Peter’s mother-in-law
A Galilean from Capernaum, she is the widow of a purple dye merchant whose name is unknown.
The mother-in-law of Peter has a large family, although the exact number of her children is unknown. She has several sons and at least four daughters-in-law. She also has several sons-in-law and daughters, including Porphirea, married to Peter, the eldest of her sons-in-law. It is logically assumed, though not certain, that Porphirea must have been the eldest of her daughters, especially as she takes her name from the purple dye (porphyra in Greek) at the origin of the family's wealth.
It is supposed that her widowhood and the responsibility of her household are at the origin of her difficult character. Her relations are stormy with her son-in-law Simon (Peter), especially since he left following Jesus, abandoning, according to , her responsibilities.
The mother-in-law is, according to Simon-Peter, "a quarrelsome woman"[1] which contrasts with the gentleness of her daughter who "is very good and the best proof is that she has always tolerated with patience her mother and her bad temper", says Andrew the Apostle.[2] She is an authoritative woman who bent her will over her daughters and daughters-in-law.
Given her great age, the illness that strikes her is irreversible. Peter brings Jesus in the hope of healing her. She receives him, not without scolding her son-in-law. Jesus heals her according to Mark 1:29-31 and Luke 4:38-39. Barely on her feet, she takes back the reins of her household and her reproaches towards Peter:
"But you don’t earn any money. Since you want to be the Prophet’s[3] servant, you had better come back here again. At least that poor daughter of mine will be fed by her relatives while you are acting the saint."[4]
The move to Capernaum thus takes place but does not last. Porphirea "preferred to be alone [in Bethsaida] rather than live with her mother who continuously grumbles about her husband."[5]
It is in the mother-in-law’s house that the healing of the paralytic lowered through the roof takes place.[6]
Where is she mentioned in the work?
In other sources
Doctor Johannes Sepp in Life of Our Lord Jesus states that her name was Jeanne (or Johanna), but without providing his sources.[7]