**ABIATHAR** (Hebrew: 'Ebhītāthār = father of abundance). — High priest, great-grandson of Eli through Phinehas, son of the high priest Ahimelech, escaped the massacre Saul perpetrated against his father, the priests, and the inhabitants of Nob for having sheltered David, who was being persecuted by the mad king. He fled to Mizpah (Moab) to join David. He remained thereafter loyal at David’s side during his wanderings, and with the ephod he had brought with him, he sought divine counsel (1 Sam 23:6–13). He was present and assisted, together with Zadok, in the solemn transfer of the ark to Jerusalem (1 Chr 15:11–12).
The simultaneous presence of two high priests constitutes a singular problem. When David, during Absalom’s rebellion, had to abandon the capital, A. remained there with Zadok and furnished the king with valuable intelligence (2 Sam 15:24–29, 35–37; 17:15). In the final years of David’s life, he supported Adonijah in his attempt to usurp the throne (1 Kgs 1:7, 19); but Solomon, who succeeded David, was generous to the traitor and merely confined him in recognition of the services rendered to his father (1 Kgs 2:26–27).
In Mark 2:26, the episode of the bread of the Presence eaten by David is attributed to the time of A. rather than Ahimelech (q.v.), whether through scribal error, because A. bore two names, or because A.’s name dominates the entire period of David.
Salvatore Garofalo
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**ABIB** (Septuagint: μήν ἐν νεύν; Vulgate: mensis novarum frugum). — First month of the ancient Hebrew calendar (Ex 13:4; 23:15; 34:18; Deut 16:1), called ‘abib’ = ear of grain (Ex 9:31; Lev 2:14; Ezek 3:15: ‘Tell Abib’): it coincided with the beginning of spring. It began at the new moon of March and lasted thirty days. It was later called Nisan (q.v.), in the Babylonian manner. During this month, the liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt and the institution of Passover took place.