<P> Simon the Leper is a biblical figure mentioned by the Gospels according to Matthew and Mark . These two books narrate how Jesus made a visit to the house of Simon the Leper at Bethany during the course of which a woman anoints the head of Jesus with costly ointment . Bethany was the home of Simon the Leper as well as Mary, Martha, and Lazarus . </P> <P> The Gospel according to John recounts an episode with many similarities . John reports that Jesus attended a dinner where Lazarus reclined at the table with Jesus, and where Martha served the guests . According to John's Gospel, Jesus arrived in Bethany six days before Passover, and while there, a dinner was given in His honor . John does not say when or by whom this dinner was given, but Matthew and Mark report the meal as taking place two days before Passover and being given by a man named Simon . According to John's Gospel, Mary anointed Jesus' feet . Matthew and John report that Judas Iscariot and other disciples of Jesus were in attendance and protested the costly anointing of Jesus . </P> <P> Simon the Leper is sometimes identified with Simon the Pharisee (see Shimon ben Gamliel), who is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke as the host of a meal during which the feet of Jesus are anointed by a penitent woman . Because of some similarities, efforts have been made to reconcile the events and characters, but some scholars have pointed out differences between the two events . An alternative explanation for the similarities is that the Luke 7 anointing and the anointing at Bethany happened with some of the same participants, but several years apart . </P>

Who is simon the leper in the bible