Mary, Mary...

i have been reading this book called 'women in the bible' and am kind of confused by all the Marys mentioned in the new Testament.

Its seems there were about three, but some people think there were more.

I thought Mary mother of Jesus was one.
And Mary, sister to Martha was another. She was called Mary magdalene before returning to Bethany? She was the same woman who after having cast seven devils from her, sat at Jesus feet, anointed him, and stayed with him at the crucifixion and witnessed his resurrection when she went early to check his body? Right?

There might have been yet another Mary, but not sure about this, who was also a mother.

I dont think there were any others otherwise it would have been way to confusing having so many marys, surely they were the same person and just in different stories can see how sinful mary completely changed. I think maybe she was the one nearly stoned too for adultery although that lady was unnnamed. But when the lady anointed Jesus feet with her hair obviously it must have been Mary. judas didnt like her.

What are your views?
I dont think its wrong to see that mary did have a past, and Jesus forgave her.
 
There are a lot of Marys! We get three different Marys at the cross in John 19: "And by the cross of Jesus stood his mother, and the sister of his mother, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala." (John 19:25).

You're right, Mary of Magdala (or Magdalene) is the same Mary who is sister of Martha and Lazarus and "It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair..." (John 11:1). That happened at Bethany (as we see from Mark 14:3) where she lived. She also had the seven demons (Luke 8:2). Perhaps she is the woman who was taken in adultery too, but I'd be inclined to say that she wasn't, because we don't hear anywhere of that Mary being married. She was also the one who went early to the tomb.

I think that there were only three Marys. What makes matters a bit confusing is that Matthew, Mark and Luke's gospels refer to Mary, the mother of Jesus as "Mary the mother of James and Joses" (Matthew 27:56) "Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome" (Mark 15:40) and "Mary the mother of James" (Luke 24:10). However, Matthew 13:55 tells us that the sons of Jesus' mother were called James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, so we can deduce from that that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are all talking about the same Mary, the mother of Jesus.
 
Thanks for clearing that up Grant, im inclined to think there were only three.

Mary, the wife of clopas Im puzzled about...who was Clopas?
And Mary's sister, Jesus aunty, does she not have a name? It wasnt Joanna was it?
 
Thanks for clearing that up Grant, im inclined to think there were only three.

Mary, the wife of clopas Im puzzled about...who was Clopas?
And Mary's sister, Jesus aunty, does she not have a name? It wasnt Joanna was it?
Well, I could be wrong here!
I'm not sure who Clopas as, although he is referred to as Cleopas in another gospel - and that would mean he could be one of the two on the way to Emmaus in Luke 24:18.
I'm not sure of Mary's sister's name, though that could be right.

You're quite right - I forgot that there were two anointings.

Mary of Bethany anointed the Lord's feet (Luke 7:38) in the house of Simon the Pharisee. The incident is recorded again as being in Bethany, where she anointed His feet (John 12:3), perhaps the same?

The unnamed woman anointed His head (Matthew 26:7, Mark 14:3) in the house of Simon the leper in Bethany.

However, the following statement can't be accurate: "At the outset we affirm our disagreement with those expositors who connect Mary of Bethany with the woman who was a sinner (Luke 7:36-50 with John 11:2; 12:1-8). Certainly both anointed the feet of Jesus, but the language used to describe the sinful woman is utterly out of harmony with what we know of the commendable character of Mary."

Luke 7:37-38 says, "... and behold, a woman in the city, who was a sinner, and knew that he was sitting at meat in the house of the Pharisee, having taken an alabaster box of myrrh, and standing at his feet behind him weeping, began to wash his feet with tears; and she wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the myrrh."

And John 11:2 says of Mary of Bethany: "It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick."

So, Mary of Bethany was a sinner, and she anointed the Lord's feet. The unnamed woman anointed His head.

Well, that's a bit of a brain-teaser!
 
Lol i think some bible teachers just dont want to think what Mary used to be like and that her encounter with Jesus completely changed her. She was forgiven muchly.
 
When you anoint someone you anoint them all over, it stands to reason the same woman did it, and that woman was Mary.

I dont see why some scholars want to make it more complicated than it really is, just cos they think Mary never sinned and there were two of them, with the same name!
 
Its like there must be another Lanolin who was a sinner, cos this Lanolin would never do such a thing. Lol.
 
When you anoint someone you anoint them all over, it stands to reason the same woman did it, and that woman was Mary.

I dont see why some scholars want to make it more complicated than it really is, just cos they think Mary never sinned and there were two of them, with the same name!
Perhaps it was all the same incident - all the occurrences seem to have happened in Bethany, and Simon could've been both a leper and a Pharisee. The gospel writers do tend to describe the same incidents, but each presents a different perspective. I've always thought there were two anointings, but perhaps not!
 
Its like there must be another Lanolin who was a sinner, cos this Lanolin would never do such a thing. Lol.
Yes, that's very apt! Exactly. Everyone who came into contact with the Lord Jesus was changed as a result. The sick were healed, the dead were raised, the demon a possessed were liberated.
 
Lol i think some bible teachers just dont want to think what Mary used to be like and that her encounter with Jesus completely changed her. She was forgiven muchly.

Bible teachers worth their salt want people to know the truth. The truth is not up for grabs to the highest bidder. It's available to all who can read.
 
When you anoint someone you anoint them all over, it stands to reason the same woman did it, and that woman was Mary.

I dont see why some scholars want to make it more complicated than it really is, just cos they think Mary never sinned and there were two of them, with the same name!

The bible doesn't identify the woman with the nard in a specific account where Jesus was eating at a Pharisee's home. There were several Marys, but no one knows who this woman was...and it doesn't matter.
 
I notice in the bible there were two Sauls, two Josephs, and two Judas. Also there was another Jesus? Barabbas?

Also there were two Tamars. And two Johns.

Other than that, everyone else had their own unique names.
 
I notice in the bible there were two Sauls, two Josephs, and two Judas. Also there was another Jesus? Barabbas?

Also there were two Tamars. And two Johns.

Other than that, everyone else had their own unique names.
I don't know if there was anyone else called Jesus in scripture (I think there might be, actually), but there certainly was a man called Jesus who was a leader of the Israelites during the 400 years between the record of the Old and New Testaments. I can't remember exactly, but I think he was involved in some of the Jewish wars.
 
Might be referrring to the Maccabbes? Or Jesus bar jona?

I do know the Jewish people thought they had a messiah before Jesus came and after who was one of theirs but turned out false in his claims. They are still looking for one.
 
There were a lot of Simon's and Judas' and Joshua's, which Jesus' name is a form of or rendering. There were two Judas' who were disciples, Jesus' brother was a Judas, so what are the chances of that unless it was a common name. Peter's name was really Simon.
Mark's name was Mark John, I believe.
I don't know any other Lanolin's, but I am John, my grandfather was John, my great grandfather was John and my great great grandfather was John. And my wife named our first son John.
George Foreman named all of his sons George so they would all know who their father was.
I don't think it was any different then as now. Certain names become popular. You can get the research on names most used for babies each year.
 
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