Exploring the Olfactory and Tactile Layers of Scented Touch in John 12:1–8
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Through the senses of touch and smell, the narrator of John 12:1–8 communicates Mary’s knowledge of who Jesus is by her actions. Mary’s act of anointing Jesus’s feet with aromatic perfume and wiping them with her hair reflects her recognition of Jesus as a person of honor. In antiquity, the act of anointing often symbolized the selection, consecration, or empowerment of kings, leaders, and priests, as well as the followers’ expression of thanksgiving. Similarly, in religious ceremonies and rituals, the spreading of fragrance symbolized the presence of divinity, divine favor, or the creation of a sacred atmosphere. Such inherited cultural knowledge highlights the pivotal role of touch and aroma in the anointing scene. This article uses a cognitive model based on Roy G. D’Andrade’s work on cognitive anthropology as an analytical tool to explore the social values of touch and fragrance in light of selected Greco-Roman and Jewish texts ranging from 200 BCE to 200 CE. The sensory richness and social values conveyed by Mary’s gestures in John 12:1–8 invite us to appreciate how the actions shown in the text can be understood through culturally-embedded knowledge.
Abstract
Through the senses of touch and smell, the narrator of John 12:1–8 communicates Mary’s knowledge of who Jesus is by her actions. Mary’s act of anointing Jesus’s feet with aromatic perfume and wiping them with her hair reflects her recognition of Jesus as a person of honor. In antiquity, the act of anointing often symbolized the selection, consecration, or empowerment of kings, leaders, and priests, as well as the followers’ expression of thanksgiving. Similarly, in religious ceremonies and rituals, the spreading of fragrance symbolized the presence of divinity, divine favor, or the creation of a sacred atmosphere. Such inherited cultural knowledge highlights the pivotal role of touch and aroma in the anointing scene. This article uses a cognitive model based on Roy G. D’Andrade’s work on cognitive anthropology as an analytical tool to explore the social values of touch and fragrance in light of selected Greco-Roman and Jewish texts ranging from 200 BCE to 200 CE. The sensory richness and social values conveyed by Mary’s gestures in John 12:1–8 invite us to appreciate how the actions shown in the text can be understood through culturally-embedded knowledge.