The presence of a group offemale disciples of Jesus at thecrucifixion of Jesus is found in all fourGospels of theNew Testament. There have been different interpretations of how many and which women were present. Although someChristian traditions hold that there wereThree Marys at the cross, only one gospel claims this, and these names differ from the other gospels.
| Matthew | Mark | Luke | John | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women at the cross | Matthew 27:55–56 many women ... who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom wereMary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee | Mark 15:40 women ... among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome | Luke 23:49 the women who had followed him from Galilee | John 19:25 his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene |
| Women at the burial | Matthew 27:61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb | Mark 15:47 Mary Magdalene and Mary of Joses saw where he was laid | Luke 23:55 the women who had come with him from Galilee | |
| Women visiting the tomb | Matthew 28:1 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary | Mark 16:1 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome | Luke 24:10 Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them | John 20:1 Mary Magdalene |
Matthew and Mark, who speak of "many women" present at the crucifixion, mention three individually at the death of Jesus and two at his burial. Matthew describes the third individual present at the death as the mother of the sons ofZebedee, without naming her. Mark's third individual is called Salome. Luke mentions none individually. John mentions four individually, including "the mother of Jesus," who is not mentioned by the other gospels.[1] Mark, Matthew, and Luke all place the women "at a distance" (the disciples having fled), whereas John has them "standing by the cross" (19:24).
The indication inJohn 19:25 could be interpreted as referring to two, three or four women. There are difficulties against taking it as presenting a double apposition, with "his mother" beingMary of Clopas, and "his mother's sister" beingMary Magdalene. If the women are three, then there is a single apposition, with Mary of Clopas presented as the sister of Jesus' mother (despite the awkwardness of having two sisters bearing the same name) or else, since Hebrew and Aramaic had no specific word for "cousin", presented as her cousin or her sister-in-law, with Clopas considered the brother ofJoseph. If there is no apposition, the women are four, as understood byTatian and thePeshitta.[2] If the last interpretation is chosen, the accounts that the four gospels give of individual women present at the crucifixion are:[3]: 69
| Person | Matthew | Mark | Luke | John |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary, mother of Jesus | Y | |||
| Mary Magdalene | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mary, mother of James and Joseph/Joses | Y | Y | ||
| The mother of the sons of Zebedee | Y | |||
| Salome | Y | |||
| A sister of Mary, mother of Jesus | Y | |||
| Mary of Clopas | Y |
Mary Magdalene is mentioned by all gospels apart from Luke, who mentions no individual. Mary, mother of James and Joseph/Joses is mentioned by Matthew and Mark. The others are mentioned by one gospel only: Mary, the mother of Jesus; Mary, the mother of the sons of Zebedee; Salome; a sister of Mary, mother of Jesus; Mary of Clopas.
Attempts have been made to consider Mary of Clopas, the mother ofJames and Joseph/Joses, and a half-sister or sister-in-law of Mary the mother of Jesus as different descriptions of the same person.[4]