Healing the blind near Jericho

Each of the three synoptic gospels tells of Jesus healing the blind near Jericho, as he passed through that town, shortly before his passion. 
Mark tells only of a man named Bartimaeus (literally "Son of Timaeus") being present, as Jesus left Jericho, making him one of the few named people to be miraculously cured by Jesus. Matthew is a similar account of two blind men being healed outside of Jericho, but gives no names. Luke also tells of two unnamed blind men, but seems to place the event instead as when Jesus approached Jericho.
These men together would be the second of two healings of blind men on Jesus' journey from the start of his travels from Bethsaida (in Mark ) to Jerusalem, via Jericho."Reflections: The blind Bartimaeus: Mark 10:46-52," October 24, 2009, The Manila Bulletin, citing365 Days with the Lord, (St. Paul's, Makati City, Philippines) from St. Paul's website, found at The Manila Bulletin website. Accessed October 28, 2009. It is possible, though not certain, that Bartimaeus heard about the first healing, and so knew of Jesus' reputation.Phyllis Kersten, "What Bartimaeus wanted: Mark 10:46-52," Christian Century, October 20, 2009, found at Christian Century website. Accessed October 28, 2009.
==Son of David==
Paula Fredriksen, who believes that titles such as "Son of David" were applied to Jesus only after the Crucifixion and Resurrection, argued that Mark and Matthew placed that healing with the proclamation "Son of David!" just before "Jesus' departure for Jerusalem, the long-foreshadowed site of his sufferings."Fredriksen, From Jesus to Christ, p. 181. The title "Son of David" is a messianiac name.Barrie Wetherill, "Jesus cures blind Bartimaeus," from The Life of Jesus Christ, found at easy English Bible study. Accessed October 28, 2009. Thus, Bartimaeus' exclamation was, according to Mark, the first public acknowledgement of the Christ, after St. Peter's private confession at Mark .
==Bartimaeus==
The naming of Bartimaeus is unusual in several respects: (a) the fact that a name is given at all, (b) the strange Semitic-Greek hybrid, with (c) an explicit translation "Son of Thimaeus." Some scholars see this to confirm a reference to a historical person;Taylor. The Gospel according to St. Mark. however, other scholars see a special significance of the story in the figurative reference to Plato's Thimaeus who delivers Plato's most important cosmological and theological treatise, involving sight as the foundation of knowledge. 
Mary Ann Tolbert, Sowing the Gospel: Mark's World in Literary-Historical Perspective 1996, Fortress Press. p189.
In the Acts of the Apostles, the name of Bartimaeus comes up again as a follower of "the Way", that is, an early follower of Jesus.
According to Bruce Robison, an Episcopal priest, Bartimaeus can be compared favorably to the apostles and others in Mark's story; Bartimeaus is different from the others:
By throwing his cloak away in , Bartimaeus gave up all he had to follow Jesus.
Pope Benedict XVI has compared the whole church to the blind Bartimaeus."Pontiff Urges African Church to Have Courage," October 25, 2009, from ZENIT's Web page, found at catholic.net website. Accessed October 28, 2009.
==Notes==
== See also ==
* Miracles attributed to Jesus
* The Blind Man of Bethsaida
== References ==
*Paula Fredriksen, From Jesus to Christ (2000), ISBN 0-300-08457-9
== External links ==
*
* Additional images of Bartimaeus
Category:New Testament people
Category:Christian miracle narrative
Category:Islam and other religions
Category:Miracles attributed to Jesus