Ἄννας G0452
Annas; Jewish high priest, father-in-law of Caiaphas, prominent in Jesus' trial and the early church period
Annas (Hebrew Hanan, meaning 'gracious') served as high priest from roughly AD 6-15, but retained enormous influence long after his formal removal by Rome. Luke 3:2 unusually names both Annas and Caiaphas as high priests, reflecting Annas's de facto authority. John 18:13-24 records Jesus being brought first to Annas before being sent to Caiaphas, and Acts 4:6 lists Annas among those who interrogated Peter and John. The multilingual renderings show minor transliteration variants — Spanish 'Anas,' French 'Anne/Hannas,' German 'Hannas' — all pointing to the same historical figure.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Annas, the Jewish high priest and patriarch of a priestly dynasty. All four NT occurrences refer to the same individual: the father-in-law of Caiaphas who wielded behind-the-scenes authority in Jerusalem. Luke 3:2 pairs him with Caiaphas as co-high-priests, John 18:13-24 places him at the center of Jesus' preliminary hearing, and Acts 4:6 names him among the rulers questioning the apostles. Transliteration varies across languages (spa 'Anas,' deu 'Hannas,' fra 'Anne') but all identify one person. 4×
AR["حَنَانَ", "حَنَانُ", "حَنَّانَ"]·ben["আন্নার", "হানন", "হানা,", "হানার"]·DE["Hannas", "Ἅννα", "Ἅννας"]·EN["Annas"]·FR["Anne", "Hannas"]·heb["חַנָּה", "חָנָן"]·HI["हन्ना", "हन्ना-ने", "हन्नास"]·ID["Hanas"]·IT["Anna", "anna", "annan", "annas"]·jav["Hanas", "Hanas,"]·KO["안나-와", "안나스", "안나스-가"]·PT["Anás", "de-Anás"]·RU["Анна", "Анна,", "Анне"]·ES["Hannas", "Ánnas"]·SW["Anasi", "Ánnas"]·TR["Hanan", "Hanna", "Hanna'ya"]·urd["حنا", "حنا نے", "حنانیاہ"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
Ἄννας, -α (FlJ, Ἄνανος, -ου), ὁ (Heb. חָנַן), Annas, the high priest: Luk.3:2, Jhn.18:13-24, Act.4:6.† (From Abbott-Smith. LSJ has no entry)