Holy myrrh-bearing women. Icon "Myrrh-bearing women Who are the myrrh-bearing women"
Priest Andrey Chizhenko answers.
The number of Myrrh-bearing Women is not precisely defined. There are seven names in the Sacred History of the New Testament. But there were many more. The holy apostle and evangelist Luke writes about this: “After this, He went through the cities and villages, preaching and announcing the Kingdom of God, and with Him were twelve, and some women whom He healed from evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons came out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, the steward of Herod, and Susanna, and many others who ministered to him with their possessions” (Luke 8:1-3). Also known from the Holy Scriptures are the sisters of the resurrected Lazarus Martha and Mary, Salome - the mother of the holy apostles of Zebedee James and John and Mary Cleopova - the mother of the apostles James Alfeev and the evangelist Matthew.
We should draw your attention, dear brothers and sisters, to the following two points. In the interpretations of the Sacred History of the New Testament, there are various interpretations of the origin of the names of both the apostles themselves and the Myrrh-Bearing Women. In essence, it is not so important. On the contrary, such discrepancies tell us that the Gospel story is real, and not written off as a blueprint and then adjusted to a common template. Life does not fit into a template. And the Gospel, as the source of this life, too.
It can be said with certainty that many of the apostles, and the Myrrh-bearing Women, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself (according to his social status, as the imaginary Son of the holy righteous Joseph the Betrothed) were relatives. At least five of the Myrrhbearers were from Galilee, and two - Martha and Mary - from Judea, more precisely from the suburb of Jerusalem, the village of Bethany. Many of them were rich and served Christ and the apostles in their gospel with their material means. The apostle and evangelist Luke speaks of this in the above-mentioned passage of Holy Scripture: "They served Him with their possessions."
Let us briefly consider the Lives of the Seven Myrrh-bearing Women, known to history, generally accepted in the Church.
Saint Mary Magdalene came from the Galilean city of Magdala, located on the shores of the Lake of Gennesaret. Church Tradition indicates that she led a sinful life before meeting the Savior. This fall led to the fact that seven demons settled in her, which our Lord Jesus Christ cast out. Mary repented and followed the Son of God, faithfully serving Him and the holy apostles. Obviously, by the strength of her faith and devotion to Christ, she stood out among other myrrh-bearing wives, because the Gospel often tells about her. She is often mentioned during the sufferings of the Lord on the Cross and among women who carry ointment to anoint the Body of Christ. And the holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian dedicated to Magdalene half of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel, written from her words. It is she who is the first evangelist of the Resurrection of Christ. Mary comes to the apostles and says to them these great and sacred words: "Christ is Risen!" After the Ascension of the Lord, she is in the Zion Upper Room during the Descent of the Holy Spirit, then she preaches the Gospel in Asia Minor and Italy. Tradition tells that Mary Magdalene brought the emperor Tiberius (14-37 years) a red egg as a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ.
In her old age, she moves to the Asia Minor city of Ephesus, where she lives next to John the Theologian, who wrote down the first half of the 20th chapter of his Gospel from her words. The saint, who labored much in the cause of the gospel of Christ and received for that the title of Equal-to-the-Apostles, peacefully departed to the Lord in Ephesus, where she was buried.
The Holy Myrrh-Bearing John is a wealthy woman, the wife of a high-ranking official of Herod's steward of Khuza. According to tradition, she followed Christ when the Savior healed her son (see John 4:46-54).
Holy Myrrhbearer Salome - according to Church Tradition, was the daughter of the holy righteous Joseph the Betrothed, the wife of Zebedee and the mother of the "sons of thunder" - the apostles James and John.
The Holy Myrrh-Bearing Woman Maria Kleopova (Josieva), Jacobleva, Josieva is the wife of Cleopas (Alpheus), who was the younger brother of Joseph the Betrothed. According to legend, it is Mary Kleopova who is called the mother of the apostles Jacob Alfeev and the Evangelist Matthew.
Holy Myrrhbearer Susanna. Mentioned in the enumeration of the Myrrh-bearing Women in the above passage of the apostle and evangelist Luke. Almost nothing is known about life.
The Holy Myrrh-bearing Women Martha and Mary were sisters. Saint Lazarus the Four Days was their brother. Mentioned several times in the Gospel: Luke - (10:38-42), John - (ch. 11 "The Resurrection of Lazarus"). It is believed that it was Mary who poured a pound of nard pure precious ointment on the head of Jesus, preparing the Body of Christ for burial (John 12).
Almost nothing is known about the other Myrrh-Bearing Women.
It should be pointed out that, in general, myrrh itself was a precious oil, very expensive, costing a fortune. These women gave everything to Christ. They were not afraid of Roman soldiers, or the revenge of the Jews, or arrest, or death, or people's rumors. Their all-consuming love is amazing.
And it seems to me that there is some symbolism in the fact that the exact number of the Savior's disciples and the number and names of the myrrh-bearing women is not known. Their number is approaching in centuries to us - the modern disciples of Christ and the modern Myrrh-Bearing Women. The Church of God is being filled, and the gospel story is repeated in each of us - as in a disciple of Christ or His enemy, as in the Myrrh-Bearing Woman or in Herodias and Salome, her daughter, who hated God with a fierce hatred. It's up to us to decide which side to take. And Jesus is the same for the first Christians and for us!
Priest Andrei Chizhenko
On the third week after Easter, a holiday is celebrated, established in memory of women who, during the period of the Savior's earthly life, relentlessly followed Him, taking upon themselves all His worldly concerns, and after burial, on the first day after the end of Saturday, in the early morning they came to where they were the tomb of the Lord, in order, according to Jewish custom, to anoint the body of the Savior with fragrant myrrh. Here the happy news of His resurrection awaited them. It is these servants of God that are shown to us by the icon of the Myrrh-Bearing Woman.
Names of Myrrh-Bearing Women
Who are these women who forever left their memory in history, and in whose honor the Day of the Myrrh-bearing Women was established? Evangelists call different names, but based on the analysis of the texts they left and taking into account the Holy Tradition, which also tells about this event, it is customary to include the following names among them: Mary Magdalene, Mary Cleopova, Salome, Joanna, Martha, Mary and Susanna. Let's take a closer look at each of the names. The icon of the “Myrrh-Bearing Woman” presents us only with a plot composition based on the gospel event. For more detailed details, let us turn to Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition.
Mary Magdalene, Martha and Mary
There is no consensus about Mary Magdalene. Some identify her with the well-known biblical harlot who embarked on the path of repentance, while others tend to consider her an ordinary woman, from whom Jesus Christ cast out demons with his Divine power. It is known about her that already after that, contrary to the tradition that forbade women to preach, she wandered around the cities, bringing the word of God to people. Lives, compiled many years later, contradictory narrate about her death.
About Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus resurrected by Jesus, information is also rather limited. It is known from the gospel texts that the Savior visited their home more than once, loved their family and spoke with the sisters about the Kingdom of God. From the further fate of these women, it is only known that they followed their brother Lazarus to Cyprus, where he carried out the episcopal ministry.
Joanna and Maria Kleopova
Somewhat more extensive information is available about John. It is known that she was married to one of the associates of King Herod and was a very rich woman. It is generally accepted that during the sermons of Christ, she took upon herself the bulk of the expenses associated with His life and work. In addition, she belongs to another important merit. It was Joanna who secretly buried on the Mount of Elion the head thrown out by Herodias after being scolded to the dump.
From the few information about Mary Cleopova, another glorious follower of Christ, who was included in the number of Myrrh-Bearing Women, it is known that she was a relative of Jesus, but the opinions of researchers differ. According to one version, she is Cleopas, the brother of Joseph the Betrothed, and according to another, although less likely, sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Maria Iakovleva and Susanna
With regard to the woman who is referred to in the Gospel as Maria Jacobleva, there is an opinion that she was the youngest daughter of Joseph the Betrothed. From Holy Tradition it is also known that being in the warmest relationship with the Mother of God, she was Her closest friend for many years. She is named Jacobleva in honor of her son, the Apostle James, the closest disciple and associate of Christ.
The least information is available about the Myrrh-Bearing Woman named Susanna. The text of the Gospel says about her only that she served Christ "from her own estate", that is, those material means that she had at her disposal. This makes it possible to conclude that she was a wealthy woman.
Calling these seven names, we act only in accordance with the Orthodox tradition, but not with the established canon, since researchers have other points of view that also deserve attention. Often, but not always, the holy myrrh-bearing women are depicted on icons in precisely this composition - seven humble figures.
The Mother of God - the first to receive the news of the Resurrection of the Son
And, finally, speaking of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, one cannot fail to mention the mother of Jesus Christ - the Blessed Virgin Mary. Despite the fact that she is not formally one of them, according to many researchers, there is reason to believe that the names of Mary of Jacob and the “other Mary” mean exactly the mother of Jesus Christ.
The reason for this may be the fact that after the death of Joseph the Betrothed, Mary took over the care of his children from his first marriage, and quite legitimately was considered the mother of his son Jacob. However, even if these assumptions are not correct, the Most Holy Theotokos was the first to receive the news of the resurrection of her Son. This good news, according to Holy Tradition, she received from the mouth of an angel.
Orthodox Women's Day
In memory of these women, the church established a holiday - the Day of the holiday of all Orthodox women, a kind of analogue of the generally accepted Women's Day - March 8th. The only difference is that Clara Zetkin, in whose memory the official Women's Day was established, professed the very dubious principles of a rebellious revolutionary and reckless feminist, while those who saw the open tomb of the Lord early in the morning carried living faith and love in themselves - those same feelings that only women are capable of. It is here that the principle “in weakness is strength” is clearly manifested. The symbol of the holiday is the icon of the Myrrh-Bearing Woman.
Feast of the Myrrh-bearing Women in icon painting
This theme found the widest reflection in the Byzantine, and later in the Russian fine arts. Almost all the most famous icon-painting schools left works based on this biblical story. However, compositionally, many of them differ from each other. So, for example, the icon of the Myrrh-Bearing Woman, the photo of which is presented at the beginning of the article, depicts seven female figures, and the next one - three. This is due precisely to the fact that in different texts their number is indicated in different ways, which was noted above.
folk traditions
The feast of the Myrrh-Bearing Women has always been loved in Russia. On this day, in addition to all the divine services established by the Church Canon, there were widespread actions related to folk customs. A kind of bachelorette party was arranged, in which married women also took part. According to tradition, the main treat for them was scrambled eggs. In the villages, this day was revered as a woman's holiday and all women were considered birthday girls.
Myrrh-bearing women... These women in the morning, on the first day after Saturday, came to the tomb of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ to anoint His most pure body with aromas and spices. To, as they thought, to pay the last tribute of love and respect to the One Who is now dead and lifeless, Whom they loved and revered so much, following Him everywhere. And instead of pain, they found joy, surprise and delight at the tomb of their God and Teacher. Christ is risen! And these women found out about it first. We know this gospel story fairly well. But when asked who was among the wives who brought myrrh, as a rule, we can first name Mary Magdalene, and we will hardly remember the rest ...
So who do we call myrrh-bearers? The memory of whose self-sacrifice, incomparable and tender love for Christ, sets an example for us to serve Him with the same devotion?
In the gospels, the names of the myrrh-bearing women and their number differ. After Saturday, the following came to the tomb: at Matthew (28:1-10) - Mary Magdalene and another Mary (probably the Mother of God); in Mark (16:1-13) - Mary Magdalene, Mary Jacobleva (mother of James, an apostle from the 70), Salome (mother of the sons of Zebedee James and John);
in Luke (23:23-55) - Mary Magdalene, Joanna (wife of Chuza), Mary (mother of Jacob), “and others with them”;
in John (20:1-18) - Mary Magdalene. The Holy Tradition of the Church also speaks of Mary and Martha, Mary of Cleopas and Susanna. These women entered hymnography and liturgical texts under the common name of myrrh-bearing women. Now let's take a look at each of them.
HOLY EQUAL-APOSTAL MYRBORESS MARY MAGDALENE
On the shores of Lake Gennesaret, between the cities of Capernaum and Tiberias, there was a small city of Magdala, the remains of which have survived to this day. Now only the small village of Mejdel stands in its place.
A woman was once born and raised in Magdala, whose name entered the gospel history forever. The Gospel tells us nothing about Mary's early years, but Tradition tells us that Mary of Magdala was young, beautiful and led a sinful life. The Gospel says that the Lord cast out seven demons from Mary. From the moment of her healing, Mary began a new life. She became a faithful disciple of the Savior.
The Gospel tells that Mary Magdalene followed the Lord when He and the Apostles passed through the cities and villages of Judea and Galilee preaching the Kingdom of God. Together with pious women - Joanna, the wife of Khuza (the steward of Herod), Susanna and others, she served Him from her estates (Lk. 8: 1-3) and, undoubtedly, shared the evangelistic labors with the apostles, especially among women. Obviously, the Evangelist Luke, along with other women, is referring to her, saying that at the moment of Christ's procession to Golgotha, when, after the scourging, He carried the heavy Cross on Himself, exhausted under its weight, the women followed Him, weeping and sobbing, and He comforted them. The Gospel tells that Mary Magdalene was also on Golgotha at the time of the crucifixion of the Lord. When all the disciples of the Savior fled, she fearlessly remained at the Cross together with the Mother of God and the Apostle John.
The Evangelists list among those who stood at the Cross also the mother of the Apostle James the Less, and Salome, and other women who followed the Lord from Galilee itself, but everyone calls Mary Magdalene the first, and the Apostle John, except for the Mother of God, mentions only her and Mary Cleopova. This indicates how much she stood out from among all the women who surrounded the Savior.
She was faithful to Him not only in the days of His glory, but also in the moment of His extreme humiliation and reproach. She, as the Evangelist Matthew narrates, was also present at the burial of the Lord. In front of her eyes, Joseph and Nicodemus carried His lifeless body into the tomb. In front of her eyes, they blocked the entrance to the cave where the Sun of life had set with a large stone ...
Faithful to the law in which she was brought up, Mary, along with other women, remained all the next day at rest, for the day of that Sabbath was great, which coincided that year with the feast of Easter. But still, before the day of rest, the women managed to stock up on fragrances so that on the first day of the week they would come at dawn to the tomb of the Lord and Teacher and, according to the custom of the Jews, anoint His body with funeral aromas.
It must be assumed that, having agreed to go to the Sepulcher on the first day of the week early in the morning, the holy women, dispersing on Friday evening to their homes, did not have the opportunity to meet each other on the Sabbath day, and as soon as the light of the next day dawned, they went to the tomb not together, but each from his own house.
The Evangelist Matthew writes that the women came to the tomb at dawn, or, as the Evangelist Mark puts it, very early, at sunrise; Evangelist John, as if supplementing them, says that Mary came to the tomb so early that it was still dark. Apparently, she was looking forward to the end of the night, but, not waiting for dawn, when darkness still reigned all around, she ran to where the body of the Lord lay.
So Mary came to the tomb alone. Seeing the stone rolled away from the cave, she hurried in fear to where the closest apostles of Christ, Peter and John, lived. Hearing the strange news that the Lord had been carried away from the tomb, both Apostles ran to the tomb and, seeing the linen and folded kerchief, were astonished. The apostles left and did not say anything to anyone, and Mary stood near the entrance to the gloomy cave and wept. Here, in this dark coffin, her Lord lay so recently lifeless. Wanting to make sure that the coffin was really empty, she went up to him - and here a strong light suddenly shone on her. She saw two angels in white robes, sitting one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus was laid. Hearing the question: “Woman, why are you crying?” - she answered in the same words that she had just said to the Apostles: “They have carried away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Having said this, she turned around, and at that moment she saw the Risen Jesus standing near the tomb, but did not recognize Him.
He asked Mary: “Woman, why are you crying, who are you looking for?” She, thinking that she saw the gardener, answered: "Sir, if you carried him out, tell me where you put him, and I will take him."
But in that moment, she recognized the voice of the Lord, a voice that had been familiar from the very day He healed her. She heard this voice in those days, in those years, when, together with other pious women, she followed the Lord in all the cities and villages where His sermon was heard. A joyful cry burst out of her chest: “Rabbouni!”, which means Teacher.
Respect and love, tenderness and deep reverence, a sense of gratitude and recognition of His superiority as a great Teacher - all merged into this one exclamation. She could say no more and threw herself at her Master's feet to wash them with tears of joy.
But the Lord told her, “Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, "I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God."
She came to her senses and again ran to the Apostles to fulfill the will of the One who sent her to preach. Again she ran into the house, where the Apostles were still in confusion, and proclaimed to them the joyful news: “I saw the Lord!” It was the first sermon on the Resurrection in the world.
The apostles were supposed to preach the gospel to the world, but she preached the gospel to the apostles themselves...
Holy Scripture does not tell us about the life of Mary Magdalene after the resurrection of Christ, but there is no doubt that if in the terrible moments of the crucifixion of Christ she was at the foot of His Cross with His Most Pure Mother and John, then there is no doubt that she was with them and all the nearest time after the resurrection and ascension of the Lord. So St. Luke writes in the book of the Acts of the Apostles that all the Apostles with one accord remained in prayer and supplication with some women and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Holy Tradition tells that when the Apostles departed from Jerusalem to preach to all parts of the world, Mary Magdalene went with them to preach. The brave woman, whose heart was full of memories of the Resurrected, left her native land and went to preach in pagan Rome. And everywhere she proclaimed to people about Christ and His teachings, and when many did not believe that Christ had risen, she repeated to them the same thing that she had said to the Apostles on the bright morning of the Resurrection: “I saw the Lord.” With this sermon, she traveled all over Italy.
Tradition says that in Italy, Mary Magdalene appeared to the emperor Tiberius (14-37) and preached to him about the Risen Christ. According to legend, she brought him a red egg as a symbol of the Resurrection, a symbol of new life with the words: “Christ is Risen!” Then she told the emperor that in his province of Judea, Jesus the Galilean, a holy man who worked miracles, strong before God and all people, was innocently condemned, executed on the slander of the Jewish high priests and the sentence was approved by the procurator appointed by Tiberius Pontius Pilate.
Mary repeated the words of the Apostles that those who believe in Christ are redeemed from a vain life not with corruptible silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ as an immaculate and pure Lamb.
Thanks to Mary Magdalene, the custom of giving each other Easter eggs on the day of the Holy Resurrection of Christ has spread among Christians around the world. In one ancient handwritten Greek charter, written on parchment, stored in the library of the monastery of St. Anastasia near Thessalonica (Thessalonica), there is a prayer read on the day of Holy Easter for the consecration of eggs and cheese, which indicates that the abbot, distributing the consecrated eggs, says to the brethren : “So we received from the holy fathers, who preserved this custom from the very times of the apostles, for the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene was the first to show the believers an example of this joyful sacrifice.”
Mary Magdalene continued her evangelism in Italy and in the city of Rome itself. Obviously, it is precisely this that the Apostle Paul has in mind in his Epistle to the Romans (16:6), where, together with other ascetics of the preaching of the gospel, he mentions Mary (Mariam), who, as he puts it, “has worked hard for us.” Obviously, they wholeheartedly served the Church both with their means and with their labors, being exposed to dangers, and shared with the Apostles the labors of preaching.
According to Church tradition, she stayed in Rome until the arrival of the Apostle Paul there and two more years after his departure from Rome after the first trial of him. From Rome, Saint Mary Magdalene, already in her old age, moved to Ephesus, where the holy Apostle John worked tirelessly, who wrote the 20th chapter of his Gospel from her words. There the holy earthly life ended and was buried.
Her holy relics were transferred in the 9th century to the capital of the Byzantine Empire - Constantinople and laid in the temple of the monastery in the name of St. Lazarus. During the era of the Crusades, they were transferred to Italy and placed in Rome under the altar of the Lateran Cathedral. Part of the relics of Mary Magdalene is located in France near Marseilles, where a magnificent temple was erected above them at the foot of a steep mountain in honor of her.
The Orthodox Church sacredly honors the memory of St. Mary Magdalene - a woman called by the Lord Himself from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.
Once mired in sin, she, having received healing, sincerely and irrevocably began a new, pure life and never hesitated on this path. Mary loved the Lord, who called her to a new life; she was faithful to Him not only when He, having cast out seven demons from her, surrounded by enthusiastic people, passed through the cities and villages of Palestine, earning Himself the glory of a miracle worker, but also when all the disciples left Him out of fear and He, humiliated and crucified hung in agony on the Cross. That is why the Lord, knowing her fidelity, appeared to her first, having risen from the tomb, and it was she who was worthy to be the very first preacher of His Resurrection.
HOLY MYRHOBEARER MARY KLEOPOV
Saint Mary Cleopova, the myrrh-bearer, according to the tradition of the Church, was the daughter of Righteous Joseph, Betrothed of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Comm. 26 December), from her first marriage and was still very young when the Blessed Virgin Mary was betrothed to Righteous Joseph and brought into his house. The Holy Virgin Mary lived with the daughter of righteous Joseph, and they became friends like sisters. Righteous Joseph, upon returning with the Savior and the Mother of God from Egypt to Nazareth, married his daughter to his younger brother Cleopas, therefore she is called Mary Cleopas, that is, the wife of Cleopas. The blessed fruit of that marriage was the Hieromartyr Simeon, an apostle from the 70s, a relative of the Lord, the second bishop of the Jerusalem Church (Comm. 27 April). The memory of St. Mary of Cleopova is also celebrated on the 3rd Week after Pascha, the holy myrrh-bearing women.
HOLY MYRBOBEARER SALOMIA
St. rights. Salome the Myrrhbearer was the sister of the Most Holy Theotokos, the wife of Zebedee, and the mother of St. James and John. She, along with other women, followed the Lord and served Him and His disciples. Moved by motherly love, she asked the Lord that her sons be given a special honor - to sit on the right and left hand of Christ in His Kingdom. After the crucifixion of the Lord, she, among other wives, came to the Holy Sepulcher to anoint His body with incense. The persecution of the Church of Christ brought great grief to Salome - Herod beheaded her eldest son Jacob. With the hope of eternal life, Salome died peacefully.
HOLY JOHN the Myrrhbearer
HOLY MARPHA AND MARY
Righteous sisters Martha and Mary believed in Christ even before the resurrection of their brother Lazarus by Him. After the assassination of the holy Archdeacon Stephen, open persecution began against the Church of Christ in Jerusalem. Righteous Lazarus was expelled from the Holy Land. Martha and Mary helped their holy brother in preaching the gospel in different countries. There is no information about the time and place of their peaceful death.
This holiday has been especially honored in Russia since ancient times. Well-born ladies, rich merchants, poor peasant women led a strictly pious life and lived in faith. The main feature of Russian righteousness is a special, primordially Russian warehouse, the chastity of Christian marriage as a great Sacrament. The only wife of the only husband is the life ideal of Orthodox Russia. Another feature of ancient Russian righteousness is the special “rank” of widowhood. Russian princesses did not marry a second time, although the Church did not forbid a second marriage. Many widows cut their hair and went to the monastery after the burial of their husband. The Russian wife has always been faithful, quiet, merciful, meekly patient, all-forgiving.
The Holy Church honors many Christian women as saints. We see their images on the icons - the holy martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia, the holy reverend Mary of Egypt and many, many other holy martyrs and reverends, righteous and blessed, equal to the apostles and confessors.
Every woman on Earth is a myrrh-bearer in life - she brings peace to the world, her family, home, she gives birth to children, she is a support for her husband.
Orthodoxy glorifies a mother woman, a woman of all classes and nationalities. The week (Sunday) of myrrh-bearing women is a holiday for every Orthodox Christian, Orthodox Women's Day.
Recall that the Soviet authorities replaced this holiday with the secular March 8th. Historically, this was a day of reverence for revolutionary women fighting for their power and rights, along with men. In Orthodoxy, a woman has never been put on an equal footing with a man, she is the bone of Adam, she was created by God to serve a man. So it was determined by the Creator. Everything that began to happen about 100 years ago is a substitution and an attempt to cancel the Divine destiny. But everything returns to normal: no matter how successful a woman is in her career, business, if she does not become a wife and mother, it is the same as a tree without fruit, a withered fig tree. Already successful, but deceived by society and the devil, a woman realizes that she is unhappy. Only the realization of a woman as a mother and wife, or in the highest destiny - the bride of Christ (preservation of Christ's virginity) gives her soul peace, tranquility, harmony.
According to pravoslavie.ru
On the third Sunday after Easter, the Orthodox Church remembers myrrh-bearing women. It is known that in pre-revolutionary Russia this day was celebrated as Women's Day. These women are now undeservedly forgotten by many. I propose to remember their lives in order to understand what their holiness was, what we should learn from them. After all, myrrh-bearing women are not an abstract definition, but real women, who are described in the Gospel, in the Acts of the Apostles, in the lives of saints, in legends.
So on this day they remember Mary Magdalene, Mary Cleopova, Salome, John, Martha, Mary, Susanna and others.
Myrrh-Bearing Women - Faithful Disciples of Christ
Listening to Jesus' sermons, watching his life, healing the sick, listening to wise teachings, these women believed in Him as in the Son of God. The Gospel mentions that they weepingly accompanied their Teacher to Golgotha, they were at the cross next to the Mother of God and John - the only one of the disciples who remained faithful to the end. One of the Apostles betrayed Him, another denied Him, all the rest hid in horror when their mentor was seized. But He revealed to them divine mysteries, gave them the gift of healing people and casting out demons. Women had no such gift. However, they did not betray Him. They were present both at the removal from the cross and at the position in the tomb. They did not have time to anoint the body with incense, as the Sabbath and the Easter holiday were approaching.
Just before dawn the next morning they came to the coffin of incense, the precious chrism for anointing. Therefore, they were later called myrrh-bearers (carrying myrrh). “Who will roll away the stone for us?” they were sad. Yes, the men were not with them again. But the stone was already rolled away, and the angel announced that Jesus had risen: “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?”
The Gospel says that she was the first to come to the tomb, ahead of other women,
Repentant sinner
She was from the small town of Magdala, which stood on the shores of Lake Gennesaret. At present, the village of Mejdel stands in its place. Nothing is known about her childhood and youth. Church Tradition mentions that she was a young beauty who led a sinful life. After meeting with the Savior, her life changed dramatically.
The Gospel says that Jesus Christ cast out seven demons from her. From that moment Mary Magdalene repented of her sins and became a faithful disciple of the Savior. It was to her that the resurrected Christ first appeared, it was from her words that the apostles learned about the resurrection of the Lord.
Then she will carry this good news to many nations, and the Church will call her equal to the apostles. It was she who, having presented the emperor Tiberius with a red egg, laid the tradition of giving colored eggs to each other for Easter.
Relative of the Holy Family
Saint Mary of Cleopova, a myrrh-bearer, according to the tradition of the Church, was a close relative of Joseph, the Betrothed of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
They lived in the same house for some time and were friendly, like sisters. Then the three sons of Mary Cleopova will become disciples of Christ. James and Josiah were among the first disciples. Simeon - an apostle from 70 - was the second bishop of the Jerusalem church.
Maria Kleopova was with the sufferings of Jesus to the end.
Mother of the Holy Apostles
Holy Righteous Salome the Myrrhbearer was the daughter of Joseph, Betrothed of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from her first marriage.
She was married to Zebedee the fisherman and from this marriage had two sons, the apostles John the Theologian and James. After carefully reading the Gospel, we learn that she, along with her sons, followed Jesus, helping them in their wanderings and listening to the teachings of Christ. Salome loved her sons so much that she even dared to ask Jesus to seat them at the right and left hand in His Kingdom. Understandably, other students didn't like it. And Jesus patiently explained that the kingdom of heaven is different from the kingdom of this world. After all, He understood the loving mother's heart and did not condemn her. Salome was devoted to the teacher to the end. She was at the crucifixion and burial of the Lord and was among the myrrh-bearing women who came early in the morning to the tomb to anoint the body of Christ.
Sisters of a close friend of Jesus
Righteous Martha and Mary were the sisters of Lazarus, whom Jesus resurrected on the fourth day after his death.
Jesus was a friend of Lazarus and often stayed at their house. Martha was a very caring and hospitable hostess. Mary, on the other hand, always listened eagerly to His teachings.
It was in honor of these sisters that the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent in Moscow was named. They are examples of ministry and preaching.
When the persecution began, Martha and Mary accompanied their brother Lazarus and helped him in evangelizing the gospel in different countries.
court lady
Saint John the Myrrhbearer was a court lady. Her husband Khuza, served as the steward of King Herod.
Tradition tells that when John the Baptist was killed in Herod's palace, this woman hid his head and secretly buried it in order to save it from reproach. It can be assumed that Khuza divorced her for this act. Or maybe she herself left the palace and began to follow Christ, serving him and the apostles with her wealth. Some scholars believe that the son of the courtier whom Jesus healed was the son of Chuza and Joanna. In this case, it is not surprising that the grateful mother left everything and began to serve him to the end.
She witnessed the appearance of angels announcing the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and told the apostles about it.
rich woman
O Susanna mentions only one evangelist Luke and only once: when he talks about the passage of the Lord Jesus Christ through the cities and villages for preaching and the gospel, he also names Susanna from the wives accompanying him (Lk. 8, 3), as serving Christ from her estates.
That's what they were, the myrrh-bearers. Remarkably, among them were young and old, poor and rich, righteous and sinful. These are caring sisters, daughters, mothers of the first apostles and their associates. The sermons of the Lord, who spoke about love, humility, and service to people, were close and understandable to them. The Lord did not give them gifts like the apostles. But it was they who first became aware of the good news of His Resurrection.
Before the revolution in Russia, the third Sunday after Easter was always celebrated as a holiday for all women - mothers, sisters, daughters, grandmothers. He reminded me what a woman should be - caring, loving, faithful to the end. She must forgive men for their momentary weaknesses and help in their labors.
“Wives, obey your husbands, so that those of them who do not obey the word may be won by the life of their wives without a word when they see your pure, God-fearing life” (1 Pet. 3: 1-2).
It is purity, love, patience, constancy, fidelity - this is what can affect a man beneficially without further words and persuasion.
The article used materials from sites:
https://www.pravoslavie.ru
Day of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women
On the 3rd Sunday after Pascha, the Holy Church commemorates the holy myrrh-bearing women and the righteous Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, the secret disciples of Christ.This day among Orthodox people has truly always been considered a day on which the feat of a believing Orthodox woman is glorified.
The day of the holy myrrh-bearing women is an Orthodox women's day.
This holiday has been especially honored in Russia since ancient times. The main feature of Russian righteousness is a special, purely Russian warehouse, the chastity of Christian marriage as a great Sacrament.
Every woman on Earth is a myrrh-bearer in life - she brings peace to the world, her family, home, she gives birth to children, she is a support for her husband. Orthodoxy glorifies the woman-mother, the woman of all classes and nationalities. Therefore, the Week (Sunday) of the Myrrh-Bearing Women is a holiday for every Orthodox Christian woman, Orthodox Women's Day.
Icon "The Appearance of Christ to the Myrrh-Bearing Women"
Myrrh-bearing women at the Holy Sepulcher. Icon of the 15th century. Russian Museum.
Who are they, the holy myrrh-bearing women - Mary Magdalene, Maria Kleopova, Salome, John, Martha, Mary, Susanna, and why does the Russian Orthodox Church honor their memory on the second Sunday after Easter?
Myrrhbearers- these are the same women who, out of love for the Savior, received Him in their homes, and later followed Him to the place of crucifixion on Golgotha. They were witnesses of Christ's suffering on the cross. It was they who hastened in the dark to the Holy Sepulcher to anoint the body of Christ with myrrh, as was the custom of the Jews. It was they, the myrrh-bearing women, who were the first to know that Christ had risen. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and asked her to tell the apostles to wait for Him in Galilee.
Saint Mary of Cleopova
Saint Mary Cleopova, the myrrh-bearer, according to the tradition of the Church, was the daughter of Righteous Joseph, Betrothed of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Comm. 26 December), from her first marriage and was still very young when the Blessed Virgin Mary was betrothed to Righteous Joseph and brought into his house. The Holy Virgin Mary lived with the daughter of righteous Joseph, and they became friends like sisters. Righteous Joseph, upon returning with the Savior and the Mother of God from Egypt to Nazareth, married his daughter to his younger brother Cleopas, therefore she is called Mary Cleopas, that is, the wife of Cleopas. The blessed fruit of that marriage was the Hieromartyr Simeon, an apostle from the 70s, a relative of the Lord, the second bishop of the Jerusalem Church (Comm. 27 April). The memory of St. Mary of Cleopova is also celebrated on the 3rd Week after Pascha, the holy myrrh-bearing women.
Saint John the Myrrhbearer
Saint John the Myrrhbearer, the wife of Chuza, the steward of King Herod, was one of the wives who followed the Lord Jesus Christ during His preaching and served Him. Together with other wives, after the death of the Savior on the Cross, Saint Joanna came to the Sepulcher to anoint the Holy Body of the Lord with myrrh, and heard from the Angels the joyful news of His glorious Resurrection.
Commemoration: July 10
Righteous Sisters Martha and Mary
Righteous sisters Martha and Mary, who believed in Christ even before His resurrection of their brother Lazarus, after the murder of the holy Archdeacon Stephen, the onset of persecution against the Church of Jerusalem, and the expulsion of Righteous Lazarus from Jerusalem, helped their holy brother in preaching the Gospel in different countries. There is no information about the time and place of their peaceful death.
The holy myrrh-bearing women are an example of true sacrificial love and selfless service to the Lord. When everyone left Him, they were there, not afraid of possible persecution. It is no coincidence that the Risen Christ was the first to appear to Mary Magdalene. Subsequently, according to legend, the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene worked hard in preaching the Gospel. It was she who presented the Roman emperor Tiberius with a red egg with the words? "Christ is Risen!", from where the custom for Easter came to paint eggs.
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene (Hebrew מרים המגדלית, other Greek Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή, lat. Maria Magdalena) is the wife of Jesus Christ, a Christian saint, myrrh-bearer, who, according to the gospel text, followed Christ.
The nickname “Magdalene” (Hebrew מרים המגדלית, other Greek Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή), which was worn by this of the Gospel Marys, is traditionally deciphered as “a native of the city of Migdal-El”. The literal meaning of this toponym is “tower” (Hebrew migdal and Aramaic magdala), and since the tower is a feudal, knightly symbol, in the Middle Ages this noble shade of meaning was transferred to the person of Mary and she was given aristocratic features .
It has also been suggested that the nickname "Magdalene" may come from the Talmudic expression magadella (Hebrew מגדלא) - "curling hair". A character called “Miriam Curling Women’s Hair” (Hebrew מרים מגדלא שער נשייא) appears in a number of Talmudic texts associated with Jesus, with one of them referring to her as an adulteress. It is possible that stories about Mary Magdalene were reflected in these texts.
Among medieval writers unfamiliar with Hebrew and ancient Greek, etymologies are most often fantastic: “Magdalene” can be interpreted as “constantly accused” (lat. manens rea), etc.
The name Mary Magdalene, Magdalene later became popular in Europe in various forms.
Painting by Perugino, c. 1500
In the Orthodox and Catholic churches, the veneration of Magdalene is different: Orthodoxy venerates her exclusively as a myrrh-bearing woman, cured of seven demons and appearing only in a few gospel episodes, and in the tradition of the Catholic Church for a long time it was customary to identify with her the image of the penitent harlot and Mary of Bethany, as well as apply extensive legendary material.
The identity of Mary the harlot and Mary, the sister of Martha of the Evangelical Mary Magdalene was also disputed by Protestant interpreters from the very beginning, Magdalene is revered exclusively as a holy myrrh-bearer.
Veneration in Orthodoxy
In Orthodoxy, she is revered as an Equal-to-the-Apostles saint, relying only on the gospel testimonies listed above. Byzantine literature tells how, some time after the Crucifixion, Magdalene went to Ephesus with the Virgin Mary to John the Theologian and helped him in his labors. Of the four evangelists, it is John who provides the most information about Magdalene.
It is believed that Mary Magdalene preached the gospel in Rome, as evidenced by the appeal to her in the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Romans (Rom. 16:6). Probably, in connection with this journey, an Easter tradition associated with her name arose.
The Orthodox tradition does not identify Mary Magdalene with the evangelical sinner, but venerates her exclusively as an Equal-to-the-Apostles holy myrrh-bearer, from whom demons were simply cast out.
So, Dimitri Rostovsky writes in her life:
If Magdalene were a harlot, then after Christ and His disciples she was obviously a sinner, walking for a long time, so that the haters of Christ would say to the Jews, looking for some kind of guilt on Him, but they would blaspheme and condemn Him. If the disciples of Christ once saw the Lord with the Samaritan, conversing, wondering, as if talking with a wife, how much more hostile would not be silent, if they would clearly see a sinner following and serving Him all the days.
- Dimitri Rostovsky, "Lives of the Saints: July 22"
There is no mention of fornication in her Akathist. In addition, Orthodoxy did not identify the Magdalene with several other evangelical women, which happened in Catholicism, it traditionally honored these women separately.
On September 2, 2006, for the first time, the relics of Mary Magdalene and a particle of the Life-Giving Cross arrived in Russia (from the Simonopetra Monastery at Athos). In the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Orthodox shrines were available to believers until September 13, after which they were taken to seven cities of the country.
Carlo Crivelli. Mary Magdalene, ca. 1480, Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht. A saint with long flowing hair holds a vessel of incense in her hands.
Many details are given in Western European apocryphal legends, for example, her parents were called Sir and Eucharia.
Much is told about her preaching activity, which, unlike the Byzantine stories, is associated not with Asia Minor, but with the territory of France.
In particular, as they say, after the Crucifixion, Mary, together with her brother, sister Martha and saints Maximin, Martellus and Cydonius, went to proclaim Christianity in Gaul, in the city of Massilia (Marseille) or at the mouth of the Rhone (the city of Sainte-Marie-de-la- Mer).
"Mary Magdalene", sculpture by Donatello, 1455, Florence, Duomo Museum. The saint is depicted emaciated, in rags, after many years of seclusion.
The second half of Magdalene's life, according to these Western legends, went like this: she retired to the desert, where for 30 years she indulged in the strictest asceticism, mourning her sins. Her clothes decayed, but shame (nudity) was covered by long hair. And the emaciated old body was taken up to heaven every night by angels to heal it - “God feeds her with heavenly food, and every day the angels raise her to heaven, where she listens to the singing of heavenly choirs“ with bodily ears ”(Latin corporeis auribus).
The Elder Gives the Himation to Mary Magdalene. Fresco by Giotto in the Magdalene Chapel of the lower Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi, 1320s.
Before her death, Magdalene is communed by a priest who accidentally wandered into these parts, who at first is embarrassed by the nakedness of the saint covered with hair. Saint Maximin goes to her, spends her last minutes with her (moreover, Mary Magdalene, when meeting with blessed Maximin, prays in the choir of angels, rising above the ground at a distance of two cubits). Then he buries his old companion in the church he founded.
The relics of the saint are still displayed in the church in Provence (Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume) on the Way of St. James. Unlike the Ascension of the Virgin Mary, the meaning of which is that the Mother of God was taken to heaven bodily after death, the Ascension of Mary Magdalene was simply a form of her conversation with the Lord, and after death she was not taken bodily to heaven.
Ascension of Mary Magdalene, painting by Jusepe de Ribera, 1636
To understand the composition of the legend, it is important that the plot of Magdalene's asceticism has many parallels or even possible direct borrowings from the life of St. Mary of Egypt, her namesake and late contemporary, which, unlike Magdalene, is directly evidenced that she was a harlot. The researchers note that the borrowing probably took place in the 9th century and the attributes merged with the plot of both saints. That is, the harlot Mary of Egypt is another woman whose image was combined with Magdalene and contributed to the perception of her as a sinner. The story of Mary of Egypt formed the basis of the legend "On the hermit life" of Mary Magdalene. They also mention the influence of the legend of the harlot of St. Taisia of Egypt, a famous courtesan, converted by abbot Paphnutius.
Memory
The death of Mary Magdalene, according to this trend in Christianity, was peaceful: she died in Ephesus.
Memory:
- July 22/August 4;
- in the third week after Easter, called the Week of the Myrrh-Bearing Women.
According to Demetrius of Rostov's Readings of the Menaion, in 886, during the reign of Emperor Leo VI the Philosopher, the relics of the saint who had died in Ephesus were solemnly transferred to the monastery of Saint Lazarus in Constantinople.
The Catholic Church considers the location of the relics of Mary Magdalene in the Lateran Basilica, where they were laid under the altar consecrated by Pope Honorius III in her honor. Also, the location of the relics since 1280 is considered to be the churches of Saint-Baum and Saint-Maximin in Provence, where, in particular, her head is kept.
At present, the relics of Mary Magdalene are known to be found in the following Athos monasteries: Dochiar, Simonopetra (right hand) and Esfigmen.
Temples dedicated to Mary Magdalene
Church of St Mary Magdalene in Woolwich (South London), UK;
Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Dobrovod, Poland;
Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Tarnobrzeg, Poland;
Church of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Myrrh-bearing Mary Magdalene in Avdeevka, Donetsk region, Ukraine;
Church of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene in Minsk, Belarus;
Church of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene in Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region, Ukraine.
The emergence of the tradition of Easter eggs is associated with Mary Magdalene: according to legend, when Mary came to the emperor Tiberius and announced the Resurrection of Christ, the emperor said that this was just as impossible as that a chicken egg was red, and after these words a chicken egg that he kept blushing. Obviously, the legend belongs to the very late Middle Ages (since it was not included in the extensive collection "Golden Legend" of the XIII-XIV centuries).
However, according to a different version of the presentation, Mary Magdalene presented the emperor with an egg painted red (This is how St. Demetrius of Rostov describes this episode).
The Marriage of Jesus
A year after the death of Joseph, on October 28, 16, Jesus, fulfilling the oath given to his father, married. His chosen one was Mary Magdalene. The Bible does not say that Jesus was married. But nowhere is it reported that he was single. Mary Magdalene is mentioned several times in the Gospels. She accompanies Jesus on some of his trips, she is often nearby, after the death of Jesus she is the first to come to his grave, i.e. behaves like a person very close to him, like a wife.
Why is there no clear and distinct indication in the Bible that Mary Magdalene is the wife of Jesus?
In 325, when the Gospels were being rewritten, all the evidence that Jesus and John the Baptist were family people was removed from them. This was done in order to legitimize the vow of celibacy taken by all Christian priests. A similar order of affairs in the Roman Catholic Church has been preserved to this day.
A centralized church needed a huge army of clergy - obedient, faithful, diligent. It is much easier to subdue a single person to one's will than a family one, therefore, for the Church, the image of an unmarried Jesus (and John too) was very beneficial. Christian priests, taking a vow of celibacy, sincerely believed that they were acting according to the rules established by Jesus himself. At the same time, women were universally declared sinners, communication with which could destroy the human soul. Women were to be avoided, contact with them should be kept to a minimum and, if possible, not even looked in their direction.
It was then that the following phrase was inserted into the Bible in the mouth of Jesus (Mt, 5, 28):
“But I tell you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
It is impossible to control a person who is in love and happy, therefore the Church, disguising its intentions as virtue, tried to crush all carnal desires in people.
After the appropriate processing of the Gospels, Mary Magdalene from the wife of Jesus Christ turned into a harlot, and her name even became a household name to designate girls of a certain profession. In fact, Mary in life was a modest, pure girl who was madly in love with her husband Jesus. Maria in her youth was distinguished by rare beauty - amazing brown eyes, a round face, long black hair, a slender figure with a thin waist. Jesus was happy in family life, loved his wife and children - he and Mary had three sons and a daughter. Jesus got married at 20. According to the customs of that time, the husband was not required to be at home all the time, so Jesus traveled quietly, while Mary Magdalene was at home in Nazareth with his mother. Previously, a man did not live with a woman all year round, but only in certain months favorable for conceiving a child. During these months, Mary Magdalene sometimes accompanied Jesus on his travels. Almost all of the disciples of Jesus - the apostles had wives and children. Naturally, there is not a single line about this in the Bible, only in one place it is briefly mentioned that the Apostle Peter had a mother-in-law.
crucifixion of jesus
Beloved disciple John, Jesus instructed to take care of his mother long before the events occurred. At the time of the execution, there was neither the Virgin Mary nor John on Golgotha. John, having learned about the exact day of the execution of Jesus, went to Nazareth for Mary, deciding at the same time to come with her to Jerusalem on the second day after the execution. He found Mary excited, she told him that when she lay down yesterday to rest after dinner (Tuesday), she dreamed of Jesus - he called her and asked for help, waking up, she felt a terrible pain in her heart, which still has not passed. John did not say anything, explaining the reason for his arrival by the fact that Jesus wants to see her in Jerusalem on Saturday. But is it possible to deceive a truly loving maternal heart! It already knew the hours when her beloved son took incredible torment.
Mary immediately felt something was wrong, she could not find a place for herself either on the last day before the road or on the road, she became especially ill when only half a day was left to Jerusalem.
How could John, who loved Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary so much, that the eyes of this sweet, kind woman saw how the executioners mocked her own son. How can a heart, in which there is even a small grain of love and compassion, endure the whole picture of the torment of Jesus. Not to mention the mother's heart. And no matter how holy the Virgin Mary was, she simply could not bear all this, and John perfectly understood this. And the words in the Bible: "... She, before the eyes of everyone, fearlessly stood at the foot of the cross ..." - could only be written by a person who does not know what it is - the loss of a loved one who does not know the feeling of pain. Only a person with an icy heart, for whom the feeling of compassion is alien and incomprehensible, could write such a thing. Such torments that Jesus suffered, even after two thousand years, it’s scary to imagine, let alone look at them, calmly standing nearby. The heart of any mother would not have endured such grief, it would have burst even before her son was crucified on the cross. We are not talking about the hearts of those mothers who, for the sake of faith, sacrifice their babies, as sectarians do, or because they have nothing to feed their children, or simply do not want to raise them, give them to orphanages, or have an abortion and kill them unborn . The Virgin Mary, who became the Mother of the entire human race, could not and did not see the torment of her Son!!!
On Friday, 20 April came to Pontius Pilate Joseph of Arimathea- a very influential person, one of the 72 members of the highest court of Judea - the Sanhedrin. Joseph turned to Pilate with a request to give him the body of Jesus Christ for an honorable burial in his own tomb. For this, Joseph was even ready to pay a large ransom. Pilate treated this man with great respect, so he granted his request without taking any ransom. In addition, Pilate was tormented by his conscience because, on his orders, an innocent man, a righteous man, had lost his life. Pilate sent a man to the place of execution to find out if Jesus really died.
At this time, two people were near Jesus - John Zebedee and the elder of the religious society of the Essenes. This elder asked the centurion, who was in charge of guarding the place of execution, not to break the knees of the dead Jesus. According to the custom of that time, the knees of the deceased on the cross were torn apart in order to finally be convinced of the death of the latter. The elder knew that Jesus was actually still alive.
The elder explained to the centurion that the crucified man was indeed a respected person and worthy of an honorable burial, a large ransom would be paid to Pontius Pilate for him now, so you should not spoil the body of the deceased. The centurion allowed Jesus not to break his knees. He even knew that Jesus was still alive, but he did not tell anyone about it.
“It was the day of preparation, and on Saturday the bodies were not supposed to hang on crosses, besides, it was a special Easter Saturday. Therefore, the Jews asked Pilate to allow the crucified to break their legs and remove their bodies from the crosses. The soldiers came and broke the legs, first of one crucified man, then of another. When they came to Jesus, they saw that He was already dead, and they did not break His legs.” Gospel of John.
The secret disciples of Jesus - Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, having received permission from Pontius Pilate to hand over the body, set to work. On Friday at noon, the body of Jesus was transferred to the tomb of Joseph, located near the place of execution. Joseph and Nicodemus swaddled the body of Christ, soaked the bandages with a solution made from medicinal oils and balms. Jesus prepared this solution long before his execution.
“Nikodim brought about thirty kilograms of a mixture of myrrh and aloe. They took down the body of Jesus and wrapped it, along with the balm, in linen cloth. This was the Jewish burial custom." Gospel of John.
“Joseph took it, wrapped it in clean linen, and placed it in his newly bought tomb, which was hewn in the rock.” Gospel of Matthew.
All procedures lasted until four o'clock in the evening. Then the body of Jesus, smeared with incense, neatly swaddled in bandages, was wrapped in a huge white shroud. In the morning, Roman soldiers came to look at the body of Jesus and made sure that he was indeed buried according to all the laws. After all the inspectors were convinced of the death of Jesus, the entrance to the tomb was covered with a large stone.
In the morning, the Jewish priests were simply shocked to learn that Jesus was buried in the personal tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the very Sanhedrin that condemned Jesus to death. And another member of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus, helped him. And the Roman governor Pontius Pilate ordered the body of the executed blasphemer to be given out for an honorable burial.
It seemed to the high priests that there was some kind of conspiracy against them. The priests and Pharisees asked Pilate:
- Mister! We remembered that the deceiver, while still alive, said: after three days I will rise again.
Therefore, order the tomb to be guarded until the third day, so that his disciples, coming at night, do not steal it and say to the people: He has risen from the dead. Otherwise, the last deception will be worse than the first.
Pilate, who was very angry with the priests, who had previously threatened him with a denunciation to Rome, sharply answered them:
- If you have guards - go, guard, as you know.
Caiaphas ordered to put guards at the tomb and attach seals to the stone. He did not like the behavior of Pilate, who too obviously sympathized with Jesus. It was no longer possible to rely on Roman power - now you had to do everything yourself.
On Sunday morning, April 21, Mary Magdalene, on the teaching of Joseph of Arimathea, without saying a word to anyone, together with her servant Mary, the mother of Jacob and Salome, approached the crypt.
Mary Magdalene saw the guards sitting and told them that Jesus had risen and do not look for his body here. Among those guarding the tomb of Jesus was the apostle Andrew. He sat near the tomb and waited for the resurrection of Christ. He doubted, but nevertheless, in the depths of his soul he believed, and suddenly the truth Christ would rise again.
Mary approached him and said what Joseph had taught her - Jesus had risen and told his disciples to wait for him in Galilee. By this, Joseph wanted to deceive the priests, to send them on the wrong track. The main thing is that Jesus is not looked for in Jerusalem. Puzzled and frightened, the guards opened the crypt. The seals that Caiaphas ordered to be placed on the tomb were intact, that is, no one entered or left the crypt.
The opened room was empty! Only scraps of bandages and a shroud were reclining. The guards froze in place, not knowing what to do next. Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene and the women accompanying her went to Peter and John and told them that Jesus had risen. They did not believe it and ran to the crypt in a headlong race. John overtook Peter and was the first to look into the tomb, where he found only bandages and a shroud. The apostles went to the other disciples to tell the amazing news. Magdalene remained at the tomb to see what would happen next.
The guards sent to Pilate to inform him that a miracle had happened and Jesus had risen!
The found shroud was taken by the women and handed over to the Mother of God. Joseph and Nicodemus comforted Mary, and now she was looking forward to meeting her resurrected son.
Now this relic is in Italy and is known throughout the world as the Shroud of Turin. It has the face of Jesus on it. Soon there was no crowd near the crypt - soldiers and curious people ran into it ...
It was impossible for the disciples of Jesus to stay in Judea, because they would be severely persecuted. The apostles did as Jesus advised them - they cast lots to determine who would go to which country. Our Lady Mary also took part in the draw, and she got Georgia. But at the last moment, Jesus appeared to her and ordered her to go to Gaul (France). Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were preparing to leave Judea and leave forever for distant Gaul.
Before leaving, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, Mary Magdalene and Mother of God Mary urgently sold all their property - houses and things. All this had to be done in complete secrecy, even the disciples of Jesus did not know anything about the upcoming departure.
Forty days after the last meeting, Jesus again appeared to his disciples. He blessed them for their deeds and disappeared into the mist. From the outside, it looked like Jesus had ascended to heaven.
Our Lady Mary died in 59, having lived for 78 years. Mary Magdalene died at the age of 92.
They are all buried in the same place next to each other. Their graves are located on the territory of modern France. The house of the Virgin Mary has not survived to our times.
Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene.
In the hand is a vessel for washing the feet - a symbol.
With Christ, the female gender also militates, inscribed in the army for spiritual courage and not rejected for bodily weakness. And many wives differed no less than their husbands: there are those who even became more famous. Such are those who fill the face of virgins, such are those who shine with the exploits of confession and the victories of martyrdom.
St. Basil the Great
The truly chaste, making every effort to take care of the soul, do not refuse to serve the body, as an instrument of the soul, in moderation, but consider it unworthy and low for themselves to adorn the body and magnify it, so that it, by nature, being a slave, not puffed up before the soul, which is entrusted with the right of dominion ...
St. Isidore Pelusiot
From the Diaries of the Holy Royal Martyr Empress of Russia Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova
Christianity, like heavenly love, elevates the soul of man. I am happy: the less hope, the stronger the faith. God knows what's best for us, but we don't. In constant humility, I begin to find a source of constant strength. ""Dying daily is the path to daily life""... Life is nothing if we do not know Him, thanks to Whom we live.
The closer the soul approaches the Divine and Eternal Source of Love, the more fully the obligations of sacred human love are revealed, and the more acute the reproaches of conscience for neglecting the smallest of them.
Love does not grow, does not become great and perfect suddenly and by itself, but it requires time and constant care.
True faith is shown in all our behavior. It's like the juices of a living tree that reach the farthest branches.
The basis of a noble character is absolute sincerity.
True wisdom does not consist in the assimilation of knowledge, but in the correct application of them for good.
Humility is not about talking about your shortcomings, but about enduring how others talk about them; in listening to them patiently and even with gratitude; in correcting the shortcomings we are told about; in not feeling hostility towards those who tell us about them. The more humble a person, the more peace in his soul.
In all trials seek patience, not deliverance; if you deserve it, it will come to you soon... Go forward, make mistakes, fall down and get up again, just keep going.
Religious education is the richest gift that parents can leave to their child; an inheritance will never replace it with any wealth.
The meaning of life is not to do what you like, but to do what you have to do with love.
For most of us, the main temptation is the loss of courage, the main test of our strength - in a monotonous series of failures, in an annoying series of prosaic difficulties. It's the distance that wears us out, not the pace. To move forward, choosing the right path, to make our way to the faintly flickering light and never doubt the supreme value of goodness, even in the slightest manifestations of it - this is the usual task of the life of many, and by fulfilling it, people show what they are worth.
Self-sacrifice is a pure, holy, active virtue that crowns and sanctifies the human soul.
In order to ascend the great heavenly ladder of love, one must oneself become a stone, a step of this ladder, on which, climbing up, others will step.
The religion inspired by the word of Christ is sunny and joyful.
Joy is the hallmark of a Christian. A Christian should never be discouraged, should never doubt that good will overcome evil. A weeping, complaining, frightened Christian betrays his God.
In innumerable ways, the word of Christ, sunk into the heart, is manifested in life. In trouble it brings us comfort, in moments of weakness - strength.
The important work a man can do for Christ is what he can and should do in his own home. Men have their share, it is important and serious, but the true creator of the house is the mother. The way she lives gives the house a special atmosphere. God first comes to children through her love. As they say: "God, in order to become closer to everyone, created mothers" - a wonderful idea. Maternal love, as it were, embodies the love of God, and it surrounds the life of a child with tenderness ... There are houses where the lamp is constantly burning brightly, where words of love for Christ are constantly spoken, where children are taught from an early age that God loves them, where they learn to pray, just started to babble. And, after many years, the memory of these sacred moments will live on, illuminating the darkness with a ray of light, inspiring in a period of disappointment, revealing the secret of victory in a difficult battle, and the angel of God will help overcome cruel temptations and not fall into sin.
How happy is the house where everyone - children and parents, without a single exception - believes in God together. In such a house reigns the joy of camaraderie. Such a house as the threshold of Heaven. It can never be alienated.
The Holy Orthodox Church celebrates this day as a holiday for all Christian women, celebrates their special and important role in the family and society, strengthens them in their selfless feat of love and service to others.
How different this holiday is from the so-called International Women's Day on March 8, established by feminist organizations in support of their struggle for the so-called women's rights, or rather, for the liberation of women from the family, from children, from everything that makes up the meaning of life for a woman. Isn't it time for us to return to the traditions of our people, to restore the Orthodox understanding of the role of women in our lives and to celebrate the wonderful holiday of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women more widely.
The new Epoch that has come is associated with the rebirth of a woman, and it is a woman who has a special role in it.
“They will ask: “Why is this age called the Age of the Mother of the World?” Indeed, that is how it should be called. A woman will bring great help, not only bringing enlightenment, but also establishing balance. In the midst of confusion, the magnet of balance is broken, and free will is needed to connect the disintegrating parts ... ”(Elevated, 772).
All ancient religions revere the Mother of the World in one aspect or another of the female deities and revere the Goddesses along with the Gods. In ancient Egypt, this is Isis, Kali - among the Hindus, among the Gnostics - Sophia, Dukkar - in Tibet, Kwan-Yin - in China, Venus in - Phoenicia, Bellus - in Assyria, Anahita - in Persia.
Also, Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism, highly valued the Feminine Principle, and His Testaments affirm the greatness of Cosmic love as the main principle of the existence of the universe.
There is no female deity in Buddhism, but the Buddha also held women in high regard.
The path of a woman in the process of the evolution of mankind, throughout the entire Kali Yuga, is incredibly difficult and immensely painful, and the lower the general cultural level of the peoples, the more difficult the position of a woman. The position of women in the West was especially difficult in the dark era of the Middle Ages, when the ignorant clergy interpreted a woman as the source of all sin, as an accomplice and helper of Satan, as a sorceress and a witch.
The position of women has improved in the Western world since the Renaissance. Although for a long time a woman was a thing that could be bought, sold and exchanged for a horse, gun or dog, as the ideas of humanism develop and spread in many countries of the world, a woman, albeit with great difficulty, wins more and more rights. Knowing from her bitter experience how unbearably hard all violence and injustice is, a woman has always protested against any spirit of violence, regardless of to whom it manifested itself, has always sympathized more than a man with the oppressed and offended, and has developed in herself one of her most valuable and best qualities. - compassion and sensitivity to someone else's grief and someone else's suffering. Lacking the strength and ability to defend herself, the weaker woman, however, often found both the strength and the ability to protect her children from the stronger man, if this was needed.
The Teaching of Life speaks of the need to establish two Beginnings (male and female), because only in their unity, in their merging, both cosmic and earthly creativity is possible. One Beginning cannot be higher and another lower. They can only be equal, complementary to each other. Both the feminine and the masculine are but different poles of one Whole, and they cannot exist one without the other.
Man is approaching the Age of Balance between the male and female Principles. And now the Great Teachers will affirm the woman, therefore the new epoch will be not only the epoch of the Great Cooperation, but also the epoch of the woman.
A woman needs to be called. Cultural leader of humanity, philosopher, artist N.K. Roerich in his article "To the Woman's Heart" says:
“When it is difficult in the house, then they turn to a woman. When calculations and calculations no longer help, when enmity and mutual destruction reach their limits, then they come to a woman. When evil forces overcome, then a woman is called. When the prudent mind turns out to be powerless, then the woman's heart is remembered. Truly, when malice crushes the decision of the mind, only the heart finds salvific outcomes. And where is the heart that will replace the heart of a woman? Where is the courage of the fire of the heart, which can be compared with the courage of a woman at the edge of hopelessness? What hand will replace the soothing touch of the persuasiveness of a woman's heart? And what eye, having absorbed all the pain of suffering, will answer both selflessly and for the Good? We do not praise women. It is not praise that fills the life of mankind from the cradle to rest. “To whom did they give wreaths? Since ancient times, wreaths were given to heroes and were the property of women. And women of antiquity, in divination, took off these wreaths and threw them into the river, while always thinking not about themselves, but about some other.” If the wreath is the crown is a symbol of heroism, it is precisely the imprinting of this heroism, namely, when it is removed in the name of something or someone else. And this is not only inactive self-sacrifice. No, this is an effective feat! And again it will not be praise, but reality, when we compare a woman with exploits.” (“Fiery Stronghold”).
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