St. Lazarus of the Four Days (in Aramaic, Elʿāzār, "God is my help") was a follower of Jesus who lived in Bethany, on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. (It is known in Arabic as al-Eizariya, "the place of Lazarus.") Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus (St. Jerome, the translator of the Bible into Latin) claimed that the town's name meant "house of affliction," from the Hebrew "beth 'ani" or the Aramaic "beth 'anya," indicating that the place was the site of an almshouse or a place where destitute pilgrims were cared for; it may also have been a leprosarium ("lazar house"). After Lazarus had been buried for 4 days Jesus arrived in Bethany and raised him from the dead. The miracle prompted Caiaphas, the high priest, to summon the Sanhedrin, the rabbinical tribunal, who debate what to do about Jesus: if he is allowed to continue "everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation." Caiaphas; father-in-law Annas, a previous high priest, questioned Jesus about his teachings and disciples, then sent him to Caiaphas, who decided that it was better for one man to die than for "the whole nation" to be destroyed. Pontius Pilatus, the Roman prefect, declined at 1st to take action, so the Sanhedrin interrogated Jesus, who remained silent until Caiaphas ordered him to confirm whether he was the Messiah. When Jesus proclaimed he was, the tribunal had him beaten for blasphemy. Jesus' confession was understood to mean the return of David's royal dynasty, thus grounds for his execution for sedition.
St. Lazarus of the Four Days (in Aramaic, Elʿāzār, "God is my help") was a follower of Jesus who lived in Bethany, on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. (It is known in Arabic as al-Eizariya, "the place of Lazarus.") Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus (St. Jerome, the translator of the Bible into Latin) claimed that the town's name meant "house of affliction," from the Hebrew "beth 'ani" or the Aramaic "beth 'anya," indicating that the place was the site of an almshouse or a place where destitute pilgrims were cared for; it may also have been a leprosarium ("lazar house"). After Lazarus had been buried for 4 days Jesus arrived in Bethany and raised him from the dead. The miracle prompted Caiaphas, the high priest, to summon the Sanhedrin, the rabbinical tribunal, who debate what to do about Jesus: if he is allowed to continue "everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation." Caiaphas; father-in-law Annas, a previous high priest, questioned Jesus about his teachings and disciples, then sent him to Caiaphas, who decided that it was better for one man to die than for "the whole nation" to be destroyed. Pontius Pilatus, the Roman prefect, declined at 1st to take action, so the Sanhedrin interrogated Jesus, who remained silent until Caiaphas ordered him to confirm whether he was the Messiah. When Jesus proclaimed he was, the tribunal had him beaten for blasphemy. Jesus' confession was understood to mean the return of David's royal dynasty, thus grounds for his execution for sedition.
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