Salome (Mother of James and John)
Salome, understood from comparing the Gospel accounts to be the wife of Zebedee and mother of the apostles James and John, followed Jesus and ministered to him along with other women. She once approached Jesus to ask that her two sons be seated at his right and left hand in his kingdom, a request that drew rebuke from the other disciples and Jesus's teaching that greatness in his kingdom comes through service, not status. Despite this bold ambition for her sons, Salome remained faithful to the end, standing among the women who watched the crucifixion from a distance and coming to the tomb early on Easter morning with spices to anoint Jesus's body, only to find it empty.
Biography
- Spouse
- Zebedee
- Children
- James and John
- Era
- New Testament
- Nationality
- Jewish
Family
Did You Know?
Comparing the Gospel accounts of the women at the cross suggests Salome may have been the sister of Mary, Jesus's mother - which would make James and John Jesus's cousins.
Her sons carried the nickname 'Boanerges' - sons of thunder - suggesting the family's boldness did not begin with her throne request.
Salome asked thrones for her sons; one became the first apostle martyred, the other the last to die - they did drink the cup Jesus foretold.
Key Chapters
Key Passages
A Request for Her Sons
Matthew 20:20-23
Salome's request for status for her sons becomes an occasion for Jesus to redefine greatness as servanthood.
20hen came to him the mother of Zebedeeโs children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
Salome at the Cross and Tomb
Mark 15:40-41
Named among the women who followed Jesus from Galilee, Salome remains present at the cross when many others had fled.
40here were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;