Lazarus and the rich man (Eleazar the high priest)

Steven Avery

Administrator
Who is Luke’s Theophilus


Richard Anderson
June 14, 2015 at 19:00
I suspected that Eleazar served a short period of time, perhaps due to illness, 16-17 CE, Ant. 18:34; Josephus does not tell us he was removed or that he died in office.
Lazarus is the abbreviated form of the name, “Eleazar” which in Hebrew means “God helps.” Eleazar is the name of the brother of the Theophilus, the High Priest to whom Luke addressed his gospel. Eleazar had previously served as High Priest and I believed he had died which would make the parable a particularly pointed attack.
The real irony of the parable has not been fully appreciated. The unnamed rich man clothed in purple, now identified as Eleazar the High Priest, goes to Hades while the poor man named Lazarus goes to heaven fulfilling the promise to “raise up for myself a faithful priest (2:35)” where the High Priest asks that Lazarus be the faithful priest that will show him mercy. This Lazarus bears the abbreviated name, not as might be suspected, of second High Priest, but the
name of the brother of the Theophilus, the High Priest to whom Luke addressed his gospel.

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For I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
The rich man who died is Eleazar, son of Annas, who served as HP and is dead at the time Jesus tells this story. Eleazar is referring to his brothers.

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