Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
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The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is a New Testament story told by Jesus that contrasts the earthly luxury of a wealthy man with the suffering of a poor beggar to teach about justice, compassion, and the reversal of fortunes in the afterlife.
Aliases (1)
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
New Testament narrative
→
biblical parable → teaching of Jesus → |
| afterlifeOutcome |
Lazarus carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom
→
rich man in torment in Hades → |
| attributedTo |
Jesus of Nazareth
→
|
| centralTheme |
compassion for the poor
→
divine justice → irrevocability of postmortem destiny → judgment after death → reversal of fortunes in the afterlife → sufficiency of Scripture for repentance → |
| containsMotif |
banquet imagery
→
beggar at the gate → great chasm fixed between saved and lost → request for a sign from the dead → |
| featureNote |
Lazarus is the only named character in a parable of Jesus
→
|
| featuresCharacter |
Abraham
→
Lazarus → rich man → rich man’s brothers → |
| foundIn |
Gospel of Luke
→
|
| foundInChapter |
Luke 16
→
|
| foundInVerses |
Luke 16:19–31
→
|
| hasSetting |
Abraham’s bosom
→
Hades → gate of the rich man’s house → house of a rich man → |
| includesDialogueBetween |
rich man and Abraham
→
|
| includesRequest |
rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to cool his tongue
→
rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers → |
| includesResponse |
Abraham says they have Moses and the Prophets
→
Abraham says they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead → |
| interpretedAs |
warning against hard-heartedness
→
|
| languageOfComposition |
Koine Greek
→
|
| LazarusDescription |
covered with sores
→
desired to be fed with crumbs from the rich man’s table → dogs licked his sores → |
| namesCharacter |
Lazarus
→
|
| richManDescription |
clothed in purple and fine linen
→
feasted sumptuously every day → |
| teaches |
earthly status can be reversed in eternity
→
responsibility to heed Moses and the Prophets → the danger of ignoring the needy → wealth does not guarantee God’s favor → |
| traditionContext |
Lukan special material (unique to Luke)
→
|
| usedIn |
Christian preaching on wealth and poverty
→
Christian teaching on heaven and hell → |
Referenced by (2)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Gospel of Luke
→
|
contains |
|
Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
("Lazarus is the only named character in a parable of Jesus")
→
|
featureNote |