Mary Magdalene Before the Emperor
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When in Bahá'í history
London (today: London, UK)
On the evening of 22 December 1912, in London, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke of Mary Magdalene. His words were recorded by Mahmúd-i-Zarqání:
Following the martyrdom of Jesus Christ, among the services Mary Magdalene rendered was that, by some means or other, she secured a meeting with the emperor of Rome.[1] That meeting took place at a time when Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas were both aware that the Jews had levelled unfounded allegations against Jesus Christ, and that He was in fact innocent of any crime. Pilate and Herod, therefore, began to persecute the Jews. When the emperor of Rome inquired about the reason for her visit, Mary Magdalene replied, “I have come on behalf of the Christians; they have asked that the executioners of Jesus Christ be spared punishment, and the Jews be left undisturbed. Since Pilate and Herod persecuted the Jews, even though the Jews were responsible for killing Christ, He would not at all be pleased if anyone attempted to exact vengeance upon them.” These remarks from Mary Magdalene pleased the emperor greatly and made a profound impression on him. As a result, the emperor decreed that the Jews were to be left alone.
— ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 22 December 1912, London, England, recorded by Mahmúd-i-Zarqání, His secretary and chronicler during His travels in the West; ‘Mahmúd’s Diary’, vol. 2: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Europe 1912–1913)
[1] Apparently a reference to Tiberius, the second Roman emperor.
Source: Mahmúd’s Diary, vol. 2 (‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Europe 1912–1913), 22 December 1912; the same talk is summarized in H. M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Centre of the Covenant, p. 348; as posted on the Baha'i Stories Blog (https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2025/04/mary-magdalene-asked-roman-emperor-to.html).
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