Daughter of Zion
MARY IN SCRIPTURE:
From "Back to Christian Basics"
Perhaps the most striking and obvious Marian image in Scripture is that of the Daughter of Zion. The Daughter of Zion representation of Mary is evident in the parallelism between a great number of texts in the Old and the New Testaments. In the Old Testament Zion is shown as Spouse and Daughter, Virgin and Mother as is Mary in the New. Daughter Zion is the Spouse of Yahweh, Mother of the People of God (Mother Zion), the Virgin Israel. Many of the Old Testament texts describing the Daughter of Zion are amazingly enough applied to Mary, for instance in Luke 1:26-38, John 2:1-12, John 19:25-27. "Here," writes de la Potterie, "the Old Testament texts of the 'Daughter of Zion' are applied to a definite woman. ... This is precisely the reason why, in the Fourth Gospel, both at Cana and at the Cross, Jesus addresses Mary calling her 'Woman.", (17). "The definite woman Mary," he continues, "the Mother of Jesus, is in a certain way the historical realization of this symbolic figure, who is called in the prophets�depending on the context�the 'Daughter of Zion,' the 'Mother-Zion" or the 'Virgin Israel.' All of Israel's expectation of salvation was projected upon this symbolic figure of the "Messianic Daughter of Zion"; this symbolic figure, described by the prophets, is concretized at once in a daughter of Israel, Mary, who thus becomes the personification of the messianic people in eschatological times." (18). A truly biblical interpretation of Mary will see her as representing both the people of Israel and the future Church.
The comparison of Zephaniah 3:17-17 and Luke 1:28-33 is especially striking:
"Rejoice, Daugher of Zion, the King of Israel, Yahweh, is IN you. Do not be afraid Zion, Yahweh your God is in your womb as a strong Savior." [Zephaniah 3:14-17] "Rejoice so highly favored. The Lord is WITH you. Do not be afraid, Mary ... Listen, you are to conceive in your womb and bear a son and you must name him "Yahweh Savior." He will reign [Luke 1:28-33]. (19).
Applying the Daughter of Zion symbolism, de la Potterie notes,
More and more frequently today's exegetes translate the first word of the angel to Mary, 'Chaire', by 'Rejoice!' ... It is interesting to verify that in the Septuagint the formula 'Chaire' always appears in a context where Zion is invited to the messianic joy in the perspective of the future (Joel 2:21-23; Zp 3:14; Zc 9:9; cf. Lm. 4:21). In the announcement to Mary, the angel utilizes the formula which the prophets employ to invite the eschatological Zion to rejoice in the salvation which God accords her. Thus we read in the prophet Zephaniah 3:14-15: 'Shout for joy, daughter of Zion!' ... In the tradition of the Greek Fathers of the Church and in the Byzantine liturgy, the words of the angel have been almost universally understood and explained as an invitation to joy.
17. Ignace de la Potterie, Mary in the Mystery of the Covenant, p. 48.
18. Ignace de la Potterie, Mary in the Mystery of the Covenant, p. 203.
19. Cited in Rene Laurentin, A Short Treatise on the Virgin Mary, p.25.
Most Holy Mother of God Save Us!
In her honor,
+Fr. Gregory
