Lazarus

In contemporary Christian tradition, Lazarus is the brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany who falls ill and dies, and whom Jesus raises from the dead. "And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth.' And he that was dead came forth..." (John 11-12.) Jesus was close to Lazarus: elsewhere in John, Jesus is told of Lazarus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill," and upon the discovery that Lazarus had been entombed in a cave for four days, "Jesus wept." In a letter written by Clement of Alexandria some 200 years AD, reference is made to the lost "Secret Gospel of Mark" which suggests Lazarus may have been secretly initiated into a mystery tradition by Jesus.

In Luke 16.19-31, a story is told involving a different Lazarus, a beggar who was "full of sores" that "moreover the dogs came and licked." Lazarus the beggar dies at the gates of a rich man's house, but finds eternal comfort in the afterlife. The rich man, after he dies, finds only torment. (Not to worry, senator: I'm sure he wasn't a Republican.)

In Santería and Candomblé, St. Lazarus is syncretized with the deity, or orishá, called Babaluayé. Like Lazarus the beggar, Babaluayé is covered with lesions, and dogs lick his wounds: the goddess Oshun heals him with her magic honey. The spirit of St. Lazarus/Babaluayé is often invoked in the prayers of those suffering with, or for loved ones suffering with, AIDS.