The Birth of Jesus and the Forgotten Part of Salome

My name may not be popular today, but between 300 B.C. until 200 AD was Salome the Jewish trend name. Next to Mary. According to a survey, at that time every second woman was called Maria or Salome. So it should come as no surprise that both names appear in the story of Jesus’ birth.

In this story, however, one mainly knows Mary, while many do not even know that Salome was also involved – at least according to certain writings. Now her tomb has been further uncovered, and newly discovered artifacts indicate she wasn’t much of a stranger in the past.

Will these discoveries clear my previously infamous biblical reputation?

You know what I’m talking about: there’s the other, much more famous Salome. The daughter of Herodias and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas, then ruler of Galilee. No? Salome, who danced so beautifully before her stepfather that he was willing to give her half of his kingdom, but she wished for John the Baptist’s head on a platter. Exactly this one.

Even though her name is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, she became a legend with this story. That the terrible wish actually stemmed from her mother Herodias’s idea didn’t change anything either. The mother was a thorn in John the Baptist’s side because he publicly criticized her marriage. Reason: Herodias divorced her first husband before Herod Antipas – Herod Boethos, who was also Herod Antipas’ half brother.

Salome, who is referred to simply as “Herodia’s daughter” in this biblical story, did not play much of a role. Nevertheless, she became extremely popular 1500 years later as artists and painters took a liking to her story and personality. It was these pictures that gave her her infamous reputation.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves:

As already mentioned, between 300 BC. until AD 200 countless Salomes due to the popularity of the name. In the New Testament, at least three women named Salome appear in the vicinity of Jesus. There are many mysteries surrounding this. Experts are not sure whether the three Salomes mentioned are different or one and the same person. The only thing that is certain is that this Salomes Not is about the daughter of Herodia, even though she would have lived around the same time – the beheading of John is said to have taken place around 30 AD.

However, the story that interests us is not in the Bible at all, but in the Apocrypha. These are religious writings created between 200 BC and about 400 AD. They contain Jesus traditions that are believed to be of questionable origin or content and are therefore not included in the Bible. In one such tradition, a Salome appears as a witness to Mary’s virgin birth. There are no clues to her person in this writing. Experts therefore suspect that the author assumed that the readers knew this Salome – presumably because he referred to a Salome from Jesus’ circle.

Now the tomb of Salome, witness to the birth of Jesus, would have been discovered. Where: The tomb, located 35 kilometers southwest of Bethlehem, was found in 1982 and looted by grave robbers. References to the person originally buried in it were found two years later. But only the most recent excavations at the time confirmed the suspicion, it was announced on Tuesday. This includes the inscription carved into the stone: “Salome, who was Mary’s midwife.” According to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), these writings in ancient Greek and Arabic are enough to prove that it is the cave of St. Salome.

The ornate forecourt of the tomb was also only now discovered. It extends over almost 3800 square meters and is surrounded by a stone wall. During the excavations on the forecourt, a number of stalls were also uncovered. Hundreds of clay lamps, some broken, some still intact, were found in the ruins. These were probably sold or rented to light the way to the cave and its chambers. An indication to IAA archaeologist Zvi Firer that the cave had been a place of worship and popular pilgrimage. His team estimates that the ruins date to between the 8th and 9th centuries.

Firer assumes she was sanctified as early as the 5th century:

So for hundreds of years, Salome was a person considered worthy of worship. The fact that she has been forgotten is probably due in part to the fact that her story did not make it into the Bible. Their story is instead in the Proto-Gospel of James, which is part of the Apocrypha.

And now it’s time to tell that story.

According to the Proto-Gospel of James, Salome was the second person to see the newborn Jesus. Only the midwife, who is not specifically mentioned in the Protoevangelium, saw him. She was present at the birth and immediately afterwards joyfully stepped out of the cave in which Mary had given birth to the child. There she met Salome and told her:

Salome – who it is not known who she is, where she came from or what exactly she did for this cave – received this news with great skepticism:

The midwife, convinced of Mary’s virginity, ordered Mary to get ready for an inspection – there was “no little dispute” about her. Mary did as she was told. Salome then put her finger down to examine Mary’s condition, as announced. That was enough to make her realize her mistake. She screamed:

She begged God for mercy, whereupon an angel appeared before her and promised her healing:

Full of joy, Salome went to the child, took her in her arms, and was healed. For her participation in the birth of Jesus

For this participation in the birth of Jesus, she was considered honorable and worthy of worship.

Although Saint Salome was sanctified for a long time, her story was eventually forgotten. With the ‘evil’ Salome, the situation was exactly the opposite: although she was not given much attention in the past, she blossomed into one of the most popular Christian mythological muses, especially in the second half of the 19th century.

To this day, she is still fondly remembered, which is mainly due to Oscar Wilde and Richard Strauss. Richard Strauss composed an opera based on Oscar Wilde’s drama Salome (1891), which was first performed in 1905. While audiences were initially shocked by Salome’s erotic dance, the play established itself as an integral part of the operatic repertoire. It will be performed in the Zurich Opera House, among other things, from January.

But the other, Saint Salome, must also be made accessible to the public. The excavations around her cave took place precisely for this purpose: it would be located on the 100-kilometer “Judean Kings Trail”, where visitors will soon be able to admire several important archaeological sites.

It remains to be seen if she can rival her namesake in terms of popularity.