Comments on: Anna in the Bible

By: Dr. Craig B. Miller, ThD

Dr. Craig B. Miller, ThD — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 17:01:52 +0000

The author takes the opportunity to use scholarly imagination to nest an allegorical story, orchestrated by the Lukan writer, who is far more rhetorician than avowed historian. The story displays several literary “proof sets” of the writer’s design. The gospel may have drawn on Jesus tradition, capably fabricated the narrative, or both. The narrative has several vectors. It is about generational change outside (Simeon) and within (Hanna) the Temple, the nexus of Judaism. The advanced age of both Simeon and Hanna highlight that change. Actually, they are the now-aged man and woman from Genesis, born new into the world by God. They in turn are now symbolic of a new birth into the world, Jesus. The rhetorical formula is that of an inverted triangle, with Yahweh at the apex and the man/woman at either end of the base transformed into Simeon/Hanna at the base of the inverted triangle, with Jesus at the apex: a diamond shaped configuration when seen as a whole. Viewed in another way, just as the man/woman are a merism for humankind, Simeon/Hanna are a merism for the universality of the dawning church. From yet another optic, the aged pair are the spiritual surrogate parents for Jesus in this theological weave. Their recognition of Jesus points the way to a new-generation God (or a God fully manifest), subsuming Yahweh. The sage-like Simeon benchmarks the retrojected church as the staple of the Holy Spirit, which enlightens him as to the arrival of long-awaited “consolation.” Notably Simeon, in his praise, places the Gentiles ahead of “your people Israel” (Lk 2:32), a forensic marking of the Lukan writer’s late invention., Hanna is a more complex assemblage. Her extraordinarily troglodytic existence in the Temple (a hyperbolic piece of story-telling pointing to an exceptionally holy person) is broken by the recognition of Jesus, much as Hulda in astonishment certifies the Temple scroll on-sight (2 Kgs 22:14ff) . And she is an allegorical feast. She was married for seven years (a conveniently prime biblical number, base-lining normative behavior), and “a widow to the age of eighty-four,” whose sum (in the numerologically minded Hellenistic period) is 12, representing the Israelite tribes now embraced by a new divine sovereign. Her father’s name Penuel (Face of God) is a prefigurement for that which Hanna will gaze on, and her Asherite identity points to a tribal territory plentiful in bread (Gen 49:20) and oil (Dt 33:24), like Jesus, staples of life. While an engaging BAS article, its methodology trades disinterested empiricism for immersive participation.

By: Andrew Roth

Andrew Roth — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 16:01:34 +0000

This reply is for the entire thread. Actually my research indicates that “Simeon” is the sitting high priest at this time in late 5 BCE. He is known as Shimon bar Boethus, and his daughter Mariamne is married to Herod the Great. If you read that section of Luke 2 carefully and compare it to Leviticus 12, you will see that only a Kohen (priest) can do the ritual for the 6 week old infant Yeshua and his mom. I have also identified several biographical matches between this man in Luke 2 and Shimon bar Boethus who is mentioned in Josephus. Finally, the tomb of Peter on the Mount of Olives (not Rome) at Dominus Flevit also has buried with him Martha, Mary, Lazarus and a certain Salome, daughter of Shimon the priest.

By: Charles Chi Halevi

Charles Chi Halevi — Sun, 25 Jun 2023 18:11:00 +0000

Claiming “Others include Jesus, of the house and lineage of David and the tribe of Judah” betrays a fundamental fault in Christianity.

In Judaism, it is only the FATHER’S tribe that determines the lineage of a child — not the mother’s tribe. And Joseph, of course, was not from the lineage of David or even Judah.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 13:59:00 +0000

Aren’t these also considered prophetesses 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).

By: Judith Jurawan

Judith Jurawan — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 18:35:41 +0000

Gary,

God speaks to individuals in varied ways. It is fraught with “waiting” (time lapse); caution in relating His words to others; doubt at times; questions on personal importance to God; guarded anticipation; deep prayer; spiritual battles; sleepless nights; and many other distractions. God does not leave s alone to fight and He ‘draws near’.

By: Judith Jurawan

Judith Jurawan — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 18:29:56 +0000

It was also the time of ‘redeeming’ of women. Women are more in focus in the life of Jesus than any other event in the Bible. Inspiring and informative article!

Robin, you are an encouragement being a women in the area where women are not recognized as an ‘authority’.

I had to struggle to be a woman in bible study and exposition.

By: Anna Maranta

Anna Maranta — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 23:35:13 +0000

Jesus was presented at the Temple in Jerusalem. The remains of the Temple are scant on the Mount, but there are considerable archaeological remnants, especially within or under the Western Wall – Kotel, and to the south where we can see steps leading to entryways, ritual baths, amongst many other findings.

By: Alexis

Alexis — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 20:26:57 +0000

Thank you for the interesting article.

Is the site of the temple where Christ was presented known today? If so, where is it?

By: Euline

Euline — Wed, 21 Jun 2017 03:08:45 +0000

I am totally amazed at the timing of this article. I will ponder this to see what the Lord is saying to me. I already had a confirmation from one person on the subject of Anna in the Temple, I did not understand what the Lord was saying to me from Luke 2 until the word was spoken over me so I looked it up in this commentry, l do believe this is the set time for the Revelation to come

By: Gary Schwartz

Gary Schwartz — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 16:35:04 +0000

Nice that the blog is illustrated with a Rembrandt painting that might be Anna. But Rembrandt depicts her twice in etchings of the Presentation in the Temple, both times giving her intriguing un-Scriptural features. In the small Presentation of 1630 (Bartsch 51) an angel stands beside her, pointing to the Christ child. And in the large horizontal Presentation of about 1639 (Bartsch 49), two doves hover above her head. The foremost has a nimbus suggesting that it is the Holy Spirit, as some art historians say. Is there any justification for this in theology or precedent for it in the iconography of Anna? What could Rembrandt have been thinking of?