![Michael Angelo Immenraet - Jesus and the Woman of Canaan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Michael_Angelo_Immenraet_-_Jesus_and_the_Woman_of_Canaan.jpg)
The Exorcism of the Syrophoenician woman's daughter is one of the
miracles of Jesus in the Gospels
The miracles of Jesus are miraculous deeds attributed to Jesus in Christian and Islamic texts. The majority are faith healings, exorcisms, resurrections, and control over nature.
In the Synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke), Jesus r ...
and is recounted in the
Gospel of Mark
The Gospel of Mark), or simply Mark (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). is the second of the four canonical gospels and of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells of the ministry of Jesus from his baptism by John the Baptist to h ...
in
Chapter 7 () and in the
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and for ...
in
Chapter 15
{{USBankruptcy
Chapter 15, Title 11, United States Code United States bankruptcy code that deals with jurisdiction in certain bankruptcy cases. Under Chapter 15, a representative of a corporate bankruptcy proceeding outside the United States can ...
(). In Matthew, the story is recounted as the healing of a
Caananite
Canaan (; Phoenician language, Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Septuagint, Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, c ...
woman's daughter.
[''Jesus the miracle worker: a historical & theological study'' by Graham H. Twelftree 1999 pages 133-134] According to both accounts, Jesus
exorcised
Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...
the woman's daughter whilst travelling in the region of
Tyre and
Sidon
Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. ...
, on account of the
faith
Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion".
Religious people often ...
shown by the woman.
Passage
The relevant passage in Matthew 15:22-28 reads as follows:
A Canaanite woman from that region came to Jesus, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly."
![Folio 164r - The Canaanite Woman](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Folio_164r_-_The_Canaanite_Woman.jpg)
Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
:He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel".
The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
:He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs".
"Yes Lord," she said. "But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table."
Then Jesus said to her:
:"Woman, you have great faith! Your daughter is healed."
And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Many
English translations of the Gospels state that Jesus was in the region of Tyre and Sidon and had ''withdrawn'' from
Galilee
Galilee (; he, הַגָּלִיל, hagGālīl; ar, الجليل, al-jalīl) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part, divided into Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and Lower Galil ...
where he had entered in discussion with the
Pharisees
The Pharisees (; he, פְּרוּשִׁים, Pərūšīm) were a Jewish social movement and a school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Pharisaic beliefs bec ...
over their interpretation of the Jewish law. The
Geneva Bible
The Geneva Bible is one of the most historically significant translations of the Bible into English, preceding the King James Version by 51 years. It was the primary Bible of 16th-century English Protestantism and was used by William Shakespear ...
and the
King James Version
The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...
suggest that the visit was to the coast (i.e. the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
), but the
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges is a biblical commentary set published in parts by Cambridge University Press from 1882 onwards. Anglican bishop John Perowne was the general editor. The first section published was written by theologian ...
argues that Jesus went to "the neighbourhood,
rdistrict, not the sea-shore, as might be thought".
This episode is, according to Graham H. Twelftree, an example of how Jesus emphasizes the value of faith, as also shown in the
Healing the Centurion's servant
Healing the centurion's servant is one of the miracles performed by Jesus of Nazareth as related in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke (both part of the Christian biblical canon). The story is not recounted in the Gospels of either John ...
episode.
Syrophoenician woman
The woman described in the miracle, the Syrophoenician woman (; Συροφοινίκισσα, ''Syrophoinikissa'') is also called a "Canaanite" (; Χαναναία, ''Chananaia'') and is an
unidentified New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
woman from the region of
Tyre and
Sidon
Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. ...
. "The woman is ... described as Syrophoenician by race. It is unclear whether Mark seeks to distinguish between a
Phoenicia
Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...
n from Syria and one from northern Africa or between someone living in the coastal area of Syria and someone living in the central part." Her other notable characteristic is her non-Jewish status: the Gospel of Mark adds that she is a
Gentile
Gentile () is a word that usually means "someone who is not a Jew". Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, sometimes use the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is generally used as a synonym for ...
(Ελληνις, ''Hellēnis'', literally
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
).
The third century
pseudo-Clementine homily refers to her name as ''Justa'' and her daughter's name as ''Berenice''.
[ Also at 3.73 and 4.1.]
Commentary
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...
comments on this passage on his homily on the sinful soul saying,
Five things are noted of this woman of Canaan
Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...
which availed for the liberation of this demoniac. (1) Humility: “ Yet the dogs eat.” (2) Her patience, since she patiently endured the seeming reproaches of Our Lord. (3) Her prayer, “ Have mercy on me, O Lord.” (4) Her perseverance : she did not cease asking till she obtained what she desired. (5) Her faith: “O woman, great is thy faith.” If we had had these five qualities we should be delivered from every devil, that is, from all sin; which may Christ grant us to be. Amen.
See also
*
Life of Jesus in the New Testament
The life of Jesus in the New Testament is primarily outlined in the four canonical gospels, which includes his genealogy and nativity, public ministry, passion, prophecy, resurrection and ascension. Other parts of the New Testament – suc ...
*
Ministry of Jesus
The ministry of Jesus, in the canonical gospels, begins with his baptism in the countryside of Roman Judea and Transjordan, near the River Jordan by John the Baptist, and ends in Jerusalem, following the Last Supper with his disciples.''Chri ...
*
Miracles of Jesus
The miracles of Jesus are miraculous deeds attributed to Jesus in Christian and Islamic texts. The majority are faith healings, exorcisms, resurrections, and control over nature.
In the Synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke), Jesus refuse ...
*
Parables of Jesus
The parables of Jesus are found in the Synoptic Gospels and some of the non-canonical gospels. They form approximately one third of his recorded teachings. Christians place great emphasis on these parables, which they generally regard as the word ...
*
Perfection of Christ
The perfection of Christ is a principle in Christology which asserts that Christ's human attributes exemplified perfection in every possible sense. Another perspective characterizes Christ's perfection as purely spiritual and moral, while his huma ...
*
1st century in Lebanon
This article lists historical events that occurred between 1–100 in modern-day Lebanon or regarding Lebanese people, its people.
Administration Kingdom at the Beqaa
in AD 39, the district of Iturea was given by Caligula to a certain Soemu ...
*
Asian feminist theology
Asian feminist theology is a Christian feminist theology developed to be especially relevant to women in Asia and women of Asian descent. Inspired by both liberation theology and Christian feminism, it aims to contextualize them to the condit ...
References
Further reading
* Burkill, T. A
"The Historical Development of the Story of the Syrophoenician Woman (Mark vii: 24-31)." Novum Testamentum 9 (1967): 161–177.
* Downing, F. Gerald. "The Woman from Syrophoenicia, and her Doggedness: Mark 7:24-31 (Matthew 15:21-28)." Women in the Biblical Tradition. Ed. George J. Brooke. Lewiston: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1992. 129–149.
* Schäfler, Markus, "The Syrophoenician Woman (Mk 7:24-31)"
* Alt, C.
The Dynamic of Humility and Wisdom: The Syrophoenician Woman and Jesus in Mark 7:24-31a Lumen et Vita, Vol. 2, 2012
* Alonso, P. 2011
''The woman who changed Jesus. Crossing Boundaries in Mk 7,24-30''. Biblical tools and studies, 11. Peeters Publishers.
External links
{{New Testament people
Exorcisms of Jesus
Women in the New Testament
Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Mark
Tyre, Lebanon
History of Sidon
Phoenicians in the New Testament