Then the Lord God said to the snake: Because you have done this, cursed are you among all the animals, tame or wild; On your belly you shall crawl, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel. (Gen. 3:14-15)
1 A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. 4 Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. 6 The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days (Rev. 12:1-6).
After the fall of Adam and Eve, God addresses the serpent with words of judgment. He declares, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; they will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel” (Gen. 3:15). This verse, traditionally called the Protoevangelium or “first gospel,” reveals a glimpse of God’s plan of redemption for mankind.
The “woman” is both Eve, the mother of all the living (Gen. 3:20), and prophetically Mary, the New Eve placed directly in opposition to Satan. The enmity between the serpent (Satan) and the woman prefigures the spiritual battle between good and evil. Her “offspring” ultimately points to Jesus Christ, who will crush the serpent's head, decisively defeating Satan through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. While the serpent may “strike at his heel,” symbolizing Christ’s suffering, this injury is not final, unlike the mortal blow to the serpent.
The passage from Revelation gives a symbolic vision that brings the Protoevangelium to its fulfillment. The “woman” in Revelation 12:1 symbolizes Mary, the mother of the Messiah, while also representing Israel, the chosen people, and the Church, the new people of God, which continues to embody this enmity with Satan. These dimensions are united in the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. As Mary, the vision calls to mind Genesis 3:15, identifying her as the woman at enmity with the serpent. The child she bears is Christ, the one “destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod” (Rev. 12:5), who fulfills the victory over Satan foretold in Genesis.
The dragon, representing Satan, seeks to destroy the child, similar to the serpent’s hostility in Genesis. Yet, the child is “caught up to God and his throne” (Rev. 12:5), signifying Christ’s Ascension and triumph. The woman, too, is protected, symbolizing God’s care for both Mary and the Church amid the trials of history.
The connection between these passages is profound. In Genesis, the Protoevangelium promises a Redeemer and a woman whose enmity with the serpent will bring about ultimate victory. In Revelation, this promise is realized in Mary and Jesus. Mary’s unique role as the New Eve complements Christ’s as the New Adam (cf. 1 Cor. 15:45). Where Eve succumbed to the serpent’s deception, Mary, full of grace (Luke 1:28), cooperates with God’s plan of salvation.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the promise of redemption in Genesis and its fulfillment in Jesus Christ through Mary. May we trust in Your victory over evil and walk faithfully in the light of Your salvation. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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