- Lazarus of Bethany
.
Stories say that he would always include something sweet in every meal. That was when he observed someone stealing a
clay pot, causing him to smile and say with a laugh, "clay stealing clay". [ [http://www.serfes.org/lives/stlazarus.htm St. Lazarus, friend of Christ and first bishop of Kition, Cyprus] - Fr. Demetrios Serfes (Greek Orthodox)]The "Golden Legend" records the grand lifestyle imagined for Lazarus and his sisters in the 14th century:
Mary Magdalene had her surname of Magdalo, a castle, and was born of right noble lineage and parents, which were descended of the lineage of kings. And her father was named Cyrus, and her mother Eucharis. She with her brother Lazarus, and her sister Martha, possessed the castle of Magdalo, which is two miles from Nazareth, and Bethany, the castle which is nigh to Jerusalem, and also a great part of Jerusalem, which, all these things they departed among them. In such wise that Mary had the castle Magdalo, whereof she had her name Magdalene. And Lazarus had the part of the city of Jerusalem, and Martha had to her part Bethany. And when Mary gave herself to all delights of the body, and Lazarus entended all to knighthood, Martha, which was wise, governed nobly her brother's part and also her sister's, and also her own, and administered to knights, and her servants, and to poor men, such necessities as they needed. Nevertheless, after the ascension of our Lord, they sold all these things. ("Legenda Aurea", Book iv, "Of Mary Magdalene")
Bishop of Marseille
In the West, an alternative medieval tradition sent Mary, Martha, and Lazarus to
Gaul after theCrucifixion . Provençal tradition, in particular, held Lazarus as the firstbishop of Marseille , [)] is sung in place of theTrisagion .Although the forty days of Great Lent end on the day before Lazarus Saturday, the day is still observed as a fast; however, it is somewhat mitigated. In Russia, it is traditional to eat
caviar on Lazarus Saturday.Roman Catholicism
In the
Roman Catholic Church Saint Lazarus' memorial is onJune 21 . InCuba a major festival is dedicated to "San Lázaro", but onDecember 17 .In the section "In paradisum", which often appears embedded in the
Requiem , the deceased is wished toParadise ["In paradisum deducant te Angeli"] with Lazarus, who once was poor; ["cum Lazaro quondam paupere"] the text reminds us how often Saint Lazarus was conflated with the beggar Lazarus of Luke.Order of Saint Lazarus
The Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem is a religious/military order, purportedly dating back to the First Crusade. The Order is run by two distinct channels of authority, referred to as the Malta Obedience and the Paris Obedience. [ [http://www.orderstlazarus-obmalta.be The Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus] ]
Lutheranism
He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the
Lutheran Church onJuly 29 together with Mary andMartha .ynchrestic Religions
The Cuban "San Lázaro" is synchronised with
Babalu Ayé inSantería .Fact|date=October 2007 Lazarus is also a representation of Omulu/Abaluaye in BrazilianUmbanda .Fact|date=October 2007In modern culture
Well-known as an established tale, Lazarus has appeared countless times in music, writing and art. A few example citations of the tale:
*Among the painted depictions of Lazarus is the work "Lazarus Breaking His Fast " byWalter Sickert , which hangs in the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art inEdinburgh and "Gare Saint-Lazare " byClaude Monet , after a train station in Paris by the same name.
*The bandsThe Boo Radleys ,Chimaira ,Fozzy ,moe. , Placebo, andPorcupine Tree have each composed a song titled "Lazarus".
*Other songs that refer to Lazarus include "Our Friend Lazarus Sleeps" byI Am Ghost , "Sleepwalk Capsules" byAt the Drive-In , "Dig Lazarus Dig!!!" ByNick Cave & The Bad Seeds , "Ali in the Jungle" by The Hours, "Lazarus Man" byTerry Callier , "Long Snake Moan" byPJ Harvey , "Lazarus (In The Wilderness) byFuneral for a Friend , "Death March" byJedi Mind Tricks , "The Lazarus Heart" by Sting and "Ghost" byClutch .
*Dave Swarbrick has also recently formed a band called "Lazarus" withMaartin Allcock and Kevin Dempsey.
*Lazarus is mentioned in several notable works of literature, including "Crime and Punishment " byFyodor Dostoevsky , "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock " byT. S. Eliot , "A Canticle for Leibowitz " byWalter M. Miller, Jr. , "Moby-Dick " byHerman Melville , "A Separate Peace " byJohn Knowles , "The Famished Road " byBen Okri , "Lazarus" byPorcupine Tree , "Jude the Obscure " byThomas Hardy , and "Lazarus" byLeonid Andreyev .
*Several novels ofRobert A. Heinlein involveLazarus Long , a name taken by Woodrow Wilson Smith, a character who lives over 2000 years.
*T.S. Eliot's speaker inThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock compares himself to Lazarus.
*Sylvia Plath wrote a poem called "Lady Lazarus ".
*On film, the name "Lazarus" is used in the movies "Casper", "Black Snake Moan" and "Slam".
*Incomputer software , Lazarus is referenced by the 1995 computer game "Diablo", the DiskDoctor utility in the CommodoreAmiga Old File System , and the video games , , andBioShock .
*On television, "Lazarus" appears in "The X-Files " ("Lazarus"), "Stargate SG-1 " ("Cold Lazarus"), "Doctor Who " ("The Lazarus Experiment "), "Mutant X ", "Supernatural" (""), and episodes "The Alternative Factor" and "Requiem for Methuselah".
*In the "Batman " comic books, villainRa's al Ghul regenerates his body in aLazarus pit .
*Dennis Potter 's tv serial "Cold Lazarus " shows the re-animation of a 20th century writer's brain in the 24th century.
*In WWE wrestling the Undertaker is referred to as Lazarus by Paul Bearer during a feud between the two.
*InVampire the Dark Ages Lazarus is a Methuselah of theCappadocian clan of vampires and may also appear in as the Capuchin.References
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