16:19a. "He was clothing himself in purple and fine linen," using the imperfect middle of endidusko, that is, it was his habit.
Saint Kyril: "His study was to deck himself in beautiful attire, so that his rainment was of great price, and he lived in never-ceasing banquetings." [Hom. 111, Commentary, 453.]
16:19b. Saint Gregory the Great: "Whom does this rich man repreent, if not the Jews? They had a cultivated life outwardly, and used the advantages of the law they had received to adorn themselves, not for service." [Hom. 40, Forty Gospel Homilies, 371; P.L. 76 (col. 1302).]
16:20a. The name Lazarus (Lazaros) is from Eleazaros "God a hlp."
Saint Kyril: "The poor man is mentioned by name. What conclusion, therefore, must we draw? That the rich man as being uncompassionate, was nameless in God's presence; for He said by the psalmist: 'Nor will I make remembrance of theirnames through my lips. [Ps. 15(16):3(4)]." [Ib., 453.]
Saint Gregory the Great: "And Lazarus who was covered with sores, whom does he symbolize, but the Gentiles? After they turned to god they were not ashamed to confess their sins, and so the wounds on theirt skin were only superficial." [Ib.]
16:20b. "The beggar Lazarus "as cast towrds his gateway".
Saint Kyril: "The poor man was not laid so much cast down, thrown there in neglect, and not deemed worthy of any account...cut off from compassion and care." [Ib.]
Saint Gregory the Great: "From one incident almighty God makes two judgements: He allowed the poor man, Lazarus, to lie at the rich man;s gate, in order that the undutiful rich man might increase his condemnation and punishment, and that the poor man, who was tempted, might increase his reward. The rich man looked every day on one he did not pity; the poor man saw one who was putting to the test." [Ib. , 377.]
16:21a. Saint Gregory the Great: "The proud Jews disdained to to admit any Gentile to knowledge of the law. The teaching of the law was for them not a source of love but of pride; it was as if they were bloated on the riches they had received. Words of knowledge fell down to him like crumbs falling from the table. Sometimes in Scripture dogs represent preachers. When a dog licks a wound it heals it. When holy teachers give us instruction during the confession of our sins, they are touching the wounds of our hearts with their tongues. So the psalmist says, 'The tongue of thy dogs in that of thine enemies [Ps. 67(68):24(23)].'" [Ib., 371, 372.]
16:21b. Saint Kyril: "They licked his wounds, and that, as it seems, was not to injure them, but rather, so to speak, to share in his suffering and attending him,...but the rich man was more cruel than the beasts." [Commentary, P.G. 72:358AB (col. 828).]
16:22. Saint Kyril: "The poor man, he says, was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom, but of the rich man there is nothing of the sort, but only that he died and was buried. For those who have hope in God find in their departure from the world a deliverance from anguish and pain...The rich man was going from pleausre to torment , from glory to shame, from light ot darkness." [Hom. 112, Commentary, Ch. 15, 455, 456.]
Saint Ambrose: "Lazarus was a pauper in this world, but a rich man before God...Yet not all poverty is holy nor wealth sinful, but as excess dishonors riches, so sanctity commends poverty." [Ib., Bk. VIII, § 13.]
16:23. Hades is the unseen world. The anciuent pagans divded Hades into Elysium and Tartarus. Hades is the Greek equivelent of the Hebrew Sheol, the place of the departed. It is translated "hell" in the KJV, which oftenm leads to confusion by also using "hell" to translate Gehenna, which refers to the place of everlasting punishment. Christ descended into Hades [Acts 2:27-31].
Saint Ephraim the Syrian: "We know from the Gospel that there are various places of torment. For it has been revealed to us that there is outer darkness [Mt. 8:12], and so it follows that there is inner darkness. 'The fire of Gehenna [Mt. 5:22] is another place, the abode of 'the weeping and gnashing of the teeth [Mt. 25:30]' Another place speaks of 'where the worm dieth not [Mk. 9:44].' We read in another place of 'the lake of the fire [Rev. 19:20],' and again of Tartarus [2 Pe. 2:4], and of unquenchable fire [Mk 9:43]. The lower world of destruction and perdition are written of in precise terms [Mt. 7:13; 1 Tim 6:9]. The depths of the earth is another place...The wretched souls of the dammned are distributed throughout these places of punishment, each one according to the nature of his sins. 'Each one is bound in the chains of his own sins [Prov 5:22].' This is what is meant by the servant who is beaten much or beaten a little [Lk 12:47, 48]." [On the Various Places of Torment and on the Judgement, Vossio, Torme 1, Sermon 72, in Toal, III:302.]
16:24. Saint Gregory the Great: "The rich man who refused ot have pity on Lazarus in this life, seeks his intercession from his state of pain...One who denied a crumb of bread sought a drop of water...He feels the fire severely on his tongue, since talkitiveness is prevalent at banquets. What is implied is that he sinned more at his banquets through talketivenessand his tongue felt the just recompense of fire more fiercely." [Ib., 377, 378.]..."The unbelieving people keep the words of the law in their mouths, but refuse ot act on them. The burning will be greater in the place where they manifested that they knew what ti di, but were unwilling." [Ib., 373.]
16:25a. Saint Gregory the Gtreat: "Abraham calls him child. The believing ancestors of this unbelieving people were aware that many had turned away from their path. They were not moved by compassion to take them away from their torments, even thought they recognized them as their physical decendants, " [Ib., 374.]
16:25b. Saint Kyril: "As the Sacred Scripture says, 'For the judgement shall be merciless to him who rendered no mercy [Jas. 2:13].' Thou wouldst have been a partnet with Lazarus, and a portion of his consolation would have been given thee by God, if thou hadst admitted him to be a partner of thy wealth, But this thou didst not do, and therefore thou alone art tormented; for such is the fitting punishment of the unmerciful, and of those whose mind feels no sympathy for the sick." [Ib., 456.]
Saint Gregory the Great: "The fire of poverty cleansed Lazarus of his exil deeds, and the happiness of this passing life rewarded the good deeds of the rich man. Poverty afflicted the former and wiped him clean; wealth rewarded the latter and deprived him of everything else." [Ib., 379.]
16:26. Saint Gregory the Great: "Just as the condemnded desire to pass over to the elect, to leave the place where their sufferings afflict them, so it is in the hearts of the righteous to pass over to those who are ill-treated and in torment, to go to them in mercy, to want to set them free. But those who want to apssover to the abode of the blessed to the ill-treated and tormented can not do so. Althought the souls of the righteous posess mercy in the goodness of their natures, they are bound by their Creator's great rectitude, united with their own righteousness, so that they can not be moved by compassion for the condemned. They are of one mind with the Judge, to Whom they cleave. They do not condescend out of mercy to those they cannot rescue, because as they behold them rejected by the Creator they love, they see them far removed from themselves. The unrighteous do not pass over to the condition of the blessed because they are bound by an everlasting condemnation; the righteous are unable to pass over to the condemned because they have been rasied up by the righteousness of the judement and feel no pity for them out of compassion." [Ib., 379, 380.]
16:28a. Saint Gregory the Great: "The proud Jewish people, who had already been in large part condemned, knew that the sucessors they had left behind on earth were given over to the five bodily senses. The rich man lamented that those he left behind did not ascend to spiritual understanding." [Ib., 374.]
16:28b. Saint Gregory the Great: "We should notice how much suffering is heaped upon the rich man in the flames. Both recognition and memory are preserved for his punishment. He recognizes Lazarus whom he had despised; he remembers his brothers whom he left behind...So that sinners may be punished more as they suffer, they see the glory of those they despised; and the punishment of those they loved to no avail also torments them. We must believe that beofre they receive their recompense at the final judgement, the unrighteous behold some of the righteous at rest. The righteous also observe the unrighteous in their torments to increase their own joy, since they look upon the evil they have mercifully escaped. Their thankfulness to the One Who saved them is greater...Nor does the punishment of the condemnded which they see dim the brightness of the happiness they experience. Where there is no longer any compassion for their agony, it will surely not be able to lessen the gladness of the blessed." [Ib., 380, 381.]
16:29. Saint Gregory the Great: "It will be harder for those who disdained the words of the law to fulfill the comandments of our Redeemer, Who rose from the ead, but because the Jews are unwilling ot believe Moses, they refused to believe the One Who did rise from the dead." [Ib., 374.]
16:31. Saint Gregory the Great: "Abraham's reply is fulfilled. The Lord rose from the dead, but because the Jews were unwilling ot believe Moses, they refused to believe the One Who did rise from the dead." [Ib., 374].
