father of abundance, or my father excels, the son of Ahimelech

the high priest. He was the tenth high priest, and the fourth in

descent from Eli. When his father was slain with the priests of

Nob, he escaped, and bearing with him the ephod, he joined

David, who was then in the cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22:20-23;

23:6). He remained with David, and became priest of the party of

which he was the leader (1 Sam. 30:7). When David ascended the

throne of Judah, Abiathar was appointed high priest (1 Chr.

15:11; 1 Kings 2:26) and the "king's companion" (1 Chr. 27:34).

Meanwhile Zadok, of the house of Eleazar, had been made high

priest. These appointments continued in force till the end of

David's reign (1 Kings 4:4). Abiathar was deposed (the sole

historical instance of the deposition of a high priest) and

banished to his home at Anathoth by Solomon, because he took

part in the attempt to raise Adonijah to the throne. The

priesthood thus passed from the house of Ithamar (1 Sam.

2:30-36; 1 Kings 1:19; 2:26, 27). Zadok now became sole high

priest. In Mark 2:26, reference is made to an occurrence in "the

days of Abiathar the high priest." But from 1 Sam. 22, we learn

explicitly that this event took place when Ahimelech, the father

of Abiathar, was high priest. The apparent discrepancy is

satisfactorily explained by interpreting the words in Mark as

referring to the life-time of Abiathar, and not to the term of

his holding the office of high priest. It is not implied in Mark

that he was actual high priest at the time referred to. Others,

however, think that the loaves belonged to Abiathar, who was at

that time (Lev. 24:9) a priest, and that he either himself gave

them to David, or persuaded his father to give them.