Joanna, wife of Chuza
Myrrhbearer | |
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Venerated in |
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Pre-congregation | |
Feast | June 27 (Orthodox and Eastern Catholic)[1]
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Joanna (
Her name is from
: 143–145She 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
Holy Myrrhbearer traditions
In Orthodox tradition, she is honored as "Saint Joanna the Myrrhbearer" (
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
In popular culture
- In the 2015 television miniseries Killing Jesus Rotem Zissman-Cohen plays Joanna.[12]
- In the 2015 television miniseries A.D. The Bible Continues, Joanna is portrayed by Farzana Dua Elahe.[12]
- Joanna is a fictional character in The Lost Wisdom of the Magi [13]
- In the third season of the 2017 television series The Chosen Joanna is portrayed by Amy Bailey.[14] She is deeply moved by the Sermon on the Mount and helps Andrew meet the imprisoned John the Baptizer.
See also
- Women in the Bible
- List of Christian women of the patristic age
Notes
- ^ Although the name Joanna is etymologically related to Anna, sharing a common derivation (from the Hebrew: חַנָּהיוֹחָנָה, romanized: Ḥannāh, 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
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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
- ISBN 0310229839
- ^ Yonge, Charlotte Mary (1884). "Names from 'Chaanach' [Part I, Chapter III, Section V]". History of Christian Names. London: Macmillan. pp. 39–46.
- ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
- ^ ISBN 0802849997.
- ISBN 9780800621285.
- ISBN 9781640656277.
- ^ "Joanna", Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States
- ^ Luke 8:2–3
- ISBN 9780801031724.
- ^ a b Peter Chattaway. "Joanna gets a speaking role in Killing Jesus and A.D.", Patheos, March 19, 2015
- ^ Susie Helme, The Lost Wisdom of the Magi, The Conrad Press (2020)
- ^ 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. ISBN 978-0567088703.
Further reading
- Lockyer, Herbert (1988). All the women of the Bible: The life and times of all the women of the Bible (Revised ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House. ISBN 978-0310281511.
- Ng, Esther Yue L. (September 2022). "Did Joanna become Junia?". Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. 65 (3). The Evangelical Theological Society: 523–534. Archived PDF
- Witherington, Ben III (Spring 2005). "Joanna. Apostle of the Lord - or jailbait?". Bible Review. 21 (2): 12–14. ISSN 8755-6316.