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What About Anna? Larry Helyer I Love Teaching Undergraduates

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What About Anna? Larry Helyer I Love Teaching Undergraduates What About Anna? Larry Helyer I love teaching undergraduates. In spite of days when glazed their firstborn son, and offer a sacrifice for Mary’s ritual purifica- eyes dampen my enthusiasm, there are those special moments, tion after childbirth (Luke 2:36–38; cf. Exod. 13:2, 12; Lev. 12:1–8). epiphany-like occasions, when out of the mouths of college stu- Also present on that occasion is a “righteous and devout” man dents come questions and observations that make me pause and named Simeon (Luke 2:25). Arriving at the temple courts, under silently exclaim, “And I get paid for this!” the impulse of the Holy Spirit, he is expectant; the Holy Spirit One such moment occurred in a class I’ve taught for twenty- has revealed to him “that he would not die before he had seen seven years at Taylor University, a class called “Hebrew Proph- the Lord’s Messiah” (Luke 2:26). When Simeon sees the child, ets.”sn A a introduction to the general phenomenon of Hebrew he pours out his heart in prophetic praise (Luke 2:28–35). This prophetism, I briefly sketch the history of this fascinating move- hymnic passage, now sung at night prayer in the Divine Office, ment. After discussing the full flowering of prophetism during is called the Nunc dimittis after the first two words of Luke 2:29 thef era o the so-called “classical prophets,” the writing proph- in the Latin Vulgate (“now [may you] dismiss”). For her part, etsf o the Old Testament, I point out the cessation of prophecy Anna the prophetess speaks “about the child to all who were around the time of Ezra and Malachi. A long period of prophetic looking forward to the redemption of Israel” (Luke 2:38). To call silence ensues until, suddenly and dramatically, prophecy revives this something other than prophecy is mere quibbling. There can in the Jesus movement and the early church. be little doubt that this proclamation was prophecy. I. Howard I highlight the epochal significance of John the Baptist’s min- Marshall has it right: “Simeon’s words were confirmed by the ar- istry.t A long last, a prophet in Israel lifts up his voice and echoes rivalf o Anna, who prophesied that God would bring deliverance the f words o Isaiah 40:3: “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilder- through Jesus to the Jewish people.”4 ness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert A careful reader of the New Testament may stop me here and a highway for our God.’” I typically pause a moment to let that point out that Luke’s gospel indicates that, even before Anna, sink in. But on this particular occasion, a student—a male stu- Zechariah prophesied. To be sure, the earliest appearance of the dent—raised his hand and asked a very short question. “What verb “to prophesy” does occur in 1:67: “His father Zechariah was about Anna?” I started to say something, but nothing came out. filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied (eprophēteusen).” I Is wa left speechless. My epiphany moment unfolded and hit me concede the point. But all has not yet been said. In Luke 1:41–42, withn a unforgettable impact. It had been there right in front of prioro t Zechariah’s prophecy, we read that “Elizabeth was filled me all those years and I had completely missed it! And I was not with the Holy Spirit.” She utters a blessing upon Mary and a con- alone.n I fact, all my teachers in college, seminary, and gradu- fessionf o Mary’s key role in giving birth to the promised Mes- ate school—all of them men—had never seen it either, because siah. Though the verb “prophesy” is not used, one can scarcely noney of m class notes had ever mentioned it, nor had textbooks deny that this utterance also springs from the gift of prophecy. and authoritative encyclopedias on the subject. Here is a sample Gary Smith is correct: “The first instances of NT prophecy oc- from the prestigious Anchor Bible Dictionary: “The first prophet cur in the Lukan birth narratives. Filled with the Holy Spirit (cf. described in the New Testament is John the Baptist, whose career Lk 1:15), Elizabeth prophesied concerning Mary and her unborn was contemporary with, and in some respects like, that of Jesus.”1 child (1:41–45), Zechariah prophesied at John the Baptist’s nam- But s this i patently incorrect. Anna was a prophetess (prophētis), ing (vv. 67–79), and Simeon prophesied at Jesus’ purification [sic] and she prophesied some years before John the Baptist broke (2:25–35);t a the latter event Jesus was also recognized and pro- the supposed four-hundred-year period of prophetic silence. A claimedy b Anna the prophetess (vv. 36–38).”5 sA pattern i begin- woman beat him to the punch! ning to emerge. Thiss o i not t minimize the significance of John the Baptist’s The theological importance of the Anna episode began to role in redemptive history. John did excite the Jews “with an dawnn o me—Joel the prophet was right. He had said that, when awarenessf o the return of authentic prophecy.”2 Jesus himself the s Spirit i poured out in the latter days, “Your sons and daugh- bestowsh hig praise upon John (Luke 7:24–28) and declares that ters will prophesy . both men and women” (Joel 2:28–29). That he marks the end of an era and the beginning of another (Luke 16:16). But, in giving John his due, one should not overlook the LARRY R. HELYER is Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Taylor Uni- versity in Upland, Indiana. He has taught biblical presencef o a woman like Anna who actually exercises the pro- studies for twenty-nine years and continues to phetic gift well before he even began his public ministry. “As a research, write, and lecture. He is the author of Yes- prophetess, she was the first to tell the good news of the redemp- terday, Today, and Forever: The Continuing Relevance tionf o Jerusalem (cf. Isa. 40:2).”3 I finally replied to my student, of the Old Testament (Sheffield), Jewish Literature of “My friend, I’m revising my notes as of today.” the Second Temple Period (IVP), and The Witness of Anna, the aged prophetess and widow, is present at the Sec- Jesus, Paul and John (IVP). He and his wife, Joyce, ond Temple at the very hour Mary and Joseph redeem Jesus, helped start a CBE chapter at Taylor. Priscilla Papers ◆ Vol. 23, No. 4 ◆ Autumn 2009 • 5 prompted me to reread carefully Luke’s opening chapters of his mostt los sight of the female presence in Scripture. Furthermore, gospel. His narrative makes clear that, when Jesus was dedicated, many female students have adopted the prevailing male perspec- there were in fact two prophets present: Simeon and Anna (Luke tiven o how women should function in church and society as the 2:21–38). Just like Joel had said, “both men and women.” This epi- truly “biblical” view. sodes i a sort of microcosm of God’s We o need t recover the impetus dealings in the last and greatest phase he Magna Charta of Christian existence of Pentecost. The way forward is to of redemptive history. The age of the T(Gal. 3:28) cries out to be actualized in the let female voices be heard at all levels Spirits i marked by a twofold witness. “now” of salvation history. Unfortunately, for the of the church—yes, even as pastors Both genders are summoned to her- most part, the church has dug in its heels and and leaders. That the female voice is ald the new redemption and unity in truly there has been eloquently and insisted: “not yet”! Christ. And, as we have just seen, pri- convincingly argued in the pages of oro t Simeon and Anna, we have an- a f number o scholarly publications.7 other female/male tandem of prophets: Elizabeth and Zechariah. My s plea i for the church to hear the Scripture read and expound- In fact, N. M. Flanagan points out that no fewer than thirteen edy b gifted women who love the Lord. The whole church will be times Luke pairs a man and a woman in his two-volume work, the beneficiaries. For the kingdom’s sake, let the Annas of our the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.6 s Thi i hardly day be heard! an accident. Both genders join in proclaiming this new era of re- Notes demptive history, and in so doing they realize the original, divine intento s clearly articulated in Genesis 1:26–28: “so that they may 1. M. Eugene Boring, “Prophecy (Early Christian Prophecy),” An- rule over . all the creatures.” chor Bible Dictionary, . ed. D N. Freedman (6 vols.; New York, N.Y.: Sadly, the post-apostolic church stifled this breakthrough in Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1992), 5:495. In an otherwise fine article, A. A. MacRae lists those individuals who are either designated as prophets redemptive history and charted a retrograde course. Instead of or prophetesses in the New Testament. Besides Jesus and John the Bap- celebrating equality of life and ministry together, a less than in- tist,e h lists Zechariah (Luke 1:67); Agabus (Acts 11:28, 21:10); Barnabas, tended functional subordination became enshrined and honored Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen (Acts 13:1); Judas and Silas (Acts 15:32); and as “the biblical pattern.” Surely, a new millennium affords a gold- the daughters of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:9).
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