Was Mary Magdalene an apostle?

In Christianity, there are, to my knowledge, two sets of criteria by which one could be considered an apostle. Because his are the earliest writings in the New Testament, the first definition comes from Paul, who says:

Orthodox Christianity has paid little attention to Hebrew Scripture that seemed to prophesy a Jewish High Priestess and/or a Goddess:

And you, O Magdalah of the flock, hill of daughter Zion, to you it shall come, the former dominion shall come, the sovereignty of daughter Jerusalem.  Micah 4:8

Who was Mary Magdalene? Tradition has labeled her a prostitute, but there is nothing in the Bible to support this view and much to dispute it. The Gospel of Mary of Magdala, a second-century gospel that was discovered in the 19th century and not published until 1955,shows Mary to be the apostle (yes, apostle) to whom Jesus revealed deep theological insights.

• An apostle must be a witness to the risen Christ (1 Corinthians 9:1)
• An apostle must have received a commission from Christ (Romans 1:1

The second set of criteria is much more restrictive, and is given in Acts 1:21,22:

• An apostle must have been part of Jesus’ ministry from the beginning, when he was baptized
• An apostle must have been a witness to the risen Christ during the time before his ascension
• An apostle must be a man

Mary Magdalene qualifies as an apostle by Paul’s criteria, as do other women, such as Junia (Romans 16:7). She most definitely wouldn’t qualify by the second set of criteria, but then again, neither would Paul. He wasn’t with Jesus’ ministry from the beginning, and he wasn’t a witness of the resurrection before Jesus’ ascension. So it seems to me that we have a logical quandry on our hands; I’m not a theologian, but strictly speaking, it appears that we can either include Mary Magdalene or exclude Paul.

Recommended reading:
Mary Magdalene, The First Apostle , by Ann Graham Brock
Mary Magdalene: The Image of a Woman Through The Centuries, by Ingrid Maisch
Annotated Bibliography: Mary Magdalene, Jesus and Courageous Women Resource
Read the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, The Acts of Paul and Thecla, the prison diary of Perpetua, and the poem "Thunder, Perfect Mind." Plus, more commentary from Biblical Scholars on the role of women in early Christianity.

 It was already known from the New Testament gospels that Mary was a Jewish woman who followed Jesus of Nazareth. Apparently of independent means, she accompanied Jesus during his ministry and supported him out of her own resources (Mark 15:40-41; Matthew 27:55-56; Luke 8:1-3; John 19:25).

Although other information about her is more fantastic, she is repeatedly portrayed as a visionary and leader of the early movement.( Mark 16:1-9; Matthew 28:1-10; Luke24:1-10; John 20:1, 11-18; Gospel of Peter ). In the Gospel of John, the risen Jesus gives her special teaching and commissions her as an apostle to the apostles to bring them the good news. She obeys and is thus the first to announce the resurrection and to play the role of an apostle, although the term is not specifically used of her. Later tradition, however, will herald her as "the apostle to the apostles." The strength of this literary tradition makes it possible to suggest that historically Mary was a prophetic visionary and leader within one sector of the early Christian movement after the death of Jesus.  Scholar Karen King Professor of New Testament Studies and the History of Ancient Christianity at Harvard University in the Divinity School.

 In other scriptures, her name is first in the list of witnesses (Mk. 16:1-11; Mt. 28:1; Lk. 24:10; Jn. 20:11-18; 1 Cor. 15:5-8).