Symposium ‘08 Update 3
Pastor and professor Kenneth Bailey has a wealth of wisdom and insight into Scripture based on his many years living in the Middle East. In his seminar today he’s been sharing some insights on particular verses and parables from the Bible. A tiny sampling:
- In Luke 16, much of the portion starting in verse 9 contains puns in Aramaic. For instance:
If you have not been faithful (amin)
in unrighteous mammon (mamun)
the truth (amuna)
who will entrust to you? (ya ‘min ith kun)
- Dr. Bailey walked us through the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man and shed fresh light on every verse. For instance, he explained that the dogs licking the sores of Lazarus is not an act of torment but an act of relief, since dog saliva was believed to alleviate pain and even fight bacteria in wounds. Bailey points out that the dogs take better care of Lazarus than the rich man does.
- Here is one of Bailey’s summary statements about the parable of Lazarus:
Who is “El-’azir” ("Lazarus," “the one whom God helps")? From Lazarus’ response to suffering, in this life and the next, we know that God was with him and helped him all along. Only with divine help is such a response possible. He was indeed “El-’azir.” In the end, the rich man sought in vain to become the one whom God helps but it was too late.
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