The Apostolic Age · AD 4–70
Lazarus of Bethany
fl. c. AD 33; later life unrecorded · Brother of Martha and Mary · Raised from the dead at Bethany · Bethany, near Jerusalem
The Apostolic Age
Who Lazarus of Bethany was
The brother of Martha and Mary of Bethany — ‘he whom thou lovest’ — whose raising on the fourth day, ‘Lazarus, come forth,’ is the seventh and greatest sign of John's Gospel and the act that fixed the resolve of the authorities against Jesus. The chief priests, John adds, consulted to kill Lazarus too, since by reason of him many believed. The New Testament then falls silent; Eastern tradition carried him to Cyprus as bishop of Kition, and later Western legend to Provence.
Common questions
When was Lazarus active?
Lazarus of Bethany is dated fl. c. AD 33; later life unrecorded in the archive, which places Lazarus in the Apostolic Age (AD 4–70). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention Lazarus?
Lazarus of Bethany is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from John. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Lazarus from?
The archive associates Lazarus of Bethany with Bethany, near Jerusalem. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Lazarus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Lazarus of Bethany to 3 other figures, including Mary of Bethany, Martha of Bethany and John the Apostle. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (2)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
John 11:43–44
c. AD 95And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.John · read ↗
John 12:10–11
c. AD 95But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.John · read ↗
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Lazarus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.