Simeon (Gospel of Luke)

Simeon (Simeon the God-receiver) at the Temple is the "just and devout" man
Simeon
of Jerusalem who, according to Luke 2:25–35, met Mary, Joseph, and Jesus as
they entered the Temple to fulfill the requirements of the Law of Moses on the
40th day from Jesus' birth at thepresentation of Jesus at the Temple.

According to the Biblical account, Simeon had been visited by the Holy Spirit
and told that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ. On taking
Jesus into his arms he uttered a prayer, which is still used liturgically as the
Latin Nunc dimittis in many Christian churches, and gave a prophecy alluding to
the crucifixion.

In some Christian traditions, 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. His prophecy is used in the context of
Our Lady of Sorrows. Simeon is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic,
Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox traditions. His feast day is February 3.

Contents Simeon the Godreceiver by Alexei

Yegorov. 1830–40s
New Testament
Prophet, God-Receiver
In Christian tradition
Title Venerated in Eastern Orthodox
Age Church
Festal observances Roman Catholic Church
February 2 Anglican Communion
February 3 Lutheranism
February 16
Major shrine Church of St. Simeon in
See also Zadar, Croatia
References
Feast February 2
External links
February 3
February 15
Attributes Depicted as an elderly
New Testament man, sometimes vested
The sole mention in the New Testament of Simeon is as follows: as a Jewish priest, often
shown holding the infant
Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, Jesus
and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the
consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And
it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not
see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came
in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the
child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28
he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 "Lord,
 now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to
your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you
have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for
revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."
33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said
about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his
mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of
many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword
will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from
many hearts may be revealed." -Luke 2:25, ESV

The text suggests that Simeon was the officiating priest. Some writers have
identified this Simeon withShimon ben Hillel, although Hillel was not a priest.[1]

Simeon in the Temple, by Rembrandt

In Christian tradition van Rijn, 1631

Title
Holy Simeon is the usual term used in Catholic sources. ThoughSt. Simeon the Prophetand St. Simeon the Elder
are also found.[2]
Simeon senex (Simeon the old man) occurs in some Latin texts andhagiographies.[3]
Aged Simeon in poetry and music, including the Candlemas anthem "When Mary to theemple
T Went" by Johannes
Eccard (1533–1611).
Simeon is used by Protestants.[4]
Simeon Theodochos (Simeon the God-receiver, Συμεών ο Θεοδόχος) is used in Greek Orthodox tradition. In
Russian Orthodox tradition this becomesSimeon Bogo-priimets (Симеон Богоприимец).

Age
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...") and was going to correct it to γυνή
(woman), 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
[5]
him well over two hundred years old at the time of the meeting described in Luke, and therefore miraculously long-lived.

Festal observances
The events in the life of Saint Simeon the Righteous are observed on both February 2 and 3. 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, a feast
day known as the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. Since this day focuses more on Jesus and Mary, the observation on February 3
is specific to St. Simeon, who was allowed to die after seeing the Christ (or Messiah) born of a virgin. In Christian tradition, the day
of a saint's death is often celebrated as the saint's feast day
.

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", which makes a total of 40 days. The Christian Feast of the Purification
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.
In the liturgy of Evening prayer in the Anglican communion, Anglicans recite the Nunc
dimittis – or sing it in Evensong in the canticle known as the Song of Simeon – traditionally,
every evening. It is also used in the Roman Catholic Compline and Orthodox Vespers. The
Nunc dimittis has been set to music by many notable composers, such asRachmaninoff (All-
Night Vigil).

The feast on February 2 is often referred to as Candlemas, as in honor of the ritual

purification of the Virgin Mary, candles (of beeswax) which will be used for the entire year
are brought into a church and blessed. In theRoman 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.

February 2
The Meeting of Our Lord
This feast day has a number of different names: (Russian icon, 15th century)

The Meeting of Our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ(Eastern Orthodox
Church)
The Coming of the Son of God into the T emple (Armenian Apostolic Church)
Feast of the Purification of the Virgin (Eastern Rite Catholic Churches)
The Presentation of the Lord(ordinary form of the Roman Riteof the Roman
Catholic Church)
Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1962 and earlier forms of
the Roman Rite of theCatholic Church)
The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in The e Tmple (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).

Chest of Saint Simeon from

year 1380 in Zadar,
February 3
photographed around 1900
Simeon the Righteous is commemorated in his own right on February 3. In the Anglican
Communion, Simeon is not venerated with a festal observance, and February 3 is set aside
to recognize Anskar (801–865), a missionary, Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen and first
Bishop in Sweden, 864.

In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, Simeon is commemorated with Anna the Prophetess on
February 3 on the Feast of the Holy and Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver and Anna the
Prophetess.

Chest of Saint Simeon today

February 16
While both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches agree on the setting of the date of
Candlemas on the 40th day after Christmas (in accordance with the Mosaic Law), the difference in the marking of Christmas –
December 25 results over a theological dispute related to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar over the older Julian Calendar.
December 25 currently occurs 13 days later on the Julian Calendar than on the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian revision of the
calendar occurred in 1582, well after theGreat Schism between the Eastern and Western Christian churches in 1054.
As a result, many Orthodox Christians celebrate St. Simeon's feast day on February 16. As mentioned above, the Orthodox Church
celebrates St. Simeon on the day after the Feast of the Presentation, that is to say, February 3. However, for those churches which
follow the traditional Julian Calendar, February 3 falls on February 16 of the modernGregorian Calendar.

The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Nativity of Christ on January 6, and so their celebration of the Presentation, which
they call The Coming of the Son of God into the Temple is on February 14.

See also
Baptism of the Lord
Candlemas
Circumcision of Christ
Epiphany
Liturgical year
Presentation of Jesus at the Temple
Rosary
Seven Sorrows of Mary
Shimon ben Hillel
"A Song for Simeon" a 1928 poem by T.S. Eliot

References
1. The Rabbinic Traditions about the PhariseesBefore 70: The houses – Page 217 Jacob Neusner – 1971 "It is not
integral to the story, and some say is immediately corrected : Hillel was not a priest (as if Y
ohanan was!), and
therefore could not have been the master to whom the story is assigned. Perhaps someone had a special interest in
.."
2. The Tomb of St. Simeon the Prophetby Charles Seymour, Jr. (Yale University) (https://www.jstor.org/pss/766767)
3. Monks of Ramsgate Abbey, The Book of Saints: a Dictionary of Servants of God canonized by the Catholic Church
(https://archive.org/details/bookofsaintsdict00stau)
, 1921, p. 245
4. Meeting Simeon and Anna in the Temple (Luke 2:21–38) (http://www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/2_21-38.htm)
5. Orthodox Church in America,Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver(http://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/02/03/1004
09-holy-righteous-simeon-the-god-receiver)

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 theOrthodox Church in America.
Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). H" oly Simeon". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

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