Act 1 – The Tableau

The first three verses contain a sharp contrast in description between Lazarus and the unnamed “lover of money.”

• The rich man is clothed in purple and fine linen where Lazarus is covered with sores or ulcers
• The rich man “dined sumptuously each day” while Lazarus longed to eat what fell from the table, but can’t.
• The rich man lives a privileged life while Lazarus ebeblêto pros ton pulôna, literally, “had been thrown before the gate” of the rich man’s house.

It is perhaps noteworthy that the first word in a Greek phrase is a position of stress, as is the last word in a phrase.  Even the Lucan grammar seems to stress the contrast between the two men: Continue reading →