New interpretations of John 20:17 in the sixteenth century?

On the whole, the Reformation of the sixteenth century has changed Western exegesis fundamentally. This paper will examine whether this is also true for the interpretation of John 20:17 and for the translation and exegesis of the famous noli me tangere motif in the sixteenth century. After nine hundred years of convention, the French Catholic Reformer, Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples refuted the traditional identification of 'the three Marys', and argued that the woman who anointed Jesus at a banquet and Mary of Bethany are not the same person as Mary Magdalene, who first saw and touched the risen Lord. Lefèvre's answer to his critiques (his pamphlet provoked not less than twelve reactions by his contemporaries), shows, however, that Lefèvre was not so much interested in the person of Mary Magdalene, let alone women in the Bible as in a new exegetical methodology. Erasmus, Luther and Melanchthon seem to ascribe a positive role to Mary Magdalene on the basis of her love towards Christ, but they all find the reason for not touching Jesus in the imperfect love of MM towards the risen Lord. This is also the reason according to Calvin, who gives a clearly negative, moralizing interpretation of the episode. For him, Mary Magdalene and the women bringing ointment to the sepulchre of Christ are the examples of unbelief in the resurrection.status: publishe