Saint Elizabeth

Description

Elizabeth (also spelled Elisabeth; Hebrew: אֱלִישֶׁבַע “My God is abundance”, Standard Hebrew: Elišévaʿ, Tiberian Hebrew: ʾĔlîšéḇaʿ; Greek: Ἐλισάβετ Elisabet / Elisavet) was the mother of John the Baptist, the wife of Zechariah and the elder sister of Mary, mother of Jesus, according to the Gospel of Luke and in Islamic tradition. She was past normal child-bearing age when she conceived and gave birth to John.

That is the last mention of Elizabeth, who is not mentioned in any other chapter in the Bible. The chapter continues with the prophecy of Zachariah (known as the Benedictus) and ends with the note that John “grew, and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts” until his ministry to Israel began; so it is unknown how long Elizabeth and her husband lived after that (Luke 1:65–80).

Since the Medieval era, Elizabeth’s greeting, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,” has formed the second part of the Hail Mary prayer.

A traditional “tomb of Elizabeth” is shown in the Franciscan Monastery of Saint John in the Wilderness near Jerusalem.