Aurora Gospel

The apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus gives her name as Berenikē or Beronike (Koine Greek: Βερενίκη); Nicodemus recounts Veronica's attempt to testify on Jesus's behalf during his trial, which was shouted down by the mob at hand, because they did not permit women to testify. The name Veronica is a Latinisation of this ancient Macedonian name.

Eusebius in his Historia Ecclesiastica (vii 18) tells how at Caesarea Philippi lived the woman whom Christ healed of an issue of blood (Matthew 9:20–22). Legend was not long in providing the woman of the Gospel with a name. In the West she was identified with Martha of Bethany; in the East she was called Berenike, or Beronike, the name appearing in as early a work as the "Acta Pilati", the most ancient form of which goes back to the fourth century.

Saint Veronica - Wikipedia

Because of the continual bleeding, the woman would have been continually regarded in Jewish law as a Zavah or menstruating woman, and so ceremonially unclean. In order to be regarded as clean, the flow of blood would need to stop for at least 7 days. Because of the constant bleeding, this woman lived in a continual state of uncleanness which would have brought upon her social and religious isolation.

It would have prevented her from getting married – or, if she was already married when the bleeding started, would have prevented her from having sexual relations with her husband and might have been cited by him as grounds for divorce.

In the Bible, menstruation is primarily treated in the Old Testament (specifically Leviticus 15 and 18) as a source of ritual impurity, designating a woman unclean for seven days and requiring purification. This status restricted access to the sanctuary but did not signify moral sin. It symbolizes the separation of life and death, reflecting the consequences of the Fall while, in a broader theological view, pointing toward the need for redemption.

Key Aspects of Biblical Menstruation:

Ritual Impurity (Niddah): A menstruating woman was considered unclean for seven days, and anyone or anything she touched was also rendered unclean until evening. This was not a moral judgment or sin, but a state of being "unfit" for the holy space.
Sexual Prohibition: Sexual intercourse during menstruation was strictly forbidden, with both parties facing being "cut off" from the community for violating these laws.
Symbolism of Blood: Blood represents life (Leviticus 17:14), and its loss was associated with the curse of death arising from the Fall.
Purpose of Laws: These regulations, as explained by and, may have served to create a tangible reminder of the need for holiness and the separation between the sacred and the profane, or as a form of protection, allowing women rest during their cycle.
Metaphorical Use: The "impurity of a woman in her impurity" is used by prophets (e.g., Ezekiel 36:17) to describe the moral defilement of the nation of Israel.

New Testament Shift:

In the New Testament, ceremonial laws of purity are often viewed as fulfilled through Jesus Christ, who cleansed humanity from sin. This is highlighted in the healing of the woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48), where Jesus acknowledges her touch, demonstrating that the rigid uncleanness laws do not apply in the same way under grace.

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