So Many Marys! I'm Getting Confused! Quiz

Answer: Mary Salome

Wikipedia's article states that, "A common Protestant tradition holds that there are six different women named as Mary in the New Testament: Mary, mother of Jesus; Mary Magdalene; Mary of Bethany; Mary mother of James the younger; Mary mother of John Mark; and Mary of Rome".

For the Roman Catholic, it lists "Mary, mother of Jesus; Mary Magdalene, Mary, mother of James and Joses; (Mary) Salome (who is also identified as the mother of . . . the sons of Zebedee), Mary of Clopas, Mary of Bethany, sister of Lazarus".

The apparent reason why Protestants typically don't believe in Mary Salome is because the Bible actually doesn't put "Mary" in front of "Salome".

Example verses are Mark 15:40-41: "There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome. When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem" (New American Standard Bible).

Catholic tradition believes that this Salome may be the same as Mary, mother of John Mark, and therefore calls her Mary Salome. Protestants commonly don't believe that she is the same as John Mark's mother, and simply call her Salome.

Answer: Mary Salome and Mary of Clopas

The names for the parents of Mary, mother of Jesus come from apocryphal books, including the Gospel or Protoevangelium of James. Catholics believe that her mother's name was Anne (also "Anna" or "Hannah") and that her father was Joachim.

While some Catholics would say that Anne only had one husband, Joachim, a medieval legend states that Anne had three different husbands and each one produced a different daughter named Mary. Joachim was the Virgin's father, Anne's second husband, Clopas, was the father of Mary of Clopas, and then Solomas was Mary Salome's father.

Both Mary of Clopas and "Mary" Salome (or just "Salome") are mentioned in the New Testament as two of the many women who watched the death of Jesus.

To make things even more interesting, the Greek Meneau believe that Anne's mother was "Maria" or "Mary".

(Sources: Wikipedia's article, "Saint Anne", and the Catholic Encyclopedia)

Answer: John Mark's mother

Romans 16:6 simply says, "Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you" (New American Standard Bible).

Some people believe that "Mary of Rome" is the same as John Mark's mother, but this isn't universal. Roman Catholics seem to equate John Mark's mother with Mary Salome (sometimes just called Salome).

Also, a writer at Bible Gateway.com gives the possibility that, unlike Mark's mother, who was Jewish and most likely named Mary at birth, this Mary may had been a Roman lady who adopted a Jewish name ("Mary" or "Miriam") after she converted to Christianity.

Not only do scholars disagree on who John Mark's mother was, but they also disagree on who he was. Many identify him as the author of the Gospel of Mark, but others think that he was a different person.

Answer: True

Various people, including but not limited to Catholics, have believed numerous things about Mary Magdalene and have associated her with nameless women in the New Testament.

In addition to the popular idea that she was a prostitute--which has little Biblical basis but was started by Pope Gregory--I even heard that some identified her as the woman who Jesus freed after she was caught in adultery. Some have also believed that Magdalene was the sinful woman who washed Christ's feet in Luke 7:36-50.

There are even those who believe that Mary Magdalene was Christ's wife, although the Bible itself seems to contradict this belief. The Bible mentions the wives of many other less important men, but it never mentions that Jesus Christ had a wife.

I was aware of the above beliefs, but I was surprised to learn that Roman Catholics used to identify Mary Magdalene as Mary of Bethany. Apparently, Pope Gregory also influenced this idea, by giving a speech that combined Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, and the nameless feet washer. Today, however, the common Roman Catholic notion is that these three women are different from each other.
(Sources are Wikipedia's articles, "New Testament People Named Mary", "Mary of Bethany", and "Mary Magdalene").

In addition to her brother Lazarus, Mary of Bethany also had a sister, Martha, and they all lived in the town of Bethany.

Answer: Mary Magdalene

John 19:25 states, "But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene" (New American Standard Bible).

It is clear from the text that Mary of Clopas is different than Mary Magdalene and traditions don't appear to confuse them either.

However, there is some debate over the exact identity of this Mary. Some believe that she was the sister of Mary, mother of Jesus (which is an interpretation of the quote above). Some actually suggest that she was Clopas's daughter instead of wife.

Another belief is that "Clopas" is the same as "Cleopas", which suggests that this Mary was the wife of the man named Cleopas who Jesus met on the Road to Emmaus. Still other scholars, including Roman Catholics, believe that Mary of Clopas is the mother of James the Less; therefore Mary Jacobe.

(Main source: Wikipedia's "New Testament People Named Mary")

Answer: The wife of Alphaeus

According to Wikipedia, Roman Catholics believe that the mother of James, the one who is often called "James the Less" or "James the Younger", is also the wife of Alphaeus. They call this Mary, "Mary Jacobe" or "Mary of James".
Rather than being identified by the place that she came from, such as Mary of Bethany, Jacobe gets her title from her son, which I think is interesting.

Matthew 27:55-56 is the basis for this Mary.

To make matters possibly confusing, here, however, some consider Mary Jacobe to be the same as Mary of Clopas. The Catholic Encyclopedia suggests that Mary of Clopas is the wife of Alphaeus and the mother of James the Less, Joseph the Just, Simon, and Judas (not Judas Iscariot). Some Protestants would say that Simon and Judas, as well as a different James and Joseph, were the other sons of Christ's mother, Mary.

Answer: False

Thankfully, there is no confusion here! Unless I confused people with this question, which I hope I didn't. Mary of Magdala is the same as Mary Magdalene. Magdala was a town in ancient Israel.

When I was a child, I'll admit that I thought "Magdalene" was actually Mary's last name. I also thought that "Christ" was Jesus's last name, but then I grew up and realized that it is a different word for "Messiah".

Answer: The disciple John took care of her

John 19:25-29 say, "But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold, your son!' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother!' From that hour the disciple took her into his own household" (NASB).

The above verses explain how John became like a son to Mary and took care of her after Jesus died. Catholics and Protestants don't seem to have conflicting beliefs about this.

Although Matthew 13:55-56 state that Jesus had four brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, as well as nameless sisters, Roman Catholics don't believe that these were His literal siblings. They believe that they might have been cousins or step-siblings. This is because Catholics believe that Mary remained a virgin her whole life. Most Protestants, on the other hand, believe that she quit being a virgin after Jesus was born.

Answer: John the Baptist

John the Baptist's mother was Elizabeth. The New Testament states that Elizabeth and Mary, Christ's mother, were relatives, but it doesn't give their exact relationship. Some Catholic traditions believe that Sobo, the sister of Anne, Mary's mother, was Elizabeth's mother.

Matthew 27:55-56 state, "Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him. Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee" (NASB).

And Acts 12:12 says, "And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying."

Answer: Joanna and Susanna

In Orthodox traditions, such that of Eastern and Greek Orthodox Churches, the myrrhbearers are honored. These are the people they believe brought myrrh to the burial of Christ. Of course, they then discovered that He resurrected!

Traditionally, the following are considered myrrhbearers:

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, Mary of Clopas, Martha of Bethany, Mary of Bethany, Joanna, Susanna, (Mary) Salome, Joseph of Arimathea, and finally Nicodemus.

(Source: Wikipedia's article, "Myrrhbearers")