The Three Marys
Encyclopedia
The Three Marys are the three biblical
Mary
s who came to the sepulchre
of Jesus
in the Gospels and were companions of Mary, the mother of Jesus. In Eastern Orthodoxy they are among the Myrrhbearers
, traditionally including a larger number of people. All four gospels mention the women going to the tomb of Jesus, but only Mark (16:1)
identifies all three. In the verse, the three are:
The Three Marys have been featured in numerous pieces of art
and literature
, including the Melisende Psalter
, El Greco
's Disrobing of Christ and Peter von Cornelius
's The Three Marys at the Tomb, among others. The Eastern Orthodox Church
especially celebrates them, and numerous icons represent them.
The earliest known representation of the three Marys was discovered in a chapel in the ancient city of Dura Europos on the Euphrates
, painted before the city's destruction in 256 CE
.
The Three Marys by Alexander Moody Stuart
, first published 1862, reprinted by the Banner of Truth Trust
, Edinburgh, 1984, is a study of Mary of Magdala, Mary of Bethany and Mary of Nazareth.
"The Belt of Orion
" constellation in Latin America is called as Las Tres Marías (The Three Marys). Other Western nations sometimes call it "The Three Kings
".
The Three Marys or Maries is a long poem written circa 1357 by Jean de Venette
in the form of a Manuscript on vellum from the mid-fifteenth century, containing 232 pages written in letters in columns. The titles are in red, and the letters painted in gold & turners in color. It is decorated with seven miniatures that are in monochrome gray. The three Maries spoken of are: Mary, Mother of Our Lord, Mary Cleophas and Mary Salome of St. Palaye.
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
Mary
Mary (given name)
Mary is a feminine given name, the English form of the name Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek names Μαριαμ, or Mariam, and Μαρια, or Maria, found in the New Testament. Both New Testament names were forms of the Hebrew name מִרְיָם or Miryam.The usual meaning given by various...
s who came to the sepulchre
Sepulchre
The rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel are a group of hundreds of rock-cut tombs constructed in Israel in ancient times. They were cut into the rock, sometimes with elaborate facades and multiple burial chambers. Some are free-standing, but most are caves. Each tomb typically belonged to a...
of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
in the Gospels and were companions of Mary, the mother of Jesus. In Eastern Orthodoxy they are among the Myrrhbearers
Myrrhbearers
In Eastern Orthodoxy 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...
, traditionally including a larger number of people. All four gospels mention the women going to the tomb of Jesus, but only Mark (16:1)
Gospel of Mark
The Gospel According to Mark , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Mark or simply Mark, is the second book of the New Testament. This canonical account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the three synoptic gospels. It was thought to be an epitome, which accounts for its place as the second...
identifies all three. In the verse, the three are:
- Mary of CleopasMary, the wife of CleopasMary of Clopas or Cleopas the wife of Clopas was one of various Marys named in the New Testament.Mary of Clopas is explicitly mentioned only in , where she is among the women present at the Crucifixion of Jesus:...
- Mary MagdaleneMary MagdaleneMary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
- Mary, mother of James, sometimes considered the same woman as Salome (disciple)Salome (disciple)Salome , sometimes venerated as Mary Salome, was a follower of Jesus who appears briefly in the canonical gospels and in more detail in apocryphal writings...
In tradition
The indications regarding the visit to the tomb from each of the gospels:- John 20:1John 20:1John 20:1 is the first verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament. John 20 covers the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion. In this verse Mary Magdalene travels to Jesus' tomb and finds it opened....
tells us that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb apparently by herself. - Matthew 28:1Matthew 28:1Matthew 28:1 is the first verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse opens the resurrection narrative as Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" visit Jesus' tomb after the crucification....
says that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. talks of the women who came with Jesus from Galilee and, , they went to the tomb apparently to anoint Jesus. indicates Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went to the tomb to anoint Jesus.
The Three Marys have been featured in numerous pieces of art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, including the Melisende Psalter
Melisende Psalter
The Melisende Psalter is an illuminated manuscript commissioned around 1135 in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, probably by King Fulk for his wife Queen Melisende...
, El Greco
El Greco
El Greco was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" was a nickname, a reference to his ethnic Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος .El Greco was born on Crete, which was at...
's Disrobing of Christ and Peter von Cornelius
Peter von Cornelius
Peter von Cornelius was a German painter.Cornelius was born in Düsseldorf.His father, who was inspector of the Düsseldorf gallery, died in 1799, and the young Cornelius was stimulated to extraordinary exertions...
's The Three Marys at the Tomb, among others. The Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
especially celebrates them, and numerous icons represent them.
The earliest known representation of the three Marys was discovered in a chapel in the ancient city of Dura Europos on the Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
, painted before the city's destruction in 256 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
.
The Three Marys by Alexander Moody Stuart
Alexander Moody Stuart
Alexander Moody Stuart was a minister of the Free Church of Scotland.He was born Alexander Moody at Paisley. On 9 September 1839 he married Jessie Stuart , eldest daughter of Kenneth Bruce Stuart of Annat...
, first published 1862, reprinted by the Banner of Truth Trust
Banner of Truth Trust
The Banner of Truth Trust is an evangelical and Reformed Christian non-profit publishing house, structured as a charitable trust and founded in London in 1957 by Iain Murray and Jack Cullum. Its offices are now in Edinburgh, Scotland with a key branch office and distribution point in Carlisle,...
, Edinburgh, 1984, is a study of Mary of Magdala, Mary of Bethany and Mary of Nazareth.
"The Belt of Orion
Orion (constellation)
Orion, often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous, and most recognizable constellations in the night sky...
" constellation in Latin America is called as Las Tres Marías (The Three Marys). Other Western nations sometimes call it "The Three Kings
The Three Kings
Orion's Belt or The Belt of Orion is an asterism in the constellation Orion. It consists of the three bright stars: ζ Ori , ε Ori , and δ Ori . Alnitak is approximately 800 light years away from Earth and, taking into consideration ultraviolet radiation, which the human eye cannot see, Alnitak is...
".
The Three Marys or Maries is a long poem written circa 1357 by Jean de Venette
Jean de Venette
Jean de Venette was a French chronicler and a Carmelite friar born at Venette, near Compiègne. He was referred to as a "Fillions", author or translator of a long poem circa 1357. In 1339, he became prior of the Carmelite convent in the Place Maubert, Paris, and was provincial of France from 1341...
in the form of a Manuscript on vellum from the mid-fifteenth century, containing 232 pages written in letters in columns. The titles are in red, and the letters painted in gold & turners in color. It is decorated with seven miniatures that are in monochrome gray. The three Maries spoken of are: Mary, Mother of Our Lord, Mary Cleophas and Mary Salome of St. Palaye.