ANN007

The family relationship between Mary and Elizabeth

Analysis of the family relationship between Mary and Elizabeth based on the Gospel of Luke. The article examines the apparent contradiction between their kinship and their distinct tribal lineages (Judah for Mary, Levi for Elizabeth), proposes hypotheses about the nature of this family tie, and rejects apocryphal traditions in favor of a rigorous exegetical approach based on the canonical biblical texts.

6 min Mary Elizabeth kinship family relationship tribe of Judah

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Introduction

In his account, Luke points to a family relationship between Mary and Elizabeth without specifying its nature. We know that they knew each other and that Mary undertook the journey to see her.

When the angel Gabriel mentions Elizabeth to Mary, we note that she knew her without seeing her regularly, since she was unaware of her six-month pregnancy.

Mary will stay with Elizabeth for about three months, which shows a relationship between the two families. We notice a certain closeness between the two women, who will share their extraordinary experiences.

However, what was the nature of the family tie that united them?

Some speak of cousins; tradition and the provide more or less fanciful information.

We will go back over the various facts and try to deduce the truth from them.

I. The family relationship between Mary and Elizabeth

Luke gives us details about Mary’s conversation with the angel Gabriel. Mary appears to be the only possible source for this very intimate information. She shares these explanations because she now realizes that the story of Jesus the Messiah no longer belongs to her, but becomes universal.

It is the sum of these personal details that leads us to suppose that Luke obtained this information directly from Mary.

The lack of precision about the family relationship between Elizabeth and Mary has given rise to various interpretations. Experts have drawn up genealogies and, according to tradition, Elizabeth and Mary would be cousins. However, without information or proof, we are reduced to formulating hypotheses only.

We will therefore analyze the different options that follow from the data provided by Luke.

II. How can they be relatives yet of different lineages?

We have two pieces of information that seem contradictory at first sight. On the one hand, Mary and Elizabeth are presented as relatives, but on the other hand, Mary descends from David, and thus from the tribe of Judah, whereas Elizabeth comes from Aaron, of the tribe of Levi.

Generally, among the Jews, it was common to marry within one’s own tribe, although exceptions existed.

In the present case, Luke specifically stresses that Elizabeth descends from the tribe of Levi. To establish a family tie between Mary and Elizabeth, we must consider the possibility that a close relative of Mary married a member of the family of Zechariah, Elizabeth’s husband.

This family tie is significant only if it is relatively recent, since its importance fades with time. It is therefore likely that this tie comes from the generation of Mary’s parents or grandparents. The most plausible hypothesis is that Elizabeth’s mother was the sister of Mary’s grandfather or grandmother, or of Mary’s father or mother.

Depending on the generation in which this marriage took place, Elizabeth would then be either Mary’s aunt or her cousin.

III. Are they cousins?

If we accept the hypothesis that a sister of one of Mary’s parents married the father of Zechariah or even of Elizabeth, then they would be cousins. This theory is the most widespread.

In the Muslim tradition, Elizabeth is known as Îsha (or Ashâ`) and is presented as the wife of Zechariah and the mother of Yahya (John the Baptist). According to the “Dictionnaire du Coran,” some ancient historians suggest that Îsha and Hannah (Elizabeth and Anne) could be sisters, daughters of Fâqûdh. Hannah would be the mother of Mary and Imran her father. Thus, according to this interpretation, Elizabeth and Mary would be cousins.

This perspective is also mentioned in the apocryphal Gospel of James, which identifies Anne as the mother of Mary and Joachim as her father. (Source: Mohamad Ali Amir-Moezzi, ed., Dictionnaire du Coran, article “‘Imrân et sa famille,” LAFFONT, Paris, 2007, pages: 417-418).

The Qur’an thus seems to adopt a version similar to that of the apocryphal Gospel of James. For further information on this subject, appendices ANN010: The two genealogies of Jesus the Messiah, and ANN040: Mary, the mother of Jesus, may be consulted.

However, this hypothesis could be called into question because of the large age difference between Mary and Elizabeth.

IV. Is Elizabeth Mary’s aunt?

We have examined the hypothesis that Elizabeth and Mary were cousins. However, Luke clearly indicates that Elizabeth was of an advanced age at the birth of her son John, which we estimate at around 40. Her husband Zechariah, for his part, had not yet reached the retirement age set at 50.

Mary, like most young girls of her time, was probably thinking of marriage as soon as she came of age, set at 12 years and one day. This significant age difference between Mary and Elizabeth leads us to consider that Elizabeth was rather Mary’s aunt.

From this perspective, Elizabeth would belong to the generation of Mary’s parents, making John a cousin of Jesus, but not his first cousin. This interpretation seems to fit better with the information provided by Luke.

Conclusion

We have examined the family tie mentioned by Luke between Mary and Elizabeth, noting that it does not contradict their distinct lineages. Although marriages between different tribes of Israel were uncommon, they remained possible, thus allowing family ties beyond tribal boundaries.

The significant age difference between Elizabeth and Mary, clearly indicated in our Gospels, leads us to consider an aunt–niece relationship rather than that of cousins. According to our analysis, Mary would therefore be Elizabeth’s niece. To date, no reliable historical document supports this hypothesis, but it seems to us logical and in agreement with the information provided by Luke.