Jairus, the synagogue leader
This synagogue leader of Capernaum does not look remarkable: he is short, fat, and old-fashioned, in his fifties.[1] But he is a courageous disciple. At the very beginning of Jesus's public life, the healing of Haggai, the possessed man, takes place in his synagogue.[2]
Later, he comes pleading Jesus to heal Miriam, his only dying daughter. Jesus raises her, as reported in the Gospel ([3]-[4]-[5]): "Talitha, koumi! (Little girl, I say to you, arise!)"[6] She becomes one of the consecrated virgins. The wife of Jairus, with whom he lives behind the synagogue, is unknown.[7] Moreover, he still has his mother: she is dying during the third year of Jesus' public life.[8]
He confronts the prevailing hostility toward Jesus, notably at the time of the Bread of Life discourse[9] delivered in his synagogue.[10] He is present in the crowd of the ramWaterx[11], then no longer mentioned in the rest of the work.
Only a later dictation by Jesus to Maria Valtorta confirms Jairus' sincere and courageous commitment.[12]
His name
Jair, Ya'ir "Yahweh enlightens". Historical reference: one of the descendants of Manasseh and one of the judges of Israel.
Where is he mentioned in the work?
GRM 49 GRM 59 GRM 94GRM 229 GRM 230 GRM 266 GRM 269 GRM 279
GRM 348 GRM 354 GRM 355 GRM 366 GRM 376 GRM 378
GRM 446 GRM 447 GRM 460 GRM 465 GRM 490
GRM 590
Learn more about this character
Excerpts from the Dictionary of Gospel Characters, According to Maria Valtorta (Msgr. René Laurentin, François-Michel Debroise, Jean-François Lavère, Salvator Editions, 2012).Recent archaeological findings have provided historical evidence of the existence of a synagogue in Capernaum at the time of Jesus, but we have not found historical traces of Jairus outside the Gospels where he is nonetheless named.
Notes and references
Note: Quotations from the work of Maria Valtorta on this page currently use machine-translated text and will gradually be replaced by the official English translation. Until then, the official translation may be consulted through the reference link provided with each quotation.
- ↑ GRM 59
- ↑ GRM 59
- ↑ Matthew 9:18-26
- ↑ Mark 5:35-43
- ↑ Luke 8:49-56
- ↑ GRM 230
- ↑ GRM 447
- ↑ GRM 460
- ↑ John 6:22-71.
- ↑ GRM 354.11
- ↑ GRM 590
- ↑ Notebooks 1945-1950, dictation from March 1949: "Mary of Magdala (Magdalene), the great sinner and great convert, the humble mother of the deceased of Nain, Jairus, the synagogue leader, believed sincerely in my words and did not want to act by themselves but let me act; they followed with confidence the orders I gave them and obtained the resurrection of their dead. But are those who want you to carry out actions that I advise you against wiser than God, more powerful than me? […] I had few friends, and even fewer among the priests and doctors. But the latter were good friends. Jairus, Joseph, and Nicodemus were among them, with a few others including the good scribe."