Monday, March 14, 2022

The name Salome comes from the Greek Σαλώμη (salōmē, pronounced sa-LOH-may), where it is the name of one of the female disciples that traveled with Jesus and was a witness to his burial (Mark 15:40–16:8). This name comes from an Aramaic word related to the Hebrew word שלום (shalom), which means "peace." Another Salome makes an appearance in the New Testament, although she is unnamed. The daughter of Herod II and Herodias (and therefore granddaughter of Herod the Great), and later the stepdaughter of Herod Antipas the Tetrarch of Galilee and antagonist of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:3–11, Mark 6:17–29) after Herodias remarried him, is named Salome. We know her name from Josephus's account (Antiquities 18:136–137). The gospels state that Salome was the one who danced before Herod Antipas and asked for John's head on a platter at her mother's request.