SALOME:
MATRON SAINT OF MIDWIVES
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
- Revelation 12:1
At times, it is difficult to identify various people in the Bible. Sometimes, the information is too scanty, at other times, contradictory. This is especially true of the people mentioned in the Gospels. Frequently, we are forced to rely upon the testimony of the ancient historians of the Church to connect the dots for us.
That the records seem contradictory does not mean they are uninspired, as some liberal scholars wish to imply. There are other very good reasons for why the record has been left as it is.
For one thing, cousin marriages were legal under the Mosaic law, as was polygamy. That was why men could be brothers and cousins at the same time. Their father and mother may have been cousins, or their father may have married sisters.
The ancient church historians, such as Julius Africanus and Hegesippus, remind us of the Hebrew custom of the levirate marriage to explain these anomalies, also. The levirate marriage (nothing to do with the Levites) was the custom of a brother marrying his deceased brother's widow. This custom was commanded in the Mosaic law to give women greater security. In Israel, true marriage was a form of adoption. That was why she took her husband's name. A wife was the man's "sister-bride". She became a member of the family and a joint-heir in the family estate. If her husband died, she could expect to be cared for by his brothers.
This custom was not limited to brothers, however. In the book of Ruth, we find that this levirate obligation extended to the next of kin. Boaz was not Ruth's brother-in-law, but he was obliged to marry her because she came with the parcel of land which he wished to redeem. He was delighted, of course, because he loved her. But it demonstrates one reason why land could not be bought or sold like a commodity in ancient Israel: buyers had to marry the women that came with it.
The levirate custom explains why the genealogies in Matthew and Luke are not identical. A man could be identified with two fathers: one, by the adoption of the levirate marriage, the other, by true issue. Simeon, the Lord's brother, was both His brother and His cousin. That was because he was the son of Clopas, Joseph's younger brother. Clopas became the head of Joseph's household after his death.
There is another good reason why associations were sometimes obscured in the Gospels: persecution. It was a dangerous time. Men died young. There were many widows.
Like a witness protection program, the identities of some individuals were blurred or misidentified in the Gospels. For instance, some of the Apostles were the Lord's kinsmen. Even James and John may have been His cousins. It was important in that era that the new Christian movement not be identified as a reemergence of the House of David. Messianic claims in association with the royal stature of Davidides posed a serious political threat to Rome. It was a subversive wedge repeatedly used by the powerful Parthian Empire against Rome (e.g. the Magi at Christ's birth). Since the Gospels were meant for general circulation, identifying the two together was unnecessarily dangerous.
Recall King Herod's massacre of the Bethlehem infants. That was not out of character for Herod, both for personal and political reasons. He had married the Maccabean princess, Mariamme, to solidify his own claims to the Throne, only to murder both her and her thirteen-year-old brother, when the latter was ordained to the High Priesthood. Herod sometimes murdered his own sons.
Joseph, the presumed father of Jesus, was the titular head of the House of David in his day. He and his kinsmen found it prudent to live on the fringes of Galilee, outside of Herod's jurisdiction.
Eventually, early Christianity was viewed by Rome as a political movement. In a sense, it was. Although it was spiritual in nature, it did have political implications. During the first one hundred years of its existence, Christianity was led, without dispute, by the Lord's kinsmen - the Desposyni, as they were called. The Apostles and disciples received their marching orders from them, especially James, the Lord's brother (see Acts 15).
These Davidic leaders were in constant danger. The Jewish Revolt of 70 AD was wrongfully blamed on these Davidians. There were three separate attempts by Rome to wipe them out. Trajan, Hadrian, and Domitian - all sustained state operations to seek them out and destroy them, either by assassination, or if that was not possible, by mass murder.
With these volatile circumstances in mind, it is no wonder that the Gospels avoided discussing them as having any meaningful influence on Christianity. The book of Acts presents us with James as the first leader of Christianity. But it does not tell us that he was the brother of Jesus. We learn that fact from the more visible Epistles of Paul (e.g. Galatians).
In the book, Biblical Midwifery (available from us), there is a lengthy account given about Salome and the birth of Jesus. There are several Early Church accounts which cite the presence of Salome as the attending midwife. Two accounts cite her as doubting Mary's virginity and examining her to confirm it. In all accounts, she becomes a believer and a competent witness of the Virgin Birth.
In the Gospels, Salome appears in only two instances: the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, both very important scenes, and both indicative of a very long and close relationship with the Savior's family (Mark 15:40 and 16:1).
Early Church accounts explain the details of the relationship further. Convinced of their sacred calling, Salome joined the Holy Family after Christ's birth, fled with them to Egypt, and then followed them to Nazareth.
Of her piety and faithfulness, Demetrius of Antioch says,
This woman Salome was the first who recognized the Christ, and who worshipped Him, and believed on Him when He came upon the earth; and she did not return to her own house until the day of her death. Whithersoever Christ went to preach, with His mother the Virgin, there she followed Him with His disciples until the day when they crucified Him and [the day of] His holy resurrection. She saw them all, with His mother the Virgin.
Salome, herself, had a handmaid: a doulos named Sarah. Together, they joined Joseph's household as Mary's handmaidens and mentors. Being a young girl, Mary was not equipped to face the responsibilities of managing the household of Joseph, which was large. The aging Joseph was, as I said, the titular head of the House of David in his day. He was a man of means and great responsibilities. Some writers claim the word for "carpenter", in the original languages, means more than a furniture carpenter, but a master craftsman. (Joseph appears to have been a very successful artisan, producing exquisite architectural effects for homes, and may have been a builder. This makes sense, because the House of David was privy to the secrets of building, ever since the days of Solomon's Temple. )
He was also widower, and some say a bigamist. Anastasius of Antioch cites the lost writings of Epiphanius to claim that Salome was Joseph's wife. In which case, he would have been married to both Mary and Salome at the same time, although the argument can be made that his marriage to Mary was symbolic only.
Distilling from the early records, we find five sons identified with Joseph: James, Simon, Jude, Joses, and Jesus. There were also five daughters: Lysia, Lydia, Salome, Mary, and Anna. Jerome tells us that Escha was Joseph's first wife (the daughter of Haggi, brother of Zachariah, father of John the Baptist) and bore the four brothers and two daughters, most of whom would have been grown by the time of our Lord's birth.
Simeon, however, was the son of Clopas, the younger brother of Joseph who assumed the levirate position, as I said, after Joseph's death. In which case, Simeon would not have been Escha's son and also would have been younger than Jesus. He would have had to have been the son of either Mary or Salome. Or, perhaps, he was the son of Mary, Jesus' sister. Anastasius tells us that Mary, the sister of Jesus, married Clopas, her uncle (an accepted custom in ancient Israel) which clarifies the confusion of John 19:25, which identifies her as Mary's sister (sister-in-law). It is almost certain this Mary was the daughter of Salome and named after the beloved Holy Virgin.
This leaves the daughters, Anna and Salome, to be identified. These two were most likely Mary's daughters: Salome after her namesake, and Anna, named after Mary's mother. This a reasonable deduction from the records, but not explicitly stated (Salome could have been the mother of these girls).
Some commentators make Salome the mother of James and John and the wife of Zebedee (Matthew 27:56). That would not be possible, unless we want to believe that she was divorced. Jesus called James and John, "the sons of thunder". Perhaps, Zebedee was a violent man, in which case, Salome simply may have left him. Being a midwife, she may have been away from home too much anyway, a fact which strains marriages for many midwives, even today.
In any case, Salome was intimately associated with the beginnings of Christianity, was present at the founding of the Church in Acts 2, appears to have been a mother of some of the Desposyni, and was a figurehead, as I will show, in the Esoteric Church.
SALOME & THE ESOTERIC TRADITION
Some esoteric sayings of Jesus, cited by the Fathers of the Early Church, support the view of Salome's profound influence behind the scenes, and are cited here:
Clement, Bishop of Rome and companion of both Peter and Paul, relates this account in the closing of his second epistle:
For the Lord himself asked by a certain person, When his kingdom should come? answered, "When two shall be one, and that which is without as that which is within; and the male with the female, neither male nor female."
- 2 Clement 5:1
Clement of Alexandria, a 2nd Century leader and teacher of the Esoteric doctrines, expands on this same story, credits Salome with having asked the question and then cites other references:
When Salome asked when she would know the answer to her question the Lord replied, "When you trample underfoot the integument of shame, and when the two become one and the male is one with the female, and there is no more male and female."
- Stromateis Book III, 92(2)
When Salome asked, "How long will death maintain its power?" the Lord said, "As long as you women bear children." He is not speaking of life as evil and the creation as rotten. He is giving instruction about the normal course of nature. Death is always following on the heels of birth.
- Stromietes Book III, 45(3)
The Savior himself said, "I am come to undo the works of the female", by female meaning lust, and by the works meaning birth and decay.
- Miscellanies 3:63
(For a discussion of what these sayings mean, and their authenticity, see The Mother Heart of God)
Gospel of Thomas:
Jesus said, "Two will recline on a couch; one will die, one will live".
Salome said, "Who are you, mister? You have climbed onto my couch and eaten from my table as if you are from someone".
Jesus said to her, "I am the one who comes from what is whole. I was granted from the things of my Father."
[She said] "I am your disciple."
[Jesus said] "For this reason I say, if one is [whole], one will be filled with light, but if one is divided, one will be filled with darkness."
Jesus said, "I disclose my mysteries to those who are worthy of [my] mysteries. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."
The Book of the Resurrection of Christ: Lists among the women who went to Jesus' tomb "Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James whom Jesus delivered out of the hand of Satan, Salome who tempted him, Mary who ministered to him and Martha her sister."
The Pistis Sophia, a proto-Gnostic document exalts Mary Magdalene and Salome as the primary interlocutors.
The Carpocratians, a scandalous yet influential Gnostic sect, appealed to Salome's authority to justify their naturalistic account of Jesus' birth and their view of sexuality, namely, that wives should be held in common.
Consider that Salome's questions were concerned with issues which are of natural importance to midwives: relational issues between the sexes, sexuality, women's health, pregnancy, childbirth, and the importance of these things in the plan of God. However garbled our meager accounts may be, from both orthodox and heretical sources, she fits clearly the profile of the Christian midwife.
Whether she had a great influence in the Early Church is a little more complicated question. That she had stature in the Early Church can be supported by the fact that she was cited as an authoritative source by heretical groups early in the 2nd Century. Meaning this: if Salome was not of sufficient importance in the Early Church, why would any group bother to use her to support their cause? Orthodox leaders were compelled to respond, meaning Salome was an important figure, otherwise these groups could have been safely ignored.
The first stage of the orthodox polemic against the heretics was a public denial of any esoteric tradition or Esoteric Church. The Gnostic sects which claimed such a tradition as their own were perverting the truth and bringing disrepute to the Christian faith. It was necessary to deny its existence, because if the orthodox apologists tried to correct the errors of the heretics by appealing to the esoteric tradition themselves, it would have exposed it to public scrutiny. Basically, the Esoteric Church consisted of the families related to Jesus who were of royal and priestly descent, which included Salome's children. These people had a different calling and mission in the world than did the usual ministers of the Church. They were God's shadow government. To have admitted their existence, when so many deadly adversaries lurked in the shadows, it would have shamefully risked the lives of its members. Midwives were important to this Esoteric Church; they served as witnesses and guardians of that sacred lineage.
The orthodox polemic continued with a defense of Salome's orthodoxy and virtue. The Carpocratians invented the story that Salome disputed the Virgin Birth. The Orthodox responded by citing the strong Coptic tradition that she did believe in the Virgin Birth. Why would she have followed the Lord, if she knew that He was just an ordinary man?
The association of Salome's name with a lurid sensuality was another Carpocratian invention. Confusing her with Herod's Salome and the Dance of the Seven Veils, she was used as a figurehead to promote Gnostic paganism. The Church Fathers did not successfully respond to this movement. They overreacted in the opposite direction, in the direction of de-sanctifying the status of sexuality.
That led to the final stage which reflected the apostasy within the Church itself. It began to believe its own cover-up. The role of women in the Church became a central issue of controversy toward the end of the 2nd Century, as was sexuality. The emphasis was shifting away from the family of Christ to the institution of the Church, patterned after the structural model of the Roman Empire. Women and childbearing did not have a place in this structure. They were considered base and unclean. So, to conceal the fact that Christianity itself was changing, the role of these Holy Women in Christ's ministry and their witness had to be marginalized.
SALOME & THE CELTIC CHURCH
The legends surrounding Salome continued in the Celtic Church of Gaul, Spain and the British Isles. She is believed to have been with the band of refugees which set sail with Joseph of Arimathea for the southern coast of France. Jewish and Christian colonies were found in that region which provided sanctuary. It appears that the Holy Women - such as Martha, Salome, and Mary Magdalene - settled in these areas. The traditions surrounding their ministries are strong and survive to this day. Others sailed up the Rhine to Lyons (a future bastion of Celtic Christianity) and on to Britain. The story of these legends, with their supporting documents, can be found in books made available by the Cambrian Episcopal Church of the Grail.
Celtic Christianity flourished during the first millennium of the Christian era. It was family oriented, anti-imperial, and non-institutional. The role of women in spiritual ministry was recognized in the Celtic Church, and was constantly an annoyance to the Latin clerics. The Celtic Church also nurtured the Esoteric Church and raised up champions for its cause when the Roman juggernaut turned westward.
Salome may be lost to the annals of history, but her influence lives on. The traditional Church has not honored her with a Feast Day, but one has been designated for her by the Cambrian Episcopal Church of the Grail. It is July 15th and shares the month with Mary Magdalene.
CONCLUSION
In the book of Revelation we find the Esoteric Doctrine taught in figures. In chapter 12, as we related above, the Woman clothed with the Sun is giving birth. There is powerful symbolism here. Most commentators recognize this scene as one pertaining to Jesus Christ, who is "caught up to the Throne of God". The Woman wears a crown of Twelve Stars: Virgo, the Virgin. This is a clear reference to Mary, the mother of Jesus. In this instance, the Sun would be Joseph, who represents the heavenly Father, because he was the Davidic heir and representative of the royal line which Jesus would sanctify. The Moon was at the Virgin's "feet", the Hebrew euphemism for genitals. The Moon is clearly Salome, the personification of the Holy Spirit and the midwife guarding the Christ-child from the Dragon. The Dragon is the symbol of satanically inspired government. The Messianic government competes with this government. The Dragon seeks to destroy the Woman and her Seed and makes war with those that remain on Earth. The Earth helps the Woman and swallows the Dragon's flood.
The Dragon is threatened by the reproductive powers of the Messianic line. Within this context, these holy women - the Messianic Bride and her Midwife - are Satan's greatest adversaries. They are the origin and guardians of the competing reservoir of Rulers which will grow, slowly, but relentlessly, until his evil Empire is no more.