myrrhbearer

English

Myrrhbearers on Christ’s Grave, c. 1235 AD, Mileševa Monastery in Serbia

Etymology

From myrrh +‎ bearer.

Noun

myrrhbearer (plural myrrhbearers)

1. (chiefly Eastern Orthodoxy) One of the people who, according to the New Testament, was directly involved in the burial of Jesus or the discovery of his empty tomb following his resurrection.
   • 1982, Sunday Morning: A Time for Worship, The Liturgical Press, →ISBN, pages 60–61:

     The refrains of the myrrhbearers give the sense of this service: By the tomb stood an angel radiant in light, and thus did he speak to the myrrh-bearing women: […]

   • 2006, Meera Lester, The Everything® Mary Magdalene Book: The Life And Legacy of Jesus’ Most Misunderstood Disciple, F+W Publications, Inc.:

     In the Resurrection narrative of the Gospel of Luke, Mary Magdalene is a myrrhbearer and a messenger. She and the other women with her went to Jesus’ tomb and found the stone rolled away.

   • 2017, Katie Munnik, The Pieces We Keep: Stories for the Seasons, Wild Goose Publications, →ISBN, page 58:

     Some Churches celebrate Joanna and the other myrrhbearers on August 3rd.

Related terms

• myrrhbearing

Further reading

• Myrrhbearers on Wikipedia.Wikipedia