BY JOHN MARTIGNONI
Question: My brother, who has left the faith, is particularly hung up on Catholic teaching about Mary. He gets really irritated by all of the various titles we give Mary: Queen of Heaven, Mother of God, Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix, Ark of the New Covenant, and so on. Do you have any suggestions as to what I can say to him about all of this?
Answer: I’ve touched on two of those titles in this column in the past – Queen of Heaven and Mother of God – so I’ll talk about Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant in this column and look at Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix maybe next week.
To demonstrate to your brother that Mary is indeed the Ark of the New Covenant, you need to make him aware of a fascinating parallel in Scripture that is found in 2 Samuel, chapter 6, and Luke, chapter 1. When you compare these two passages, it is readily apparent that Luke indeed intended to make the connection between the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament, and the Ark of the New Covenant, Mary.
Let’s look at those parallel passages. First, 2 Sam 6:2, “And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God.” The parallel verse in Luke is: Luke 1:39, “Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah.”
Now, at first glance, the parallel in those two verses is not readily apparent, but when you realize that Baale-judah is a city in the hill country of Judah, the parallel is obvious. David arose. Mary arose. The ark of God was being kept in the hill country, in a city of Judah. Mary went into the hill country, to a city of Judah.
2 Sam 6:9, “And [David] said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” The parallel verse is: Luke 1:43, “[Elizabeth said] And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
2 Sam 6:10, “David took [the ark] aside to the house of Obededom the Gittite. Parallel verse: Luke 1:40, “And [Mary] entered the house of Zechariah.”
2 Sam 6:11, “And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months.” Parallel verse: Luke 1:56, “And Mary remained with her about three months.”
2 Sam 6:12, “So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom to the city of David with rejoicing.” Parallel verse: Luke 1:47, “And my spirit rejoices.”
2 Sam 6:15, “So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting.” Parallel verse: Luke 1:42, “And [Elizabeth] exclaimed with a loud cry.”
2 Sam 6:16, “And saw King David leaping and dancing.” Parallel verse: Luke 1:41, “And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb.” David leaps before the Ark of the Lord. Elizabeth’s baby, John the Baptist, leaps before the New Ark of the Lord.
To read those two passages, side-by-side, and deny that Luke is making a connection between the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament and Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, one would have to pretty much suspend logic and common sense. But, there is still another passage that makes the connection, and that is Revelation 11:19 and 12:1-5. The Ark of the Covenant is seen in God’s temple in Heaven in Rev 11:19, and in the very next verse, Rev 12:1, a woman is seen in Heaven. What woman? The woman who brought forth the male child Who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron – Mary. Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant.
About John Martignoni
John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice. If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org. And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com.
Answer: I’ve touched on two of those titles in this column in the past – Queen of Heaven and Mother of God – so I’ll talk about Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant in this column and look at Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix maybe next week.
To demonstrate to your brother that Mary is indeed the Ark of the New Covenant, you need to make him aware of a fascinating parallel in Scripture that is found in 2 Samuel, chapter 6, and Luke, chapter 1. When you compare these two passages, it is readily apparent that Luke indeed intended to make the connection between the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament, and the Ark of the New Covenant, Mary.
Let’s look at those parallel passages. First, 2 Sam 6:2, “And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God.” The parallel verse in Luke is: Luke 1:39, “Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah.”
Now, at first glance, the parallel in those two verses is not readily apparent, but when you realize that Baale-judah is a city in the hill country of Judah, the parallel is obvious. David arose. Mary arose. The ark of God was being kept in the hill country, in a city of Judah. Mary went into the hill country, to a city of Judah.
2 Sam 6:9, “And [David] said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” The parallel verse is: Luke 1:43, “[Elizabeth said] And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
2 Sam 6:10, “David took [the ark] aside to the house of Obededom the Gittite. Parallel verse: Luke 1:40, “And [Mary] entered the house of Zechariah.”
2 Sam 6:11, “And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months.” Parallel verse: Luke 1:56, “And Mary remained with her about three months.”
2 Sam 6:12, “So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom to the city of David with rejoicing.” Parallel verse: Luke 1:47, “And my spirit rejoices.”
2 Sam 6:15, “So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting.” Parallel verse: Luke 1:42, “And [Elizabeth] exclaimed with a loud cry.”
2 Sam 6:16, “And saw King David leaping and dancing.” Parallel verse: Luke 1:41, “And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb.” David leaps before the Ark of the Lord. Elizabeth’s baby, John the Baptist, leaps before the New Ark of the Lord.
To read those two passages, side-by-side, and deny that Luke is making a connection between the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament and Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, one would have to pretty much suspend logic and common sense. But, there is still another passage that makes the connection, and that is Revelation 11:19 and 12:1-5. The Ark of the Covenant is seen in God’s temple in Heaven in Rev 11:19, and in the very next verse, Rev 12:1, a woman is seen in Heaven. What woman? The woman who brought forth the male child Who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron – Mary. Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant.
About John Martignoni
John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice. If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org. And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com.
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