The idea
Why would Joseph agree to a lifetime of abstinence? Pitre flags this as speculation — 'The Bible itself does not say' — and then reasons a fortiori twice. If Joseph had 'even the slightest clue' that Mary had been overshadowed by the power of the Most High, that she was in some way a new Ark, he would have regarded her as consecrated to God. 'If the old Ark of the Covenant was so holy that a Levite could not even touch it and live, then how much more the new Ark? If the earthly Temple in Jerusalem was so holy that even the priests were required to refrain from sexual relations before entering it, then how much more Mary's body, the new dwelling place of God?'
Key verses
- Luke 1:35 — overshadowed by the Most High — the new Ark.
- 2 Samuel 6:6 — Uzzah dies touching the Ark.
- Exodus 19:15 — abstain before God descends on Sinai.
- 1 Samuel 21:4 — holy bread only for those who have kept from women.
The connection
| Old Testament root | New Testament fulfilment | |
|---|---|---|
| The Ark untouchable; the priests abstinent before the holy | → | Joseph's abstinence from the body that held God |
Chapter 3's Ark typology reappears as the explanation for chapter 5's puzzle: a man who believed the angel's words about Mary would have treated her as the Law treated the holiest things.