Does Old Testament Typology Point To Mary Being Queen Of Heaven?

• Discussion:

          -Roman Catholic apologist Tim Staples wrote an article attempting to substantiate from Scripture the notion of Mary being the queen of heaven. He resorts to Old Testament typology as well as historical context to make his case. Each of the author's claims are cited in bold and followed with critical commentary:

          "It can be difficult for us in the modern Western world to understand ancient monarchical concepts. But first-century Jews understood the notion of the kingdom that Jesus preached because they lived it. They knew that a kingdom meant that there was a king. And, in ancient Israel as in many nearby cultures, if there was a king there was a queen mother."

          The above statements are true in and of themselves. However, the conclusion that there must be a queen mother in heaven does not follow or fit as a logical flow from the original premise of the argument. What has been argued has been assumed rather than proven. Further, a heavenly "kingdom" is spiritual and an analogy. There is no need for a queen in an analogy.

          "In the New Testament, the inspired author of Hebrews 1:8-9 quotes verses 6-7 of this very text [Psalm 45:1-9] as referring to Christ, his divinity, and his kingship. But immediately following those verses is another, lesser-known, prophecy that speaks of Mary. Who is this woman of whom the Lord said, “I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever”? Not one of Solomon’s wives fit the prophetic description."

          Texts such as Ephesians 5 and Revelation 20 employ imagery of a bride to a king when speaking of the church. Moreover, passages in the Old Testament offer the same description of the relationship of God to Israel (Ezekiel 16:8-21; Hosea 1:1-3). However, Mary is never given such a description in the Bible. The "woman" of Psalm 45 refers to a collective group rather than a specific individual. It was not even hinting at the mother of Jesus.

          "Most every Christian—indeed most of the world beyond Christendom—knows the name of the Mother of God—Mary—who in fulfillment of this prophetic text said, “All generations shall call me blessed” (Luke 1:48)."

           We can agree that Mary is blessed among women for the reason of her being used by God in a unique fashion. She brought the Jewish Messiah into the world. However, this argument begs the question in that it is not specified as to how or in what manner Mary should be exalted. Tim Staples' arguments here are all fluff and nonsense.

          The absence of any explicit reference to Mary as the queen of heaven in the New Testament further weakens the argument. While Tim Staples attempts to draw connections between Old Testament typology and Mary’s role, typology must be explicitly fulfilled in Scripture to carry weight. In this case, the typology of a queen mother in ancient Israel lacks clear correlation to Mary in the heavenly realm.