Church Fathers Commentary Mark 15:38-41

"And the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom. And when the centurion, who stood by over against him, saw that he so gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. And there were also women beholding from afar: among whom [were] both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him; and many other women that came up with him unto Jerusalem." — Mark 15:38-41 (ASV)

Glossa Ordinaria: After the Evangelist has recounted the Passion and death of Christ, he now proceeds to mention the events that followed our Lord's death.

Therefore, it is said, And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

Pseudo-Jerome: The veil of the temple is torn; that is, heaven is opened.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Again, by the tearing of the veil, God implied that the grace of the Holy Spirit was departing and being torn from the temple, so that the Holy of Holies could be seen by all.ⁱ He also implied that the temple itself will mourn, as the Jews will deplore their calamities and tear their clothes.

This is also a figure of the living temple—that is, the body of Christ—in whose Passion His garment, which is His flesh, is torn.

It also has another meaning, for the flesh is the veil of our temple—that is, of our mind. The power of the flesh is torn in the Passion of Christ, from the top to the bottom, meaning from Adam down to the very last person. For Adam himself was made whole by the Passion of Christ, and his flesh no longer remains under the curse or subject to corruption; instead, we are all gifted with incorruption.

The text says, And when the centurion who stood over against Him saw... A centurion is one who commands a hundred soldiers. Seeing that Christ died with such power, he was amazed and confessed.

The Venerable Bede: The reason for the centurion's amazement is clear: seeing that the Lord died in this way—that is, by sending forth His own Spirit—he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. For no one can send forth his own spirit, except for the One who is the Creator of souls.

St. Augustine of Hippo: What amazed the centurion most of all was that after crying out—a symbol of our sin—Christ immediately gave up His Spirit. For the Spirit of the Mediator showed that no penalty of sin had the power to cause His flesh to die. The Spirit did not leave the flesh unwillingly, but because it willed to do so, since it was joined to the Word of God in the unity of His person.

Pseudo-Jerome: But now the last are made first. The Gentile confesses, while the blinded Jew denies, making their error worse than the first.

Theophylact of Ohrid: And so the order is inverted: the Jew kills, and the Gentile confesses; the disciples flee, and the women remain.

For the text continues: There were also women looking on afar off, amongst whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome.

Origen of Alexandria: But it seems to me that three women are primarily named here by Matthew and Mark. Two are indeed listed by each Evangelist: Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James. The third is called the mother of the sons of Zebedee by Matthew, but by Mark she is called Salome.¹

The Venerable Bede: By "James the Less," he means the son of Alphaeus, who was also called the brother of our Lord because he was the son of Mary, our Lord's mother's sister. John mentions her, saying, Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother and His mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene (John 19:25).

John seems to call her "Mary of Cleophas" after her father or another relation. But this James was called "the Less" to distinguish him from James the Great, the son of Zebedee, who was called by our Lord among the first of the Apostles. Furthermore, it was a Jewish custom, and not considered blameworthy, for women to provide teachers with food and clothing from their own resources.

Therefore, the text continues: Who also when He was in Galilee followed Him, and ministered unto Him.

They ministered to the Lord from their own resources, so that He might reap from their material things, just as they were reaping spiritual things from Him. In this, He set an example for all teachers, who ought to be content with food and clothing from their disciples. But let us see what companions He had with Him, for the text continues: And many other women which came up with Him into Jerusalem.

Pseudo-Jerome: Just as women, through the Virgin Mary, are not shut out from salvation, so too, through the widow Mary Magdalene and the other women who were mothers, they are not excluded from the knowledge of the Mystery of the Cross and of the Resurrection.

1. Matt. Tract. 35