In my last post I talked a bit about the relationship of / competition between Peter and Mary in early Christian traditions.  Peter, of course, has traditionally been seen as the “rock” on which Christ built his church, the very foundation of Christianity (Matt. 16:18 – “You are Peter (Greek: petros) and upon this rock (Greek: petra) I will build my church.”).   And indeed, according to 1 Cor. 15: 3-5, Peter was the first to see the resurrected Jesus (and realize he had been raised from the dead), and that is the very beginning of Christianity.

But what if the Gospels are right, that Mary actually was the first.  Wouldn’t it make better sense, then, to say that Mary started Christianity?

Here is how I talk about the matter in my book Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene:

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There is no doubt that Peter became dominant as the leader of the church early in the Christian movement, and Mary receded into the background.  We have scores of passages that talk about Peter, his involvement with Jesus during his life, and his leadership of the church after his death.  And

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