A woman came to Him with an alabaster vessel of precious ointment and poured it on His head as he reclined. What is an alabaster vessel with myrrh

(Mark 14:3). U In. 12:2, 3 says that six days before Easter, a supper was prepared for Christ in Bethany and Martha served (cf. Luke 10:40), and Lazarus was one of those reclining with Him. Mary (cf. Luke 10:39), taking a pound of pure precious ointment from spikenard, anointed the Savior’s feet and wiped them with her hair (cf. Luke 7:38). Matthew and Mara do not name the woman who did this. It is impossible to even deduce from their stories that this was a woman known to anyone at all, because there is no article before γυνή. Such uncertainty gave rise to numerous and frightened speculations on this subject by both ancient and modern exegetes. Some, paying attention to Lk. 7:38ff., they thought that the Gospels mentioned four women who anointed Christ. But Origen notes that there were only three of them: Matthew and Mark wrote about one of them (nullam differentiam exposiyionis suae facientes in uno capitulo - without contradicting each other at all in one department); about another - Luke, and about another - John, because the latter is different from the rest.

Jerome: “Let no one think that the same woman anointed the head and feet.” Augustine considers the woman about whom Luke tells. (7:36 ff.), identical with the one about whom John talks (i.e. with Mary, sister of Lazarus). She performed the anointing twice. Only Luke tells about the first; the second is told in the same way by three evangelists, i.e. John, Matthew and Mark. Thus, Augustine makes a distinction between two anointings, the one reported by Luke. 7:37-39, and the one that was in Bethany six days before the Passover, assuming that the anointing woman was the same. Chrysostom sees things differently. “This wife, apparently, is the same for all the evangelists; in reality, it is not so, but the three evangelists, it seems to me, talk about the same one, while John talks about some other wonderful wife, the sister of Lazarus ".

Theophylact: “Some say that there were three wives who anointed the Lord with chrism, which were mentioned by all four evangelists. Others believe that there were two of them: the one mentioned by John, that is, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, and the other - the one who mentioned in Matthew and which is identical with that mentioned in Luke and Mark."

Zigaben: “three women anointed the Lord with myrrh. One, about whom Luke speaks, was a sinner... the second, about whom John speaks, named Mary... the third is the one about whom Matthew and Mark equally narrate, who came (to Christ) two days before Easter in the house of Simon the leper." “And if,” says Augustine, “Matthew and Mark say that the woman poured ointment on the head of the Lord, and John - on the feet, then, apparently, there is no contradiction. We think that she anointed not only the head, but also feet of the Lord. Perhaps someone will object in a slanderous spirit that, according to Mark's story, she broke the vessel before anointing the Lord's head and that in the broken vessel there was no ointment left with which she could also anoint His feet. But he who utters such slander, I must note that the feet were anointed before the vessel was broken, and that there was enough ointment left in it when, having broken it, the woman poured out all the rest of the oil."

Later exegetes have similarly varied opinions. Calvin instructed his followers to regard the two accounts (one in Matthew and Mark and the other in John) as identical. But Lightfoot says, "I wonder how anyone could mix these two stories." Even Zahn deduces from Matthew’s account that “the woman did not live in Simon’s house” (dass das Weib keine Hausgenossin des Simon war). Other exegetes said that if what was told in Matthew and Mark had happened in the house of Lazarus, and not Simon the leper, then the disciples would not have been “indignant” (ήγανάκιησαν - άγανακτοΰντες; Matthew 26:8, Mark 14:4), because this would mean being indignant at one of the housewives who received them. This will be explained in the next verse. Now, on the grounds given above, we will say that the stories of Matthew, Mark and John should be considered identical. The contradiction between Matthew and Mark, according to which the woman anointed the head of Christ, and John, which anointed the feet, is not so great as to deny the identity of their stories. It could have been both, with Matthew and Mark reporting one and John reporting the other. At the same time, there is no need to even assume that the fourth evangelist deliberately corrected his predecessors and that preference should be given only to his story. One can only say that the example of the woman described in Luke was a precedent and caused imitation. But the story of Luke. 7:36 words completely different from the present.

The word άλάβαστρον (αλάβαστρος, αλάβαστρος) is found in the New Testament only in three places (Matt. 26:7; Mark 14:3; Luke 7:37), and means, in fact, alabaster, and then an alabaster vessel, an alabaster jar . Such vessels were used to preserve fragrant ointments. Pliny (N. N. 3:3) says that unguenta optime servantur in alabastris (fragrant ointments are perfectly preserved in alabaster vessels). Among the gifts sent by Cambyses to the Ethiopians, Herodotus mentions an alabaster vessel with ointment (μύρου άλάβαστρον, Ist. 3:20). For the custom of anointing the head, see Eccl. 9:8. It is remarkable that, speaking of the anointing of Christ, Matthew does not mention that the woman poured it (that is, ointment) on his head, but skips this word. The construction of the verse is not the same in Matthew and Mark. The latter has κατέχεεν αύτοΰ της κεφαλης; in Matthew κατέχεεν επί τής κεφαλής αύτοΰ άνακειμένου. In Mark, therefore, the usual “post-Homeric” construction, simply with genitive, in Matthew the later one - with επί Ανακειμένου is considered a genitive independent and separate from αύτοΰ. This is doubtful. Of the two different readings: πολυτίμου (valuable or precious) and βαρύτιμου (same meaning), the first one, which is proven better, should be preferred.

8. Seeing this, His disciples were indignant and said: Why such a waste?

(Mark 14:4; John 12:4). John says that it was not the disciples who were “indignant,” but Judas alone. If, they say, in Mark in the previous verse, where the woman breaks the vessel, the matter is presented crudely, then in the same form it is presented in the present verse. This is evidenced by άγανακτοΰντες (in Matthew ήγανάκτησαν), a rude expression that completely violates the subtlety and harmony of the entire narrated event. John does not speak about the breaking of the vessel, nor about the indignation of the disciples, but only about Judas, with an explanation of the reasons why Judas spoke so. But the word άγανακτειν, apparently, is not as strong here as in the Russian and Slavic translations. Here it simply means to worry, to be dissatisfied. The alabaster vessel with myrrh was πολύτιμος - valuable or precious. Judas estimates its cost at three hundred denarii (John 12:5) - about 60 rubles in our money. In view of the too recent teachings of Christ Himself, remembered by the disciples, that help to the hungry, thirsty, etc. amounted to helping the Tsar Himself, it becomes quite clear to us why the disciples could be dissatisfied. Judas was especially dissatisfied, as a man who greatly loved and valued money. It could be that in the present case his dissatisfaction was contagious to other students. As with people who are not accustomed to restraint, this dissatisfaction spilled out and was noticeable to the woman who performed the anointing (ένεβριμοΰντο αύτη - Mark 14:5). Mary's feminine love elevated her above the entire community of Christ's disciples; and what was, perhaps, contrary to the demands of harsh logic and callous reason, was completely in accordance with the demands of her woman's heart. There is no need to spend as much on this as was necessary to feed not only the crowd of beggars, but also to arrange a good feast for the arriving guests.

Origen notes: “if Matthew and Mark wrote about one Mary, and about another - John, and about a third - Luke, then how come the disciples, who once received a reprimand from Christ about her act, did not correct themselves and did not stop their indignation at the act another woman doing this?" Origen does not solve this question, or, better yet, solves it unsatisfactorily. In Matthew and Mark, he says, the disciples are indignant out of good intentions (ex bono proposito); in John - only Judas, due to the love of theft (furandi affectu); but in Luke no one complains.

But if in Luke no one complains, then it is clear that he is talking about a different anointing. And from the repetition of the message about grumbling in Matthew, Mark and John, we can conclude that the story they told is identical.

What is an alabaster vessel with myrrh? The alabaster jar appears twice in the Bible, in incidents involving women, one of which was Mary of Bethany, who brought the ointment in tubes to anoint Jesus. Greek word translation field “alabaster” can also mean “flask,” “bottle.” In other translations it may mean “vase”.

Woman with an alabaster vessel. Role in the life of Jesus

The fact that both women preciously carried an alabaster flask of ointment to anoint Jesus. In the Bible, Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, and John 12:1-8 all described the same event involving Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus, in the house of Simon the Leper, who was healed Jesus and became one of his followers. This event took place in Bethany a few days before the crucifixion, so Mary came to anoint Jesus with ointment. “She poured perfume on my body in preparation for burial” (Mark 14:8).

On the other hand, Luke 7:36-50 refers to the house of Simon the Pharisee, not the house of Simon the Leper. This event occurred about a year before Christ's crucifixion in the region of Galilee (Luke 7:1, 11). The woman here was forgiven of many sins, but her name was not given.

Alabaster stone is often found in Israel. It is a heavy stone resembling white marble and is called one of the precious stones, used in the decoration of Solomon's temple (1 Chronicles 29:2). In the Song of Songs: the beloved person is described as having legs like a “column of alabaster” (ESB) or a “column of marble.” Therefore, the vessel of the two women used to transport fragrant oils is made of white marble. Ointments, oils and perfumes were contained in an alabaster vessel, which kept them pure and untouched. Many vessels were sealed with wax to prevent the evaporation of spirits. When Mary, the woman with the alabaster vessel, broke it, “the house was filled with the fragrance of perfume” (John 12:3). Alabaster was a substance strong enough to preserve the aroma of an oil or perfume until it was used.

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The Gospels of Mark, Matthew and John include the anointing with chrism in the account of the Passion of Christ.

According to the place of action in these Gospels, the episode of anointing is also called Supper in Bethany; according to the scene of action in the Gospel of Luke - the Feast in the house of Simon the Pharisee.

Catholic tradition has long identified the anointing woman with Mary Magdalene.

Gospel Testimonies

Gospel	Description of the Anointing
From Matthew (Matt. 26:6-7)	When Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vessel of precious ointment and poured it on His head as he reclined. Seeing this, His disciples were indignant and said: why such a waste? For this ointment could have been sold for a high price and given to the poor. But Jesus, realizing this, said to them: Why are you embarrassing a woman? she did a good deed for Me: for you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me; pouring this ointment on My body, she prepared Me for burial
From Mark (Mark 14:3-9)	And when He was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, and was reclining, a woman came with an alabaster vessel of ointment made of pure, precious nard and, breaking the vessel, she poured it on His head. Some were indignant and said to each other: Why this waste of the world? For it could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor. And they grumbled at her. But Jesus said: leave her; Why are you embarrassing her? She did a good deed for Me. For you always have the poor with you and, whenever you want, you can do them good; but you don’t always have Me. She did what she could: she prepared to anoint My body for burial.
From Luke (Luke 7:37-48)	And so, a woman of that city, who was a sinner, having learned that He was reclining in the house of a Pharisee, brought an alabaster flask of ointment and, standing behind His feet and weeping, began to wet His feet with tears and wipe them with the hair of her head, and kissed His feet. , and smeared it with myrrh. Seeing this, the Pharisee who invited Him said to himself: if He were a prophet, He would know who and what kind of woman was touching Him, for she was a sinner. Turning to him, Jesus said: Simon! I have something to tell you. He says: tell me, Teacher. Jesus said: One creditor had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty, but since they had nothing to pay, he forgave them both. Tell me, which of them will love him more? Simon replied: I think the one who was more forgiven. He told him: you judged correctly. And turning to the woman, he said to Simon: do you see this woman? I came to your house, and you did not give me water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head; You did not give Me a kiss, but she, since I came, has not stopped kissing My feet; You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you: her many sins are forgiven because she loved much, but he who is forgiven little loves little. He told her: your sins are forgiven
From John (John 12:1-8)	Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was dead, whom He raised from the dead. There they prepared a supper for Him, and Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those who reclined with Him. Mary, taking a pound of pure precious ointment of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the world. Then one of His disciples, Judas Simon Iscariot, who wanted to betray Him, said: Why not sell this ointment for three hundred denarii and give it to the poor? He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. He had a box and carried that they put it there. Jesus said: leave her; She saved it for the day of My burial. For you always have the poor with you, but Me not always.

Divergence of Evangelical Testimonies

Such a number of discrepancies has long raised questions among researchers of the Gospel texts. Currently, a significant portion of secular scholars believe that behind the Gospel accounts of the anointing there are one or two actual events in the life of Jesus. Most believe that we are talking about the same anointing, the story of which was attributed by the evangelists to different moments in the life of Jesus. In general, preference is given to Mark's version, although precise definition time ( Holy Week) and place (Bethany) is considered by most secular historians as a late addition. Church tradition, on the contrary, recognizes the authenticity of the message about the anointing during Holy Week.

Some researchers suggested next solution Problems:

• Matthew and Mark describe the same event, with Matthew relying on Mark's data
• Luke is most likely talking about another ablution, which chronologically took place much earlier
• John combines both accounts, adding details from Martha's ministry (from Luke 10:38-42)

Orthodox biblical scholar Archbishop Averky believes that there were two ablutions. Some count this number as high as three.

Opinions of the Church Fathers

Origen believed that there were 3 anointings and 3 anointings, in chronological order:

1. a nameless harlot in the house of Simon the Pharisee, in Galilee, who is spoken of only in the Gospel of Luke;
2. Mary, sister of Lazarus, in their house in Bethany, after the resurrection of Lazarus, but before entering Jerusalem, that is, on Saturday (Gospel of John);
3. another woman in the house of Simon the leper in Bethany on Holy Wednesday (in Matthew and Mark).

Theophylact of Bulgaria adhered to the same point of view. Saint Jerome distinguished the sinner from the 7th chapter of the Gospel of Luke from the woman who performed the anointing in Bethany. Saint Ambrose of Milan in " Commentary on the Gospel of Luke" also distinguishes between the anointings in Galilee and Bethany, but refrains from making a final judgment about who performed them, saying that it could be one and the same, and different women. Saint John Chrysostom admitted that Matthew, Mark and Luke could be talking about the same woman, but he distinguished her from Mary, the sister of Lazarus. St. Augustine and St. Gregory Dvoeslov believed that there was one anointing, but two anointings, and Gregory Dvoeslov identified the woman who performed the anointing with Mary Magdalene, from whom Jesus cast out seven demons. In homily 23 he talks about it this way: “ She whom Luke calls the sinner's wife, and whom John calls Mary, we believe that it was Mary from whom the seven demons were cast out according to Mark.” This identification was consolidated in Western tradition and was accepted by most Western medieval authors.

Symbolic meaning of ablution

Jesus himself deciphers one of the meanings of this action - the woman is preparing him for burial.

In addition, scholars point out that the very word “Messiah,” as Jesus declared himself to be, literally means “anointed one,” and the disciples could see an echo of this rite in the action performed by the woman.

Researchers also suggest that the earlier gospels do not mention the woman's name, but do detail the location of the event due to the fact that in the eyes of early Christians the event was more important than its performer. In particular, the significance of this preliminary anointing with chrism was determined by the fact that the timely anointing, that is, the anointing of the body of the crucified Jesus, was not actually performed at his burial. Matthew and Mark directly state that Jesus was not anointed after his death, and Luke mentions that the disciples intended to anoint Jesus with chrism, and only John testifies positively that Jesus was anointed in the tomb big amount drugs.

Mary Magdalene and the most popular interpretation

Despite the fact that most researchers are inclined to the primacy of the version set forth by Mark, the greatest popularity in the later Christian tradition, probably due to its theatricality, was the interpretation of Luke, where a sinner appears, washing her feet with her tears and wiping them with her long luxurious hair. First of all, this concerns the Western European Catholic tradition, which has another important feature- she considered Mary Magdalene a harlot and, at the same time, Mary from Bethany. The gospels do not say this directly anywhere, but this identification made it possible to smooth out the ambiguity and turn the three characters in the story of the evangelists (the woman, the sinner and Mary of Bethany) into one.

Thus, although Magdalene's name is not mentioned in any of the descriptions of the ablution, she became its main character. Thanks to this story, luxurious hair became one of her main attributes, as well as an alabaster vessel with the world.

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Apocryphal stories

The Apocrypha does not directly tell about the anointing of Jesus, but it does tell about the origin of the fragrant ointment with which he was anointed. I agree with the “Arabic Gospel of the Savior’s childhood” that after the circumcision of Jesus the midwife Salome took

“...the foreskin (although others say that she took the umbilical cord) and placed it in a vessel with ancient spikenard oil. Her son was a seller of incense, and, giving him the vessel, she said:
“Beware of selling this bottle of fragrant spikenard, even if they offered you three hundred denarii for it.”
This was the same vessel that Mary the sinner bought and poured on the head and feet of our Lord Jesus Christ, and then wiped them with her hair.”

In Orthodox worship

The story of the anointing of Jesus with chrism and the betrayal of Judas are the main themes of the liturgy of Great Wednesday. The verses on “Lord, I cried” contrast the selfishness of Judas with the self-sacrifice and repentance of the sinner, who washed her tears with tears and anointed the feet of the Savior with ointment. The most famous of the stichera of the Great Wednesday is the last, authored by the Venerable Cassia:

“Lord, even the wife who fell into many sins, who felt Your Divinity, the myrrh-bearing women, having taken the rite, weeping myrrh brings to You before burial: alas for me, those who say! for to me night is the fomentation of intemperate fornication, and the dark and moonless zeal of sin. Receive my fountains of tears, even as the clouds bring forth water from the seas. Bow down to my heartfelt sighing, bowing the heavens with Thy ineffable exhaustion: let me kiss Thy most pure nose, and cut off this hair from my head, which in Paradise Eve, at noon, filled my ears with noise, and hid with fear. My sins are many, and Your destinies are deep, who can trace them? O my soul-saving Savior, do not despise me, Your servant, who has immeasurable mercy.”

Unexpectedly, the theme of the anointing of Christ with chrism appears in the liturgies of the East Syrian rite. Every day before reading the Gospel is preceded by prayer:

“Let the aromas that emanated from You, Lord, when the sinful Mary poured out fragrant myrrh on Your head, be mixed with this incense, which we offer to You for Your glory and for the forgiveness of our sins and transgressions...”

Subject in European painting

This plot entered Western European art as an integral part of the iconography of Mary Magdalene. Although, if desired, one can find several images of a woman anointing the head of Jesus, they are still completely lost in the number of paintings of washing feet.

Magdalene was depicted as a beautiful woman, a harlot, in expensive clothes and with luxurious, unkempt hair. She kisses the Savior's feet and wets them with tears. This plot is found in book miniatures, in easel paintings, as well as in engravings, tapestries and stained glass.

In Jean Beraud’s 1891 painting “Christ in the House of Simon the Pharisee,” Jesus is depicted in the artist’s contemporary interior among bourgeois dressed in 19th-century fashion, with a fashionably dressed young lady prostrate at his feet.

IN Orthodox icon painting There is no Washing of the Feet as a separate subject, although it can be found in the brands. In addition, an analogy can be found in the iconographic depiction of Mary and Martha of Bethany bowing at the feet of Jesus in scenes of the raising of Lazarus, which on some boards appear to anoint him.

And when He was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, and reclined,
a woman came with an alabaster flask of pure nard ointment,
precious and, breaking the vessel, poured it on His head.
Mark's Holy Gospel, chapter 14

The Apostle Mark notes that the woman broke an alabaster vessel filled with myrrh from pure nard. For what?
It was from the Egyptians that the Jews, who were slaves there, adopted these divine aromas. Leaving Egypt, they took with them the formulas of aromatic compositions.

In the Book of Exodus (30, 34-38) a recipe is given: “And the Lord said to Moses: take for yourself fragrant substances: stakti, onycha, halvana of the fragrant and pure Lebanon, half in all, and make of them, by the art of making ointment, a smoking composition, erased, pure , holy one, and its fine polishes, and place it before the ark of the testimony in the tabernacle of meeting, where I will reveal myself to you: it will be a great sanctuary for you; do not make incense made according to this composition for yourself: let it be holy to you to the Lord ". The formula for the oil of the holy ointment is given right there: “full myrrh, five hundred shekels, cinnamon, half as much as two hundred and fifty, cassia, five hundred shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil...”

It should be noted that all this was prescribed to be used only for the glory of the Almighty: “Whoever does such a thing to smoke with it, (that soul) will be cut off from his people.”
Other incense was common throughout the world.

In the Book of Proverbs of Solomon (7:16-19), the following words are put into the mouth of a harlot: “I have made my bed with carpets, with multi-colored Egyptian fabrics; I have perfumed my bedroom with myrrh, scarlet and cinnamon; come in, let us revel in tenderness until the morning, let us enjoy love, because that my husband is not at home."

Clearly this is an example of temptation. If you succumb to it, your heart will be on the way to the underworld.

The Messiah, as Jesus declared Himself, literally means “the anointed one,” and an echo of this sacrament can be seen in the woman’s actions.
In particular, the significance of this preliminary anointing with chrism was determined by the fact that the timely anointing, that is, the anointing of the body of the crucified Jesus, was not actually performed at his burial. Matthew and Mark directly state that Jesus was not anointed with myrrh after his death, and Luke mentions that the disciples intended to anoint Jesus with myrrh, as it is written in Apostle Luke, the myrrh-bearing wives came to the tomb with spices, but found the stone rolled away, and did not find the body Lord (Luke 24:1), and only John testifies positively that Jesus was anointed in the tomb with a large number of drugs.

But returning to the events described by St. Mark in the house of Simon the leper, we know that a precious vessel filled with the mysterious symbol of anointing, the sacred ointment made of pure nard, was broken...

One can also assume that the woman breaks the vessel so that nothing else will ever be poured into this vessel. This interpretation, found in modern exegesis, is probably quite correct. With this she accomplished the fullness of the moment.

But Holy Scripture is often open to various aspects of interpretation. If you remember the psalms, then there you can find a comparison with a broken vessel: “I am forgotten in hearts as dead; I am like a broken vessel, for I hear the slander of many;..” (Ps. 30:13).
The integrity of the vessel from which the ointment is poured onto the head of Jesus and its brokenness when it ceases to serve Him. Wholeness is with God, brokenness is in the hands of sin. Such is the impossibility, the uselessness of a thing (and a person, I am like a broken vessel) if it does not serve Christ.

As the contemporary French philosopher Michel Serres notes in The Five Senses (Grasse, 1985): “A symbol of holiness, the spikenard outside the vessel signifies immortality and is distinguished from that contained in the vessel, since the latter signifies death.”
Jesus Himself speaks of the woman’s actions as preparatory to His body for burial, but doesn’t the fact that she breaks the vessel speak of immortality?

(Mark 14:3-9)

(Mark 14:4-5).

And indeed, we see that the narrative

3. And when He was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, and was reclining, a woman came with an alabaster vessel of ointment made of pure, precious nard, and, breaking the vessel, she poured it on His head.

4. Some were indignant and said among themselves: Why is this waste of peace?

5. For it could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor. And they grumbled at her.

6. But Jesus said, Leave her alone; Why are you embarrassing her? She did a good deed for Me.

7. For you always have the poor with you and, whenever you want, you can do good to them; but you don’t always have Me.

8. She did what she could: she prepared to anoint My body for burial.

9. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the whole world, what she has done will also be told in her memory.

(Mark 14:3-9)

The event described by the Evangelist Mark precedes the betrayal of Jesus Christ by Judas Iscariot. The Lord, together with his disciples, comes to the house of Simon the leper, where a certain woman pours fragrant spikenard ointment on Him. We encounter a similar event described in the Gospel of Luke, but there we're talking about about Simon the Pharisee, and many interpreters Holy Scripture indicate that these were absolutely different people and two different cases pouring out fragrant oil on the Savior.

As for Simon the leper, blessed Theophylact says the following about him: “Some consider Simon the leper to be the father of Lazarus: the Lord cleansed him of leprosy and was treated to him. It is also believed that when the Lord said to the disciples: “Go to so-and-so, and he will show you the furnished upper room,” he sent them specifically to Simon; It was he, as they say, who received the Lord, and the Lord celebrated Easter with him.”

a woman came with an alabaster vessel of ointment made of pure, precious nard and, breaking the vessel, poured it on His head(Mark 14:3). Alavaster is a type of marble remarkable for its lightness, transparency and beauty. Various vases and vessels for storing aromatic substances were made from it. Myrrh was an fragrant liquid made from oils and odorous substances, usually from the best olive oil in combination with fragrant resinous substances such as spikenard or myrrh and various colors.

As Alexander Pavlovich Lopukhin points out: “The Evangelist Mark notes that the myrrh was prepared “from spikenard” - in Hebrew “nered”, that is, from a flower growing in the mountains of the East Indies, belonging to the valeriana species. The juice extracted from it was used to prepare a special aromatic liquid, which was best extracted in the city of Tarsus and sent from there for sale in small alabaster jars.”

It was this expensive aromatic oil that a certain woman poured on the Savior’s head. But then the inexplicable happened: Some were indignant and said to each other: Why this waste of peace? For it could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor. And they grumbled at her(Mark 14:4-5).

The dissatisfaction of those around him was explained simply: such a vessel of fragrant oil cost three hundred denarii, and a denarius was a day’s worth. wages hired worker. An ordinary person had to work for almost a year just to buy such a vessel of fragrant oil. To some of those present, this seemed like a reckless waste, since the money could have been given to the poor. But the Lord quickly interrupted this murmur and demanded that people not confuse them and leave the poor woman.

Boris Ilyich Gladkov writes: “Leave her,” Jesus told them, “why are you embarrassing her with such talk? Why are you trying to convince her that she did something wrong? She did a good deed for Me. You care about the poor; it is commendable; but you will always have the poor before your eyes, and you can do good to them any time you want; You won't see me for long. And this woman, as if saying goodbye to Me, did everything she could: she anointed My body for My upcoming burial. And this good deed of hers will be known throughout the whole world: wherever Me is preached, it will be spoken of her.”

And indeed, we see that the story of this is not only recorded in the Gospel, but is also included in our worship: in the aftermath of Great Wednesday of Holy Week, the Church glorifies the act of this woman, as if drawing a parallel between it and the betrayal of Judas, committed on the same day , right after that.

Hieromonk Pimen (Shevchenko)

This volume is not only recorded in the Gospel, but is also included in our worship: following the Great Wednesday of Holy Week, the Church glorifies the act of this woman, as if drawing a parallel between it and the betrayal of Judas, committed on the same day, immediately after that.

This woman’s action teaches us, dear brothers and sisters, that real love cannot limit himself to something small, cannot calculate how much he needs to give in order for it to seem right. He who gives out of love even everything he has, understands that this is not enough and this gift is too small. And if we try to bring to the Lord the fragrance of such complete love, full of self-sacrifice, then the Savior will have mercy on us and lead us to eternal life, opening the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven for us. Help us in this, Lord!

Hieromonk Pimen (Shevchenko)