{
  "id": "dict_005050",
  "term": "Salome",
  "slug": "salome",
  "letter": "S",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Salome is a woman named in the Gospel accounts as one of the followers of Jesus who was present at the crucifixion and at the empty tomb.",
  "simple_one_line": "Salome was a woman follower of Jesus who witnessed His crucifixion and the empty tomb.",
  "tooltip_text": "A woman named in the Gospels; sometimes identified with the mother of James and John, though that identification is not explicit in every account.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Mary Magdalene",
    "Joanna",
    "Women at the cross",
    "Women at the tomb",
    "Resurrection of Jesus"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Mother of the sons of Zebedee",
    "James",
    "John",
    "Herodias’s daughter"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Salome is named in the Gospels as one of the women who followed Jesus and witnessed both His crucifixion and the discovery of the empty tomb.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Biblical woman named in the Gospel narratives; present among the women at the cross and tomb.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Named in Mark 15:40 and 16:1",
    "Associated with the women who followed Jesus",
    "Sometimes identified with the mother of James and John, but this is an inference rather than an explicit statement",
    "Not to be confused with Herodias’s daughter, later called Salome in tradition"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "In the Gospels, Salome is named among the women who followed Jesus and was present at the crucifixion and at the empty tomb (especially Mark 15:40; 16:1). Many interpreters identify her with the mother of James and John by comparing the Gospel accounts, but the text does not state that identification outright in every place. Because this is a biblical person entry rather than a theological concept, it belongs under a person/name category.",
  "description_academic_full": "Salome is a personal name appearing in the Gospel narratives, most clearly referring to a woman who followed Jesus and was present among the women at His crucifixion and at the discovery of the empty tomb (especially Mark 15:40; 16:1). Some interpreters understand Salome to be the mother of James and John by comparing the lists of women at the cross in the Gospel accounts (compare Matthew 27:56 with Mark 15:40), but this remains an inference rather than an explicit identification in every text. Scripture presents her positively as a faithful witness within the Passion and resurrection narratives. The name should not be confused with Herodias’s daughter, whom later tradition also called Salome.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Salome appears in the Passion narratives as one of the women who remained near Jesus during His crucifixion and later came to the tomb with spices. Her presence highlights the faithful witness of women in the Gospel accounts.",
  "background_historical_context": "Salome was a common feminine name in the Jewish and Greco-Roman world. In the New Testament setting, named women in the Gospel narratives often signal remembered eyewitnesses or widely recognized members of the early Christian circle.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "The name is often understood as related to the Hebrew idea of peace (shalom). In Jewish and early Christian settings, women could be identified by family relation, locality, or personal name, and the Gospel accounts preserve several such named female followers.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Mark 15:40",
    "Mark 16:1"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Matthew 27:56",
    "compare John 19:25"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Greek Σαλώμη (Salōmē), a feminine name commonly associated with the Semitic root behind shalom, meaning peace.",
  "theological_significance": "Salome’s inclusion in the resurrection narratives underscores the reliability of named eyewitness testimony, the faithfulness of women disciples, and God’s use of ordinary followers in redemptive history.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a proper name, Salome is primarily an identifier of a historical person. In biblical narrative, naming a witness serves an evidential function: it marks the account as rooted in remembered people and events rather than abstraction.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not confuse this Salome with Herodias’s daughter, later named Salome in post-biblical tradition. Also, the identification of this Salome with the mother of James and John is possible but not explicitly stated in every Gospel account.",
  "major_views_note": "Most conservative interpreters accept that the Gospel Salome is a real woman among Jesus’ followers. Many also consider her likely to be the mother of James and John, but this remains a cautious harmonization rather than a direct statement of Scripture.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "No doctrine rests on the identification of Salome beyond the plain biblical fact that she was among the women present at key events in the Passion and resurrection narratives.",
  "practical_significance": "Salome’s example encourages faithful, persevering discipleship and reminds readers that Jesus’ death and resurrection were witnessed by named individuals, including women who remained near Him when many others fled.",
  "meta_description": "Salome in the Gospels: a woman follower of Jesus present at the crucifixion and empty tomb, with a cautious note on her possible identification.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/salome/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/salome.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}