There are two Deborahs mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, the nurse of Rebekah who is buried near Bethel (Gn 35:8) and the prophetess Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth (Jg 4:4-5:31). Judges 5 is the important chapter for remembering her, while Pseudo-Philo offers fascinating information about her in the Tradition of Israel.
Deborah, the prophetess, because of her leadership, courage, and prophetic-call is honored in the victory song over Jabin and Sisera, the Canaanite leaders. The victory song reference is one of the oldest pieces within the Hebrew Scriptures, perhaps going back to the epoch of the Judges (1200 BCE).
Deborah's song consists of 106 lines. It is written or sung not by her but about her. The song is about water and glory--the mediation of God. Yahweh, through a storm, brings about God's glory through the victory. Jael, another woman, finalizes the victory by killing Sisera the commander of the Canaanites. Blessings and curses make up the latter part of the poem. Jael is praised as "Blessed among women" (Jg 5:24).
Deborah and Mary
In a rereading of the Hebrew Scriptures and of Pseudo-Philo, it can be seen by analogy how the Catholic Church has seen similarities in the Virgin Mary to both Deborah and Jael. First, Deborah as Mother of Israel, calls her children to walk in the way of the Torah. (The information primarily comes from Pseudo-Philo.) Mary, likewise, exhorts the servants at Cana to do whatever Jesus tells them (Jn 2:1-5). Deborah is exhorting Israel to glory in the Lord. Water is the symbol or means of victory. This parallels Jesus changing the water into wine, thereby manifesting his glory and his disciples believed in him (Jn 2:11).
In the victory song, Jael, the wife of Heber, is praised: "Blessed among women be Jael, blessed among tent-dwelling women" (Jg 5:24). We read in Luke the beatitudes bestowed on Mary by Elizabeth (Lk 1:45), by Gabriel in the Annunciation (1:28), and also by the unknown woman in the crowd (Lk 11:27). Deborah is seen as Mother of Israel in spirit; Mary is the Mother of all believers represented by the beloved disciple at the foot of the cross (Jn 19:25-27).
There is also the similarity of the Holy Spirit resting upon both Deborah and Mary. Deborah is a remarkable leader who has the gifts of prophecy and wisdom. Her decisions result in victory for Israel at the hands of another courageous woman, Jael. Deborah, in her Canticle (Jg 5) shows total confidence in God and attributes the victory to God's power over the foreign kings.
Mary does not enter into the realm of judging and prophesying nor is she a leader in time of war. She does display a similar gift of practical wisdom and in her Magnificat Canticle sings of the power of God over Israel's enemies. Mary compares with Jael in sharing a similar macarism: "Blessed art thou among women."
Jochebed, the mother of Moses, Miriam, and Aaron, is considered as a "Mother of Israel" in
the Jewish tradition. She is a Levite and is mentioned in the genealogies of Exodus 6:20 as
the wife of Amram and as the mother of Moses and Aaron. In Numbers 26:59 she is
described as "of the tribe of Levi, born to the tribe in Egypt."
A. Serra presents the dismissal of Jochebed by her husband Amram from the Haggadah Sotah
12a (200-300 CE). This story tells of the decision of Amram and all Israelites to cease having
children because of the persecution of Pharaoh. Miriam, his daughter, convinces him to take back Jochebed
secretly. Upon this renewal of their wedding ceremony Psalm 113:9 is
sung. Miriam, true to her prophetic calling then foresees the birth and destiny of Moses, her
brother. She says, "My mother will give birth to a son who will be the savior of Israel"
(Sothah 12b-13a). After the child's birth, it is Miriam who saves Moses from the waters of
the Nile and has Moses' own mother, Jochebed, nurse him for the daughter of Pharaoh.
There is within the Haggadah many similarities to Matthew's Annunciation to Joseph (Mt
1:18-25): We see this in the parallels to Joseph's struggle whether to be husband to Mary of
Nazareth, the prophetic announcement of the birth by a divine messenger, and the miraculous
circumstances in which Mary conceives. In the Haggadah, Jochebed becomes youthful again
and gives birth to Moses at 130 years of age! She also bears Moses with minimal pain and
without any signs of having been pregnant. This quiet birth of Moses conceals him from the Egyptian spies.
Matthew's account about the virgin birth is within the same theological framework and is at
least two hundred years earlier than the Jewish Haggadah. Within this tradition is the
Apocrypha of Baruch (100-150 CE): "Women will no longer suffer during their pregnancies,
and the anguish of child-bearing will be spared for the fruit of their womb" (Apoc. Baruch 73:1-7; 74-1).
Jochebed is the mother of Moses the savior and liberator of Israel. Jewish tradition has her
miraculously giving birth to him without pain. She also protects him from Pharao. She is
considered as the Mother of Israel.
Mary is the mother of Jesus who is the Messiah and Savior in Christian belief. She gives birth to
Jesus miraculously and together with her husband Joseph protects him from the murderous hands of Herod.
Her name signifies "lady princess" or, if named after the place called Meribah, "waters of bitterness." Most likely Miriam, the sister of Moses, is the only person in the Hebrew Scriptures to have such a name excepting a Judahite who possesses a variant of this name. St. Luke uses the Septuagintal form of Miriam in his Gospel. O. Bardenhewer maintained there are at least sixty-seven different etymologies connected with the name "Miriam"!
Most likely the name describes a woman who is stately, hence, princess, and likewise, beautiful. If the name Miriam is seen as Egyptian, then the meaning of "dear" or "cherie" is best in translation. If we accept de la Potterie's interpretation of kecharitomene in Luke 1:28, then it would refer to Mary as being a woman graced by God and one who is also graceful and beautiful.
Miriam is considered a prophetess in Judaism. She also sings the victorious song about God, the deliverer of her people during the Exodus:
"The prophetess Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, while all the women went out after her with tambourines, dancing; and she led them in the refrain: Sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot he has cast into the sea" (Ex 15:20-21).
In the Lucan Infancy narrative the Magnificat is attributed to Mary with a few minor manuscripts ascribing it to Elizabeth. Both hymns have several themes in common. Mary glorifies God as her Savior, while Moses or Miriam sing about the glory, kabôd, of God; both identify God as Lord and Savior. Abraham is the father in faith of both women, both exalt God in their triumph over the mighty ones; Pharao is cast down just as the proud and mighty ones are in Mary's Magnificat. The powerful right hand or arm of God is outstretched for both singers. The mighty works of God are extolled; God's steadfast love has saved and liberated Israel, the people. These parallels are more easily seen in a contextual reading of the "Song of the Sea" in the Septuagint with Mary's Magnificat in the Greek of St. Luke. Luke not only used this earliest version of the Hebrew text but also imitated its style, expression, and vocabulary.
The flight into Egypt by Mary and Joseph to avoid the tyranny and violence of Herod is a reversal of Moses; Miriam's, and Aaron's flight from Pharao. Mary of Nazareth, however, touches the same Egyptian soil as her matronymic Miriam (Mt 2:13-15).
The fact that there are seven distinct texts which speak of Miriam attest to her as a woman leader in Israel. The prophet Micah extols her: "For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, from the place of slavery I released you; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam" (Mi 6:4).
Miriam and Mary
Tracing the attributes of Miriam, the sister of Moses, we discover the following: she is a leader, a prophetess, a mediator, an initiator, a servant. a nurse. a caring person, a model of discretion and timing, a negotiator, and a woman who secretly and effectively works behind the scenes in the salvific history of the people.
The Catholic Tradition uses such attributes for Mary of Galilee in the Church's devotional hymns and litanies. The biblical sources for such expressions are taken from the Cana event (Jn 2:1-11) and from the Annunciation and Visitation accounts (Lk 1:28-45).
Judith is the heroine of the deutero-canonical book with the same name. She exemplifies the ideal woman of later Jewish piety (150-100 BCE). In many of the events of her life she fits the description of a woman who was a Pharisee. In her victory over Holofernes she resembles Deborah and Jael in their victory over Sisera. She describes herself in Judith 11:17: "Your handmaid is, indeed, a God-fearing woman, serving the God of heaven night and day."
In her religious observance Judith is a righteous person. She observes the prescriptions of the Torah, is a chaste widow, observes the feasts and even eves of the feasts as well (8:6). She observes the laws of ritual purification and cleansing (12:2, 9, 19; 16:18). " ... she is a model of Pharisaic religion. It is no wonder that her devotion is blessed; she is rich, she is beautiful, she is held in high repute by all 8:7-8 though it may be noted there is no mention of her having children. The story centers round her courage, her initiative, her selflessness 13:20 . . . . " [See: Reginald C. Fuller, gen. ed., A New Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, rev. and updated (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1969) 404.]
Judith represents the entire faithful people of Israel. This is especially seen in her final hymn (16:1-17). Judith belongs to the poor of Yahweh (tapeinoi) (6:19; 13:20; 16:11). Scholars say, "The spiritual physiognomy of Judith is undoubtedly that of the poor in spirit." In her actions Judith "serves as a paradigm for human liberation. Judith upholds the fundamental truths that faith does not depend on visible results (8:17-27) and that God's might is not in numbers" (9:11).
Judith and Mary
In Mary of Nazareth there are similarities to Judith's absolute trust in God as one of the anawîm or poor ones; there are the ritual observances to the laws of purification and celebration of the feasts, especially Passover. Both are exemplary in their prayer-life and in their religious participation.
In the liturgical readings of masses in honor of Mary, the blessing of Judith is similar to the angelic salutation of Luke: "Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God, above all the women on earth" (Jdt 13:18). Frequently in song and response the praise of Judith is celebrated also in Mary: "You are the glory of Jerusalem, the surpassing joy of Israel; You are the splendid boast of our people" (Jdt 15:9), and finally from her own hymn (Jdt 16:13-14):
"O Lord, great are you and glorious, wonderful in power and unsurpassable. Let your every creature serve you; for you spoke, and they were made, You sent forth your spirit, and they were created; no one can resist your word."
Esther is the heroine and is the paradigm for a fully liberated woman who places all her confidence in God. Through prayer and fasting she is able to challenge the evil perpetrated by the Persians and to intercede for her people Israel before King Ahasuirus. Esther was involved in the fate of the Jews. She was subject to the decree to annihilate her people, although she may have been exempt due to her status. She joined the fast of the Jews for three days in preparation for going to the king resolute that if she would perish, she had to do what she had to do to save her people! There is both resignation and freedom inspired by courage in her fasting and a certain measure of confidence that the public outcry will be successful. [See: John F. Craghan, "Esther: A Fully Liberated Woman," The Bible Today 24 (1986): 6-11.]
Contemporary celebrations of the Book of Esther take place on the Jewish feast of Purim wherein the children reenact the scenes of the book while dressing in all kinds of costumes. The archenemy of the Jewish people, Haman, is usually dressed in a black costume. In the celebration of Purim the two main ethical ideas are self-sacrifice and divine intervention. These two concepts are the themes which form the book of Esther. [See: C. G. Montefiore and H. Loewe, A Rabbinic Anthology (New York: Schocken, 1974) 99-101.]
In the celebration of Hebrew feasts the five scrolls are read. They are called the Five Megillot. Esther, however, is considered to be the "Megillah" par excellence. "Unless another of the five is indicated, Megillah is taken to mean the Book of Esther." [See: Rufus Learsi, Israel: A History of the Jewish People (New York: Meridian, 1966) 120.]
Esther and Mary
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is similar to Esther in prayer and in her intercessory power with God. She also advances the good of both the Jewish and of the Christian people in her role as Queen Mother.
Three selections from the Book of Esther are used in the Mariology of the early Christian writers and in the Catholic liturgy (Est 2:16-18; C:12, 14-15, 25, 30; and 8:3-8, 16-17).
