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Martha (Aramaic language|Judæo-Aramaic
מַרְתָּ&
#1488; Martâ "The lady", French language|French
Sainte Marthe) is a Bible|biblical figure of whom
no historical facts outside of it are known.
According to the gospel of John, she was the
sister of Lazarus and Mary, sister of
Lazarus|Mary, and she witnessed her brother's
resurrection.

==Mentions==

Martha is mentioned only in Gospel of Luke|Luke
10:38-42; and gospel of John|John 11, 12, sqq. The
Aramaic form occurs in a Nabatfan inscription
found at Puteoli, and now in the Naples Museum; it
is dated AD. 5 (Corpus Inscr. Semit., 158); also
in a Tadmor, Syria|Palmyrene inscription, where
the Greek translation has the form Marthein, AD
179.

==Biblical Martha== 

Mary, sister of Lazarus|Mary, Martha, and Lazarus
are represented by John as living at Bethany
(Israel)|Bethany, but Luke would seem to imply
that they were, at least at one time, living in
Galilee; he does not mention the name of the town,
but it may have been Magdala, and we should thus,
supposing Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene to be
the same person, understand the appellative
"Magdalene". The words of John (11:1) seem to
imply a change of residence for the family. It is
possible, too, that Luke has displaced the
incident referred to in Chapter 10. The likeness
between the pictures of Martha presented by Luke
and John is very remarkable. The familiar
intercourse between the Saviour of the world and
the humble family which Luke depicts is dwelt on
by John when he tells us that "Jesus loved Martha,
and her sister Mary, and Lazarus" (11:5). Again
the picture of Martha's anxiety (John 11:20-21,
39) accords with the picture of her who was "busy
about much serving" (Luke 10:40); so also in John
12:2: "They made him a supper there: and Martha
served." But St. John has given us a glimpse of
the other and deeper side of her character when he
depicts her growing faith in Christ's Divinity
(11:20-27), a faith which was the occasion of the
words: "I am the resurrection and the life." The
Evangelist has beautifully indicated the change
that came over Martha after that interview: "When
she had said these things, she went and called her
sister Mary secretly, saying: The Master is come,
and calleth for thee." 

Difficulties have been raised about the last
supper at Bethania. John seems to put it six days
before the Pasch, and, so some conclude, in the
house of Martha; while the Synoptic
Gospels|Synoptic account puts it two days before
the Pasch, and in the house of Simon the Leper. We
need not try to avoid this difficulty by asserting
that there were two suppers; for John does not say
that the supper took place six days before, but
only that Christ arrived in Bethania six days
before the Pasch; nor does he say that it was in
the house of Martha. We are surely justified in
arguing that, since Gospel of Matthew|Matthew and
Gospel of Mark|Mark place the scene in the house
of Simon, St. John must be understood to say the
same; it remains to be proved that Martha could
not "serve" in Simon's house. 



==Expansion of the Martha tradition==

According to one legend, Martha left Judea after
Jesus's death, around 48, and went to Provence
with her sister Mary, sister of Lazarus|Mary
(potentially Mary Magdalene) and her brother
Lazarus. Martha first settled in Avignon (now in
France), then went to Tarascon, where a monster,
the Tarasque, was a constant threat to the
population. Martha managed to tame the monster and
eventually died in Tarascon, where she was buried.
Her tomb is located in the crypt of the local
Collegiate Church.

==Memory==

Martha is a Christian saint. Her Calendar of
saints|feast day is July 29 (Orthodox
Liturgics)|July 29.

==See also==
* Saint Sarah

Catholic Encyclopedia

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Martha was also the name given to the last
passenger pigeon