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53-479: The Bethania Historic District encompasses the historic planned center of the town of Bethania, North Carolina . A National Historic Landmark District , it is a rare example of a Moravian linear agricultural village in the United States, planned and founded in 1759. Land use and road patterns of the original plan are still discernible in the community. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2001, and

106-604: A central role is the anointing of Jesus , an event reported in the Gospel of John in which a woman pours the entire contents of an alabastron of very expensive perfume over the feet of Jesus. Only in this account is the woman identified as Mary, with the earlier reference in John 11:1–2 establishing her as the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from

159-584: A memory of her." Is it credible, in view of all this, that this Mary should have no place at the foot of the cross, nor at the tomb of Christ? Yet it is Mary Magdalen who, according to all the Evangelists, stood at the foot of the cross and assisted at the entombment and was the first recorded witness of the Resurrection. And while John calls her "Mary Magdalen" in 19:25, 20:1, and 20:18, he calls her simply "Mary" in 20:11 and 20:16. French scholar Victor Saxer dates

212-455: A sister called Mary , who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what

265-564: A view expressed more recently by theologian Jane Schaberg, Gregory only put the final touch to a legend that already existed before him. Western Christianity's identification of Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany was reflected in the arrangement of the General Roman Calendar , until this was altered in 1969, reflecting the fact that by then the common interpretation in the Catholic Church was that Mary of Bethany, Mary Magdalene and

318-580: Is a subject of considerable debate, many scholars hold that these actually describe two separate events. Jesus' response to the anointing in Luke is completely different from that recorded in the other gospels to the anointing in their accounts. Rather than Jesus' above-mentioned comments on the "poor you will always have with you", in Luke he tells his host the Parable of the Two Debtors . As one commentator notes, "Luke

371-560: Is at 500 acres (2.0 km) the largest historic district in Forsyth County . Bethania is located on the outskirts of Winston-Salem, North Carolina , in the northwestern part of Forsyth County . The area that is now Forsyth County was sold to members of the Moravian Church , who called the area Wachovia . In 1753 they established a temporary community at Bethabara , with the intent of establishing permanent settlements elsewhere on

424-416: Is better, and it will not be taken away from her." For Mary to sit at Jesus' feet, and for him to allow her to do so, was itself controversial. In doing so, as one commentator notes, Mary took "the place of a disciple by sitting at the feet of the teacher. It was unusual for a woman in first-century Judaism to be accepted by a teacher as a disciple." Most Christian commentators have been ready to assume that

477-464: Is described in the Gospel of Luke as occurring at the home of one Simon the Pharisee in which a woman who had been sinful all her life, and who was crying, anointed Jesus' feet and, when her tears started to fall on his feet, she wiped them with her hair. Luke's account (as well as John's) differs from that of Matthew and Mark by relating that the anointing is to the feet rather than the head. Although it

530-489: Is identified as the woman who anointed Jesus, and noting that this reference is given before John's account of the anointing in Bethany: John, however, clearly identifies Mary of Bethany with the woman who anointed Christ's feet (12; cf. Matthew 26 and Mark 14 ). It is remarkable that already in John 11:2 , John has spoken of Mary as "she that anointed the Lord's feet", he aleipsasa . It is commonly said that he refers to

583-524: Is located in northwestern Forsyth County and is entirely surrounded by the city limits of Winston-Salem . It is 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the city center. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 0.69 square miles (1.8 km ), of which 0.004 square miles (0.01 km ), or 0.80%, is water. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 344 people, 146 households, and 115 families residing in

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636-644: Is not given in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark , but the event is likewise placed in Bethany, specifically at the home of one Simon the Leper , a man whose significance is not explained elsewhere in the gospels. According to the Markan account, the perfume was the purest of spikenard . Some of the onlookers were angered because this expensive perfume could have been sold for a year's wages, which Mark enumerates as 300 denarii , and

689-541: Is one of teaching, calling her to hope and faith, his response to Mary is more emotional: "When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. As the 17th century Welsh commentator Matthew Henry notes, "Mary added no more, as Martha did; but it appears, by what follows, that what she fell short in words she made up in tears; she said less than Martha, but wept more." A narrative in which Mary of Bethany plays

742-453: Is reported to have been present on those occasions, by this reasoning, she must therefore be the same person as Mary of Bethany: An examination of John's Gospel makes it almost impossible to deny the identity of Mary of Bethany with Mary Magdalen. From John we learn the name of the "woman" who anointed Christ's feet previous to the last supper. We may remark here that it seems unnecessary to hold that because Matthew and Mark say "two days before

795-628: Is the largest such district in Forsyth County. Bethania and its 18th- and 19th-century properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Bethania was founded June 12, 1759, by the Moravian Brethren of Wachovia as a congregational, agricultural, and trades community. Bethania was the first planned Moravian settlement in Wachovia, and members of a "Society", under the care of

848-498: Is the only one to record the parable of the two debtors, and he chooses to preserve it in this setting. ...If one considers the other gospel accounts as a variation of the same event, it is likely that the parable is not authentically set. Otherwise, the powerful message from the parable located in this setting would likely be preserved elsewhere, too. However, if one considers the story historically accurate, happening in Jesus' life apart from

901-425: The gospel accounts. In the Gospel of John , a Mary appears in connection to two incidents: the raising from the dead of her brother Lazarus and the anointing of Jesus . The identification of this being the same Mary in both incidents is given explicitly by the author: "Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick,

954-714: The sinful woman of Luke 7 ( Luke 7:36–50 ). This influenced the Roman Rite liturgy of the feast of Mary Magdalene, with a Gospel reading about the sinful woman and a collect referring to Mary of Bethany. After the liturgical revision in 1969 and 2021, the feast of Mary Magdalene continues to be on 22 July, while Mary of Bethany is celebrated as a separate saint, along with her siblings Lazarus and Martha on 29 July. In Eastern Christianity and some Protestant traditions, Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene are also considered separate persons. The Eastern Orthodox Church has its own traditions regarding Mary of Bethany's life beyond

1007-441: The 1760s and 1770s, representing the early development of the town. Historic Bethania operates a visitor center, and provides a map for self-guided walking tours of the town. Bethania, North Carolina Bethania is the oldest municipality in Forsyth County , North Carolina , United States, and was most recently incorporated in 1995, upon the reactivation of the original 1838/1839 town charter. In 2009, Bethania celebrated

1060-555: The 250th anniversary of its establishment in 1759. As of the 2020 census , the town population was 341. The first planned Moravian settlement in North Carolina, Bethania exists as the only remaining independent, continuously active Moravian village in the southern United States , and is the only known existing Germanic-type linear agricultural village in the South. The 500-acre (2.0 km ) Bethania National Historic Landmark district

1113-537: The Apostle John and lived there until her death. Another tradition suggests that she went to France with Lazarus and Martha, and may have settled in the town of Tarascon , where she is still venerated as a saint. In the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, Mary of Bethany is celebrated, together with her brother Lazarus, on 29 July, the memorial of their sister Martha. In 2021, the Congregation for Divine Worship and

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1166-557: The Bethania Historic District, the Dr. Beverly Jones House , John Henry Kapp Farm , and Samuel B. Stauber Farm are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Bethania Mill and Village Shoppes, the only shopping center within the city limits, opened October 18, 2008, at the site of an old seed mill. The center contains a general store and plans to have a restaurant. They currently are renting out office space. Bethania

1219-555: The Bethania congregation, were permitted to reside in the village after July 1759. Today, Bethania's eighteenth-century German-type linear agricultural village design remains visible and intact, and most town lots and roadways have remained in continuous use since 1759. The name "Bethania" is the German form of "Bethany" , the name of a village near Jerusalem recorded in the New Testament as

1272-726: The Discipline of the Sacraments added their names to the memorial, making it a liturgical celebration of all three family members. Also in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church , 29 July is the date of the commemoration of Mary (together with Martha and Lazarus), as is the case in the Calendar of saints of the Episcopal Church and the Church of England (together with Martha). She

1325-468: The Gospel of Luke and concluded that, based on these accounts, "there is no suggestion of an identification of the three persons, and if we had only Luke to guide us we should certainly have no grounds for so identifying them [as the same person]." He then explains first the position, at that time general among Catholics, equating Mary of Bethany with the sinful woman of Luke by referring to John 11:2 , where Mary

1378-539: The Passover", while John says "six days" there were, therefore, two distinct anointings following one another. John does not necessarily mean that the supper and the anointing took place six days before, but only that Christ came to Bethany six days before the Passover. At that supper, then, Mary received the glorious encomium, "she hath wrought a good work upon Me. ...In pouring this ointment upon My body she hath done it for My burial. ...Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached ... that also which she hath done shall be told for

1431-403: The average family size was 2.84. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The median income for a household in the town

1484-459: The community is still visible in Bethania today. The principal through roads and access roads are Main Street, Bethania Road, Bethania-Rural Hall Road, and Loesch's Lane, with the village center further served by Town Lot Drive. Many of the agricultural lots continue to see agricultural use, although some have been developed into residential subdivisions. Some of the buildings lining Main Street date to

1537-436: The dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard , an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and

1590-465: The home of Mary , Martha and Lazarus , as well as that of Simon the Leper . During the Revolutionary War, this town was for a time considered by locals not as "Bethania" but as "HauserTown" (pronounced Hooz-er) because of the significance of families with the last name Hauser that resided there. Mary Hauser was one of the first people buried in Bethania's God's Acre cemetery. In March 2007,

1643-401: The home of two sisters named Mary and Martha, living in an unnamed village. Mary is contrasted with her sister Martha, who was "cumbered about many things" while Jesus was their guest, while Mary had chosen "the better part", that of listening to the master's discourse. As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had

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1696-516: The identification of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute, and as Mary of Bethany, to a sermon by Pope Gregory the Great on 21 September 591 A.D., where he seemed to combine the actions of three women mentioned in the New Testament and also identified an unnamed woman as Mary Magdalene. In another sermon, Gregory specifically identified Mary Magdalene as the sister of Martha mentioned in Luke 10. But according to

1749-416: The martyrdom of St. Stephen . His sisters Mary and Martha fled Judea with him, assisting him in the proclaiming of the Gospel in various lands. According to Cyprian tradition, the three later moved to Cyprus , where Lazarus became the first Bishop of Kition (modern Larnaca ). There are several traditions surrounding the later life of Mary of Bethany. One tradition holds that she traveled to Ephesus with

1802-506: The money given to the poor. The Gospel of Matthew states that the "disciples were indignant" and John's gospel states that it was Judas Iscariot who was most offended (which is explained by the narrator as being because Judas was a thief and desired the money for himself). In the accounts, Jesus justifies Mary's action by stating that they would always have the poor among them and would be able to help them whenever they desired, but that he would not always be with them and says that her anointing

1855-422: The money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. "Leave her alone", Jesus replied. "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me." The woman's name

1908-422: The more aggressive sister, went to meet Jesus, while quiet and contemplative Mary stayed home. This portrayal of the sisters agrees with that found in Luke 10:38–42." When Mary meets Jesus, she falls at his feet. In speaking with Jesus, both sisters lament that he did not arrive in time to prevent their brother's death: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." But where Jesus' response to Martha

1961-629: The morning following the Sabbath with myrrh (expensive oil), according to the Jewish tradition, to anoint their Lord's body. The Myrrhbearers became the first witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus , finding the empty tomb and hearing the joyful news from an angel. Orthodox tradition also relates that Mary's brother Lazarus was cast out of Jerusalem in the persecution against the Jerusalem Church following

2014-405: The population. There were 139 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.8% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.1% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and

2067-494: The public during the center's open hours. The visitor center, located at 5393 Ham Horton Lane, at the intersection of Main Street and Bethania Road, also serves as an orientation center for those wishing to explore the Bethania National Historic Landmark District. Visitors to the c. 1759 Bethania Historic District can obtain a tour map and additional information at the visitor center. In addition to

2120-456: The similar incidents recorded in the other gospels, the question of the authenticity of the parable receives a different answer. ...John Nolland, following Wilckens' ideas, writes: 'There can hardly be a prior form of the episode not containing the present parable, since this would leave the Pharisee's concerns of v 39 with no adequate response'." In chapter 10 of the Gospel of Luke , Jesus visits

2173-615: The sinful woman who anointed the feet of Jesus were three distinct women. In Orthodox Church tradition, Mary of Bethany is honored as a separate individual from Mary Magdalene. Though they are not specifically named as such in the gospels, the Orthodox Church counts Mary and Martha among the Myrrh-bearing Women . These faithful followers of Jesus stood at Golgotha during the Crucifixion of Jesus and later came to his tomb early on

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2226-488: The subsequent anointing which he himself describes in 12:3–8 ; but it may be questioned whether he would have used he aleipsasa if another woman, and she a "sinner" in the city, had done the same. It is conceivable that John, just because he is writing so long after the event and at a time when Mary was dead, wishes to point out to us that she was really the same as the "sinner". In the same way Luke may have veiled her identity precisely because he did not wish to defame one who

2279-550: The town of Bethania opened a visitor center and museum, Historic Bethania, to welcome friends and guests, and to promote education and cultural resource preservation in the community. The center's facilities include a relocated and restored Moravian farmstead home, the Wolff-Moser House, dating to ca. 1792, one of the earliest known surviving rural Moravian farmstead homes in North America. The Wolff-Moser House can be visited by

2332-455: The town. As of the census of 2000, there were 354 people, 139 households, and 111 families residing in the town. The population density was 490.0 inhabitants per square mile (189.2/km ). There were 148 housing units at an average density of 204.8 per square mile (79.1/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 81.92% White , 15.82% African American , 0.28% Asian , and 1.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.54% of

2385-426: The tract. Planned by Christian Philip Gottlieb Reuter , Bethania was the first permanent settlement laid out and established in 1759 on 2,000 acres (8.1 km) of the nearly 100,000 acres (400 km) Wachovia tract. Reuter's plan called for a compact village settlement near Muddy Creek, with agricultural areas near the creek and in the uplands above the village. The settlement had four defined areas, each of which

2438-502: The two occurrences of sisters named as Mary and Martha refer the same pair of sisters. In medieval Western Christian tradition, Mary of Bethany was identified as Mary Magdalene perhaps in large part because of a homily given by Pope Gregory the Great in which he taught about several women in the New Testament as though they were the same person. This led to a conflation of Mary of Bethany with Mary Magdalene as well as with another woman (beside Mary of Bethany who anointed Jesus), and

2491-479: The woman caught in adultery. Eastern Christianity never adopted this identification. In his article in the 1910 Catholic Encyclopedia , Hugh Pope stated, "The Greek Fathers, as a whole, distinguish the three persons: the 'sinner' of Luke 7:36–50 ; the sister of Martha and Lazarus, Luke 10:38–42 and John 11 ; and Mary Magdalen." Father Hugh Pope enumerated the accounts of each of these three persons (the unnamed "sinner", Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Bethany) in

2544-479: The world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her". Easton (1897) noted that it would appear from the circumstances that the family of Lazarus possessed a family vault and that a large number of Jews from Jerusalem came to console them on the death of Lazarus, that this family at Bethany belonged to the wealthier class of the people. This would help explain how Mary of Bethany could afford to possess quantities of expensive perfume. A similar anointing

2597-441: Was $ 51,875, and the median income for a family was $ 55,357. Males had a median income of $ 45,500 versus $ 27,813 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 25,702. About 7.3% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over. Mary of Bethany Western Christianity initially identified Mary of Bethany with Mary Magdalene and

2650-418: Was divided into 24 parcels: Residential Lots, Orchard Lots, Bottom Lots, and Upland Lots, reflecting their locations and intended uses. A network of roads was laid out to provide access to these parcels. This basic plan was enlarged as the threat of Native American attack subsided, with new lots allocated into the 19th century. The original road layout and usage of a significant portion of the original layout of

2703-465: Was done to prepare him for his burial. As one commentator notes, "Mary seems to have been the only one who was sensitive to the impending death of Jesus and who was willing to give a material expression of her esteem for him. Jesus' reply shows his appreciation of her act of devotion." The accounts in Matthew and Mark adds these words of Jesus, "I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout

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2756-463: Was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair." The mention of her sister Martha suggests a connection with the woman named Mary in Luke 10 :38-42. In the account of the raising of Lazarus, Jesus meets with the sisters in turn: Martha followed by Mary. Martha goes immediately to meet Jesus as he arrives, while Mary waits until she is called. As one commentator notes, "Martha,

2809-515: Was yet living; he certainly does something similar in the case of St. Matthew whose identity with Levi the publican (5:27) he conceals. If the foregoing argument holds good, Mary of Bethany and the "sinner" are one and the same. Hugh Pope then explained the identification of Mary of Bethany with Mary Magdalene by the presumption that, because of Jesus' high praise of her deed of anointing him, it would be incredible that she should also not have been at his crucifixion and resurrection. Since Mary Magdalene

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