vegan-by-dr-chapman-chen
2. The Gospel of the Egyptians (Nag Hammadi Library, 4th century AD) contains passages suggesting that eating flesh was linked to corruption and ignorance. For instance, The Acts of Thomas (3rd century AD) presents Jesus as promoting an ascetic (self-denying) lifestyle, which often included vegetarianism; The Apostle Thomas refuses to participate in animal sacrifice; The Manichaeans (A Gnostic sect, 3rd-4th century AD) believed in a dualistic universe where consuming flesh was linked to evil materialism and strict veganism was required for advanced members; The Cathars (12th-14th century, influenced by Gnosticism) rejected all forms of killing, including animal slaughter and avoided eating flesh, eggs, and dairy. In his book Ormus: The Secret Alchemy of Mary Magdalene – Revealed, William Hearth also suggests that Mary Magdalene embraced a vegan lifestyle; and associates her with the Ebionite and Essene communities, groups known for their ascetic lifestyles and possible vegan practices.