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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.
Many paintings show Mary washing, or just having washed, Jesus's feet, recalling the story in John 12.1–8 (which seems to be about Mary of Bethany). Via the story in Luke 7.36–50 (about an unnamed 'sinful woman'), however, Mary of Bethany was often conflated with Mary Magdalene, and this too may be reflected in art. [26]
The event (or events – see discussion below) is reported in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 7, and John 12. [2] Matthew and Mark are very similar: Matthew 26:6–13. While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
Medieval Western Christianity identified Mary of Bethany with Mary Magdalene and with the sinful woman of Luke 7 (Luke 7:36–50), very common for that time period. 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.
An alternative explanation for the similarities is that the Luke 7 anointing and the anointing at Bethany [9] [10] [11] happened with some of the same participants, but several years apart. [12] Simon the Leper is also sometimes identified as the same person as Lazarus of Bethany, or identified as his father or brother [citation needed]. This ...
Luke 7 is the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It tells the records of two great miracles performed by Jesus, his reply to John the Baptist 's question, and the anointing by a sinful woman. [ 1 ]
Mary of Bethany (Luke 10:38–42, John 12:1–3), not mentioned in any Crucifixion or Resurrection. Another woman who appears in the Crucifixion and Resurrection narratives is Salome , who, in some traditions, is referred to as Mary Salome and identified as being one of the Marys.
She is presented as completely absorbed in her reading, a model of the contemplative life, repentant and absolved of past sins. In Catholic tradition the Magdalen was conflated with both Mary of Bethany who anointed the feet of Jesus with oil [3] and the unnamed "sinner" of Luke 7:36–50.