Mary,True Ark

Anne Skalecki Winter 2007

Throughout salvation history, many images surface within Biblical and pious texts treating the parallels between ancient and modern symbols and their corresponding divine realities. Among those texts are specific types or “Old Testament person[s], event[s], or thing[s] having historical reality and designed by God to prefigure (foreshadow) in a preparatory way a real person, event, or thing so designated in the New Testament and that corresponds to and fulfills the type” (Lewis 98). While a plethora of Biblical types exist which are worthy of exploration, this work will discuss one specific type and its significance in relation to Mary, the Mother of God; this type refers to Mary and her role as Ark of the Covenant. In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant acts as the most revered vessel in the Temple as it contains those sacred objects given to man by God, along with the kebod, or “glory [presence] of the Lord” (Exod 24:16). Upon comparing this revered Old Testament object to Mary, it becomes apparent that she is the true Ark made flesh, the living sacred vessel who possess the true Word made flesh. This Christian tradition of Mary as Ark reveals itself in ancient Christian texts which testifies that this title is more than typological. Indeed, when comparing particular Old and New testament passages, and when studying the writings of early Church Fathers, one can see how the title of Mary as Ark is more than a just type; for in truth, Mary is the living Ark.

The first approach to proving this claim is to look to the Bible. Within the Bible, there are numerous parallels between the Ark of the Covenant and Mary. The first reference is in Saint Luke’s narration of the Annunciation. Saint Luke recounts when the angel Gabriel informs the Virgin Mary she will miraculously conceive and bear the Son of God. To accomplish this, Gabriel tells Mary that the “Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). This language which depicts the Holy Ghost overshadowing Mary, of coming upon her, mirrors the language found in Exodus upon the creation of the Temple:

[Moses] set up also the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, drawing the hanging in the entry thereof. After all things were perfected, The cloud covered the tabernacle of the testimony, and the glory of the Lord [or kebod] filled it. Neither could Moses go into the tabernacle of the covenant, the cloud covering all things and the majesty of the Lord shining, for the cloud had covered all (Exod 40:31-33).

This image of the cloud, and the glory of the Lord hanging over, or descending upon the tabernacle in the Temple, perfectly echoes the language of Saint Luke. Mary experiences the kebod of God within her, since she is created to carry the Incarnate God. God dwells in her just as He dwells in the Ark. Both are holy vessels which God makes holy for Himself.

A second Biblical reference which shows the parallel between Mary and the Ark, is taken again from Saint Luke’s gospel. In this account, Luke shows Mary as Ark when she goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth, pregnant with Saint John the Baptist. He recounts:

Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda…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, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?… And Mary abode with her about three months; and she returned to her own house (Luke 1: 39-45, 56).

Here again, the images and the language Saint Luke uses reflects back to the Old Testament occurrence when David has the Ark of the Covenant come to him. The scripture reads:

And David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went, with all the people that were with him of the men of Juda to fetch the ark of God… And David was afraid of the Lord that day, saying: How shall the ark of the Lord come to me?… And the ark of the Lord abode in the house of Obededom the Gethite three months: and the Lord blessed Obededom, and all his household. And David danced with all his might before the Lord: and David was girded with a linen ephod. And David and all the house of Israel brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord with joyful shouting, and with sound of trumpet (2 Kings 6:1-2, 9,11, 14-15).

By looking at the language in these verses, and comparing them to those of Saint Luke, it becomes clear that there is a link between Mary and the Ark. Between David/Elizabeth rising to greet the Ark/Mary; David/Elizabeth stating their unworthiness to have Ark/Mary be with them; David/Elizabeth rejoicing in Ark/Mary’s presence; and Ark/Mary staying with David/Elizabeth for three months, it is clear that these passages directly correspond with each other. Mary is the Ark.

One of the last Biblical passages which shows Mary as Ark, comes from the book of the Apocalypse. In this book, Saint John receives the revelation of what will occur at the end of the world. Among the visions he receives, one beautifully demonstrates this relationship between Mary and the Ark. Saint John describes:

And the temple of God was opened in heaven: and the ark of his testament was seen in his temple. And there were lightnings and voices and an earthquake and great hail. And a 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" (Apoc. 11:19-12:1).

Here Saint John uses language that corresponds to the creation of the temple and its relation to Mary. In this passage, it must be noted that the great sign, the woman clothed with the sun, has a crown surrounding her head. This is significant because when God instructed Moses on how to build the Ark, He said “And though shalt overlay it with purest gold within and without: and over it thou shalt make a golden crown round about” (Exod 25:11). The crown on the Ark is also seen upon the woman in Saint John’s vision, which Christian tradition believes to be Mary. This imagery supports the claim that Mary is the Ark, since both are crowned. Furthermore, because God inspires Saint John to see these two images within the same vision, it is highly probable they correlate with each other. It is not being bold to say that the Ark and Mary are one.

The question now to be asked is, are these ideas purely sentimental hyperboles, or are they veritable truths within Christianity? This can be answered by looking at the writings of the early Church Fathers. The Church Fathers were holy men who carried on the teachings of the Apostles into the first generations of the Christian Church. They prayed, studied, and taught the faith of Christ. They also wrote down the traditions and doctrines of the Church for people to reference throughout time (Fathers). Not surprising then, did these men comprehend the unique relationship between the Ark and Mary in the Old and New Testaments. Looking at certain early texts, it appears that the idea of Mary being the Ark is not merely pious sentimentalism, but is in fact, a justifiable truth.

While there are many ancient texts which relate Mary with the Ark, this essay will concentrate on only three. These texts will include the writings of Proclus of Constantinople, Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, and Saint John Damascus. Through reading excerpts from the aforementioned Fathers, the issue as to whether or not Mary is the Ark is entirely resolved.

One Father who references Mary as the Ark is Proclus of Constantinople. In his Homily 5 On the Holy Virgin Theotokos, he addresses the matter of Mary being the Mother of God. Among other things, he argues for the implementation of a feast dedicated to this title of Mary to emphasize her role as Mother of God against the many theologians who refuted this idea during the time. In the text, he focuses upon the glory Mary possesses which exceeds that of all other saints. After explaining how women of the Old Testament gained veneration for their virtues, he goes on to explain why Mary deserves a status far exceeding these holy women. He states:

“…and Mary is venerated for she became a mother, a servant, a cloud, a bridal chamber, and the ark of the Lord. A mother, for she gave birth to the one who willed to be born. A servant, confessing her nature and proclaiming grace. A cloud, for by the Holy Spirit she conceived him to whom she gave birth without pain. A bridal chamber, for the Word of God pitched the tent of the mystery (of the incarnation) in her as in a wedding hall. An ark, containing not the Law, but bearing in her womb the Giver of the Law. Because of this, let us say to her: ‘Blessed are you among women’ ” (Proclus 263).

Proclus takes the Jewish language and imagery to illustrate how Mary resembles the temple in which the Ark rested. He calls Mary a cloud, a well-understood Jewish symbol (due to its relation with God), and shows how Mary, by becoming one with the Holy Spirit, also becomes intimately united with God. The two cannot be separated. For where one is Mary, there too is the Ark.

Additionally, Proclus brings another Jewish/Old Testament image to the forefront; he cites how God pitches His tent. This reference comes from the book of Exodus when God has Moses pitch a tent for Moses to enter into the tabernacle and converse with God:

Moses also taking the tabernacle, pitched it without the camp afar off, and called the name thereof, The tabernacle of the covenant… And when he was gone into the tabernacle of the covenant, the pillar of the cloud came down, and stood at the door, and he spoke with Moses. And all saw that the pillar of the cloud stood at the door of the tabernacle. And they stood, and worshipped at the doors of their tents (Exod 33:7, 9-10).

Moses pitches his tent, and God descends into the Ark. The Son of God pitches His tent and dwells in Mary upon her fiat at the Annunciation. Furthermore, the image of the tabernacle being worshiped by the Israelites compares with Mary being hailed as blessed among women. And lastly, the image of the Ark containing the Law of God compares with Mary containing the “Giver of the Law” incarnate. These observations well connote that Proclus comprehends the affiliation between Mary and the Jewish references concerning the temple, and how Mary herself is, among other things, the true Ark of the Covenant.

The second Church Father to study regarding Mary as Ark, is Saint Ambrose, Bishop from Milan and Doctor of the Church. Ambrose was a great defender of the faith in the 4th century and is best known for his peacemaking between the Arians and Catholics, and for converting Saint Augustine. In his Sermons number xlii, he harkens back to the Old Testament by his reference to 2 Kings 6, explaining how Mary is the Ark. He comments:

The prophet David danced before the Ark. Now what else should we say the Ark was but holy Mary? The Ark bore within it the tables of the Testament, but Mary bore the Heir of the same Testament itself. The former contained in it the Law, the latter the Gospel. The one had the voice of God, the other His Word. The Ark, indeed, was radiant within and without with the glitter of gold, but holy Mary shone within and without with the splendor of virginity. The one was adorned with earthly gold, the other with heavenly” (Livius 77).

This passage elucidates Ambrose’s knowledge regarding the parallels which exist between Mary and the Ark, justifying the title of Mary as Ark of the Covenant very beautifully. The Jewish people had the Ark of gold, while the Christians had Mary, the pure virgin, made of the gold of divine virtue. Though there is not literal gold within the body of Mary, the symbolism which gold signifies is maintained in the soul and flesh of Mary. She is the immaculate one, the pure vessel free from all stain of sin. Furthermore, as Louis Ginzberg states in his book, The Legends of the Jews:
…the Ark contained the two tables of the Ten Commandments as well as the Ineffable Name, and all His other epithets. The Ark was an image of the celestial Throne, and was therefore the most essential part of the Tabernacle.

This reality that the Ark contained the Ten Commandments, nicely supports the fact that Mary contained the fulfillment of the Law, the Law made flesh, in the Incarnate Son of God. Mary is the “celestial Throne” since she is the Ark, the holy golden throne of God. God dwells in her as upon a throne. She is the most essential facet to God’s Incarnate Tabernacle.

The last Father to be examined in this essay is Saint John of Damascus. Living between the 7th and 8th centuries, Saint John spent his days as a monk, writing about the faith and composing hymns for the Christian Church (“Saint John”). In his text, On holy images, followed by three sermons on the Assumption, he focuses on justifying why the Blessed Mother should be praised by Christians and also explains the events which surrounded Mary’s Assumption into heaven. In the work, he makes statements which support the theme of Mary as Ark. In Sermon II, he writes about what occurred when the Apostles gathered to carry the body of Mary to the tomb. He relates this occurrence to the book of Joshua, when the twelve men from the tribes of Israel carried the Ark of the Covenant on their shoulders through the river Jordon. He states:

The apostolic band lifting the true ark of the Lord God on their shoulders, as the priests of old the typical ark, and placing thy body in the tomb, made it, as if another Jordan, the way to the true land of the gospel, the heavenly Jerusalem, the mother of all the faithful, God being its Lord and architect...(Damascus)

Here Saint John shows the similarities between how the Israelites carried the Ark and how the Apostles carried Mary. Just as the Israelites carry the Ark through the sea, so the Apostles carry Mary through the sea of life, to bring her to the new Promise Land of Heaven. Additionally, Saint John stresses the point that Mary is the Ark when he says:

To-day the sacred and living ark of the living God, who conceived her Creator Himself, takes up her abode in the temple of God, not made by hands. David, her forefather, rejoices…To-day the holy dove, the pure and guileless soul, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, putting off the ark of her body, the life-giving receptacle of Our Lord, found rest to the soles of her feet, taking her flight to the spiritual world, and dwelling securely in the sinless country above (Damascus).

From this passage, Saint John connotes the purity and holiness Mary claims and how she, like the Ark, is the only worthy person to have Him within them, and which also must be hidden from the corrupted world. Mary, the living ark, after fulfilling her mission, rises into Heaven. The body of Mary, the Ark of the Covenant, leaves this world and rests eternally in the presence of God where she will love Him and He her, for all eternity where no one can separate them.

In reviewing Old and New Testaments scripture passages, and in reading works by the early Church Fathers, the question as to whether Mary is the Ark becomes profoundly apparent. Mary is the living Ark which God made for Himself for the Redemption of the world and which He now enjoys tenderly in His throne in Heaven. While the body of Mary is now in heaven, it would not be too bold to say that the missing Ark is there beside her since, Mary and the Ark are, indeed, one.