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  • The Saga of the Sister Saints. The Legend of Martha and Mary Magdalen in Old Norse-Icelandic Translation by Natalie M. Van Deusen
  • Ásdís Egilsdóttir
The Saga of the Sister Saints. The Legend of Martha and Mary Magdalen in Old Norse-Icelandic Translation. By Natalie M. Van Deusen. Studies and Texts, 214. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 2019. Pp. xiv + 222. 6 illustrations. $80.

Mǫrtu saga og Maríu Magdalenu is a fourteenth-century Icelandic compilation. The Saga of the Sister Saints comprises two parts, an introduction and a parallel edition and English translation of the Mǫrtu saga ok Maríu Magðalenu. The edition is based on the only complete redaction of the legend, in Stock. Perg. fol. no. 2 (fols. 67r–74r) and AM 233 fol. (fol. 19r–30r). Other manuscripts are AM 235 fol. and NRA, 79 fragm. Besides, there is an extract (AM 764 4to, ca. 1376–86) containing parts from the saga that involve Martha especially. The manuscripts were written 1350–1400. Notes explain unclear passages and terms and provide information on sources. They also include references to the numerous biblical texts mentioned or alluded to in the text. The introduction opens with the account in The New Testament of the sisters from Bethany, who received Jesus in their home as a guest. Their brother was Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead: a familiar account with a very complicated history. Mary of Bethany became conflated with Mary Magdalen and the unnamed sinful woman in Luke. Martha of Bethany then became the sister of the complex Mary Magdalen. Martha is only mentioned three times in the canonical Gospels. In Luke 10:38–42, she is hosting Jesus and his disciples together with her sister Mary at their home in Bethany. The sisters act differently: Mary sits attentively before Jesus and hears his word, while Martha is busy with housework and serving. When Martha complains that her sister did not help her, Jesus tells Martha that she is troubled about many things but that Mary has chosen the best part. Martha is not mentioned in the Gospel of Mark or the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel of John, 11:1–12:38, mentions Martha being busy with her chores while Mary anointed Jesus's feet and dried them with her hair. While Martha of Bethany's cult seems to have been small and local, Mary Magdalen enjoyed immense popularity in Western Christendom.

The book is divided into four chapters, followed by a normalized edition of the saga and an English translation. Chapter 1, "The Sister Saints in the North: The Penitent and the Hostess," is a survey of the cult of Martha and Mary of Bethany in the Nordic countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Chapter 2, "The Cults and Legends of Martha and Mary Magdalen in Medieval Iceland," outlines Icelandic evidence for the cults and legends of the two sisters. Interestingly, Van Deusen shows that there is a fundamental difference between the cults of Mary and Martha in Iceland and the rest of the Nordic countries. More attention is payed to Martha in the Icelandic version of the legend, whereas Mary Magdalen overshadows Martha in continental Scandinavia. Martha is also well represented in literary sources from Iceland. Van Deusen argues that this emphasis on the diligent Martha may be explained by medieval Icelandic women's roles and their strength and independance. Martha was the saintly model of an active and domestic life. [End Page 412] Thus, the vita activa of Martha may have applied to Icelandic women on farms and in convents. Her way of life may have appealed more to Icelandic women, who are often depicted as strong and independent, than the contemplative life of Mary. Chapter 3, "The Manuscripts, Sources and Authorship of Mǫrtu saga ok Maríu Magðalenu," is a good example of Van Deusen's fine philological scholarship. In this chapter, Van Deusen argues for the authorship of Arngrímr Brandsson (d. 1361). Arngrímr was a priest who took holy orders in 1341 and became abbot of the monastery...

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