Nazirite, Nazir, Nazirite

See also: Chastity, celibacy, Consecrated, Religious Vows, Virgins, Virginity.

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The Nazirite or nazirat, is a biblical institution by which a man or a Woman freely consecrates himself or herself to God.

The Nazirite in the Bible

Samson, who was a nazir, and Delilah.

The word Nazirite (from Hebrew nâzîr, from the root nâzar = to separate) is used 63 times in the Old Testament, the Bible before Jesus. It was the only act of individual consecration to God that was not the consequence of belonging to a tribe or caste.

This consecration, generally temporary, could result from a decision made by the parents on behalf of the child.

The Old Testament only knows a few Nazirites consecrated for life, from their childhood: Samson, Samuel and certainly John the Baptist, according to Luke's testimony 1:15. These three emblematic prophets all have in common that they were born to sterile mothers and were subjects of a heavenly announcement.

A passage in the Book of Amos (8th century BC) suggests that Nazirites were held in high esteem, as they were commissioned by God to exhort the people:

"I raised up prophets among your sons, and Nazirites among your young men – is it not so, children of Israel?" declares the Lord. "But you have made the Nazirites drink wine and have commanded the prophets, 'Do not prophesy!'"

However, it seems that the permanent Nazirite vow became rare after the exile in favor of a temporary vow. The Gospel, as well as the work of Maria Valtorta, through the examples of John the Baptist and Mary, indicate that consecration to God still existed.

Consecration to God

In the Old Testament, Nazirite or Nazarite (Hebrew: נזיר, nazir, English: Nazarite), thus designates a person who has taken the ascetic vow described in Numbers 6:1-21. It is worth noting that beyond the stated prescriptions, the term more generally referred to those consecrated to God, because Samson drank wine, which was forbidden for Nazirites.

"Among the ancient Hebrews, vows first appeared as a free contract between man and God (e.g., Abraham, Jacob, etc.). Later, they were regulated, and Nazirites became those who bound themselves to God by a special vow in the form of voluntary abstinence for a period or for life. The abstinence concerned three areas: the inner being (no alcoholic drinks), outer appearance (no adornment), and purity (no contact with the dead)."

This demand for integrity is reminiscent of that required of the Levites (persons charged with sacred service at the Temple) in Leviticus 21.

Women and slaves did not possess, according to the religious law in force, full rights: their vow was subject to the approval of the husband or master. Indeed, Maria Valtorta describes that Mary's perpetual vow of virginity was subject to the approval of the husband to whom she was promised, as reminded by the High Priest.

In the New Testament, the principle of the Nazirite vow is taken up in the form of a permanent self-giving:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God: this is your spiritual worship."

Paul himself takes a Nazirite vow at Cenchreae. He shaves his head as a sign of ending the vow, but it is hard to imagine that the abstention from wine extended to the Eucharist, a ritual that perpetuates and actualizes the sacrifice of Jesus through the consecration of bread and wine.

Nazarene and Nazirite

The two terms are not to be confused. Note, moreover, that Maria Valtorta does not confuse the declaration of Joseph "I am a Nazirite" with "Nazarene," which he was as well.

Nazarene (נצרת) is, indeed, an inhabitant of Nazareth. The root of the word Nazarene (Natser נצר) means "branch" or "shoot." Thus, when Matthew writes that Jesus:

"He came to live in a town named Nazareth, so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: He will be called a Nazarene."

he clarifies prophecies that announced the birth of a "branch" in the lineage of David:

"‘Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; he will reign as king and act wisely, and he will execute justice and righteousness in the land.’"

And also:

"Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, a man whose name is Branch! From his place he shall branch out, and he shall build the temple of the Lord."

In "The Gospel as It Was Revealed to Me"

• EMV 11.5 :
  
   : "Here I am, I come. I am Yours. And no other master shall have my flesh, except You, Lord, as my spirit has no other love"...

• EMV 12.6 : "I wanted to pick this branch in case the choice fell on me—but I did not hope so because I am a Nazirite and obeyed the summons because it came from the Priest, not out of desire for marriage… Mary takes the branch. She is moved and looks at Joseph with a more reassured and radiant expression. She feels sure of him, when afterwards he says to her: 'I am a Nazirite.' His face becomes all radiant and she takes courage. 'I too belong completely to God, Joseph. I do not know if the High Priest told you…'"

• EMV 13.5 : "I have been thinking lately about your vow. I told you I share it, but the more I think about it, the more I understand that a temporary Nazirite vow, even renewed several times, is not enough. I have understood you, Mary."

• EMV 94.8:
  
   : "The first condition to fulfill his Mission was that, from conception, he (Samson) was kept free from all that excites the senses and associates the man's viscera with impure flesh: that is, wine and rich meats which ignite an impure fire in the kidneys. The second condition, to be the deliverer, was that he was consecrated to the Lord from childhood and remained so in a perpetual Nazirite vow. Consecrated is he who preserves not only outward holiness but inner holiness."

• EMV 156.4 : Annaleah professes virginity: "I told Samuel... and he understood me. He too wanted to become a Nazirite for one year starting on the day that should have been the Wedding."

• EMV 323.7 : Ptolmai begins the introductions: "…Joseph, the boy consecrated to the Lord (as the firstborn), …Nicolaus and Dositheus. Nicolaus is consecrated to the Nazirite vow."

• EMV 363.3 : "May the Blessings of your father surpass those he himself received from his father, and may they rest on the head of Thomas until the desire of the eternal hills comes, on the head of the one who is the Nazarene among his brothers!"

• EMV 467.9 : Remember what Deuteronomy says: "The cadavers darken the eyes of the wise and alter the words of the just." Remember Samson. He was a Nazir of God from his birth, from his mother's womb, who conceived and formed him in abstinence by the order of the angel so that he would be a just judge of Israel. But so much Good, where does it end? And how? And by whom? And only by honors and money, and by women paid for this purpose, his strength was brought down to play into the hands of the Enemies…"

In other sources

In private revelations

According to "The Revealed Lives of the Virgin Mary" Mgr René Laurentin – François-Michel Debroise – Press of the Renaissance – March 2011:

Convergently in private revelations (revelations after the Gospel and not binding on faith) Mary, like Joseph, made a vow of virginity. Mary's affirmation at the Annunciation: "I do not know a man" therefore does not mean "I am (still) a virgin," but "I have made a vow of virginity."

The Golden Legend clarifies Mary's words:

"I do not intend to know one: She was therefore virgin in mind, heart, and deliberate intention." (The Golden Legend – Volume 1, The Annunciation, page 377).

Marie d'Agréda places the mutual revelation at their arrival in Nazareth. Mary says:

"In my earliest youth… I consecrated myself to God by the vow I made to be chaste in spirit and body all my life." The very chaste Joseph, full of joy from the discourse of his most holy spouse, answered him: "I want you to know, Madam, that from the twelfth year of my Age I also made a promise to serve the Most High in perpetual chastity; I now renew the same vow, so as not to hinder yours." (The Mystic City of God – Book 2, Chapter 22, §§ 759 and 760 pages 391 and 392).

According to Anne-Catherine Emmerich, Joseph was never married (unlike the apocryphal gospels). He was "very reserved" and avoided "associating with Women" (Life of the Virgin Mary – page 146)

For Consuelo, it is Mary who first confides:

"I made to my God and Lord, when I was little, the vow of chastity and my Soul breaks at the idea of not keeping my promise. But it is you who will say what we must do." Joseph replies: "- Praised be the Lord, my wife, let's do what you desire, because this decision greatly pleases my Soul. Indeed, I must tell you that since the age of twelve I have offered my chastity to God and it is a joy and not a suffering for me to continue in this state." (Mary, Door of Heaven – Chapter 3.2, page 43).

First part of the Bible from the book of Genesis until before the coming of Jesus Christ. Parallel

Second part of the Bible, from the coming of Jesus Christ until the Apocalypse.

The Gospel as it was revealed to me (Maria Valtorta).