| Saint Joachim | |
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Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Virgin Mary |
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| Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Confessor | |
| Born | 1st century BC |
| Died | unknown Jerusalem |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church Orthodox Churches Anglican Communion Islam Aglipayan Church |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Feast | July 26 (Anglican Communion), (Roman Catholicism); September 9 (Eastern Orthodox Church), (Greek Catholics); March 20 (General Roman Calendar, 1584-1738); Sunday after the Octave of the Assumption (General Roman Calendar, 1738-1913); August 16 (General Roman Calendar, 1913-1969) |
| Attributes | Lamb, doves, with Saint Anne or Mary |
| Patronage | Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, fathers, grandparents, Fasnia (Tenerife) |
Saint Joachim ("he whom YHWH has set up", Hebrew: יְהוֹיָקִים Yəhôyāqîm, Greek Ἰωακείμ Iōākeím) was the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican traditions. The story of Joachim and Anne appears first in the apocryphal Gospel of James. Joachim and Anne are not mentioned in the Bible.[1]
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Since the genealogies of Jesus in Matthew and Luke do not explicitly name either of Mary's parents, but apparently name two different fathers for Saint Joseph, many scholars from John of Damascus (8th C.), and particularly Protestant scholars, argue that the genealogy in Luke is actually the family tree of Mary, and that Heli is her father.[2] To resolve the problem of Joseph having two fathers - one descended from Solomon, one descended from Nathan, son of David, traditions from the 7th Century specify that Heli was a first cousin of Joachim.[3]
In the Protoevangelium of James, Joachim is described as a rich and pious man of the house of David who regularly gave to the poor and to the temple (synagogue) at Sepphoris.[4] However, as his wife was barren, the high priest rejected Joachim and his sacrifice, as his wife's childlessness was interpreted as a sign of divine displeasure. Joachim consequently withdrew to the desert where he fasted and did penance for forty days. Angels then appeared to both Joachim and Anne to promise them a child. Joachim later returned to Jerusalem and embraced Anne at the city gate. The cycle of legends concerning Joachim and Anne were included in the Golden Legend and remained popular in Christian art until the Council of Trent restricted the depiction of apocryphal events. Traditional depictions (e.g., vestibular statuary) of Joachim show him bearing a shovel.
No liturgical celebration of Saint Joachim was included in the Tridentine Calendar. It was added to the General Roman Calendar in 1584, for celebration on March 20, the day after the feast day of Saint Joseph. In 1738, it was transferred to the Sunday after the Octave of the Assumption of Mary. As part of his effort to allow the liturgy of Sundays to be celebrated, Pope Pius X transferred it to August 16, the day after the Assumption, so that Joachim may be remembered in the celebration of Mary's triumph.[5] It was then celebrated as a Double of the 2nd Class, a rank that was changed in 1960 to that of 2nd Class Feast. In the Roman Catholic calendar of saints (in 1969) it was joined to that of Anne, for celebration on July 26.[6]
The Eastern Orthodox Churches and Greek Catholics commemorate Joachim on September 9, the Synaxis of Joachim and Anne, the day after the Nativity of the Theotokos.
Joachim is ascribed the title of "forebearer of God".
San Joaquin, California was named in his honour.
The House of Imran (Arabic: آل عمران) is the 3rd chapter of the Qur'an. Imran is Arabic for the biblical figure Amram, the father of Moses, and Aaron, who is regarded by Muslims as being the ancestor of Mary and Jesus through his son Aaron. In Muslim belief, however, the Christian Joachim has been attributed the name Imran as well. Muslims distinguish between the two different individuals as:
As for the figure of Joachim/Imran, he is revered by Muslims for being the father of Mary and the grandfather of Jesus and also for being one of the most saintly men present in Jerusalem at the time, along side the priest Zachariah. By tradition, Imran's wife was Hannah, the Christian Saint Anne.
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