Subject: How many Lazarus were there in the Bible |
Bible Note: LAZARUS (Laz´a·rus) [probably the Gr. form of the Heb. name Eleazar, meaning “God Has Helped”]. 1. The brother of Martha and Mary; his resurrection was one of the outstanding miracles performed by Jesus Christ. (Joh 11:1, 2) Jesus had a deep love for this family living at Bethany, “about two miles” from Jerusalem on the road to Jericho. (Joh 11:5, 18, ftn) He had been entertained at their home, perhaps frequently.—Lu 10:38-42. 2. The name given to the beggar in Jesus’ illustration commonly known as the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. (Lu 16:19-31) In the Vulgate the word “rich” has been rendered by the Latin adjective dives, which is often mistakenly used as the proper name of the rich man. However, the Jewish name Lazarus itself was common in ancient times, a fact borne out by ossuary inscriptions. DBR |