Posted on 12/10/2008 1:23:21 PM PST by BGHater
Archaeologists have discovered vases of perfumed ointment which may have been used by Mary Magdalene to anoint the feet of Jesus.
The Italian team have been digging for several months at the ancient Palestinian town of Magdala – from where Mary gets her name.
The archaeologists of the Franciscan academic society Studium Biblicum Franciscanum found the unopened vases dating to the first century AD conserved in mud at the bottom of a swimming pool in Magdala's thermal complex.
The town is on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee and Mary Magdalene is mentioned several times throughout the Bible.
Many believe that Mary Magdalene was the woman described in the Gospel of St Luke who anointed Jesus feet with oil and then wiped them with her tears and hair.
She is also described as a prostitute and is also present at the foot of the Cross when Jesus is crucified and was also the first witness to see Christ following his Resurrection.
Speaking of the discovery Father Stefano De Luca who is leading the dig, said: "The mud-filled condition of the site allowed us to find these truly extraordinary objects, which were intact and sealed and still contain greasy substances.
"We think these are balms and perfumes and if chemical analysis confirms this, they could be similar to those used by Mary Magdalene in the Gospels to anoint the feet of Christ.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
It would probably work better to figure out the components and recreat it.
I guess they mean she may have used that KIND of perfume (like the noxema comment). But they wrapped it in the kind of propagandistic, drive-by double talk that we’ve all grown to know and detest.
It reminds me of when you see a frontier cabin and it’s about 10X10 for the whole family. But I’ve lived in a small apartment, where the weather is warm. You simply don’t spend that much time indoors.
I’ll give the doubletalker the benefit of the doubt on one thing. There was a discovery, he wanted to publicize it. To get it publicized he felt he had to tie it to something people would care about. OK, I accept that. It was still doubletalk and nonsense.
That’s like when they found the ossuary in Jerusalem that said James bar Joseph. That was a pretty long stretch, but it was better than this.
I read once that at that time something like half the women in Judea and Samaria were named either Miriam or Salome. For a current comparison, think Jennifer and Ashley. We won’t even consider Taylor and Brooke.
Many can believe it all they want, but it isn't supportable by the texts.
I’m sure someone will try that. It will be interesting to see if olfactory tastes have changed much over the years.
She is nowhere in the bible described as a prostitute. That is purely a supposition born of wishful thinking.
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