Recently, while I was reading an article about Martha of Bethany, I stumbled across an image on a book cover of a woman in a medieval-style dress, swinging what appeared to be a mop at a disgruntled dragon. Etched in bold blues and greens and painted in an almost art-deco silhouette, the picture seemed at odds with the title above it: “The Joy of Cooking” by Irma S. Rombauer.
I scanned the article, desperate to ascertain why this incongruous image graced the cover of the 1931 edition of this classic cookbook. Certainly, reptilian fare did not lie within its hallowed pages. The haloed woman wielding a mop on the cover of the book, however, was none other than Martha herself. As it turns out, Martha of Bethany is the patron saint of cooking.
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But the gnawing question lingered, breathing fire down my neck: Why was there a dragon?
After a quick Google search, I discovered a wealth of images and articles portraying Martha as a dragon slayer. While there is no account of this dragon battle in Scripture, according to “The Golden Legend,” Martha, Mary and Lazarus traveled to evangelize in Gaul shortly after Christ’s ascension. On their travels, they encountered a horrible beast who was plaguing the nearby villages. Martha, armed with only holy water and a cross, bravely subdued the beast and rescued the village. Inspired by Martha’s courage and deep faith, the townsfolk converted to Christianity.
I sat, dumbfounded, as this new image of Martha sank into my mind. Something about this reading of Martha’s character rang both familiar and discordant with my former understanding. In the legend of Martha and the dragon, Martha was depicted as brave, bold, and quick to take charge. But perhaps what shocked me was that these attributes were praised and shown as positive.
While I had always felt a kinship with the woman who felt a bit overburdened by an influx of guests, I had formerly seen her outburst to Christ in the hostess narrative as slightly petulant (Luke 10:38-42). After all, when she asked Jesus to tell her sister, Mary, to help in the kitchen, even he replies that Mary has chosen what was better.
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The other narrative in which Martha appears, the raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44), once again depicts Martha as forthright in her conversations with Jesus. She runs to Jesus as he approaches and states that had he been there, her brother would not have died. The interpretation that I had always heard framed Martha’s tone as accusatory in this initial greeting and painted her in a negative light.
In my experience with these narratives in the Gospels, Martha’s boldness was never portrayed as a worthy or admirable quality, but the Golden Legend made me question whether I had simply misunderstood her. Martha was a woman who lived with dedication. She hosted Christ and his followers in a home that she owned. When tragedy struck her family and her brother died, she sought out Jesus and boldly approached him. Perhaps taking on a dragon seemed all in a day’s work for this brave woman.
The interpretation of Martha’s character traits in the legend of her dragonslaying praised her boldness, her bravery, and her forthright approach to problems. Why were the moments of directness and courage that occurred within her home not viewed as equally admirable?
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I wish we were given more details about Martha’s relationship with Jesus, since she was one of the women closest to Christ during his years of ministry. She presumably knew Jesus well enough to ask him to nudge her sister to help in the kitchen. What moments led up to this openness with him? Martha clearly believed in Jesus’ abilities and status as the Son of God, given her words directly after bemoaning his late arrival “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask… I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world” (John 11:22, 32). What friendship and conversations created this deep faith and trust?
As I reexamined the Scriptures featuring Saint Martha, I realized the importance of how we interpret actions in the Bible. There are layers to unfurl regarding the cultural, historical, and theological context of the sacred text, and each of these shines a new light on familiar stories. Martha was a woman living independently in a time when women had little agency compared to today. Her stories were recorded by men whose experiences with women were also limited by their own moment in history, which likely influenced Martha’s portrayal and later interpretations of her character.
The Golden Legend of Martha and the dragon helped to reframe my idea of how a woman in Christ’s time would express bravery and how that boldness would be received. Bravery may not have always looked like fighting dragons, but instead running a home well and caring for her family. What beauty Martha models for us in both pursuits!
