PROPHETESS.—Among OT prophetesses may be named Miriam (Exodus 15:20), and esp. Deborah (Judges 4 f.) and Huldah (2 Kings 22:14, 2 Chronicles 34:22). The prophetess Noadiah opposed Nehemiah (Nehemiah 6:14). While it was the exception for women to be called to the prophetic office, they were by no means excluded from it, and it is manifest that Deborah and Huldah made a deep impress upon their contemporaries. The only mention of a prophetess in the Gospels is that of Anna, who recognized the infant Messiah when His parents presented Him in the Temple (Luke 2:36). She was of the tribe of Asher, and had lived to a great age, being probably a good deal over a hundred years old. She spoke to the pious worshippers in the Temple concerning the work of Jesus. See Anna.
John R. Sampey.