Women with myrrh who came to the tomb of Christ

Myrrhbearers

Myrrhbearers

In <a href="/en/Eastern_Orthodox_Church" title="Eastern Orthodox Church" class="wl">Eastern Orthodox Christian</a> tradition the Myrrhbearers (<a href="/en/Greek_language" title="Greek language" class="wl">Greek</a>: Μυροφόροι; <a href="/en/Latin" title="Latin" class="wl">Latin</a>: Myrophorae; <a href="/en/Serbian_language" title="Serbian language" class="wl">Serbian</a>: мироноснице; <a href="/en/Church_Slavonic" title="Church Slavonic" class="wl">Slavonic</a>: Жены́-мѷроно́сицы; <a href="/en/Romanian_language" title="Romanian language" class="wl">Romanian</a>: mironosiţe) are the individuals mentioned in the <a href="/en/New_Testament" title="New Testament" class="wl">New Testament</a> who were directly involved in the burial or who discovered the <a href="/en/Empty_tomb" title="Empty tomb" class="wl">empty tomb</a> following the <a href="/en/Resurrection_of_Jesus" title="Resurrection of Jesus" class="wl">resurrection of Jesus</a>. The term traditionally refers to the women with <a href="/en/Myrrh" title="Myrrh" class="wl">myrrh</a> who came to the <a href="/en/Holy_Sepulchre" title="Holy Sepulchre" class="mw-redirect wl">tomb of Christ</a> early in the morning to find it empty. In <a href="/en/Western_Christianity" title="Western Christianity" class="wl">Western Christianity</a>, the women at the tomb, <a href="/en/The_Three_Marys" title="The Three Marys" class="wl">the Three Marys</a> or other variants are the terms normally used. Also included are <a href="/en/Joseph_of_Arimathea" title="Joseph of Arimathea" class="wl">Joseph of Arimathea</a> and <a href="/en/Nicodemus" title="Nicodemus" class="wl">Nicodemus</a>, who took the body of Jesus down from the cross, embalmed it with <a href="/en/Myrrh" title="Myrrh" class="wl">myrrh</a> and <a href="/en/Aloes" title="Aloes" class="mw-redirect wl">aloes</a>, wrapped it in clean <a href="/en/Linen" title="Linen" class="wl">linen</a>, and placed it in a new tomb. (<a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible%20(King%20James)/Matthew#27:55" title="s:Bible (King James)/Matthew" class="extiw" target="_blank">Matthew 27:55–61</a>, <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible%20(King%20James)/Matthew#28:1" title="s:Bible (King James)/Matthew" class="extiw" target="_blank">Matthew 28:1–10</a>, <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible%20(King%20James)/Mark#15:40" title="s:Bible (King James)/Mark" class="extiw" target="_blank">Mark 15:40–16:11</a>, <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible%20(King%20James)/Luke#23:50" title="s:Bible (King James)/Luke" class="extiw" target="_blank">Luke 23:50–24:10</a>, <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible%20(King%20James)/John#19:38" title="s:Bible (King James)/John" class="extiw" target="_blank">John 19:38–20:18</a>).

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Women with myrrh who came to the tomb of Christ</div><figure class="wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Beli_andjeo2.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Beli_andjeo2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Beli_andjeo2.jpg/200px-Beli_andjeo2.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="569" data-file-height="497" data-file-type="bitmap" height="175" width="200" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Beli_andjeo2.jpg/300px-Beli_andjeo2.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Beli_andjeo2.jpg/400px-Beli_andjeo2.jpg 2x" alt="Beli_andjeo2.jpg"></a><figcaption>Myrrhbearers on Christ's Grave, c. 1235 AD, <a href="/en/Mileševa_monastery" title="Mileševa monastery" class="mw-redirect wl">Mileševa monastery</a> in <a href="/en/Serbia" title="Serbia" class="wl">Serbia</a>.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Wifes_grave_kizhi.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Wifes_grave_kizhi.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Wifes_grave_kizhi.jpg/220px-Wifes_grave_kizhi.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="369" data-file-height="500" data-file-type="bitmap" height="298" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Wifes_grave_kizhi.jpg/330px-Wifes_grave_kizhi.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Wifes_grave_kizhi.jpg 2x" alt="Wifes_grave_kizhi.jpg"></a><figcaption><a href="/en/Eastern_Orthodox" title="Eastern Orthodox" class="mw-redirect wl">Eastern Orthodox</a> <a href="/en/Icon" title="Icon" class="wl">icon</a> of the Myrrhbearing Women at the <a href="/en/Holy_Sepulchre" title="Holy Sepulchre" class="mw-redirect wl">Tomb of Christ</a> (<a href="/en/Kizhi" title="Kizhi" class="mw-redirect wl">Kizhi</a>, Russia, 18th century).</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Maria_Magdalene_icon.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Maria_Magdalene_icon.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Maria_Magdalene_icon.jpg/220px-Maria_Magdalene_icon.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="537" data-file-height="800" data-file-type="bitmap" height="328" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Maria_Magdalene_icon.jpg/330px-Maria_Magdalene_icon.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Maria_Magdalene_icon.jpg/440px-Maria_Magdalene_icon.jpg 2x" alt="Maria_Magdalene_icon.jpg"></a><figcaption>Icon of <a href="/en/Mary_Magdalene" title="Mary Magdalene" class="wl">Mary Magdalene</a> as a Myrrhbearer.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Saint_Salome.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Saint_Salome.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Saint_Salome.jpg/180px-Saint_Salome.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="606" data-file-height="1123" data-file-type="bitmap" height="334" width="180" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Saint_Salome.jpg/270px-Saint_Salome.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Saint_Salome.jpg/360px-Saint_Salome.jpg 2x" alt="Saint_Salome.jpg"></a><figcaption>Hagiography, fresco, of Saint Salome the Myrrhbearer in Greek Orthodox Church.</figcaption></figure>

The women followed Jesus during his earthly ministry in <a href="/en/Galilee" title="Galilee" class="wl">Galilee</a>, providing for him and his followers out of their own means (<a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible%20(King%20James)/Mark#15:41" title="s:Bible (King James)/Mark" class="extiw" target="_blank">Mark 15:41</a>). They remained faithful to him even during the most dangerous time of his arrest and execution, and not only stood by the cross, but accompanied him to his burial, noticing where the tomb was located. Because of the impending <a href="/en/Shabbat" title="Shabbat" class="wl">Sabbath</a>, it was necessary for the burial preparations to be brief. Jewish custom at the time dictated that mourners return to the tomb every day for three days. Once the Sabbath had passed, the women returned at the earliest possible moment, bringing myrrh to anoint the body. It was at this point that the Resurrection was revealed to them, and they were commissioned to go and tell the <a href="/en/Apostles_in_the_New_Testament" title="Apostles in the New Testament" class="wl">Apostles</a>. They were, in effect, the apostles to the Apostles. For this reason, the myrrhbearing women, especially <a href="/en/Mary_Magdalene" title="Mary Magdalene" class="wl">Mary Magdalene</a>, are sometimes referred to as "Equal to the Apostles."

Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly (<a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible%20(King%20James)/John#19:38" title="s:Bible (King James)/John" class="extiw" target="_blank">John 19:38</a>). He went to <a href="/en/Pontius_Pilate" title="Pontius Pilate" class="wl">Pontius Pilate</a> and asked for the body of Jesus and, together with Nicodemus, hurriedly prepared the body for burial. He donated his own new <a href="/en/Sepulchre" title="Sepulchre" class="mw-redirect wl">tomb</a> for the burial. A native of <a href="/en/Arimathea" title="Arimathea" class="wl">Arimathea</a>, he was apparently a man of wealth, and probably a member of the <a href="/en/Sanhedrin" title="Sanhedrin" class="wl">Sanhedrin</a> (which is the way the <a href="/en/Biblical_Greek" title="Biblical Greek" class="mw-redirect wl">biblical Greek</a>, bouleutēs—literally, "counselor"—is often interpreted in <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible%20(King%20James)/Matthew#27:57" title="s:Bible (King James)/Matthew" class="extiw" target="_blank">Matthew 27:57</a> and <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible%20(King%20James)/Luke#23:50" title="s:Bible (King James)/Luke" class="extiw" target="_blank">Luke 23:50</a>). Joseph was an "honourable counselor, who waited (or "was searching") for the <a href="/en/Kingdom_of_God" title="Kingdom of God" class="mw-redirect wl">kingdom of God</a>" (<a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible%20(King%20James)/Mark#15:43" title="s:Bible (King James)/Mark" class="extiw" target="_blank">Mark 15:43</a>). Luke describes him as "a good man, and just" (<a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible%20(King%20James)/Luke#23:50" title="s:Bible (King James)/Luke" class="extiw" target="_blank">Luke 23:50</a>).

Nicodemus (Greek: Νικόδημος) was a <a href="/en/Pharisee" title="Pharisee" class="mw-redirect wl">Pharisee</a> and also a member of the Sanhedrin, who is first mentioned early in the <a href="/en/Gospel_of_John" title="Gospel of John" class="wl">Gospel of John</a>, when he visits Jesus to listen to his teachings, but he comes by night out of fear (<a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible%20(King%20James)/John#3:1" title="s:Bible (King James)/John" class="extiw" target="_blank">John 3:1–21</a>). He is mentioned again when he states the teaching of the <a href="/en/613_Mitzvot" title="613 Mitzvot" class="mw-redirect wl">Law of Moses</a> concerning the arrest of Jesus during the <a href="/en/Feast_of_Tabernacles" title="Feast of Tabernacles" class="mw-redirect wl">Feast of Tabernacles</a> (<a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible%20(King%20James)/John#7:45" title="s:Bible (King James)/John" class="extiw" target="_blank">John 7:45–51</a>). He is last mentioned following the Crucifixion, when he and Joseph of Arimathea prepare the body of Jesus for burial (<a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible%20(King%20James)/John#19:39" title="s:Bible (King James)/John" class="extiw" target="_blank">John 19:39–42</a>). There is an <a href="/en/Apocryphal" title="Apocryphal" class="mw-redirect wl">apocryphal</a> <a href="/en/Gospel_of_Nicodemus" title="Gospel of Nicodemus" class="wl">Gospel of Nicodemus</a> that purports to be written by him.

In Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition the Myrrhbearers are the individuals mentioned in the New Testament who were directly involved in the burial or who discovered the empty tomb following the resurrection of Jesus. The term traditionally refers to the women with myrrh who came to the tomb of Christ early in the morning to find it empty. In Western Christianity, the women at the tomb, the Three Marys or other variants are the terms normally used. Also included are Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who took the body of Jesus down from the cross, embalmed it with myrrh and aloes, wrapped it in clean linen, and placed it in a new tomb. . The women followed Jesus during his earthly ministry in Galilee, providing for him and his followers out of their own means . They remained faithful to him even during the most dangerous time of his arrest and execution, and not only stood by the cross, but accompanied him to his burial, noticing where the tomb was located. Because of the impending Sabbath, it was necessary for the burial preparations to be brief. Jewish custom at the time dictated that mourners return to the tomb every day for three days.  Once the Sabbath had passed, the women returned at the earliest possible moment, bringing myrrh to anoint the body. It was at this point that the Resurrection was revealed to them, and they were commissioned to go and tell the Apostles. They were, in effect, the apostles to the Apostles. For this reason, the myrrhbearing women, especially Mary Magdalene, are sometimes referred to as "Equal to the Apostles." Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly . He went to Pontius Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus and, together with Nicodemus, hurriedly prepared the body for burial. He donated his own new tomb for the burial. A native of Arimathea, he was apparently a man of wealth, and probably a member of the Sanhedrin . Joseph was an "honourable counselor, who waited for the kingdom of God" . Luke describes him as "a good man, and just" . 