Joanna, wife of Chuza

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Myrrhbearer
Venerated in
Pre-congregation
Feast
June 27 (Orthodox and Eastern Catholic)[1]

Joanna (

Jesus' resurrection. Her husband was Chuza, who managed the household of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee; this is the origin of the distinguishing epithet commonly attached to her name, differentiating her from other figures named Joanna or Joanne.[3]

Her name is from

'Yahweh has been gracious').[a][6]
: 143–145 

She is recognised as a saint in the

Joanna in the Gospels

Joanna is identified as "the wife of Chuza", steward to Herod Antipas, when she is listed as one of the women "cured of evil spirits and infirmities" who accompanied Jesus and the Apostles, and "provided for Him from their substance" in Luke 8:2–3.

In

synoptic gospels do not mention Joanna as one of the group of women who observe Jesus' burial and testify to his Resurrection
.

Holy Myrrhbearer traditions

In Orthodox tradition, she is honored as "Saint Joanna the Myrrhbearer" (

The Episcopal Church on August 3, as listed in Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2022 as: "Joanna, Mary, and Salome, Myrrh-Bearing Women."[8]

Although not mentioned by name, Joanna is seen as one of the women who joined the disciples and

Identification with Junia

Richard Bauckham argues for identifying Joanna, the wife of Chuza, with the Junia mentioned in Paul's letter to the Romans 16:7, "Joanna" being her Jewish name, and "Junia" her Roman. Joanna is mentioned as one of the members of the ministry of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, travelling with him among the other twelve and some other women, city to city.[10]

After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

— Luke, 8:1-3

Joanna is also mentioned alongside Mary Magdalene and other women as those who first visited the tomb and found it to be empty, and it is to this group of women, including Joanna, that Jesus first appears and instructs to tell the disciples to meet him in Galilee in Matthew 28:8-10. Bauckham notes that Paul describes Junia as having been a member of the Christian community prior to him, and given that Paul himself converted within three years of the death of Jesus, that would require Junia to have been a member of the community from a very early period.

Whereas

Hellenized, Grecian, adaptation of a Hebrew name,[11] Junia is a Latin name. Jews often adopted a second, Latin name that were nearly sound equivalents to their original name. Joanna and Junia act as near sound equivalents in the native languages, which Bauckham says is indicative of the identification between the two. Finally, Paul describes Junia as being "prominent among the apostles". Given that Junia is described as an earliest member of the community, and as one of the most prominent members, that she is not named elsewhere is indicative, as Bauckham argues, that she and Joanna are the same individual, given Joanna's high prominence during the ministry of Jesus.[6]
: 172–80 

In popular culture

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Although the name Joanna is etymologically related to Anna, sharing a common derivation (from the Hebrew: חַנָּהיוֹחָנָה, romanizedḤannāh, lit.'grace'), Joanna is not a compound formation and originated as a separate, unitary derivation, directly from the Hebrew male name Yôḥānān, 'John'.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Saint Joanna the Myrrhbearer". The Orthodox Church in America. Retrieved 22 January 2023. Commemorated on June 27"..." She is also commemorated on the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women.
  2. ^ Luke 24:10: Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in the Original Greek/Nestle-Åland Novum Testamentum Graece, 27th edition variants, accessed 9 February 2017
  3. ^ Yonge, Charlotte Mary (1884). "Names from 'Chaanach' [Part I, Chapter III, Section V]". History of Christian Names. London: Macmillan. pp. 39–46.
  4. ^ .
  5. .
  6. .
  7. ^ "Joanna", Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States
  8. ^ Luke 8:2–3
  9. .
  10. ^ a b Peter Chattaway. "Joanna gets a speaking role in Killing Jesus and A.D.", Patheos, March 19, 2015
  11. ^ Susie Helme, The Lost Wisdom of the Magi, The Conrad Press (2020)
  12. ^ The Chosen: Season 3 Begins in Theaters (TV Series 2022– ) - IMDb, retrieved 2023-01-16

Sources

  • Bauckham, Richard (2002). "Joanna the Apostle". Gospel Women: Studies of the named women in the gospels. London; Grand Rapids, MI, USA: T & T Clark; Eerdmans. pp. 109–202. .

Further reading

External links