Myrrhbearers

In Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition the Myrrhbearers (Greek: Μυροφόροι; Latin: Myrophora; Serbian: мироноснице; Church Slavonic: Жены́-мѷроно́сицы; Romanian: mironosițe) are the individuals mentioned in the New Testament who were directly involved in the burial or who discovered the empty tomb following the resurrection of Jesus.

The term traditionally refers to the women who came with myrrh to the tomb of Christ early in the morning to find it empty.

Also included are Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who took the body of Jesus down from the cross, anointed it with myrrh and aloes, wrapped it in clean linen, and placed it in a new tomb.

[b] They remained faithful to him even during the most dangerous time of his arrest and execution, and not only stood by the cross, but accompanied him to his burial, noticing where the tomb was located.

[g] Nicodemus (Greek: Νικόδημος) was a Pharisee, first mentioned early in the Gospel of John when he visits Jesus to listen to his teachings; he comes by night out of fear.

[k] Since this day commemorates events surrounding not only the Resurrection, but also the entombment of Christ, some of the hymns from Holy Saturday are repeated.

These include the Troparion of the Day: "The noble Joseph ..." (but with a new line added at the end, commemorating the Resurrection), and the Doxastikhon at the Vespers Aposticha: "Joseph together with Nicodemus ..." The week that follows is called the Week of the Myrrhbearers and the Troparion mentioned above is used every day at the Canonical Hours and the Divine Liturgy.

Every Sunday, there is a special hymn that is chanted at Matins and the Midnight Office, called the Hypakoë, (Greek: Ύπακοί, Church Slavonic: Ўпаκои), which means 'sent', in reference to the Myrrhbearing women being sent to announce the Resurrection to the Apostles.

In 2022, Joanna, Mary, and Salome were officially added to the Episcopal Church liturgical calendar with a feast day as the "myrrh-bearing women" on 3 August.

[2] In the Gospels, especially the synoptics, women play a central role as eyewitness at Jesus' death, entombment, and in the discovery of the empty tomb.

"[6] C. H. Dodd considered the narrative in John to be "self-authenticating", arguing that no one would make up the notion that Jesus had appeared to the "little known woman", Mary Magdalene.

Based on this, and similar examples in Matthew and Luke, Richard Bauckham argued that the evangelists showed "scrupulous care" and "were careful to name precisely the women who were known to them as witnesses to these crucial events" since there would be no other reason, besides interest in historical accuracy, not to simply use the same set of characters from one scene to another.