Franciscan archaeologists who have been digging in the biblical town of Magdala in Israel have unearthed vials of perfume possibly similar to those that may have been used by the woman known in the Bible as the one to have washed Jesus' feet.
The director of the group Studium Biblicum Franciscanum told the Terrasanta.net religious website that the perfumed ointments were found intact at the bottom of a mud-filled swimming pool, alongside hair and make-up objects.
"If chemical analyses confirm it, these could be perfumes and creams similar to those that Mary Magdalene or the sinner cited in the Gospel used to anoint Christ's feet," Father Stefano de Luca, the lead archaeologist, told the website.
Mary Magdalene is cited in the New Testament as a steadfast disciple of Christ from whom seven demons were cast out. She is often considered the sinner who anointed Jesus' feet, but is still debatable as to if it she was the woman.
"The discovery of the ointments in Magdala at any rate is of great importance. Even if Mary Magdalene was not the woman who washed Christ's feet, we have in our hands 'cosmetic products' from Christ's time," De Luca said.
Magdala was the name of an ancient town near the shores of the Sea of Galilee in what is now northern Israel.
"It's very likely that the woman who anointed Christ's feet used these ointments, or products that were similar in composition and quality," De Luca said.
Studium Biblicum Franciscanum supports research in biblical studies but focuses on archaeological excavation of sites linked to the New Testament and early Christianity in the Middle East.
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