1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible
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| Mark 14:3 | *And when he was in Bethania, in the house of Simon, the leper, and was at meat; there came a woman, having an alabaster-box of ointment of precious spikenard, and breaking the alabaster-box, she poured it out upon his head. Matthew 26:6.; John 12:1. | Of precious{ Ver. 3. Unguenti nardi spicati pretiosi, murou nardou pistikes polutelous. Both here in St. Mark, and also in St. John 12:3, we read pistikes, which by the Greek agees with nard, and not with ointment. The interpreters are much divided about the signification of the word pistikes: some late writers would needs have pistides to come from pio or pino, and to signify liquid, but this does not seem well grounded. Others, with St. Augustine, would have pistikes to be taken from the name of some country or place from whence this precious nard was brought. The most common opinion seems that of St. Hierom [St. Jerome], with whom agree Theophylactus, and Euthymius, that pistika, derived from pistis, signifies true and genuine nard, and so of the greatest price and value.|} spikenard. This was a perfume extracted and distilled from the leaves, tops, or stalks, of the plant or herb called nard. It was the custom of the eastern people to pour such precious perfumes on their own heads, or on the heads of their guests whom they had a mind to honour. (Witham) --- This happened six days previous to the pasch. The woman here mentioned was Mary, sister of Lazarus. (John 12:3.) |