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Posted on 08/22/2009 1:20:36 PM PDT by Salvation
Is Mary's Queenship Biblical?
By Edward P. Sri
Marys title as "Queen of Heaven and Earth" is a great scandal to many non-Catholic Christians. After all, the Bible doesnt mention anything about there being a queen in Gods kingdom. All this royal attention Catholics give to Marywhether its singing "Hail, holy queen enthroned above" or portraying Mary in statues and paintings with a crown on her headseems to many non-Catholics to detract from the royalty of Christ, who alone is King of Kings. Besides, how could Mary be a queen, since she is not the wife of the Jesus but only his mother?
One biblical theme sheds light on these questions and serves as a key for unlocking the mystery of Marys queenship: the Old Testament tradition of the "queen mother" in the Davidic kingdom.
In the monarchy of King David, as well as in other ancient kingdoms of the Near East, the mother of the ruling king held an important office in the royal court and played a key part in the process of dynastic succession. In fact, the kings mother ruled as queen, not his wife.
The great pre-eminence of the kings mother may seem odd from our modern Western perspective, in which we think of a queen as being the wife of a king. However, recall that most ancient Near-Eastern kings practiced polygamy. King Solomon had seven hundred wives (1 Kgs. 11:3)imagine the chaos in the royal court if all seven hundred were awarded the queenship! But since each king had only one mother, one can see the practical wisdom in bestowing the queenship upon her.
A number of Old Testament passages reflect the important role of the queen mother in the Davidic kingdom. For example, almost every time the narrative of 1 and 2 Kings introduces a new monarch in Judah, it mentions the kings mother as well, showing the mothers intimate involvement in her royal sons reign. Similarly, the queen mother is listed among the members of the royal court whom king Jehoiachin surrendered to the king of Babylon in 2 Kings 24:12.
Her royal office is also described by the prophet Jeremiah, who tells how the queen mother possessed a throne and a crown, symbolic of her position of authority in the kingdom: "Say to the king and the queen mother: Take a lowly seat, for your beautiful crown has come down from your head. . . . Lift up your eyes and see those who come from the north. Where is the flock that was given you, your beautiful flock?" (Jer. 13:18, 20). It is significant that God directed this oracle about the upcoming fall of Judah to both the king and his mother. Addressing both king and queen mother, Jeremiah portrays her as sharing in her sons rule over the kingdom.
Probably the clearest example of the queen mothers role is that of Bathsheba, wife of David and mother of Solomon. Scholars have noted the excellence of Bathshebas position in the kingdom once she became queen mother during Solomons rule. Compare the humble attitude of Bathsheba as spouse of King David (1 Kgs. 1:1617, 31) with her majestic dignity as mother of the next king, Solomon (1 Kgs. 2:1920). As spouse of the king, Bathsheba bows with her face to the ground and does obeisance to her husband, David, upon entering his royal chamber. In striking contrast, after her son Solomon assumed the throne and she became queen mother, Bathsheba receives a glorious reception upon meeting with her royal son:
"So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her, and bowed down to her; then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the kings mother; and she sat on his right. Then she said, I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me. And the king said to her, Make your request, my mother; for I will not refuse you" (1 Kgs. 2:1920).
This account reveals the sovereign prerogatives of the queen mother. Note how the king rises and bows as she enters. Bathshebas seat at the kings right hand has the greatest significance. In the Bible, the right hand is the place of ultimate honor. This is seen in particular in the messianic Psalm 110 ("Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool"). In fact, many New Testament passages refer to the right-hand imagery of Psalm 110 to show Christs divinity and his reign with the Father over the whole universe (e.g., Hebrews 1:13). Thus, the queen mother sitting at the kings right hand symbolizes her sharing in the kings royal authority and illustrates how she holds the most important position in the kingdom, second only to the king.
This passage regarding Bathsheba also shows how the queen mother served as an advocate for the people, carrying petitions to the king. In 1 Kings 2:17, Adonijah asks Bathsheba to take a petition for him to King Solomon. He says to her: "Pray ask King Solomonhe will not refuse youto give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife" (1 Kgs. 2:17). It is clear that Adonijah recognizes the queen mothers position of influence over the king, so he confidently turns to Bathsheba as an intercessor for his request.
A few Old Testament prophecies incorporate the queen mother tradition when telling of the future Messiah. One example is Isaiah 7:14, which originated during a time of dynastic crisis in Judah when Syria and Israel were threatening Jerusalem and plotting to overthrow King Ahaz. God offers Ahaz a sign that the kingdom will continue: "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel" (Isa. 7:1314).
On one level, this passage points to the next king (Hezekiah) as a pledge that the Davidic dynasty will continue despite the threats of invading armies. At the same time, the royal son who is to be named "Emmanuel" points to the future messianic king (cf., Isa. 9:67, 11:12). This is why the New Testament says Jesus fulfills this prophecy from Isaiah (Matt. 1:23).
For our purposes we should note how this prophecy links the mother to her royal son. Since the oracle is addressed specifically to the Davidic household and concerns the continuation of the dynasty, the young woman bearing forth the royal son would be understood as a queen mother. This has implications for our understanding of Mary. Since the mother of the king always ruled as queen mother, we should expect to find the mother of the messianic king playing the role of the true queen mother in the everlasting Kingdom of God.
With this Old Testament background, we can now more clearly see how the New Testament portrays Mary in light of the queen mother tradition.
The Gospel of Matthew has often been called the "Gospel of the Kingdom." Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is "the Son of David," who is the true King of the Jews establishing the "Kingdom of Heaven." With all this kingly imagery, it should not be surprising to find queen mother themes as well.
Right away, Matthew shows explicitly how the infant Jesus is the "Emmanuel" child as prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 (Matt. 1:23). As we saw above, this prophecy links the royal messianic child with his queen mother. Further, Matthew singles out the intimate relationship between the mother and her royal son by using the phrase "the child and his mother" five times in the first two chapters, recalling the close association between queen mother and royal son as described in the Books of Kings. Just as the queen mother was constantly mentioned alongside the Judean kings in 1 and 2 Kings, so Mary is frequently mentioned alongside her royal son, Jesus, in Matthews infancy narrative (Matt. 1:18; 2:11, 13, 14, 20, 21).
We find Mary portrayed against the background of Davidic kingdom motifs in Lukes Gospel as well, especially in his accounts of the Annunciation and Visitation. First, the angel Gabriel is said to appear to a virgin betrothed to a man "of the house of David" (1:27). Then the angel tells Mary, "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end" (Luke 1:3133).
Hear the strong Davidic overtones describing Mary and her royal son: a woman from the house of David giving birth to a son who will be the new king whose reign will never end. With echoes from the queen mother tradition of the Davidic kingdom and the mother-son prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, we can conclude that Mary is being given the vocation of queen mother.
Marys royal office is made even more explicit in Lukes account of the Visitation. Elizabeth greets Mary with the title "the mother of my Lord" (Luke 1:43). This title is charged with great queenly significance. In the royal court language of the ancient NearEast, the title "Mother of my Lord" was used to address the queen mother of the reigning king (who himself was addressed as "my Lord"; cf., 2 Sam. 24:21). Thus with this title Elizabeth is recognizing the great dignity of Marys role as the royal mother of the king, Jesus.
Finally, Marys queenship can be seen in the great vision described in Revelation 12: "And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery" (Rev. 12:12). Who is this newborn child? He is described as the messianic king exercising his dominion. In verse 5, the author of Revelation chose the messianic Psalm 2 to describe how this child will "rule all the nations with a rod of iron" (Rev. 12:5, Ps. 2:9). This royal son is taken up to heaven to sit on a throne (Rev. 12:5), and he ushers in the kingdom of God by defeating the devil: "Now the kingdom of our God has come, for the accuser has been throne down" (12:10). Certainly, this newborn child is the royal Messiah, King Jesus.
In this light it is clear who this woman is who gave birth to the messiah: It is Mary. Some people have interpreted this woman in Revelation 12 as merely a symbol either for the Old Testament people of Israel or for the New Testament Church and therefore have concluded that the woman cannot be an individual (i.e., Mary). However, this "either-or" proposition is foreign to the biblical worldview, in which individuals often symbolically represent collective groups. For instance, Adam represented all humanity (Rom. 5:19), and Jacob stood for all of Israel (Ps. 44:4). Given this biblical notion called "corporate personality," the woman in Revelation 12 should be understood as both an individual (Mary) and a symbol for the people of God.
But for our purposes, once we see that this woman is Mary, the mother of Jesus, it is important to note how she is portrayed as queen in this passage. Her royal office is hinted at by the imagery of the sun, moon, and twelve stars, which recalls the Old Testament story of Josephs dream in which the sun, moon, and stars bow down before him, symbolizing his future authority (Gen. 37:911). Her queenship is made even clearer by the crown of twelve stars on her head. Just like the queen mother in Jeremiah 13:18, here Mary is wearing a crown, symbolizing her royal office in the kingdom of heaven. In sum, Revelation 12 portrays Mary as the new queen mother in the Kingdom of God, sharing in her sons rule over the universe.
We have seen how the Old Testament queen mother tradition serves as an important background for understanding Marys royal office. Indeed, the New Testament portrays Mary as the queen mother par excellence. Thus, prayers, hymns, and art giving honor to Marys queenship are most fitting biblical responses for Christians. In honoring her as queen mother we do not take anything away from Christs glory, but rather we exalt him even more by recognizing the great work he has done in her and through her.
Understanding Mary as queen mother sheds light on her important intercessory role in the Christian life. Just like the queen mother of the Davidic kingdom, Mary serves as advocate for the people in the Kingdom of God today. Thus, we should approach our queen mother with confidence, knowing that she carries our petitions to her royal son and that he responds to her as Solomon did to Bathsheba: "I will never refuse you."
Edward P. Sri is assistant professor of Religious Studies at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. He holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Angelicum in Rome, where he is currently a doctoral candidate.
I thought the discussion had ended.
Are protestants Christians?
Exactly. The verses are quite plain and simple to understand. It is supported by other statements by Christ that heeding His word makes one his family, not the biological connection.
I’m waiting for Petronski to explain how it should be interpreted...
Catholics do not worship saints. They are our brothers and sisters who have gone before, and they are there to plead for us, but they are not God.
Mary was the mother of Jesus, both true God and true man (although many Protestants don’t believe this), and he is the Lord of the Universe. Therefore, it’s reasonable to think that she, who like her Son was a real historical person, will intercede and plead for us.
If you can’t think of her as your mother, think of her as your older sister who has gone before you and is still praying to God for you.
You mean like this verse ...
"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day" John 6:54
You asked,”Are protestants Christians?”
Good question. Before he can answer your questions he’ll need to know what exactly is a “protestant”. Are you talking about Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Jehovahs Witnesses, Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, Quakers, Moravians, Amish, Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints, Mennonites, Disciples of Christ, Church of Christ, Assemblies of God, Salvation Army, oh heck...never mind.
Well, there are two ways to consider this:
1. Context meaning metaphorical - Jesus is calling himself Bread of life, as compared to other Heavenly-provided bread (manna) which did not provide the same kind of life. Thus Jesus is speaking metaphorically.
2. Context meaning literal - you must eat His body; not a representation (such as the Eucharist). His actual flesh, not a replacement, but His actual flesh.
If you want to be literal, the it must be Jesus’ actual flesh, not some representation or supposed transformation. Unless it is the literal, physical flesh (meat and skin) of Jesus, you cannot take the literal interpretation.
You mean, like “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
And it is! Praise be to God! It is called transubstantiation in which Christ, through the hands of His priest, transforms simple bread into the body of Christ! Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity! Our God is an awesome God!
I mean DNA-testable, chemically and physically flesh like that you can peel from your own forearm? Is that the transformation that happens?
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
Bread is the metaphor for the Spirit and teachings of Christ. Per His own words.
"As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" John 6:66-67
Nothing in there about metaphors. If it was a metaphor, verse 66-67 would read, "hey, come back guys, I only meant this metaphorically!
Jesus said "to Thomas: 'Take your finger and examine My hands. Put your hand into My side. Do not persist in your unbelief, but believe!' ... John 20:27
Speaking of believing (and DNA testing), check this out: Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano!
"And Mary said: 'My soul magnifies the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages called me blessed.'" ... Luke 1:46-48
And all ages since have called her blessed by God. Blessed does not equal sinless, or Queen of Heaven.
Then explain what Jesus meant in John 6:63. He explained that the Spirit and His words were the bread of life.
Speaking of believing (and DNA testing), check this out: Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano!
Is it your contention that every Communion results in the same miracle? If so, why is this a "Miracle" if it is so commonplace? Can I go and attend a Catholic mass, keep the host, and have it analyzed for DNA and chemical composition of human flesh?
66 and 67 come after 63.
Your question on verses 66-67 is answered by verses 64-65:
“64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
Not all his ‘disciples’ had been given him by the Father, for some of them did not believe.
He didn’t want them back - they were not his in the first place.
from now on will all ages call me blessed
She is stating what she believes she will be called, not what she really is. There is a statement of what others say, not what Jesus says of her or what she claims for herself.
When you read the verse literally, what do you read there?
because He knew they would refuse to believe Him regarding His teaching of His body and blood, among other things.
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