Salome, like Mary, wife of Cleophas, may have been related to Jesus' family. Certainly, she was a faithful follower of the Lord. The Hebrew form of her name may be Shulamit or Shulamith, with the Hellenized form being Salome. She is named in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew among the women present at the crucifixion.

Matthew 27:56 offers a parallel passage to the above quote, but says that the mother of Zebedee's children was there as well. The gospel writer of Matthew calls Salome not by her name but as “the mother of Zebedee's children” (Matthew 27:56). Her sons were James the Great and John the Evangelist. Jesus gave called them “Boanerges” or “the Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17).

The Gospel of Mark reveals that Salome was with the women who went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' broken and wounded body with unguents and spices. “And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun” (Mark 16:1–2).

While she's not called a disciple or apostle in the canonical texts, Mary is referred to as a disciple (along with Mary Magdalene) in the Gnostic text, the Gospel of Thomas. She is also mentioned in another Gnostic text, the Gospel of the Egyptians. Modern writers usually refer to her as a devoted follower of Christ.