Simeon and Anna

Biblical Account

The two appear only in Luke 2:22–38. After Jesus was born and the days of purification under the Law of Moses were completed, Mary and Joseph went up to the Temple in Jerusalem to present the child to the Lord. In doing so they followed the ordinance for dedicating the firstborn son to God (Exodus 13:2) and the law of purification for a mother after childbirth (Leviticus 12).

Simeon lived in Jerusalem, and the text introduces him as a man who was "just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel." The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ (Luke 2:25–26). Moved by the Spirit, he came into the Temple, took the child in his arms, and sang a hymn beginning, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word" (2:29–32). He then blessed the parents and told Mary two things: first, that this child was "set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against"; and second, "Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also" (2:34–35).

Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher, is called a "prophetess" in the text. She had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage and was then widowed; thereafter she did not depart from the Temple but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. Coming in at that very moment, she likewise gave thanks to God and spoke of the child to all who looked for redemption in Jerusalem (2:36–38).

Significance Within Scripture

• The two represent the devout Israelites who were awaiting the Messiah. The Gospel of Luke frequently presents a man and a woman in pairs, as with Zechariah and Mary, and Simeon and Anna are often cited as another example.
• The phrase "a light to lighten the Gentiles" in Simeon's hymn recalls passages from Isaiah such as Isaiah 49:6. It anticipates a theme of Luke and Acts: that salvation extends beyond Israel to the Gentiles. The expression "the consolation of Israel" is likewise read in connection with Isaiah 40:1.
• Simeon's words to Mary are commonly interpreted as foretelling the rejection Jesus would face and his suffering on the cross.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Simeon's age and office: The text does not say that he was old or that he was a priest. The portrayal of him as an elderly man is an interpretation arising from reading "depart in peace" as a reference to death. Later traditions identify him as a priest or with particular historical figures, but these identifications have no basis in the text.
• Anna's age: The Greek expression in verse 37 can be read in two ways. If it is read as "widowed for eighty-four years," as in the New Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Gaejeong), Anna would have been more than one hundred years old; alternatively, as some translations render it, it may mean that she had lived as a widow until the age of eighty-four.
• Liturgical use: Simeon's hymn is called the Nunc Dimittis, after its opening words in Latin. It is used in churches that emphasize liturgy (worship following set orders and prayers); the Catholic Church sings it at Compline (Night Prayer), and the Anglican tradition at Evening Prayer. The Catholic Church commemorates the event on February 2 as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, and the Anglican Church of Korea, among others, observes the same day. The Orthodox Church calls the same event the Meeting of the Lord. Most Korean Protestant churches do not observe the day separately.
• "A sword shall pierce": Catholic tradition meditates on these words as the first of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Protestants generally read them as referring to the grief Mary would endure at the foot of the cross.
• Anna as a female prophet: The fact that Anna is called a prophetess is sometimes cited in debates over the ordination of women as a biblical example of women's ministry. Opponents argue that Anna's activity cannot be equated with a public office in the church.

In the Korean Church

• The passage is frequently preached during Advent, after Christmas, or at year's end on the themes of "waiting" and "the fulfillment of the promise."
• Because she did not depart from the Temple but fasted and prayed, Anna is often presented in sermons as a model of an elderly believer devoted to prayer.
• In Sunday school, the account is taught as the latter part of the story of the Nativity of Jesus.