Jesus' words on the cross, "There is your mother" (Jn 19:27), may point to the popular etymological explanation of Eve's name in Genesis 3:20: "The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living." Just as the Church is "the Jerusalem above. As the new Adam extends himself in the "Mystical Body" of Christ (the ecclesial community of the new People of God), so also does Mary represent all those "children of God, once dispersed, but now brought together" by her Son. All the eminent women in the Old Testament are concrete and partial realizations of the primal mother from ancient times (Eve) who perdures and extends herself in them. One could view the process of salvation history from Eve to Mary as a double movement: first the breaking up of the human race into many disparate individuals, and then the gradual concentration of all expectations of salvation in the Messiah born of Mary, the Mother of God. The text of Genesis 3:15 is also compared with the scene of Mary at the foot of the Cross (Jn 19:25-28a). Parallels are seen between Mary's dialogue with Gabriel and Eve's dialogue with the serpent (Gn 3:17, Lk 1:28-35). However, it is only through the comprehensive reading of all texts of the First Testament that we will fully appreciate the greatness of Israel's first mother, Eve, the mother of the living. Early Christian writers will contrast Eve's disobedience with Mary's obedience. But she will be saved through motherhood, provided women persevere in faith and love and holiness, with self-control" (1 Tm 2:13-15).īoth passages emphasize the negative aspects of Eve's role in salvation history. Further, Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts may be corrupted from a sincere commitment to Christ " (2 Cor 11:2-3). "For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God, since I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. Eve is mentioned in two Pauline writings:
Adam is mentioned only in Luke's genealogy (Lk 3:38). In the New Testament, Eve is never mentioned in the Gospels. Later Jewish writings contrast Eve's disobedience with the fidelity and obedience of the Israelites to God on Mount Sinai. Genesis Rabbah 18, 1 and 2, 22 and the Babylonian Talmud, Baba Bathra 75a). You are stamped with the seal of perfection, of complete wisdom and perfect beauty (Ezk 28:12 cf. In Eden, the garden of God, you were, and every precious stone was your covering of gold your pendants and jewels were made, on the day you were created (Ezk 28:13). Therefore the Lord through the mouth of Ezekiel applies the following (which was originally addressed to the prince of Tyre) to her: The rabbinic writings praise the beauty and adornment of Eve while commenting on Genesis 2:22: "The Lord God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from man." For example, Rabbi Chama ben Chanina (260 C.E.) wrote that certainly God first clothed her (Eve) with twenty-four precious decorations (those which describe the women of Israel in Isaiah 3:18-24) and then God brings her to the man. Her initial appearance in the Hebrew Scriptures is one of beauty, goodness, wisdom, and life. Their portrait, will be followed by a comparison between each of the Old Testament figures and Mary.Įve | Sarah | Rebekah | Rachel | Leah | Deborah | Jachobed | Miriam | Judith | Esther | Tamar | Rahab | Ruth | Bathsheba | Chosen Daughter of IsraelĮve's name in Hebrew means "life." She is called Chavvah (in the Septuagint, Eva in the Vulgate, Heva because she is the mother of all the living (Gn 3:20). There will be sketches of fourteen feminine Old Testament figures, beginning with Eve and ending with Bathsheba. She is the mother of the Messiah, whereas her prefigurations in the Old Testament prepare, suggest and intuit his future coming. Mary is their anti-type, not in opposition but in contrast, a contrast which takes its measure from the uniqueness of Mary's mission.
They are given the name type, because they typify in some ways the future mother of Jesus Christ. Looking from the New Testament back into the Old Testament, we recognize a number of women of importance who prefigure Mary in some aspects of their destiny, personality and vocation. The two relate to each other like promise and fulfillment. The Old Testament anticipates, announces, and points to the New Testament. In our understanding of the Bible there exists continuity between the two Testaments. The following is an attempt to mirror Old and New Testament on behalf of Mary.