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Annas

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

High priest during Jesus’ trial, father-in-law of Caiaphas, representing religious authority in the Gospels.

Detailed Definition
Though deposed, Annas retained influence and interrogated Jesus (John 18). In poetry, he symbolizes entrenched power, institutional corruption, and the collision between prophetic truth and religious bureaucracy, often used in Passion meditations.
Example
Example in poetry:
Annas—high priest during Jesus’ trial—inspires dramatic poetry: “Annas sat in shadowed halls, weaving condemnation with legal thread”; A poem on religious corruption: “The robe of Annas hid hands that traded truth for power”; In a Passion sonnet: “Before Annas, the Word stood silent—knowing some questions deserve no answer”; Modern parallel: “Every era has its Annas, cloaked in piety, sharpening knives for prophets.”
Additional Notes
Annas, high priest during Jesus’ trial (Luke 3:2; John 18:13), represents the entrenched religious elite collaborating with Roman power. Though Caiaphas presided officially, Annas retained influence, illustrating the complex priestly politics of the era. In poetic contexts, Annas embodies institutional resistance to prophetic disruption and the collision of sacred office with political expediency.
Also Known As
Ananus
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