Jacopo de' Barbari: Holy Family Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the Infant Saint John the Baptist, engraving by Jacopo de' Barbari, 1499/1501; in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (more) St. Elizabeth mother of John the Baptist Actions Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-mother-of-John-the-Baptist Give Feedback Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　Print print Print Please select which sections you would like to print: Table Of Contents Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-mother-of-John-the-Baptist Feedback Written by Meg Matthias Meg Matthias is Senior Video Production Manager at Encyclopædia Britannica. Meg Matthias Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Nov 8, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Quick Facts Flourished: beginning of the Christian era (Show more) Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " Who was St. Elizabeth in the New Testament? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "St. Elizabeth was the wife of Zechariah, mother of St. John the Baptist, and a relative of the Virgin Mary." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What is the significance of Elizabethu2019s greeting to Mary? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Elizabethu2019s greeting to Mary, u201CBlessed art thou among women,u201D is part of the Roman Catholic Hail Mary prayer and signifies the recognition of Maryu2019s special role as the mother of Jesus." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How is Elizabeth depicted in art? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Elizabeth is often depicted in art alongside the Holy Family, usually as an older woman positioned behind or to the side of the family, and sometimes with her husband or child." } } ] } Top Questions Who was St. Elizabeth in the New Testament? St. Elizabeth was the wife of Zechariah, mother of St. John the Baptist, and a relative of the Virgin Mary.

　　What is the significance of Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary? Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary, “Blessed art thou among women,” is part of the Roman Catholic Hail Mary prayer and signifies the recognition of Mary’s special role as the mother of Jesus.

　　How is Elizabeth depicted in art? Elizabeth is often depicted in art alongside the Holy Family, usually as an older woman positioned behind or to the side of the family, and sometimes with her husband or child.

　　St. Elizabeth (flourished beginning of the Christian era) was, in the New Testament, the mother of St. John the Baptist and a relative of the Virgin Mary. A descendant of Aaron, the biblical high priest and brother of Moses, Elizabeth is revered in Christian and Islamic tradition as a righteous woman and mother of a prophet.

　　The only biblical descriptions of Elizabeth appear in the Gospel According to Luke. In the first chapter the author represents Elizabeth and her husband, the priest Zechariah, as “righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord” (Luke 1:6). In the childless couple’s old age Zechariah was visited by the angel Gabriel, who brought the message that Zechariah and Elizabeth would have a son, although Elizabeth was, presumably, now past childbearing age. Luke 1:13–17 states:

　　The angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never take wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

　　Zechariah initially doubted Gabriel and was struck temporarily unable to speak in his disbelief. Still, faithful Elizabeth became pregnant and gave birth to a son, whom the couple named John in accordance with the angel’s instructions. She rejoiced in the blessing from God in Luke 1:25, also referencing the stigma faced by childless women: “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.”

　　The child, John the Baptist, grew to become a Jewish prophet who baptized those who repented in self-preparation for God’s Final Judgment. He famously baptized Jesus in the Jordan River and was later beheaded by Herod Antipas. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all include accounts of John the Baptist, who is understood to be a forerunner of Christ the Messiah.

　　The Visitation “Blessed art thou among women”St. Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary during the Visitation is part of the Roman Catholic Hail Mary prayer, commonly said during the rosary.

　　Pellegrino Tibaldi: Visitation (Meeting of Mary and Elizabeth in the Presence of Saints Joseph and Jerome)Visitation (Meeting of Mary and Elizabeth in the Presence of Saints Joseph and Jerome), oil on canvas by Pellegrino Tibaldi, 1550–1600; in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.(more)According to Luke 1:39–56 about the sixth month of her pregnancy with John, Elizabeth was visited by Mary, who was newly pregnant with Jesus—an occasion known as the Visitation. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth “was filled with the Holy Spirit” and felt her baby leap in her womb. (Later Catholic doctrine would affirm that this signified that John had become sanctified and cleansed of original sin, as if by baptism.) Moved by the experience, Elizabeth proclaimed to Mary:

　　Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.

　　Mary responded with the Magnificat, a hymn of praise in which Mary declared: “My soul magnifies the Lord/and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” The Magnificat has been the subject of elaborate musical settings and is sung each day at evening prayer, or vespers, in many Roman Catholic religious orders and other churches. Although some argue that the Magnificat was actually sung by Elizabeth, most early Greek and Latin manuscripts, as well as most scholarly work since the early 20th century, regard it as the “Song of Mary.” The Feast of the Visitation in the Roman Catholic Church is celebrated on May 31.

　　Nicholas Poussin: The Holy Family on the StepsThe Holy Family on the Steps, oil on canvas by Nicolas Poussin, 1648; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.(more)Elizabeth appears in some notable artistic depictions of the Holy Family. Artists including Peter Paul Rubens, Nicolas Poussin, and Elisabetta Sirani have painted scenes portraying Elizabeth, at times accompanied by her husband or child, alongside Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus. Elizabeth is typically depicted as an older woman positioned behind, or to the side of, the Holy Family.

　　The Visitation is another common motif in religious art. Until the 12th century representations showed the two women greeting each other either with formality and reserve (in the severe tradition of Hellenistic art) or with a tender embrace (in art of Syrian origin). The more emotional version, in accordance with a later medieval taste for realism, became predominant from the 12th century on. The growing importance of the Virgin as an object of devotion brought about another change at the beginning of the 15th century: Elizabeth was shown kneeling before Mary. Also in the 15th century a peculiar version of Byzantine origin began to gain popularity in the west and was widely adopted for a time; it showed the unborn John the Baptist, visible in the womb of Elizabeth, saluting the child Jesus, visible in Mary’s womb. This representation was outlawed during the Counter Reformation at the Council of Trent, which considered it undignified and later imposed the more sedate version showing Elizabeth kneeling.