Mary Magdalene is traditionally
depicted with a vessel of ointment, in reference to the Anointing of Jesus. One
debate is that some hold that the anointing is actually two separate events;
one occurring at the beginning of Jesus' ministry in which he offered
forgiveness to a repentant woman, and the other in which he is anointed in
preparation for his burial. Luke's gospel speaks of Jesus' feet being anointed
by a woman who had been sinful all her life, and who was crying; and when her
tears started landing on the feet of Jesus, she wiped his feet with her hair.
Also unique to Luke's version is the inclusion of the Parable of the Two
Debtors in the middle of the event. Some hold that this story could not have
occurred only a few days before to the crucifixion, due to the numerous events
that followed in Luke's gospel. John 12:1-8[3] names her Mary, and the text
assumes her to be Mary, a sister to Lazarus, as it also identifies her sister
Martha. Although the iconography of the woman's act has traditionally been
associated with Mary Magdalene, there is no biblical text identifying her as
such. According to the Gospel of Mark 14:3 the perfume in his account was the
purest of Spikenard ■
