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"Tomb of Lazarus "
Al Eizariya, Bethany
Al Eizariya, Bethany
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Fourth Day of my Holy Land Trip, Mount Zion, Jerusalem
My Holy Land Trip
"Tomb of Lazarus, Al Eizariya, Bethany "
The Tomb of Lazarus is a traditional spot
of pilgrimage located in the West Bank town of al-Eizariya, traditionally
identified as the biblical village of Bethany, on the southeast slope of the
Mount of Olives, some 2.4 km (1.5 miles) east of Jerusalem. The tomb is the
purported site of a miracle recorded in the Gospel of John in which Jesus
resurrects Lazarus.
Bethany, a mosque and a church at the site of the Tomb of Lazarus, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
Bethany, a mosque and a church at the site of the Tomb of Lazarus, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
The site, sacred to both Christians and
Muslims, has been identified as the tomb of the gospel account since at least
the 4th century AD. As the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913 states, however, while
it is "quite certain that the present village formed about the traditional
tomb of Lazarus, which is in a cave in the village", the identification of
this particular cave as the actual tomb of Lazarus is "merely possible; it
has no strong intrinsic or extrinsic authority." Archeologists have
established that the area was used as a cemetery in the 1st century AD, with
tombs of this period found "a short distance north of the church."
Near to Tomb of Lazarus, located in the West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
Several
Christian churches have existed at the site over the centuries. Since
the 16th century, the site of the tomb has been occupied by the al-Uzair
Mosque. The adjacent Roman Catholic Church of Saint Lazarus, built between
1952 and 1955 under the auspices of the Franciscan Order, stands upon the
site of several much older ones. In 1965, a Greek Orthodox Church was
built just west of the tomb
The entrance to the tomb today is via a
flight of uneven rock-cut steps from the street. As it was described in 1896, there
were twenty-four steps from the modern street level, leading to a square
chamber serving as a place of prayer, from which more steps led to a lower
chamber believed to be the tomb of Lazarus. The same description applies today.
Way to Lazarus Tomb, West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
The steps enter the antechamber (3.35 m
long by 2.20 m wide) through the north wall; the outline of the former entrance
via the mosque can still be seen on the east wall. The floor of the antechamber
is two steps above the floor level of the mosque, possibly due to rock falls from
the soft limestone ceiling during construction of the Crusader-era church above
the tomb. The Crusaders strengthened the tomb itself with masonry, which
obscures most of the original rock surface (except for a few holes). The
alignment of the tomb and antechamber suggests they predate the Byzantine
churches and may very well be from the time of Jesus.
Al Ozair Mosque AD 1187, near to Lazarus Tomb, West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
Three steps connect the antechamber with
the inner burial chamber (which measures a little more than two square meters
in size). It contains three funerary niches (arcosolia), now mostly hidden by
the Crusader masonry. One tradition places the tomb of Lazarus to the right of
the entrance, which was formerly closed by a horizontal stone. Tradition also
says that Jesus was standing in this antechamber when he called Lazarus from
the grave.
Way to Lazarus Tomb, West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
There
is no mention of a church at Bethany until the late 4th century AD, but both
the historian Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 330) and the Bordeaux pilgrim in the
Itinerarium Burdigalense (c. 333) do mention the tomb of Lazarus. The first
mention of a church dedicated to Saint Lazarus, called the Lazarium, is by
Jerome in 390. This is confirmed by the pilgrim Egeria in her Itinerary, where
she recounts a liturgy celebrated there in about the year 410. Therefore, the
church is thought to have been built between 333 and 390. Egeria noted, when
the liturgy for Lazarus on the Saturday in the seventh week of Lent was
performed, "so many people have collected that they fill not only the Lazarium
itself, but all the fields around."
Roman Catholic Church of St. Lazarus, Al Eizariya, Bethany:
The Lazarium consisted of the church (to
the east of the site), the tomb of Lazarus (to the west), and an open space
between the two which probably served as an atrium. The church was in the form
of a three-aisle basilica. The apse, in a solid rectangular block shape, was at
the east end. A sacristy on each side opened into the aisles.
Inside the church of St. Lazarus,
located in the West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of
the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
The Lazarium was destroyed by an
earthquake in the 6th century, and was replaced by a larger church. This church
was mentioned by the Coptic Pope Theodosius I of Alexandria, circa 518 and by
the Frankish bishop Arculf in his narrative of the Holy Land, circa 680. It
survived intact until the Crusader era. The second church followed the same
general plan as the first, but the apse was situated about 13 meters (43 ft) to
the east in order to create a larger atrium. A chapel was built on the south
side of the atrium.
Inside the church of St. Lazarus, located in the West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
In 1138, King Fulk and Queen Melisende of
Jerusalem obtained the village of Bethany from the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
in exchange for land near Hebron. The queen built a large Benedictine convent
dedicated to Mary and Martha to the south of the tomb and church. Melisende had
extensive repairs made to the 6th-century Byzantine church, which remained the
focal point of pilgrimages. For the use of the convent, the queen had a new
church built over the tomb of St. Lazarus with a triapsidal east end supported
by barrel vaults (the largest of which would be used for the currently existing
mosque). This new church was dedicated to St. Lazarus and the older church was reconsecrated
to Sts. Mary and Martha. Melisende also fortified the complex with a tower.
Inside the church of St. Lazarus, located in the West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
After the fall of Jerusalem in 1187, the
nuns of the convent went into exile. The new west church was most likely
destroyed at this time, with only the tomb and barrel vaulting surviving. The
6th century church and tower were also heavily damaged at this time but
remained standing. The village seems to have been abandoned thereafter, though
a visitor in 1347 mentioned Greek monks attending the tomb chapel.
Dome, inside the church of St. Lazarus, located in the West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
By
1384, a simple mosque had been built on the site of the existing structures. In
the 16th century, the Ottomans built the larger al-Uzair Mosque to serve the
town's (now Muslim) inhabitants and named it in honor of the town's patron
saint, Lazarus of Bethany. The construction utilized the surviving barrel
vaulting of the former west church. Its courtyard is in the Byzantine church
atrium.
Inside the church of St. Lazarus, located in the West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
For
100 years after the mosque was constructed, Christians were invited to worship
in it, but the practice was frowned upon by European church authorities who
preferred for adherents of the faiths to remain separate. As Christian access
to the tomb became more difficult, the Franciscans were eventually permitted (between
1566 and 1575 to cut a new entrance into the tomb on the north side. At some
point the original entrance from the mosque was blocked. This entrance can
still be seen in the east wall of the church's antechamber.
Holy mass in the church of St. Lazarus, (lead by Fr. Dansy), located in the West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
In 1863, the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land gained title to a plot of ground close to the tomb of Lazarus. Other areas were acquired later.[17]Between 1952 and 1955, a modern church dedicated to St. Lazarus was built on this property over the remnants of the former Byzantine and Crusader east churches. The courtyard of this church stands over the west end of the older churches. Parts of the original mosaic floor are still visible here.[16] The west wall of the courtyard contains the west facade of the 6th century basilica, as well as its three doorways. About twenty-five meters up a hill to the left of the church is the modern entrance to the Tomb of Lazarus.
The architect of the modern church was
the Italian Antonio Barluzzi. The church is set in a cruciform pattern and
stands over the east end of the older churches. "Its walls are almost
hermetically sealed and windowless. The dome is solidly incorporated into
octagonal drum overhead. All this suggests a subterranean vault, lonely as a
grave... The soaring higher element, crowned by the dome with its flood of
light, suggests the joy of intense hope and optimism.
Tomb of Lazarus, located in the West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
Visitors can view parts of the apse of the Lazarium through trapdoors in the floor, just inside the main entrance. The modern church includes a facade mosaic depicting Mary, Martha, and Lazarus; and the interior is decorated with polished stone and mosaics. The designs for the mosaics of the church were done by Cesare Vagarini. The work itself was carried out by the firm of Monticelli of Rome, which was also responsible for the mosaic decoration in the churches in Tabor and Gethsemane
Door to Lazarus Tomb, West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
In 1965, a Modern Greek Orthodox church
was built just west of the Tomb. Its construction incorporates the north wall
of the former medieval Benedictine chapel.[3] Nearby the church are ruins that
belong to the Orthodox Patriarchate and are traditionally identified either as
the House of Simon the Leper or Lazarus.
Steps down to the Lazarus Tomb:
Raising of Lazarus
A friend of Jesus was sick. His name was Lazarus. He lived in Bethany with his sisters Mary and Martha. It was Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair.
Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus, who Jesus loved, was sick to the point of death.
When Jesus heard it he said:
This sickness has come about so that God and his Son will be glorified.
Jesus loved Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus.
Jesus stayed two more days where he was. Then after two days he said to his 12 disciples:
Let’s go back to Judea.
The disciples said to him:
Teacher, the Jews who live in that region want to stone you, and you want to go back there?
Jesus answered:
Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walks in the daylight he doesn’t stumble because he sees the light of this world.
But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not in him.
Jesus said these things to his disciples after he told them that their friend
Lazarus had fallen asleep:
I will go and wake him up.
His disciples said:
If he is asleep then perhaps the fever is gone.
Jesus was saying that Lazarus was dead, but the disciples thought he was saying that Lazarus was restfully sleeping.
Finally Jesus said to his disciples:
Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Let’s go to him.
Main steps ending and this small opening is leads to the Lazarus Tomb:
Thomas, who is also called Didymus, said to his fellow-disciples:
Let’s go so that we may die with him.
So when Jesus came to Bethany, to the house of Mary and Martha, he found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was very near Jerusalem. Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them over the death of their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house.
Martha said to Jesus:
Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died. But even now I know that what you ask God to do, He will do.
Jesus said to her:
Your brother will rise again.
Martha said to him:
I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus said to her:
I am the resurrection, and the life. He who believes in me, even if he dies, he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?
Martha said to him:
Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one sent into this world from God.
Inside the Lazarus Tomb, West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
After she said this she went and called Mary her sister secretly, saying:
The Teacher is here and is looking for you.
Mary got up quickly and went to Jesus. Jesus was not yet in Bethany, but waiting at the same place that Martha had left him.
The Jews who were consoling Mary and Martha in their homes, saw Mary get up quickly and leave. They supposed that she was going to the tomb to weep, and they followed her.
When Mary came to where Jesus was she fell at his feet and said to him:
Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
Jesus saw her weeping, and he saw the Jews also who had come along with her weeping. He groaned in his spirit and was troubled and asked:
Where have you laid him?
They said to him:
Lord, come and see.
Jesus wept.
The Jews said:
Look how he loved him!
But others said:
If he could open the eyes of the blind couldn’t he have prevented Lazarus from dying?
After groaning, Jesus came up to the tomb that was in a cave with a stone lying against the opening.
Martha said:
Lord, the body is decayed since it has been dead for four days.
Jesus said to her:
Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?
So at Jesus’ instruction they took away the stone from in front of the tomb.
Jesus lifted up his eyes and said:
Father, I thank you that you hear me. I know you always hear me but I want the people who are here to believe that you sent me.
Inside the Lazarus Tomb, West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem:
And then Jesus with a loud voice said:
Lazarus, come out.
Lazarus came out of the tomb, his hands and feet were bound with grave-
clothes, and his face was covered by a napkin.
Jesus said to them:
Unwrap him, and let him go.
Many of the Jews who had come to comfort Mary and her sister Martha saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead and believed in him.
Others went out and told the Pharisees what Jesus had done.
Inside the Lazarus Tomb, West Bank town, Al Eizariya, Bethany, on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. opening is the exit:
