Lazarus

Laz·a·rus

noun \ˈlaz-rəs, ˈla-zə-\

Definition of LAZARUS

1

: a brother of Mary and Martha raised by Jesus from the dead according to the account in John 11

2

: the diseased beggar in the parable of the rich man and the beggar found in Luke 16

Origin of LAZARUS

Late Latin, from Greek Lazaros, from Hebrew Elʽāzār

First Known Use: before 12th century

Lazarus

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In the New Testament, two apparently different people. In the Gospel According to Luke, he was the poor man in the parable of Dives and Lazarus, and in the Middle Ages he was honoured as the patron of lepers. In the Gospel According to John, Lazarus was the man whom Jesus raised from the dead. When Jesus visited Bethany, near Jerusalem, Lazarus's sister Mary lamented that if only Jesus had been there four days earlier, surely he could have prevented her brother from dying. Jesus went to the cave where Lazarus was entombed and commanded him to “come forth,” and he did. The miracle, in the Gospel account, inspired some Jews to accept Jesus as the Messiah, and others reported it to Jewish leaders.