Lazarus of Bethany is a figure within the Christian Bible, mentioned in the New Testament in the Gospel of John, who four days after his death is restored to life by Jesus. This is seen by Christians as one of the miracles of Jesus. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Lazarus is venerated as Righteous Lazarus, the Four-Days Dead. The Eastern Orthodox and Catholic traditions offer varying accounts of the later events of his life.
Christ's raising of Lazarus, Athens, 12–13th century
The Raising of Lazarus, by Duccio, 1310–11
The Raising of Lazarus, Oil on canvas, c. 1517–1519, Sebastiano del Piombo (National Gallery, London)
Raising of Lazarus, 6th-century, mosaic, church of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy
The Gospel of John is the fourth of the four canonical gospels in the New Testament. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus and seven "I am" discourses culminating in Thomas' proclamation of the risen Jesus as "my Lord and my God". The gospel's concluding verses set out its purpose, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."
John 18:31–33 on Papyrus 52 (recto; c. AD 150).
Jesus giving the Farewell Discourse to his 11 remaining disciples, from the Maestà of Duccio, 1308–1311
The Rylands Papyrus is the oldest known New Testament fragment, dated to about 125–175 AD.
Bede translating the Gospel of John on his deathbed, by James Doyle Penrose, 1902
