In this lecture, Dr. Schrader Polczer will outline her argument (published in the Harvard Theological Review) that the character Martha of Bethany may be a second-century addition to the Gospel of John. After surveying dozens of ancient manuscripts with textual instabilities – especially Papyrus 66, the world’s oldest copy of the Raising of Lazarus – she suggests that the Lukan character Martha may have been added to John’s Gospel to discourage the ancient position that Lazarus's sister Mary should be identified as Mary Magdalene. In particular, Martha’s presence in John ensures that John 11:27's crucial Christological confession is not on Mary's lips.