Simeon the Righteous
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Simeon the Righteous (also Simeon the Elder, Simeon Senex, Simeon the God-Receiver, or Holy Simeon) is the "just and devout" man of Jerusalem who, according to Luke 2:25-35, met the Virgin Mary and Jesus as they entered the Temple to fulfill the requirements of the Law of Moses on the fortieth day from Jesus' birth. On taking Jesus into his arms he uttered the prayer Nunc dimittis which is still used liturgically in Christian churches, and gave a prophecy alluding to the crucifixion. This meeting is commemorated on February 2 as Candlemas or more formally, the Presentation of the Lord, the Meeting of the Lord, or the Purification of the Virgin.
According to a tradition in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Simeon had been one of the seventy-two translators of the Septuagint. As he hesitated over the translation of Isaiah 7:14 (LXX:"Behold, a virgin shall conceive..." Many modern scholars read "young woman" for "virgin" in the Hebrew), an angel appeared to him and told him that he would not die until he had seen the Christ born of a virgin. This would make him well over two hundred years old at the time of the meeting described in Luke, and therefore miraculously longeval.
He is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Roman Catholic traditions. His feast day is February 3.
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[edit] Festal observances
The events in the life of Saint Simeon the Righteous are observed on both 2 February and 3 February. The observances of the first day center around memorializing the act of Mary undergoing an act of ritual purification, and presenting Jesus, her child, to the Temple. The events of the latter day are to observe the death of Saint Simeon, who according to the tradition was allowed to die after seeing the Christ (or Messiah) born of a virgin.
Under Mosaic law, a mother who had given birth to a man-child was considered unclean for seven days; moreover she was to remain for three and thirty days "in the blood of her purification." Candlemas therefore corresponds to the day on which Mary, according to Jewish law (see Leviticus 12:2–8), should have attended a ceremony of ritual purification. The gospel of Luke 2:22–39 relates that Mary was purified according to the religious law, followed by Jesus's presentation in the Jerusalem temple, and this explains the formal names given to the festival.
The feast on 2 February is often referred to as Candlemas, as in honor of the ritual purification of the Virgin Mary, candles (of beeswax) to be used for the entire year are brought into a church and blessed. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Presentation is the fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. In the Church of England, the Presentation of Christ in the Temple is a Principal Feast. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts.
[edit] February 2
- Feast of the Purification of the Virgin (Eastern Rite Catholic Churches)
- The Presentation of the Lord (Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church)
- The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in The Temple (Episcopal Church of the United States)
- Presentation of Our Lord (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
- The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Anglican Church of Canada)
- The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Anglican Church of Canada)
- The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Church of England and Anglican Church of Australia).
[edit] February 3
Simeon the Righteous is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Roman Catholic traditions and his feast day is observed on 3 February. In the Anglican Communion, Simeon is not venerated with a festal observance, and 3 February is set aside to recognize Anskar (801–865), a missionary, Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen and first Bishop in Sweden, 864.
In the Eastern Orthodox, Simeon is commemorated with Anna the Prophetess in this day.
- Feast of the Holy and Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver (Eastern Orthodox)
[edit] February 15
While both the Orthodox church in the East and Western Christianity agree on the setting of the dates of Christmas and Candlemas under the terms of Mosaic Law, the difference in dates, 25 December for Christmas in the West and 7 January (or 6 January) in the East, results over a theological dispute related to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar over the older Julian Calendar. The Gregorian calendar was developed after the Great Schism between the eastern and western Christian churches in 1054. As a result, many Orthodox Christians celebrate the feast day on 15 February
[edit] See also
- Nunc dimittis otherwise known as the Canticle of Simeon.
- Anna (Bible)
- Baptism of the Lord
- Candlemas
- Christmas
- Circumcision of Christ
- Epiphany
- Liturgical year
- Presentation of Jesus at the Temple
- Purification of the Virgin
- Rosary
[edit] External links
- Entry for February 3 from the Prologue from Ohrid with a brief hagiography of St. Simeon.
- Icon and hagiography from the website of the Orthodox Church in America.
