The Apostolic Age · AD 4–70
Simon the Pharisee
fl. c. AD 31 · Pharisee of Galilee · Host of the anointing of Luke 7 · Galilee
The Apostolic Age
Who Simon the Pharisee was
The Pharisee who invited Jesus to dine and withheld the courtesies — no water, no kiss, no oil — and to whom the parable of the two debtors was addressed when the weeping woman anointed his guest's feet: ‘Seest thou this woman?’ He is distinct from Simon the Leper of Bethany, at whose table the other anointing was set; Luke's Simon is otherwise unknown, and it was at his table that the West's long conflation of the anointing women began.
Common questions
When was Simon active?
Simon the Pharisee is dated fl. c. AD 31 in the archive, which places Simon in the Apostolic Age (AD 4–70). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention Simon?
Simon the Pharisee is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Luke. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Simon from?
The archive associates Simon the Pharisee with Galilee.
Who were Simon’s contemporaries?
The archive links Simon the Pharisee to 1 other figure, including The Sinful Woman (Luke 7). Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (2)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Luke 7:40
c. AD 85And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.Luke · read ↗
Luke 7:44
c. AD 85And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.Luke · read ↗
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Simon.
- 1Galileeprovince only