tom lowe
1/8/2022
Anna, the Prophetess
Who was Anna the prophetess in the Bible? I am ashamed that I could not answer that question until I researched this article. I have read the Bible from cover to cover, but I must admit I do not recall anything about her. Furthermore, I have never heard a sermon or Sunday School lesson that mentions her name. Therefore, I will tell you all about her from what I have learned.
Anna is mentioned in the Bible as a prophetess [female prophet] and one of the people connected to Jesus' childhood. She was the daughter of Penuel from the tribe of Asher. Her name, which she shares with Hannah in the Old Testament, means "favor" or "grace." All we know of her is found in three verses in the New Testament book of Luke. When Anna encounters the infant Jesus in the Temple, we see that her life is indeed overflowing with favor and grace (Luke 2:36-38).
"There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple marriage, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him" (Luke 2:36-40, NIV).
"There was also a prophet, Anna," (Luke 2:36). Anna is among only a handful of women in the Bible bearing the title "prophetess." The others are Miriam, the sister of Moses (Exodus 15:20); Deborah, the judge (Judges 4:4); Huldah, the wife of Shallum (2 Chronicles 34:22); Isaiah's wife (Isaiah 8:3); and Philip's four unmarried daughters (Acts21:9).
"She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four" (Luke 2:36–37). Anna had been married only seven years when she became a widow, and she remained a widow for the rest of her life. Most translations indicate that Anna was eighty-four years old when she met Jesus. However, it is also possible to translate the text to mean Anna had lived eighty-four years after her husband died. That would mean Anna was at least 104 years old—if she had married at thirteen. Either way, she had spent the vast majority of her life without a husband and was ministering before the Lord in the Temple.
"She never left the temple marriage, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. " (Luke 2:37). After becoming a widow, Anna dedicated herself wholly to the Lord. She never left the Temple in Jerusalem but spent her time worshiping, fasting, and praying. It is possible that Anna was given living quarters at the Temple because of her designation as a prophetess, or she may have lived close by. What stands out is that her devotion was constant for the majority of her life, and her devotion was rewarded with an encounter with her Savior. Her many years of sacrifice and service were worth it all when she beheld the Messiah, the One for whom she had waited so long.
"Coming up to them at that very moment," she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." (Luke 2:38). Mary and Joseph arrive at the Temple with the baby Jesus to satisfy the Old Testament law. They needed to make the purification offering (see Leviticus 12:6–8) and present Jesus as their firstborn before God (see Exodus 13:2, 12–15). While they are there, a man named Simeon cradles the Lord Jesus in his arms, praises God, and utters a prophecy concerning Jesus and Mary. At this moment, Anna enters. She immediately recognizes Jesus as the long-awaited Savior and begins thanking God.
"She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38). Anna, the prophetess, is among the first few to bring honor to the kingly babe born in a stable. Good news is meant to be shared, and Anna shares it with everyone anticipating the Messiah. The Redeemer had come, the prophecies were being fulfilled, and Anna
(36) One Anna, a prophetess.—The fact is in many ways remarkable. We find a woman recognized as a prophetess at a time when no man is recognized as a prophet. She bears the name of the mother of the founder of the School of the Prophets, identical with that which the legends of Apocryphal Gospels assign to the mother of the Virgin. She is named, as if it were a well-known fact, as having been the wife of Phanuel, and she is not of the tribe of Judah but of Aser. That tribe, then, though belonging to the Ten that had been carried into exile by Shalmaneser (2Kings 17:6), had not been altogether lost. Some, at least, of its members survived and cherished the genealogies of their descent, as one family of the neighboring tribe of Naphthali are said to have done at Nineveh (Tobit 1:2). We also find Anna's name (Tobit 1:9).
Anna in the Bible
Luke reveals the prophetess as a Biblical model for aging
Anna is one of the Bible's most unusual women. Introduced at the end of the Birth Narrative (Luke 1:1-2:40), Anna concludes the sextet of named, pious Israelites surrounding the miraculous births of John and Jesus. The others are Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, and Simeon. Anna arrives at the purification of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in the Temple, 40 days after Jesus' birth (Luke 2:22-38). It is a scene repeated in Israelite culture, for the law required a sacrifice of a lamb or two pigeons or two doves after a son's birth (Leviticus 12:2-8).
However, this purification is unlike any other, for Simeon and Anna arrive at the ritual independently, though both seem led by divine direction (Luke 2:22-38).
Luke's pairing of Simeon and Anna provides an interesting comparison. Simeon arrives first, and Luke records more of his encounter. Simeon is an older man. He exclaims, "Now, Sovereign Lord, you can let your servant depart in peace" (v. 29). He prophesies that the child in his arms is God's salvation, "prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people Israel" (Luke 2:28, 30b-32). Notice Luke's deft writing: Simeon praises the Lord while Anna offers thanks; he prophesies, but she is called a prophetess (Luke 2:29-32, 34-36).
Regarding Anna, Luke provides three terse verses that manage to vividly depict her as a woman deserving the honor bestowed on the elderly in the ancient Mediterranean world (v. 36-38). She could well serve as the Bible's example of a remarkable woman and mother. The appositive prophetess heads her description (Luke 2:36). In this she outranks Simeon, a man praised as righteous and devout (Luke 2:25) who may be a priest because he holds the baby Jesus. Anna is the New Testament's only named female prophetess. Luke gives her father's name, Phanuel, but not her husband's. He mentions her tribe, Asher. As such, she numbers among the few New Testament characters with tribal listings. Others include Jesus, of the house and lineage of David and the tribe of Judah (Luke 2:4; Matthew 1:1-16), Saul of Benjamin (Philippians 3:5) and Barnabas, a Levite (Acts 4:36).
________________________________________
________________________________________
Luke summarizes Anna's encounter with the bit of family. Unlike Simeon, her direct speech is narrated—yet it is powerful. While Simeon speaks of the larger and later context of the child to the Gentiles and Israel (vv. 30-32), Anna evangelizes immediately and selectively—to those "looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem" (v. 38). She and Simeon join others in Luke's gospel in recognizing this child's great significance and wide import: the angel Gabriel (1:31-33), Elizabeth and John (1:42-45), Zechariah (1:76-79), and the Bethlehem shepherds who also evangelize (2:11-12, 20).
As a prophetess, Anna receives insight into things that typically remain hidden to ordinary people; she recognizes this child and tells of his significance to selected people in Jerusalem. Her actions affirm Amos 3:7: "Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plans to his servants the prophets."
Luke dwells on Anna's advanced age with ambiguity. Let us agree with the text: she is ancient! Luke tells us she was married for seven years, then widowed. Her widowhood has lasted 84 years or 84 years old when she crosses the Biblical stage (Vv. 36-37). If the former, she could well be 105 years old, the same age as the apocryphal figure Judith when she died (Judith 16:28). Some scholars figure it this way: Anna married at age 14, a typical marriage age; however, she was widowed at age 21 and then met the young family 84 years later at age 105.
I tend to see her as 105 because it is in line with the miracles and unusual occurrences already surrounding the Birth Narrative, including the advanced age of Zechariah and Elizabeth when John was conceived (Luke 1:7, 13, 18, 57), and the Holy Spirit's action of overshadowing Mary, who was able to conceive without intercourse (Luke 1:31-35). My point is this: age 105 is not out of line with Luke's narrative replete so far with angelic visitations and miracles—especially when Luke fills in with more details about Anna. In Deuteronomy, Moses prophesies that for the tribe of Asher, Anna's tribe, "your strength will equal your days" (Deuteronomy 33:25). Indeed Anna's life shows evidence of that.
Luke's description of her lifestyle may be seen as eccentric today and quite likely was considered so at the time. However, her lifestyle invigorates her, for she is mobile, articulate, alert, spiritually savvy, and valuable. She worships night and day, fasting and praying. She is a workaholic, available 24/7. She never leaves the Temple (v. 37).
________________________________________
Who was the first to truly recognize Jesus as the Messiah and understand the implications? The article "Mary, Simeon or Anna: Whom First Recognized Jesus as Messiah?" Ben Witherington III takes a close look at the account given in Luke and sheds some light on what the Biblical narrative says about who was the first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
________________________________________
Luke indicates that her worship, prayer, and fasting habits represent a routine, probably one of decades. She resides within the Temple or on its premises. A precedent in earlier centuries could have been the presence of Levite musicians and heads of families "who stayed in the temple rooms and were exempt from other duties because they were responsible for the work day and night" (1 Chronicles 9:33). So perhaps this behavior was not so unusual during the first century because of the complete time work of worship the Levites undertook.
Anna, this worship workaholic, sets her hours, schedule, route, and routine. Arguably she listens to God and prays as directed. Others recognize her as a prophetess. The prayer work indeed characterizes a prophet, for God told Abimelech that Abraham was "a prophet and he will pray for you" (Gen. 20:7). Anna knows fasting brings results. Biblical precedents include Esther's three-day fast before courageously approaching Xerxes (Est. 4:15-16) and the abstinence of Daniel and his three friends regarding the delicacies of King Nebuchadnezzar's table (Dan. 1:12).
Let us consider Luke's textual silences. Luke omits mention of her family; perhaps she had outlived her children. However, if she has living family members? Do they share her devotion to constant worship? What about her finances? Is she independently wealthy, or do others provide her food? What did she look like? These questions remain unanswered, for they do not contribute toward Luke's themes.
The Biblical text, however, contains clues regarding her appearance and character. Her lifestyle of fasting may indicate thinness; her ability to walk around the Temple indicates her fitness and that her eyesight and hearing are intact; her designation as a prophetess indicates her spiritual acuity; her talk of the child to those interested in the redemption of Jerusalem indicates her deep connection with a like-minded community.
With this in mind, Anna shows one aging model in the Biblical text. Luke presents her positively as a woman without the bitterness that may come with age and as one full of hope. As she moves throughout the Temple, she undoubtedly seeks to do good to those she encounters. Luke's description shows her as well-adjusted, engaged in Israel's life, and valuable to the Lord. She may well have become the model for the righteous church widows Paul describes in 1 Timothy 5:5. Arguably the best representatives of the Old Covenant—Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, and worship workaholic Anna—all elderly, all ably serve as transitions to the New Covenant.
