In Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition the Myrrhbearers 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. In Western Christianity, the women at the tomb, the Three Marys or other variants are the terms normally used.
Myrrhbearers on Christ's Grave, c. 1235 AD, Mileševa monastery in Serbia.
Eastern Orthodox icon of the Myrrhbearing Women at the Tomb of Christ (Kizhi, Russia, 18th century).
Icon of Mary Magdalene as a Myrrhbearer.
Hagiography, fresco, of Saint Salome the Myrrhbearer in Greek Orthodox Church.
The resurrection of Jesus is the Christian belief that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion, starting – or restoring – his exalted life as Christ and Lord. According to the New Testament writing, Jesus was firstborn from the dead, ushering in the Kingdom of God. He appeared to his disciples, calling the apostles to the Great Commission of forgiving sin and baptizing repenters, and ascended to Heaven.
Resurrection of Jesus Christ (Kinnaird Resurrection) by Raphael, 1502
Resurrection of Christ, Noël Coypel, 1700, using a hovering depiction of Jesus
Germain Pilon (French, d. 1590), Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Marble, before 1572
The three Marys at the Tomb of Christ (1470) at the west portal of Konstanz Minster, Baden-Württemberg, Germany