Volume 2

316 L(fe of Jesus Christ
all sides, and she fell unconscious before Him. Her servant
maids, alarmed by the loud bursting of the cask, had
hurried thither and were standing nearby. Jesus directed
thern to take their mistress upstairs and lay her on a bed.
He soon followed with two of the disciples that had accompanied
Him, and found her weeping bitter tears. He
went to her, laid His hand on her head, and said: "Thy
sins are forgiven thee!" She wept vehemently and sat up.
And now her three children entered the room, a boy
about twelve years old, and two little girls of about nine
and seven. The girls wore little short-sleeved tunics
embroidered in yellow. Jesus stepped forward to meet the
children, spoke to them kindly, asked them some questions,
and gave them some instruction. Their mother said:
""Thank the Prophet! He has cured me!" whereupon the
little ones fell on the ground at Jesus' feet. He blessed
them, led thenl one by one to their mother, in order of
age, and put their little hands into hers. It seemed to me
that, by this action, Jesus removed from the children the
disgrace, and thus legitimatized them, for they were the
fruits of adulterous unions. Jesus still consoled the
woman, telling her that she would be reconciled with her
husband, and counseling her thenceforth to live righteously
in contrition and penance. After that He went
with the disciples to the entertainment of the Pharisees.
This woman was from Suphan in the land of Moab.
She was a descendant of Orpha, the widow of Chelion,
and daughter-in-law of Noemi, who upon the latter's advice
did not go with her to Bethlehem, though Ruth, the
widow of Orpha's other son Mahalon, accompanied
Noemi thither. Orpha, the widow of Chelion, who was
the son of Elimelech of Bethlehem, married again in
Moab, and from that union sprang the family of Mary
the Suphanite. She was a Jewess and rich, but an
adulteress. The three children that she had with her at
the time of her conversion were illegitimate. Her legiti­