{{Short description|Woman present at the crucifixion of Jesus}} {{Infobox saint | honorific prefix = [[Saint]] |name=Mary of Clopas| image = The Entombment of Christ-Caravaggio (c.1602-3) (cropped).jpg | caption = Detail from ''[[The Entombment of Christ (Caravaggio)|The Entombment of Christ]]'' by [[Caravaggio]], 1603–1604 | titles = [[Myrrhbearers|Myrrhbearer]] | venerated_in = {{nowrap|[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]}}<br>[[Roman Catholic Church]] | feast_day = [[May 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)|May 23]] (Orthodoxy)<br>[[April 24]] (Catholicism) }}
According to the [[Gospel of John]], '''Mary of Clopas''' ({{langx|grc|Μαρία ἡ τοῦ Κλωπᾶ}}, ''María hē toû Clōpâ'') was one of the [[women at the crucifixion|women present at the crucifixion of Jesus]] and [[Myrrhbearers|bringing supplies for his funeral]]. The expression ''Mary of Clopas'' in the Greek text is ambiguous as to whether Mary was the daughter or wife of [[Clopas]], but [[exegesis]] has commonly favoured the reading "wife of Clopas". [[Hegesippus (chronicler)|Hegesippus]] identified Clopas as a brother of [[Saint Joseph|Joseph]].<ref name=Eus3.11/> In the latest official edition of the ''[[Roman Martyrology]]'' of the [[Catholic Church]] she is commemorated with [[Salome (disciple)|Salome]] on April 24.<ref>''[[Martyrologium Romanum]], ex decreto sacrosancti oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II instauratum auctoritate Ioannis Pauli Pp. II promulgatum, editio [typica] altera, Typis Vaticanis, A.D. MMIV'' (2004), p. 251 {{ISBN|88-209-7210-7}}</ref>
Along with [[Mary Magdalene]] and [[Salome (disciple)|"Mary" Salome]], Mary of Clopas is known as one of the [[The Three Marys|Three Marys]] at the tomb of Jesus. Her relics are said to be in France at the [[Church of the Saintes Maries de la Mer]].
==Appearances in the gospels== Mary of Clopas is explicitly mentioned only in [[John 19]]:25, where she is among the [[women at the crucifixion|women present]] at the [[crucifixion of Jesus]]: {{blockquote|Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother and His mother’s sister, Mary of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.<ref>{{bibleverse|John|19:25|ESV}}</ref>}} The [[Gospel of Mark|Gospels of Mark]] and [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] each include similar passages that are nearly identical to one another: {{blockquote|Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's children.<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|27:56|ESV}}</ref>}} {{blockquote|There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome.<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|15:40|ESV}}</ref>}}
This has led scholars to identify Mary of Clopas with "[[Mary, mother of James|Mary the mother of James and Joseph/Joses]]".<ref name="smalley"/> The Gospels of Matthew<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|13:55–56|ESV}}</ref> and Mark<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|6:3|ESV}}</ref> mention [[James, brother of Jesus|James]] and [[Joses, brother of Jesus|Joseph/Joses]] (with Mark always using the less common variation "Joses") among the four [[brothers of Jesus]].
According to some interpretations, the same Mary was also among the women that on [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection morning]] went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus with spices. Matthew calls her "the other Mary"<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|28:1|ESV}}</ref> to distinguish her from Mary Magdalene, while Mark uses the name "[[Mary, mother of James|Mary, the mother of James]]"<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|16:1|ESV}}</ref> (''Maria Iacobi'' in Latin).
==Apocryphal writings== In a manner very similar to the [[Gospel of John]], the [[apocryphal]] [[Gospel of Philip]] (3rd century) also seems to list Mary of Clopas among Jesus' female entourage: {{blockquote|There were three who always walked with the Lord: Mary, his mother, and her sister, and [[Mary Magdalene|Magdalene]], the one who was called his companion. His sister and his mother and his companion were each a Mary.<ref>The Old and New Testament and Gnostic contexts and the text are discussed by Robert M. Grant, "The Mystery of Marriage in the Gospel of Philip" Vigiliae Christianae 15.3 (September 1961:129-140).</ref>}}
Adding to the confusion, the Gospel of Philip seems to refer to her as Jesus' mother's sister ("her sister") and Jesus' own sister ("his sister").
The [[Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew]] (7th century) presents Mary of Cleophas as the daughter of Cleophas and Anna: {{blockquote|Jesus met them, with Mary His mother, along with her sister Mary of Cleophas, whom the Lord God had given to her father Cleophas and her mother Anna, because they had offered Mary the mother of Jesus to the Lord. And she was called by the same name, Mary, for the consolation of her parents.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew |url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0848.htm |access-date=19 June 2018}}</ref>}} [[File:Bernhard Strigel, Saint Mary Cleophas and Her Family, c. 1520-1528, NGA 46187.jpg|180px|thumbnail|right|''Saint Mary Cleophas and Her Family'' by [[Bernhard Strigel]]]]
==Identity of Clopas==
The expression ''Mary of Clopas'' in the Greek text is ambiguous as to whether Mary was the daughter or wife of Clopas, but [[exegesis]] has commonly favoured the reading "wife of Clopas". Clopas appears in early Christian writings as a brother of [[Saint Joseph|Joseph]], and as the father of [[Simeon of Jerusalem|Simeon]], the second bishop of Jerusalem.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm Eusebius of Caesarea, Church History, Book III], ch. 11. [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.viii.xi.html another link]</ref> [[Eusebius of Caesarea]], referencing the works of [[Hegesippus (chronicler)|Hegesippus]], relates in his ''[[Church History (Eusebius)|Church History]]'' (Book III, ch. 11), that after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Christians of Jerusalem: {{blockquote|all with one consent pronounced Symeon, the son of Clopas, of whom the Gospel also makes mention; to be worthy of the episcopal throne of that parish. He was a cousin, as they say, of the Saviour. For Hegesippus records that Clopas was a brother of Joseph.<ref name=Eus3.11>[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm Eusebius of Caesarea, Church History, Book III], ch. 11.</ref>}} This identification would make [[Saint Joseph|Joseph]] a brother-in-law of Mary of Clopas.
Clopas was sometimes further identified with [[Cleopas]]<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2682 |title=St. Cleophas |publisher=Catholic Online}}</ref> and [[Alphaeus]], father of [[James, son of Alphaeus|James]], one of the [[Twelve Apostles]]. In 1982, Stephen S. Smalley, Dean Emeritus of [[Chester Cathedral]], deemed this identification "probable"<ref name="smalley">S. S. Smalley. "Mary," ''New Bible Dictionary'', 1982 p. 793.</ref> In medieval tradition, Clopas was identified as the second husband of [[Saint Anne|Anne]] and as the father of Mary of Clopas,<ref name=CEAnne>{{Cite Catholic Encyclopedia|wstitle=St. Anne}}</ref> allowing Mary to be identified as the half-sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. [[File:Good_Friday_Mary_of_Clopas1.jpg|220px|thumbnail|right|[[The Three Marys|Santa Maria Jacobe]] (2024 [[Good Friday processions in Baliwag|Good Friday processions]], Philippines)]]
==Mary of Clopas and the brothers of Jesus== [[Jerome]] (347–420), writing [[Adversus Helvidium|''Against Helvidius'']] in defense of [[Perpetual Virginity of Mary|perpetual virginity of the mother of Jesus]], argued that the [[brothers of Jesus]] ([[James the Just|James]], [[Simon, brother of Jesus|Simon]], [[Jude, brother of Jesus|Jude]] (also identified in tradition with [[Judas Thaddeus]]), and [[Joses#Joses, brother of Jesus|Joses or Joseph]]) were children of Mary of Clopas, the sister of [[Mary, mother of Jesus|the mother of Jesus]], making them first cousins of Jesus and not direct siblings. Jerome also identified James, the brother of Jesus, with the Apostle [[James, son of Alphaeus]] ([[James the Less]]) and thus supposed that Mary of Clopas was married to Alphaeus (Clopas).<ref>{{cite web|title=CHURCH FATHERS: The Perpetual Virginity of Mary (Jerome)|url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3007.htm|website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref>
This view finds support in a fragment found in a medieval manuscript, which lists four Maries mentioned in the gospels and bears the inscription "[[Papias of Hierapolis|Papia]]" on the margin. According to Papias, "Mary the wife of Cleophas or Alphaeus, was the mother of James, Simon and Thaddeus, and of one Joseph."<ref name="papias">{{cite book|url=http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/papias.html|title=Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord. Fragment X|last=Papias of Hierapolis|publisher=Peter Kirby|access-date=10 September 2015}}</ref><ref name=Biblehub1>{{cite web | url = https://biblehub.com/library/papias/fragments_of_papias/fragment_x.htm | title = Fragments of Papias. Fragment X. | website = biblehub.com | access-date = 2019-05-04 | quote = (1.) Mary the mother of the Lord; (2.) Mary the wife of Cleophas/Clopas/Alphæus, who was the mother of James the less and of Simon and Thaddeus, and of one Joseph (Joses); (3.) Mary Salome, wife of Zebedee, mother of John the evangelist and James the Elder; (4.) Mary Magdalene. These four are found in the Gospel. James and Judas (Jude/Thaddeus) and Joseph were sons of an aunt (2) of the Lord's. James also and John were sons of another aunt (Salome) (3) of the Lord's. Mary (2), mother of James the Less and Joseph, wife of Alphæus was the sister of Mary the mother of the Lord, whom John names of Cleophas, either from her father or from the family of the clan, or for some other reason. Mary Salome (3) is called Salome either from her husband or her village. Some affirm that she is the same as Mary of Cleophas, because she had two husbands. }}</ref><ref name="Biblehub2">{{cite web|title=Fragments of Papias. Fragment X.|url=https://biblehub.com/library/papias/fragments_of_papias/fragment_x.htm|access-date=2019-05-04|website=biblehub.com|quote=This fragment was found by Grabe in a ms. of the Bodleian Library, with the inscription on the margin, "Papia." Westcott states that it forms part of a dictionary written by "a mediæval Papias. [He seems to have added the words, "Maria is called Illuminatrix, or Star of the Sea," etc, a middle-age device.] The dictionary exists in ms. both at Oxford and Cambridge."}}</ref> The attribution of this fragment to [[Papias of Hierapolis]] (ca. 70-163 AD) however has been disputed in favour of a medieval author (possibly [[Papias (lexicographer)|Papias the lexicographer]], fl. 1040s–1060s) by Anglican bishops and theologians [[Joseph Lightfoot|J.B. Lightfoot]] (1828–1889).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> and [[Brooke Foss Westcott]] (1825–1901).<ref name="Biblehub2" /> For example, Lightfoot argued that it seems quite impossible for Jerome not to quote Papias who would have fully supported his view, despite having access to his writings, and the quote seems to be derived from Jerome's writings, some parts being almost word for word with what Jerome said in adv. Helvid.<ref name=":0">{{cite web | url = http://philologos.org/__eb-jbl/brethren.htm | title = The Brethren of the Lord | last1 = Lightfoot | first1 = J.B. | author-link1 = Joseph Lightfoot | year = 1865 | website = philologos.org | access-date = 2016-05-31 | quote = The testimony of Papias is frequently quoted at the head of the patristic authorities, as favouring the view of Jerome. [...]. It is strange that able and intelligent critics should not have seen through a fabrication which is so manifestly spurious. [...] [T]he passage was written by a mediaeval namesake of the Bishop of Hierapolis, Papias [...] who lived in the 11th century. | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180618231826/https://philologos.org/__eb-jbl/brethren.htm | archive-date = 2018-06-18 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://www.textexcavation.com/papias.html |title=Papias of Hierapolis |access-date=2015-10-06 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151116063403/http://www.textexcavation.com/papias.html |archive-date=2015-11-16 }}</ref>
[[James Tabor]] deduced that "Mary the mother of James and Joses" is none other than [[Mary, the mother of Jesus]] herself.<ref name="Tabor 2006">{{cite book| author = Tabor, James D.| author-link = James Tabor| title = The Jesus Dynasty: A New Historical Investigation of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity| url = https://archive.org/details/jesusdynastyhidd00tabo| url-access = registration| publisher = Simon & Schuster | year = 2006| isbn = 0-7432-8723-1}}</ref> This interpretation would necessitate that Mary the mother of Jesus married a man named [[Clopas]], after her marriage to [[Saint Joseph|Joseph]] (perhaps after his death). Tabor proposes that a brother of Joseph would have been obliged to wed his widowed wife in a [[Levirate marriage]], despite this only being permissible if the first marriage had been childless.<ref name="Tabor 2006"/>
==References== {{CE1913 poster|Mary of Cleophas}} {{Wikiquote}} {{Commons category|Mary of Clopas}} {{Reflist}} {{Catholic saints - disciples}} {{New Testament people}}
[[Category:1st-century Christian female saints]] [[Category:Followers of Jesus]] [[Category:Saints from the Holy Land]] [[Category:People in the Gospel of John]] [[Category:Women in the New Testament]] [[Category:Myrrhbearers]] [[Category:The Three Marys]] [[Category:Christian saints from the New Testament]] [[Category:James, son of Alphaeus]]