The Kinship of Mary to Elizabeth
Question:
Since the Lady the Virgin is from the house of David of the tribe of Judah, why did Gabriel the angel say to her, “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age” (Luke 1:36), while Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah the priest, is from the tribe of Levi, from the daughters of Aaron (Luke 1:5)?
Answer:
Some take the word “your relative” in a broad sense, as the Apostle Paul said about all the Jews: “my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites…” (Romans 9:3–4).
As for Saint Severus, Patriarch of Antioch, he has another opinion:
The saint says: Just as the angel who appeared to Joseph in a dream said to him, “Joseph, son of David,” to remind him of God’s previous promise that the Christ would come from the seed of David, so likewise the phrase “behold, Elizabeth your relative” takes us back to a distant past.
In fact, it is written in the Book of Exodus, before the commandment was given that forbade taking a wife from another tribe, that Aaron, the first high priest according to the Law, took a wife from the tribe of Judah: “Elisheba (that is, Elizabeth), the daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon” (Exodus 6:23). And Nahshon was “leader of the children of Judah” (1 Chronicles 2:10) (Matthew 1:4).
Behold the exceedingly wise guidance of the Holy Spirit, how He arranged that the wife of Zechariah, the mother of the Baptist and the relative of Mary the Mother of God, be called Elizabeth.
And we recall what has passed, even to Elizabeth whom Aaron married (Elisheba), and through her the union of the two tribes took place… And through this Elizabeth the kinship with the Virgin came to be.
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – in El-Keraza Magazine – Year Seven (Issue Four) – 23-1-1976
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