Joachim and Anna, the parents of St. Mary, are not named in canonical writings. All information about them comes from apocryphal literature, the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary and the Gospel of James.

In the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary (part of the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew), Joachim is said to have been a shepherd, of the tribe of Judah, married to Anna, daughter of Achar, of the tribe of Judah and family of David.

In the Gospel of James, Joachim is said to have been a rich and pious man, a descendant of King David, of the House of Amram. He and his wife Anna lived at Sepphoris. They were old and childless when they were miraculously blessed with a child who became the Virgin Mary. They then moved from Galilee to Jerusalem.

The genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke ends with Heli, the father of Joseph, the father "as was supposed" of Jesus (Luke 3:23-31). A 16th century tradition says Luke's genealogy was that of Mary, while Matthew's was that of Joseph. Therefore the Heli of the genealogy would have been Mary's father Joachim (equating Heli to Eliakim to Joachim). Some contemporary scholars suggest Luke's genealogy is fraudulent, invented by an author who was not aware of the genealogy given by Matthew.

Later traditions make Jesus' grandfather Eli a first cousin of Mary's father Joachim. John of Damascus, in the first half of the 8th century, said Joachim was the son of Bar-Panther, the son of Levi (De fid. Orth., 4.14). The Bollandists, editors of the Acta Santorum (1643) identified Joachim as a son of Heli, and brother of Saint Joseph. The Feast Day of SS. Joachim and Anna is July 26.

-- Contributed by Justin Swanström

Wikipedia

Joachim

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For other persons named Joachim, see Joachim (disambiguation).

Saint Joachim

Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Virgin Mary

Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Confessor

Born 1st century BC

Died unknown, Sepphoris or Jerusalem

Venerated in Roman Catholic Church

Orthodox Churches

Anglican Communion

Islam

Canonized Pre-Congregation

Feast July 26; March 20 (General Roman Calendar, 1584-1738); Sunday after the Octave of the Assumption (General Roman Calendar, 1738-1913); August 16 (General Roman Calendar, 1913-1969)

Attributes Lamb, doves, with Saint Anne or Mary

Patronage Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, fathers, grandparents, Fasnia (Tenerife)

Saint Joachim ("he whom YHWH has set up", Hebrew: יְהוֹיָקִים Yəhôyāqîm, Greek Ἰωακείμ Iōākeím) was the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and therefore is ascribed the title of "forebearer of God", in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican traditions. The story of SS. Joachim and Anne appears in the apocryphal Gospel of James.

The canonical Gospel accounts in the New Testament do not explicitly name either of Mary's parents, but some argue that the genealogy in Luke 3 is that of Mary rather than Joseph, thereby naming her father as Eli (Heli).[1] Later traditions, however, specify that this Eli was a first cousin of Mary's father Joachim.[2]

Forrás / Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joachim -------------------- Joachim was described as a rich and pious man of the house of David who regularly gave to the poor and to the temple (synagogue) at Sepphoris. However, as his wife was barren, the high priest rejected Joachim and his sacrifice, as his wife's childlessness was interpreted as a sign of divine displeasure. Joachim consequently withdrew to the desert where he fasted and did penance for forty days. Angels then appeared to both Joachim and Anne to promise them a child. Joachim later returned to Jerusalem and embraced Anne at the city gate.