Elizabeth was a descendant in the priestly line of Aaron. She and her husband, Zachariah, a Temple priest, lived an upright and blameless life in one of the hill-towns of Judea. The great disappointment in their lives was that although they had prayed fervently for a child, Elizabeth had reached an advanced age without ever having conceived.
What a miracle it was, then, when the Archangel Gabriel appeared separately to Elizabeth and Zachary informing them that she would bear a son. This boy, to be called John, would be the forerunner of the messiah.
