The Facts on File Dictionary of Allusions - Green Valley High School

magi
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to the biblical Mary Magdalene (or Magdalen), a
woman from whom Christ had cast “seven dev ils”
(Luke 8:2). She has traditionally been thought to
be the unnamed woman of Luke 7:36–50, though
the biblical narrative does not warrant this. <strong>The</strong>
woman, who according to the biblical account was
“a sinner” (possibly a prostitute) now reformed,
wept with remorse over her past sins when Jesus
came to the house of the Pharisee. She washed his
feet with her tears, drying them with her hair.
Mary Magdalene was the fi rst person to see Christ
after the Resurrection (Mark 16:9). In art Mary
Magdalene is conventionally depicted as weeping.
With great reluctance she allowed herself to be persuaded
into the local magdalen, where she was scrubbed, scolded,
and entreated not to return to her old ways. See also
maudlin.
magi (mayji) Astrologers. <strong>The</strong> original Magi are
traditionally thought of as the three wise men
from the East who, according to Matthew 2:1,
came to Bethlehem with gifts of gold, frankincense,
and myrrh to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Later traditions presented the Magi as the kings
Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, but this suggestion
is not supported by the Gospels. It is
thought that the biblical Magi may have come from
Persia or southern Arabia. When the young woman
had fi nished, the three professors nodded sagely, for all
the world like three bearded and bespectacled magi.
Maginot Line (mazhino) A seemingly impregnable
static line of defense, especially one that is
not as effective as it looks. <strong>The</strong> Maginot Line was
the impressive system of defenses constructed
between 1929 and 1934 on the border between
France and Germany to defend French- held territory
from possible German attack. Such was the
confi dence of the French in the Maginot Line that
French generals became complacent and were
totally outwitted when the Germans outfl anked
the line by attacking through Belgium in 1940.
<strong>The</strong> line was named after the French minister of
war, André Maginot (1877–1932). “<strong>The</strong>y were
much more likely to stick to the ‘maginot line’ of
municipal antiracism and therefore, paradoxically,
to experience any shift away from that defensive
position as a retreat” (J. Donald and A. Rattansi,
Race, Culture and Difference, 1993).
Magna Carta (magnb kahrtb) A document that
guarantees legal rights or defends the civil liberties
of individuals. <strong>The</strong> original Magna Carta
(Latin for “great charter”) was signed by King John
at Runnymede on the River Thames in 1215 under
pressure from his barons, who wished to curb
royal abuses of power. It was actually very limited
in what it guaranteed in terms of individual rights,
but is remembered nonetheless as a statement of
fundamental liberties. This country needs a Magna
Carta to establish the limits of government interference
in the lives of citizens.
Magnifi cat (magnifi kat) A hymn of praise and by
extension any instance of praise. In its strictest
sense the term refers to Mary’s joy at the news that
she was to bear Christ, as related in Luke 1:46–55.
Her words “Magnifi cat anima mea Dominum” (“My
soul doth magnify the Lord”) form an important
part of Roman Catholic vespers and also appear in
the liturgy of the Anglican and Orthodox Churches.
“<strong>The</strong>re is the lesson of ‘Cinderella,’ which is the
same as that of the Magnifi cat—exaltavit humiles.
<strong>The</strong>re is the great lesson of ‘Beauty and the Beast’;
that a thing must be loved before it is loveable” (G.
K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, 1909).
Magog See gog and magog.