Sunday 14 July 2024
When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests... (v. 22)
Background
King Herod Antipas had done a great many unsavoury things, but the one that had caught the eye of John the Baptist was running away with Herodias, the wife of his (Herod's) brother. Although this translation describes the girl who danced at Herod’s birthday celebrations as 'his daughter Herodias', other ancient authorities describe her as 'the daughter of Herodias’ – which would make her both the niece of Herod and his step-daughter. The Jewish historian Josephus gives us another name for her: Salome. It is this name that appears frequently in classical paintings, which show the beautiful girl, the weak and troubled king, and the head of John the Baptist resting gruesomely on a platter.
Salome, sadly, is one of many women of the Bible whose stories have been warped and twisted over the centuries (Mary Magdalene, who most certainly is never described as a prostitute in the gospels, is another).
In the gospel account, it’s easy to feel sorry for Salome. Her mother, Herodias, had a grudge against John the Baptist for being openly critical of her adulterous relationship with King Herod. Herod had imprisoned John, but was unwilling to go further, knowing his popularity (and as ‘he liked to listen to him’). But when the opportunity presented itself, Herodias used her daughter to demand John’s head.
There is nothing in the text to suggest that Salome’s dance was deliberately provocative, or that she herself had a grudge against John, and yet this is how she has been portrayed in centuries of operas, plays and artworks – as a seductive femme fatale, out for John the Baptist’s blood. Oscar Wilde, in his play about her, even suggests she was angry because John the Baptist had spurned her advances.
All of which is to say it is always important to return to the biblical text itself to see what is there (and what is not). For stories of women, in particular, we owe them the dignity of separating out the text itself from centuries of assumption and insinuation.
Susan Durber, in her book Preaching like a Woman, notes that there is another Salome named in Mark’s Gospel. We know almost nothing about her, other than that she was one of the faithful women who gathered at the foot of the cross (15:40) and went early to the tomb on Easter Day (16:1). Sadly, this Salome has received far less interest over the centuries. These two Salomes, Durber suggests, offer us a choice. Do we go along with systems of evil and terror, or do we run the risk of standing out, as faithful disciples of Christ?
To Ponder:
- How do you think Salome felt about her part in the death of John the Baptist? What do you think might have happened to her afterwards? How might her life have changed?
- What other Bible stories can you think of that feature women? Go back and read the original texts, seeing what is there – and what is not.
Bible notes author: The Revd Naomi Oates
Naomi is a Methodist minister, currently serving in four churches in the North Kent Circuit. When not being rugby-tackled by her two toddlers, she enjoys cycling, baking and reading Golden Age detective fiction (although not all at the same time).