Greek word · G452

Ἄννας

annas

Annas

A personal name, the Greek form of Hebrew Ḥanan / Ḥananyah ("YHWH has been gracious"). In the New Testament it always refers to one man: Annas son of Seth, high priest in AD 6–15.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

Ἄννας, -α (FlJ, Ἄνανος, -ου), ὁ (Heb. חָנַן),

Annas, the high priest: Luke 3:2, John 18:13-24, Acts 4:6.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of John 18:13

Range of meaning

A personal name, the Greek form of Hebrew Ḥanan / Ḥananyah ("YHWH has been gracious"). In the New Testament it always refers to one man: Annas son of Seth, high priest in AD 6–15.

Against the English

English "Annas" gives no hint of who he was. In his day the name stood for a high-priestly family that controlled the office for decades.

Used elsewhere in the period

Josephus (Antiquities 18.26) says the Roman legate Quirinius appointed Ananus son of Seth in AD 6, and that the governor Valerius Gratus removed him about AD 15 (Ant. 18.34). Josephus calls him exceptionally fortunate, because five of his sons later became high priest (Ant. 20.198). His son Ananus the younger had James the brother of Jesus executed in AD 62 (Ant. 20.200). Luke 3:2 dates John the Baptist's ministry to "the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas," and Acts 4:6 still calls Annas "the high priest." Later rabbinic tradition remembered the family badly: "Woe is me because of the house of Hanin, woe is me because of their whisperings" (Tosefta Menahot 13:21; b. Pesahim 57a).

Where it appears

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 3:2 Ἅννα of Annas

    during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

    Here: Annas (Hebrew Ḥanan, Josephus' 'Ananus'), high priest AD 6–15. Rome deposed him, but he stayed the head of the leading priestly family, and five of his sons and his son-in-law held the office after him. Luke puts him first.

John · 2

  1. John 18:13 Ἅνναν Annas

    They brought Him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.

    Here: Greek form of the Hebrew name Ḥanan ("he has been gracious"). Josephus calls him Ananus son of Seth. He had been high priest in 6–15 AD and was the head of the most powerful priestly family of the period.

  2. John 18:24 Ἅννας Annas

    Then Annas sent Him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 4:6 Ἅννας Annas

    along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and many others from the high priest’s family.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.