www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Scripture and Patristic Writings Mary as the Ark of His Covenant

Very interesting discourse by Scott Hahn http://www.ewtn.com/library/scriptur/maryark.TXT and it appears this theory was believed in by St Ephrem and St Methodius in the East.

CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!

It certainly IS one of the most beautiful images of the Theotokos: The Ark of the Covenant.

St. Athanasius said:

"O noble Virgin, truly you are greater than any other greatness. For who is your equal in greatness, O dwelling place of God the Word? To whom among all creatures shall I compare you, O Virgin? You are greater than them all O Covenant, clothed with purity instead of gold! You are the Ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna, that is, the flesh in which divinity resides."

St. Gregory of Neo-Caesarea (3rd Century) quotes Psalm 132 as referring to Mary:

"Arise O Lord to Thy resting place; Thou and the ark of Thy sanctification" (Psalm 132:8). In this regard, he said, "For the holy Virgin is in truth an ark, wrought with gold both within and without (Exodus 25:10-11, 37:1-2), that has received the whole treasury of the sanctuary" (Homily I on the Annunciation).

O MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS, ARK OF THE COVENANT, SAVE US!

Her servant always,
+Father Archimandrite Gregory

Dear Father Archimandrite Gregory,

Thank you for the natural Eastern love you feel towards our Lady, the Most Holy and Blessed Mother of God.

In Christ,
Alice

In as much as "ark" means container - container of the covenant - this title is very fitting for one so honored to contian Jesus who was the true covenant.

-ray

It's also interesting that Apocalypse 11:19 is the only place in Scripture that refers to the ark of HIS covenant.

Dear Friends,

There was an ancient devotion in Western Europe to Our Lady as "Ark of the Covenant" and this is how the Knights Templar invoked her!

The Ethiopians not only invoke her as Our Lady of Zion, Ark of the Covenant, but continue to venerate wooden Arks.

They believe that God has not abrogated the tradition of the Ark for His Church and even their hand Crosses have a square at the base that represents the Ark of the Covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Every Ethiopian parish has a carved Ark with the Tabot or Tablet of the Law and each Ark is dedicated to a special Saint or title of Our Lady.

These Arks are the centre of the Ethiopian parish's celebrations and devotions.

Alex

Dear Alex,

Isn't the Latin Rite's Tabernacle, in which consecrated hosts are kept, an evolution of the Ark?

Tammy

Dear Tammy,

Yes, absolutely!

But the Ethiopians continue to maintain the Old Testament tradition to the fullest possible extent in this respect.

Cheers.

Alex

Christ is risen, He is risen indeed!

Friends, I tried to open this link http://www.ewtn.com/library/scriptur/maryark.TXT but it wouldn't come up. I would have liked to read the message in it. Can someone advise as to how to get to it from a different angle/

The references to Mary are indeed beautiful beyond description. Why is it that in the Gospels we see no such mention in regard to her person ? And another thing: In one of the Troparions we sang last week, Mary was addressed as "the true vine" . In John 15:1 Jesus says of Himself that He is the true vine. And His Word is Truth. Also, I am uneasy with turning to Mary for Salvation. There is only one Savior, is there not? And 1.Tim.2:5 cannot misinterpreted. I cannot find any references to Mary in the Book of Acts or the Epistles. Can anybody help me out?

Respectfully,
Shiloah who is on this forum to listen and to learn - and, hopefully, with your permission, to ask if necessary.

Dear Friend,

Actually, our meditation of the role of the Mother of Christ our God comes straight from the Gospels and has to do with the very fact of the Divine Incarnation.

It was through Mary that Christ deigned to come to us.

So much so, that the Archangel Gabriel, in the opening chapters of Luke's Gospel, first praises MARY and THEN praises the Fruit of her womb who is Jesus.

All of the New Testament and our salvation comes from the "Man Jesus Christ" as Paul says.

In other words, through the Humanity of the Son of God Incarnate. This Humanity is the same flesh and blood of Mary in whom the Word of God became Man.

So the entire New Testament, and all the words and actions of Christ relate to Mary because of her singular role in the Incarnation.

And at the Wedding at Cana, the Mother of Christ our God tells the people - and us - to "do whatever He tells you to."

And Christ is shown rearranging His "schedule" because His Mother interceded on behalf of the married couple re: the wine.

All this was written for a reason, to show us the important role Mary not only had in Christ's Incarnation, but also as our own spiritual Mother who tells us to do all that Her Son tells us to do and who intercedes on our behalf at every turn.

The image of the wine made from water at the Wedding is a Eucharistic symbol par excellence that illustrates the Gospel truth that it is through the Incarnation of Christ by Mary that we can partake of the Eucharist.

The 12th chapter of Revelation talks of the "great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars et."

This refers to the Church of Christ and, by allusion, to the Mother of God. The image of Our Lady of Grace is based on this reference.

Alex

Here's the link again http://www.star.ucl.ac.uk/~vgg/rc/aplgtc/hahn/m4/ma.html

Thank you ,Lawrence, for the Link . There's a lot to read and I am in the delightful process of looking into it now.
Thank you also, Alex, for your explanations, the content of which is not at all foreign to me. But it did 'not really' connect with or answer to any of my questions.
Blessings to all of you for making this forum a deep and refreshing watering hole for the pilgrim.

Shiloah

"Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Rom.8:9

Lawrence,

Thanks for the link, I have never read or stated that way, great reading.

Now, if I can get Alex & Scott together to .........., so many possibilities!

My allergies were dominating me today until I read that article.

james

Salvation comes to the world through Jesus Christ, there is no other name by which man can be saved.

Being raised Southern Baptist, I understand where you are comeing from. But, I also am aware of Sola Scriptura, so I am going to use a King James Version here. As we celbrate Christ Ressurection, we are reminded of John 19: [26] When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! [27] Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. [28] After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

Jesus said to the "diciple he loved"...Jesus didn't say John, he said the deciple he loved...we are all that deciple...

Her own children would have taken her into their home...look at Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

We are that seed also...all my life I had read that scripture, but it was not until I came into the Catholic Church that I saw the "her seed"....then I realized if Jesus is my brother, wow she is my mother too! Our salvation comes through Jesus but Mary's fiat brought the LIGHT into this dark world.

Remember John 20: [30]And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book :[31] But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Scripture alone does not work, if for no other reason than simply because the Church put the Bible together, they have the oral and written tradition in hand, many teachings that are not in there.

Might I suggest that you read the Protoevangelium of St. James.

Pani Rose

Dear Shiloah,

Well, for me, ALL of the New Testament is one BIG mention of Mary in her role in the Incarnation.

Whenever I read about Jesus speaking, I know that He speaks with the mouth that He received from Mary.

Whenever I read about Jesus laying His Hands on people to heal them, I know that He has those Hands from Mary.

The closeness of Son and Mother is seen in the Manger, at the Temple with Simeon, in the Flight to Egypt, at the Finding in the Temple, at the Visitation before, at the Wedding in Cana and at the foot of the Cross, and in Revelation.

The Ark of the Covenant image is one based on a meditation of this unique role of the Mother of Christ our God. It is a logical, I believe, conclusion to be drawn by a comparison of Christ's role with that of the Old Testament.

Again, perhaps I don't understand your question, but every page of the New Testament speaks of Mary to me.

Alex