Mourning

When someone died in the time of Jesus, families paid people called mourners to come to their homes and cry loudly and play sad music on flutes. A person was buried within 24 hours after he or she died.

Damsel means a girl or young woman.

Top left: detail from Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, by Heinrich Hofmann, courtesy of C. Harrison Conroy Co.; other illustrations by Dan Burr

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