Salome: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 04:20, 23 May 2003

Salomé, like Dismas, or the various names of the Three Wise Men, is a name given by apocryphal traditions to a character in the Bible whose name is not given in the Bible itself. Whether Salomé was her true name or not, she was the step-daughter of Herod the Great, and danced before Herod and her mother Herodias at the occasion of Herod's birthday, and by doing so caused the death of John the Baptist. The New Testament suggests that Salomé caused John to be executed because of his complaints that Herod's marriage to Herodias was adulterous; and that Herodias put her up to the demand that John be executed, something the king was initially reluctant to do. According to Mark 6:21-29:

And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. (KJV)

This Salomé is probably not the same Salome who is said to be a witness to the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ in Mark 15:40.

This story was made the subject of a play by Oscar Wilde that premiered in Paris in 1896. In Wilde's play, Salomé takes a perverse fancy for John the Baptist, and causes him to be executed when John spurns her affections. In the finale, Salomé takes up John's severed head and kisses it.

The Wilde play was turned into an opera by Richard Strauss. The Strauss opera, much more than the Wilde play itself, is a part of the standard repertoire.

Salome is also the name of a Mexican Spanish soap opera, starting actress Edith Gonzalez. The Mexican soap opera is not related to the biblical story, the Wilde play or the Strauss opera.

Revision as of 04:10, 23 May 2003 edit JeanetteMartin (talk \| contribs) Extended confirmed users 49,754 edits soap opera ← Previous edit		Revision as of 04:20, 23 May 2003 edit undo Graft (talk \| contribs) Extended confirmed users 3,474 edits No edit summary Next edit →
Line 1:		Line 1:
	'''Salomé''', like [[Dismas]], or the various names of the [[Three Wise Men]], is a name given by [[apocrypha]]l traditions to a character in the [[Bible]] whose name is not given in the Bible itself. Whether Salomé was her true name or not, she was the step-daughter of [[Herod the Great]], and danced before Herod and her mother [[Herodias]] at the occasion of Herod's birthday, and by doing so caused the death of [[John the Baptist]]. The New Testament suggests that Salomé caused John to be executed because of his complaints that Herod's marriage to Herodias was [[~~incest~~]]~~uous~~; and that Herodias put her up to the demand that John be executed, something the king was initially reluctant to do. According to [[Gospel of Mark\|Mark]] 6:21-29:		'''Salomé''', like [[Dismas]], or the various names of the [[Three Wise Men]], is a name given by [[apocrypha]]l traditions to a character in the [[Bible]] whose name is not given in the Bible itself. Whether Salomé was her true name or not, she was the step-daughter of [[Herod the Great]], and danced before Herod and her mother [[Herodias]] at the occasion of Herod's birthday, and by doing so caused the death of [[John the Baptist]]. The New Testament suggests that Salomé caused John to be executed because of his complaints that Herod's marriage to Herodias was [[adultery\|adulterous]]; and that Herodias put her up to the demand that John be executed, something the king was initially reluctant to do. According to [[Gospel of Mark\|Mark]] 6:21-29:

	:And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.		:And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.