HELI (Heb. 'Eli, vulg. Heli). - Ancestor of Jesus
(only in Lk. 3:25), the penultimate of the "Judges"; of his
judgeship, however, which lasted 40 years, nothing is known.
The only one who combined in himself the two highest
offices, he was also high priest; he was descended from Ithamar,
not from Eleazar.
The Bible recalls his last years in narrating the
story of Samuel (1 Sam. 1-4). He lived at Shiloh, near
the Tabernacle: there one day he rebuked Hannah, thinking her
drunk; but then, having heard that she was in distress, he sent her away
consoled (1 Sam. 1:12-18). Under his tutelage grew up in the
service of God, and it is his greatest glory, Samuel. But he was
a weak man: with his sons Hophni and Phinehas, impious and
sacrilegious, he used mere admonitions when
severe repression would have been necessary (quite differently
would Samuel act, in a similar situation); for this reason the
sins of his sons were imputed to him. Twice God, through
the mouth of a prophet and appearing one night to his pupil,
forewarned him of the imminent punishment: the cessation of the high priesthood in his family was
threatened, indeed its almost total, violent extinction (v. ABIATHAR;
AHIMELECH). When E. was 98 years old, in a war
with the Philistines, the Ark was lost: this news killed him
(1 Sam. 2:11-4:18). His gentle spirit, his sincere piety,
his humble acceptance of the harsh divine will, his care
devoted to Samuel certainly earned him from God
forgiveness for his reprehensible weakness.
Gino Bressan