In accord with the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, Mary is celebrated as the Queen of Heaven. The universal Church celebrates the feast of her queenship on August the 22nd every year. In this article we will be examining the historical, biblical, and theological basis of Mary’s queenship and debunking objections to it.
The Biblical Basis
Despite the claim that there isn’t any biblical evidence to support the queenship of Mary, scripture is rich with vindication of her proper role. The key to finding out the truth on the matter is in examining the scriptures through the lens of Christ’s kingship. We know that Christ fulfilled the scriptures of being a Davidic king in every way (Luke 24:44), but one of the essential dimensions of the Davidic kingship was the role of the queen mother.
For ancient Israel, the wife of a king wasn’t the queen; rather, the queen was his mother. We know that Christ is the king of heaven and earth and of the whole created universe. Accordingly, Colossians 1:15-16 says that
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him.
The Queen Mother’s Role
Whenever kings are anointed in scripture, the queen mother is usually listed among them. In Jeremiah 13:18 the Lord mentions the role of a queen mother alongside the king while giving a prophecy. Throughout the books of Kings and Chronicles, the queen mothers are listed along with their sons. 2 Kings chapters 12, 13, and 14 offer a few examples of this.
What is even more interesting is the way in which the Gospel of Matthew is written. This Gospel particularly focuses on Christ’s kingship; for example, chapter 2 emphasizes not only Christ’s kingship in relation to the Magi and their title for him, King of the Jews, but Mary is also listed as his mother in reference to him being king.
The Queen’s Intercession
The queen mother’s role was also to look after those in her son’s kingdom. That is, the royal mothers of the Davidic kings took on the role of intercessor on behalf of the people. This practice is demonstrated frequently in regard to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, who brings requests to him on behalf of others (1 Kings 2:16-17). But the intercessory role of queen mother didn’t stop with Solomon. The examples of those who came before Jesus were a foreshadowing of the greatness that was to come.
Catholics believe that Mary intercedes for those in her Son’s kingdom in the same way that queen mothers always did before her. When we call Our Lady the Queen of Heaven, we are giving her the proper role as mother to the messianic king. She has been acknowledged as such since the birth of Christianity.
The Council of Ephesus
The Council of Ephesus in 431 AD was the third ecumenical council of bishops that convened to ensure unity and consensus of doctrine in the Church. The council affirmed the Nicene Creed as well as Mary’s title of Theotokos (God-bearer). The Patriarch of Constantinople, Nestorius, raised an objection to the term “Mother of God” and argued that she should be called instead “Mother of Christ”.
Nestorius’ line of reasoning attempted to distinguish Jesus’ natures – God and man – as two separate entities. In contrast, the Church confirmed the hypostatic union, which is the perfect union of divine and human in the one Person of Jesus. In the Nestorius scenario, Mary would simply be the mother of Christ’s human flesh; however, the council formally declared that teaching, called Nestorianism, a heresy. In affirming the hypostatic union, the council in turn confirmed Mary’s status as Theotokos.
Objections to Mary’s Queenship
Perhaps the biggest objection to Mary’s queenship is the reference to the pagan goddess Ishtar, who is referred to in scripture as the “queen of Heaven”. People often point to Jeremiah 7:18 as a proof text against Mary’s queenship, superficially assuming that referring to Mary as the queen of Heaven is just the worship of Ishtar dressed up in a different way.
However, the claim is baseless. The term for heaven in scripture is often used interchangeably with sky (Jeremiah 14:22). Ishtar was a sky goddess depicted with wings. She was called “queen of the sky” because of her association with other gods who were said to dominate the sun and the moon. The vastly different conceptions of Mary and Ishtar do not resemble each other.
In Conclusion
When we say that Mary is the Queen of Heaven, we mean she is the queen of all that Christ inherited as King. We acknowledge that Christ as King would give His mother the same respect and honor that the other men of his lineage did for their mothers. Mary, a humble servant completely submitted and trusted her life to God, and in return, God blessed her so much that all nations and people would refer to her as such (Luke 1:47-49).
10 thoughts on “Exploring the Queenship of Mary”
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Victor:
John wrote down what he saw in numerous visions.
He was very familiar with Mary, having cared for her after Jesus was crucified.
If the vision of the woman in Revelation was Mary, wouldn’t he have said that?
But he didn’t. Because it wasn’t Mary.
Yet chapter 11 ends with John saying that he sees the Ark of the Covenant.
It must have been very infuriating to the dragon to be thwarted at every turn.
Where did the wings come from?
St. Matthew, a divine man;
St. Mark, a winged lion;
St. Luke, a winged ox; and
St. John, a rising eagle.
Are you suggesting that John the Apostle cared for Mary for 3 1/2 years?
What about the torrent of water spewed out of the mouth of the serpent to sweep her away with the current?
Are you suggesting that John wrote of wings being given to a complete stranger?
Brianna, Thank you for taking the time to explore this topic for us. I enjoyed it.
In the book of Revelations, Saint John wrote about how Mary was given wings herself. Of course, he would know about this – having been Mary’s caregiver (or was it the other way around?). Of course, her “wings” were likely hyperbole to describe the Assumption. Perhaps John was targeting the followers of Ishtar? It would have been a good evangelist strategy to “meet them where they stood”:
“When the dragon saw that it had been thrown down to the earth, it pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert” Rev 12:13-14
This was a nice recent article about artwork showing Mary with wings:
https://www.liturgicalartsjournal.com/2021/09/benjamin-wests-woman-of-apocalypse-and.html
Revelation 12:12-15
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
12 Therefore, rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them.
But woe to you, earth and sea,
for the Devil has come down to you in great fury,
for he knows he has but a short time.”
13 When the dragon saw that it had been thrown down to the earth, it pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half-year. 15 The serpent, however, spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the current.
Does this sound like Mary was really given wings, or the Assumption? If Mary is in heaven, how can Satan pursue her? When was Satan thrown out of heaven and only has a short time? Why was the “woman” protected by giant eagle wings for only 3 1/2 years?
My Catholic Bible has a footnote for Chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation that the woman “symbolizes God’s people from the Old and New Testament”.
I haven’t seen any footnotes from Catholic bibles that specifically state the woman is Mary, or this chapter is about the Assumption.
Many students of eschatology believe that the woman is Israel in the end times. They also believe the major portion of the Book of Revelation deals with the “end of days”, which is mentioned in Daniel 12. There is so much contained in Revelation that was given to John about future events. It is specifically noted in the first chapter. You seem to be suggesting that Chapter 12 already took place and John was an eyewitness.
Briana, there is no “proof” here. Just because something usually happens does not mean it did happen in any specific case. Children are usually born when the parents have sex; therefore, Jesus was born after Mary had sex. See how that logic falls apart?
Also, naming Mary Queen of Heaven is an honorific. Call her Queen of Heaven or not, but it doesn’t really matter either way.
And finally, everyone knows that the Boeing 747 is the real Queen of the Skies.
Revelation 22
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 22
1 Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of its street. On either side of the river grew the tree of life that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations. 3 Nothing accursed will be found there anymore. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will look upon his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever and ever.
VII. Epilogue
6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true, and the Lord, the God of prophetic spirits, sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon.” 7 “Behold, I am coming soon.” Blessed is the one who keeps the prophetic message of this book.
8 It is I, John, who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw them I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Don’t! I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers the prophets and of those who keep the message of this book. Worship God.”
Isn’t it odd that there is no mention of The Queen of Heaven?
And John is told by the angel to worship God. Jesus declared the same thing:
Matthew 4:10
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
10 At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written:
‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve.’”