Rich man and Lazarus Rich man and Lazarus The parable of the rich man and Lazarus (also called the Dives and Lazarus or Lazarus and Dives) is a well-known parable of Jesus appearing in the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of Luke () tells of the relationship, during life and after death, between an unnamed rich man and a poor beggar named Lazarus. The traditional name "Dives" is not actually a name, but instead a word for "rich man", "dives", in the text of the Latin Bible, the Vulgate. The rich man was also given the names "Neuēs" (i.e. Nineveh) and "Fineas" (i.e. Phineas)
Parables of Jesus commented that although these parables seem simple, the messages they convey are deep, and central to the teachings of Jesus. Christian authors view them not as mere similitudes which serve the purpose of illustration, but as internal analogies in which nature becomes a witness for the spiritual world. Many of Jesus's parables refer to simple everyday things, such as a woman baking bread (parable of the Leaven), a man knocking on his neighbor's door at night (parable of the Friend at Night), or the aftermath of a roadside mugging (parable of the Good Samaritan); yet they deal with major religious