Myrrhbearer
Saint Salome the Myrrhbearer
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A faithful disciple who followed Christ, served Him and came with myrrh to His life-giving tomb.
Core account checked against Orthodox Church in America — Holy Myrrh-bearer Salome, Orthodox Church in America — Holy Myrrh-bearer Salome, Holy Gospels — Matthew 20 and 27; Mark 15 and 16. Additional ecclesiastical references appear below.
Life and Witness
Disciple and Mother of the Sons of Zebedee
Saint Salome was the wife of Zebedee and mother of the Apostles James and John. She belonged to the company of women who followed Christ and served Him from their possessions.
The Gospel records her request concerning places of honor for her sons. Christ redirected the desire toward the cup of suffering and the humble pattern of service.
At the Cross and Empty Tomb
Salome remained among the faithful women near the Crucifixion when many disciples had fled. She observed the Lord's burial and prepared spices.
At dawn she came to the tomb with the Myrrhbearers and received the angelic proclamation that Christ had risen. Her discipleship matured from expectation of earthly honor into witness to the Cross and Resurrection.
Veneration and Feast
The Church honors Salome among the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women, whose fidelity made them the first human heralds of Pascha.
August 3 — Holy Myrrh-bearer Salome. She is also celebrated on the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women after Pascha.
From the Orthodox Synaxarion
The Prologue from Ohrid numbers Salome among the women who served the Lord and approached His tomb with myrrh. Her commemoration is inseparable from the angelic proclamation that Christ had risen.
Historical Record and Ecclesiastical Tradition
Mark 15:40–41 and 16:1 explicitly name Salome among the women who followed Christ and came to the tomb. Her identification as the wife of Zebedee and mother of James and John connects Mark's Salome with Matthew's unnamed mother of the sons of Zebedee; this is established ecclesiastical interpretation, but the distinction between the Gospel wording and the identification is retained.
Biographical information on this page is based exclusively on the Orthodox ecclesiastical sources listed below.
Orthodox Church in America — Holy Myrrh-bearer SalomeOrthodox Church in America — Holy Myrrh-bearer SalomeHoly Gospels — Matthew 20 and 27; Mark 15 and 16The Prologue from Ohrid — August 3