Elizabeth (biblical figure)
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Saint Elizabeth | |
|---|---|
 statue of Saint Elizabeth in the parish church of Memmelsdorf near Bamberg, Franconia in northern Bavaria (Germany) | |
| Righteous | |
| Born | 1st century BC |
| Died | 1st century AD |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Anglican Church Lutheran Church |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Feast | November 5 |
| Patronage | pregnant women diocese of Fulda, Germany |
Saint Elizabeth, also spelled Elisabeth or Elisheva (Hebrew אֱלִישֶׁבַע / אֱלִישָׁבַע "My God is an oath", Standard Hebrew Elišévaʿ / Elišávaʿ, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĔlîšéḇaʿ / ʾĔlîšāḇaʿ) (Arabic: إشاع) was the mother of St. John the Baptist and the wife of St. Zachary/Zacharias, according to the New Testament and the Quran.
Relation to Mary
In Luke 1:36 (Kings James Version) of the Bible Elizabeth is described as a relative of Mary, of. The Greek word used is συγγενίς, which can refer to various forms of kinship.[1] According to the Catholic Encyclopedia their relation is given by St. Hippolytus, according to whom they are cousins; the mother of Elizabeth, Sobe and the mother of Mary, Saint Anne are sisters [2]. The mother of Mary is also known from another source, the infancy Gospel of James.
Some translations of this verse states their relations as relative [3] [4] , kinswoman [5] or 'of your family' [6] , others such as the King James, states that they are cousins [7]
In The Bible
According to the Gospel of Luke, Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron the priest (Luke 1:5). She and her husband Zechariah were "righteous before God, living blamelessly" (1:6), but childless. Zechariah was visited by the angel Gabriel, who told him his wife would have a son who "will be great in the sight of the Lord" (1:15).
The pregnant Elizabeth was visited by her relative (1:36), who was pregnant with Jesus:
- And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb.
- And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost and she cried out with a loud voice:
- "Blessed are thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." (1:41–42)
Elizabeth is not mentioned in the New Testament outside of the Gospel of Luke. Elizabeth is also mentioned in several books of the Apocrypha, most prominently in the Protevangelion of James, in which the birth of her son and the subsequent murder of her husband are chronicled.
Sainthood
Elizabeth is revered as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church on November 5, and in the Orthodox and Anglican traditions on September 5, on the same day with her husband St. Zachary/Zechariah. She is commemorated as a matriarch in the Calendar of Saints (September 5) of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod and Zechariah is commemorated as a prophet.[citation needed]
See also
Notes and references
- ^ Henry George Liddell (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon. revised by Henry Stuart Jones and Roderick McKenzie. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. s.v. συγγενίς, συγγενής. ISBN 0-19-864226-1.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Catholic Encyclopedia [1]
- ^ Good News Bible, (Today's English Version) American Bible Society
- ^ World English Bible
- ^ American Standard Version, 1901
- ^ Bible in Basic English
- ^ King James
Life of Jesus: The Nativity | ||
Gabriel announces Mary's motherhood to Jesus |
Events |
Birth of Jesus: The Nativity |