10 “Do not hold me” is the request that Jesus of Nazareth makes to Mary Magdalene, which we can read at the end of the Gospel according to John. It is one of the most captivating and mysterious moments in the entire Bible. Two days after Jesus’ crucifixion, the news of the empty tomb spreads as much among his followers as among his executioners. The death of the Galilean preacher has been extremely cruel. The cross was a Roman torture device meant for enemies of the Empire and a curse for a Jew, to die exposed like a wild beast. The account of Jesus’ Passion is of extreme violence exercised from the most ingrained masculinity. The betrayal of Jesus, the reaction of the followers with the sword, the trial, the mockery and torture, gambling for the tunic with dice... all of it paints a ruthless world in which women are silent witnesses. 

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