The faithful prophetess (H)Anna (Luke 2:36-38) and the story of Judith.

What is it about?

(H)Anna is a prophetess whose habitual practice was to fast, pray and speak to the people in the Jerusalem temple. She stands in a line of female prophetesses which are part of Israel's history, but Luke has not recorded her words, although when Jesus entered the temple she was speaking about the redemption of Jerusalem; she was looking for the Messiah. I compare the similarities with the story of Judith and give Anna a voice.

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Why is it important?

We skip over people like (H)Anna in our Bibles and can easily assume Simeon, who is give a voice, is more important, or that women were silent and subordinate in Judaism. They were not. Recovering and "faithful imagining" of women's lives such as Anna can help us see how women were active as God's spokespersons then, and so should be active in church communities today.