Category:Lazarus (subject)

Lazarus was, according to Christian tradition, a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, the brother of Martha and Mary.

Lazarus in ancient sources

In the Gospel of Luke a certain Lazarus is mentioned (Luke 16:20ff) in Jesus' story of the death of the rich man and Lazarus and their interaction in Hades. There is, however, no reason to equate the Lazarus of Luke with the Lazarus made famous in the Gospel of John.

The Lazarus mentioned in the Gospel of John is described there as a friend of Jesus who was miraculously resurrected by him (see the Raising of Lazarus). Lazarus was the brother of Martha and Mary, and all were residents of Bethany.

According to the Gospel of John, Lazarus was the one who "six days before the Passover" and before the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem hosted the banquet in his house at Bethany when his sister Mary anointed Jesus' feet provoking the reaction of Judas Iscariot (see Anointing at Bethany). In Mark and Matthew, on the other hand, the dinner happened after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the host was "Simon the leper" and an unnamed woman anointed Jesus.

The Gospel of John also suggests that there was a Plot to Kill Lazarus by the High Priests, but does not say if it was carried out.

Lazarus is mentioned, however, only in John 11 and 12. Outside of those two chapters, there is no further mention of him.

Lazarus in the Gospel of John

Joh 11:1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

Joh 11:2 And it was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

Joh 11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

Joh 11:11 These things spake he: and after this he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus is fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

Joh 11:14 Then Jesus therefore said unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

Joh 11:43 And when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

Joh 12:1 Jesus therefore six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus raised from the dead.

Joh 12:2 So they made him a supper there: and Martha served; but Lazarus was one of them that sat at meat with him.

Joh 12:9 The common people therefore of the Jews learned that he was there: and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

Joh 12:10 But the chief priests took counsel that they might put Lazarus also to death;

Joh 12:17 The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, bare witness.

Lazarus in Scholarship

Few scholars have adopted the position of Ben Witherington III that suggests that Lazarus is the 'Beloved Disciple'. There is scant evidence for such a position. Indeed, few scholars are willing to say much about Lazarus at all given the paucity of evidence in the Gospels and given the fact that the Gospels are not interested in the life of Lazarus apart from its intersection with Jesus.

A brief bibliography of the most recent materials follows:

Kim, Stephen S. "The significance of Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11." Bibliotheca sacra 168/669 (2011) 53 - 62.

Nordsieck, Reinhard. Das Geheimnis des Lazarus. Zur Frage nach Verfasser und Entstehung des Johannes-Evangeliums. Theologie 98. Berlin [u.a.]: Lit, 2010.

Roose, Hanna. "Umkehr und Ausgleich bei Lukas: Die Gelichnisse vom verlorenen Sohn (Lk 15.11-32) und vom reichen Mann und armen Lazarus (Lk 16.19-31) als Schwestergeschichten." New Testament studies 56/1 (2010) 1 - 21.

Greenspoon, Leonard J. "Lazarus lives again...in print." Biblical archaeology review 36/1 (2010) 15.

Hunt, Steven A. "Nicodemus, Lazarus, and the fear of "the Jews" in the fourth gospel." Pages 199 - 212 in Repetitions and variations in the fourth gospel. Style, text, interpretation. Edited by Gilbert Van Belle, Michael Labahn, and Petrus Maritz. Bibliotheca Ephemeridum theologicarum Lovaniensium 223. Leuven [u.a.]: Peeters, 2009.

Bauckham, Richard. "The Bethany family in John 11-12: History or fiction?" Pages 185 - 201 in John, Jesus, and history, Volume 2: Aspects of historicity in the fourth gospel. Edited by Paul N. Anderson, Felix Just, and Tom Thatcher. Early christianity and its literature 2. Leiden [u.a.]: Brill [u.a.], 2009.

Witherington, Ben. "What's in a name? Rethinking the historical figure of the beloved disciple in the Fourth Gospel." Pages 203 - 212 in John, Jesus, and history, Volume 2: Aspects of historicity in the fourth gospel. Edited by Paul N. Anderson, Felix Just, and Tom Thatcher. Early christianity and its literature 2. Leiden [u.a.]: Brill [u.a.], 2009.

Lazarus in Fiction

The figure of Lazarus has figured fairly prominently in works of literary fiction.

Besides those works that directly refer to the biblical Lazarus, there are others that simply use his name or allude to his figure as the launch pad for various projects having nothing to do with the textual telling. Such volumes as 'Waking Lazarus' by T.L. Hines, 'The Lazarus Vendetta' by Robert Ludlum, and 'The Lazarus Effect' by Frank Herbert have utilized the biblical character in the broadest of outlines. But Lazarus has also been the interest of musicians ('Lazarus' by Travie McCoy, 2010) and cinema ('The Lazarus Project').

Lazarus seems to fascinate the general public even if it has no interest in the biblical story particularly because of his status as one 'raised from the dead'.

Related categories

• Jesus of Nazareth (subject)

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