Abraham's Bosom

Biblical Text

The expression appears only in the account of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16. Luke 16:22 states that "the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom." Luke 16:23 goes on to say that the rich man, in torment in Hades, "seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom." The rich man addresses Abraham as "Father" and pleads for help, but Abraham replies that "there is a great gulf fixed" between them, so that no one can cross over (Luke 16:24-26). The beggar Lazarus in this account is a different person from Lazarus of Bethany, the brother of Martha and Mary.

Background

The Greek word kolpos, translated "bosom," refers to the chest or to the fold of a garment. Guests at ancient banquets reclined while eating, so reclining against the chest of the person beside one indicated a close relationship. The same word is used in John 13:23, where the disciple whom Jesus loved was "leaning on Jesus' bosom," and in John 1:18, which speaks of the Son "which is in the bosom of the Father."

The Old Testament sometimes describes death as being "gathered to his people" (Genesis 25:8). Jewish literature of the New Testament period is also known to reflect the idea that the righteous are welcomed by the patriarchs after death. In Matthew 8:11, Jesus says that many "shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven." Against this background, Abraham's bosom is understood as an image of being received by the forefather of Israel and sharing the place of honor at the banquet. In the account, it is not the rich man who calls Abraham "Father" but the outcast beggar who is embraced in that bosom. This reversal is the central scene of the story.

Interpretations and Issues

• Catholic tradition: The Catholic Church has understood Abraham's bosom as the state in which the righteous who died before Christ awaited the Redeemer. The Catechism of the Catholic Church uses the expression in explaining Christ's descent to the dead.
• Common Protestant understanding: Many Protestant interpreters regard the term as equivalent to the paradise of Luke 23:43 and understand it as the rest the righteous enjoy in God's presence immediately upon death. The Westminster Confession of Faith confesses that the souls of the righteous are received into heaven after death and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, and it acknowledges no other place besides these two.
• The "two compartments of Hades" view: Some interpreters hold that Hades was formerly divided into a place of torment and Abraham's bosom (paradise). They maintain that paradise was moved to heaven at Christ's ascension, citing Ephesians 4:8-10 as support. However, this division and relocation are not stated directly in the text of Luke; they are explanations derived from interpretation.
• The parabolic reading: Views also differ on whether the account should be read as a detailed description of the afterlife or as a parable that draws on popular conceptions of the time to teach repentance and obedience to God's word. Groups such as the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which do not accept that the soul remains conscious after death, read the passage as a parable and do not treat it as a basis for teaching about the state of the dead.

Medieval Western church art sometimes depicted Abraham holding small souls on his lap or in the folds of his garment. Such depictions render the text's expression in visual form; the text itself does not describe the scene in that way.