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THE GOOD THIEF

 

Simon - "LAZARUS"

THE REAL STORY!

as revealed by the "Gospel Pesher" Codes

 

 excerpted from "Jesus and the Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls"

by Dr. Barbara Thiering, PhD

 
   '  "Lazarus," A name for Simon Magus when under expulsion, used in John's gospel and in Luke's parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. [the "Rich Man" in this parable is Jesus, as the David King.]

      "Leper" or "Simon the Leper" Name for Simon Magus when expelled from the celibate community, as he was sent down to the level of lepers, who were not permitted on holy premises."

       "LightningName for Simon Magus as Pope, succeeding "Thunder", Jonathan Annas. 

      "Zebedee". Name for Simon Magus, meaning "my gift", to contrast him with the other Samaritan, Jonathan Annas, whose name meant "Gift of God".  Zebedee was also the "Father" of James and John, as he had instructed Niceta and Aquila before they turned to Zacchaeus."       Jesus and the Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls --- page 393, 398


   "Simon Magus" [Simon Zelotes, Simon the Canaanite, Simon the Pharisee, Simon the Leper, the "Good Thief"]. The main character apart from Jesus.  Simon Magus was a gnostic, self-styled miracle worker, head of West Manasseh Magians in the gospel period, and a Hellenist, in the war faction of the Twelve Apostles.   He became Pope in AD 31.  Jesus was associated with him, as Hellenists accepted Jesus as the David.".

   Jesus and the Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls --- page 395


        "Lazarus" is almost entirely a character talked about in John's gospel, except for the parable in Luke.   In "John" Lazarus is a real person who lives in Bethany with his two sisters, Mary and Martha.  We don't know from reading "Luke" whether "Lazarus" is real or not.   If real, he's a leper, a beggar, and an outcast, and it's difficult to associate such a person with a respectable  citizen of Bethany who had two attractive sisters who were Jesus close friends.  All this is more than a little puzzling, which is why I have chosen the puzzling picture of "Lazarus" to begin each of this series of web pages.

      John 11:1 "Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  2 (It was that Mary which annointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)   3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. ---- 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus."

      Having set up this IDENTITY PUZZLE in John chapter 11, the other Gospel writers expect us to remember that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus belong together, that they live in Bethany, and that this Mary was the one who "annointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair."

      Luke 10:38 "Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.  39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.  40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?  bid her therefore that she help me.  41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:  42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."  

     Here the IDENTITY PUZZLE authors are expecting their readers to assume the "certain village" is Bethany, and that Lazarus is still the brother of this Mary and Martha.   They also expect us to assume that Mary and Jesus have a romantic interest in each other -- but the Catholic Church, for reasons having a lot to do with keeping priests and monks and nuns and popes unmarried, have chosen to especially "cover up" and forbid people from making this last assumption.

    But Luke is not through yet, he can do more to puzzle us!

   Luke 7:36 "And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him.  And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.  37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,  38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and annointed them with the ointment.

[ignoring now what the "Pharisee" thought about this woman's character, and Jesus ineptitude as a prophet, let's fast forward to verse 40, where Jesus reveals the "Pharisee's" name]

      40 "And Jesus answering said unto him Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee.  And he saith. Master, say on. 41 There was a certain creditor -- etc. -- [another parable] [then to 44]

      44 "And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman?  I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.  45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.   46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment."  [the story then ends with a "forgiveness for sins" statement that effectively deflects any sexual assumptions one might assume from such a story].

      Here the IDENTITY PUZZLE author, Luke, expects a few of his readers to make a lot of assumptions, based to a large extent on John 11:2. (It was that Mary which annointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) The unnamed woman who annoints the Lord with ointment is still Mary the sister of Lazarus.  So "Lazarus" has another name also -- "Simon".  And  we find him by that name as the host of another such feast in Matthew 26:6 and Mark 14:3, called now "Simon the leper". In both Matthew's and Mark's story, it's an alabaster box the woman breaks, and in Mark's story, the ointment is spikenard.  In both stories Simon the leper lives in Bethany. As does the unnamed host of a John 12:1-8 story, which as an aside mentions -- "where Lazarus was," and "Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table."  Sure he was! It was his house, and Simon the Pharisee, Simon the Leper, and Lazarus are all different names for the SAME PERSON!

     John 12:3 "Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment."  

     Here the IDENTITY PUZZLE authors, all of them, expect those who really want to know what's going on here, except Roman Catholic readers forbidden this knowledge, to have read, or have enough curiosity to find, Song of Solomon 1;12

    Song of Solomon 1:12 "While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof."

/

Zebedee

 And his "Fishers for Men"

THE REAL EASTER STORY

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