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Anna the ProphetessWhen the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. . . Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:22,34-38 There are three women who proclaim the coming of the Messiah in the gospel infancy narratives. The first two are Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her cousin Elizabeth. The third is Anna, the prophetess. She was a member of the tribe of Asher, one of the ten "lost tribes" of Israel, which were scattered in the Assyrian captivity in 722 B.C. While the tribe as a whole never returned to Israel, Anna's family had made the journey back to their homeland. "The woman of the tribe of Asher were known for their beauty and talent, which qualified them for royal and high-priestly marriage."1 Therefore the fact that she did not remarry is significant. There would have been great pressure to do so, especially because the tribe of Asher was in danger of extinction. "Her greatest womanly contribution, as well as her womanly fulfillment, would seem to have been marriage and child-bearing. Nevertheless, she remained single, lived out her life in the temple, occupied with prayer and fasting."2 Anna was well-known as a prophetess. "To be acknowledged as a prophetess was a great honour and distinction given her among the Jewish people, especially from the High Priest and Teachers of the Law, who recorded her in their religious history. This was not an ordinary notability."3 The significance of Anna's testimony, however, is not merely that she recognized Jesus as the Messiah, but that she then went to spread the good news. Like the women who would bear witness to the Resurrection many years later, Anna shares the wonderful news with all who would listen. 1 http://www.mustardseed.net 2 http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=1010 3 http://www.tne.net.au/`abdaacts/anna.html |