 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2023) |
Mary of Bethany | |
|---|---|
_Vermeer_-_Christ_in_the_House_of_Martha_and_Mary_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, Johannes Vermeer, before 1654–1655, oil on canvas (National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh) – Mary is seated at the feet of Jesus | |
| Disciple of Jesus; Righteous Mary; Sister of Lazarus and Martha; The Anointer; Myrrhbearer | |
| Born | Bethany, Judaea, Roman Empire [1] |
| Died | 1st Century AD |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodoxy Oriental Orthodoxy Anglican Communion Lutheranism |
| Canonized | Pre-congregation |
| Major shrine | The Holy Monastery of Martha and Mary in Al-Eizariya (Bethany), Palestine[2] |
| Feast | June 4 (Eastern), July 29 (Western) |
| Attributes | Woman holding an alabaster jar of myrrh perfume and holding her hair |
| Patronage | Patroness of Spiritual Studies, Lectors and Commentators in the Philippines [3] |
Mary of Bethany[a] is a biblical figure mentioned by name in the Gospel of John and probably the Gospel of Luke in the Christian New Testament. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Martha, she is described as living in the village of Bethany, a small village in Judaea to the south of the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem.[4]
Western Christianity initially identified Mary of Bethany with Mary Magdalene and the sinful woman of Luke 7 (Luke 7:36–50). This influenced the Roman Rite liturgy of the feast of Mary Magdalene, with a Gospel reading about the sinful woman and a collect referring to Mary of Bethany. After the liturgical revision in 1969 and 2021, the feast of Mary Magdalene continues to be on 22 July, while Mary of Bethany is celebrated as a separate saint, along with her siblings Lazarus and Martha on 29 July. [5][6] In Eastern Christianity and some Protestant traditions, Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene are also considered separate persons.[7] The Eastern Orthodox Church has its own traditions regarding Mary of Bethany's life beyond the gospel accounts.
- ^ Uraguchi, B. (1916). "The Bethany Family". The Biblical World. 48 (2): 101–114. doi:10.1086/475593. JSTOR 3142286. S2CID 144905453.
- ^ "Holy Shrines outside Jerusalem".
- ^ "Santa Maria de Betania of Miraculous Medal Parish - Molo, Philippines".
- ^ See the Gospel texts, and Schiller, Gertud, Iconography of Christian Art, Vol. I, pp. 158–59, 1971 (English trans from German), Lund Humphries, London, ISBN 0853312702
- ^ Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2001 ISBN 978-88-209-7210-3), pp. 383, 398
- ^ "Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus". usccb.org. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ Carol Ann Newsom, Sharon H. Ringe, Jacqueline E. Lapsley (editors), Women's Bible Commentary, p. 532: "Although Eastern Orthodox Scholars never subscribed to this conflation of Mary Magdalene with Mary of Bethany and the unnamed sinner, Gregory The Great's interpretation cemented Mary Magdalene's reputation as a penitent sinner for most of her interpretive history in the West" (Westminster John Knox Press, 2012 Third Edition Revised and Updated, ISBN 978-0-664-23707-3)
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).