Orthodox Icon of St. Simeon the Host of God

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February 3rd
Troparion (Tone 1)
In the Temple thou didst embrace as an infant God the Word Who became flesh, O glorious Elder Simeon, who didst hold God in thine arms. And also as a Prophetess the august Anna ascribed praise to Him. We acclaim you as divine servants of Christ.

Simeon had been one of the Seventy who had been chosen to translate the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek in the third century BC in Egypt. When he was working on Isaiah, he came to the prophecy: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son ... ." He took a knife to scratch out the word "virgin" and substitute "young woman". An angel of God appeared to him, restraining him. The angel explained to Simeon that the word virgin was correct. Not only that, to confirm the truth of this, Simeon would not die until he had seen the Christ born of a virgin. He lived to be over 250 years old. He and the Prophetess Anna each saw Jesus Christ and took him in their arms and blessed (or more accurately were blessed by) Him. Simeon said: "Lord, lettest now thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy Salvation." The next day, Simeon reposed in the Lord, having seen the fulfillment of the prophecy.

This icon is by the hand of Nicholas Papas. This icon is one of the "cloud of witnesses" at St. Philip's Antiochian Orthodox Church, Souderton, Pennsylvania.

Order #phn-78