Are Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany the Same Person?
According to the Roman Catholic Church, the answer is “no”.
By introducing a sister, Martha, and a brother, Lazarus, the waters become a little muddied. But, as I have explored before, Jesus’ relationship with this family in Bethany becomes more like family.
After Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead, he had him prepare himself for a spiritual baptism by meditating with the angels of the Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother for 6 days in the manner of the ESSENES. Then on the seventh evening, Jesus took Lazarus to a cave with a stream running through it and initiated him with a secret ceremony.
From “The Refiner’s Fire”
Well, now that I’m reading the Gospel of Mary, I came across this passage which answers the question:
22:9 EVERYONE WENT TO HIS OWN HOUSE, BUT YESHUA WENT BACK TO BETHANY TO THE HOUSE OF THE BELOVED COMPANION NEAR THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.
Quillan, Jehanne de. The Gospel of the Beloved Companion: The Complete Gospel of Mary Magdalene (p. 42). Éditions Athara. Kindle Edition.
There it is in Gnostic black and white: although many women are named Mary in the New Testament, only one fits the bill as his Beloved Companion. Any more questions?
cdsmiller17 
32:1 THEN SIX DAYS BEFORE THE PESACH, YESHUA CAME TO BETHANY WHERE ELEAZAR WAS WHOM HE HAD BROUGHT TO LIFE. THERE THEY HAD PREPARED A SUPPER FOR HIM AND FOR THE OTHER DISCIPLES. MARTHA, THE SISTER OF THE COMPANION, SERVED THEM, AND ELEAZAR WAS ONE OF THOSE RECLINING AT THE TABLE WITH THEM. 32:2 THEN MIRYAM, THE BELOVED COMPANION, TOOK A JAR OF OIL OF PURE AND EXPENSIVE SPIKENARD AND POURED IT UPON THE HEAD OF YESHUA AND ANOINTED HIM. AND THE HOUSE WAS FULL OF THE SWEET FRAGRANCE OF THE OINTMENT. 32:3 AND SEEING WHAT SHE HAD DONE, THE DISCIPLES THEREFORE GRUMBLED AGAINST HER AMONGST THEMSELVES. 32:4 BUT HEARING THIS, YESHUA SAID TO THEM, “LEAVE HER BE. SHE HAS ANOINTED ME FOR WHAT I AM COME TO DO, AND DONE WHAT SHE IS APPOINTED TO DO. ONLY FROM THE TRUTH I TELL YOU, WHENEVER THEY SPEAK OF ME, WHAT SHE HAS DONE WILL ALSO BE TOLD IN MEMORY OF HER. YOU DO NOT KNOW OR UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE HAS DONE. I TELL YOU THIS: WHEN ALL HAVE ABANDONED ME, ONLY SHE SHALL STAND BESIDE ME LIKE A TOWER. A TOWER BUILT ON A HIGH HILL AND FORTIFIED CANNOT FALL, NOR CAN IT BE HIDDEN. FROM THIS DAY FORTH, SHE SHALL BE KNOWN AS MIGDALAH, FOR SHE SHALL BE AS A TOWER TO MY FLOCK, AND THE TIME WILL SOON COME WHEN HER TOWER SHALL STAND ALONE BY MINE.”
Quillan, Jehanne de. The Gospel of the Beloved Companion: The Complete Gospel of Mary Magdalene (pp. 59-60). Éditions Athara. Kindle Edition.
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