Raising Lazarus
Learn about the historical context for this story about Jesus. Learn about Roman and Jewish customs of the time period that come into play in this story.
What did people think about resurrection?
Judaism during Jesus' time wasn't unified, but had several different sects that had some pretty fundamental differences of interpretation about their religion. There was a debate in the Jewish community at the time of whether there was resurrection from the dead or not. This is referred to in the book of Acts: “For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all” (Acts 23:8 ESV). The Sadducees and Pharisees were two different sects of Judaism. The Sadducees didn't believe there was an afterlife at all, whereas the Pharisees believed there was an immortal soul.
Burial Practices
During this time, burial in caves was common, where the dead body would be wrapped and laid on one of possibly several shelves inside the tomb. If there was a previous body already there that had been reduced to bones, the bones were reclaimed by the family or moved aside. This is why the Gospels make special note that the tomb Jesus was buried in had not had anyone buried in it previously.
Mourning was a common Jewish practice after the death of a loved one. The period could go as long as seven days. It seems from the gospel of John that it was common practice for the mourners to receive visitors during that time.
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