The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-02-23
The Raising of Lazarus.
INTRODUCTION.

Another New Testament battle
ground; on the one side party denying
the story of the raising of Lazarus, on the
other side party holding to the veracity
Of the story. The parties however are nu-
merically unequally matched; the party
of denial being but fraction against the
whole body of professed believers. Never
theiess the contest is real. The matter in
contention is of vital import.
1. Theories of Rejection.-These
four are the most prominent:
(a) Il Is poem which originated In the early
church. and is to be interpreted as a purely mag
NATIVE literary production. (Straass, in his first
Life Of Christi
~ It is a fiction, designed to deceive; the Laz-
arus Of the fiction being the mythical Lazarus Of
Luke's parable of the rich man. Strauss, in his
second Life of ChyiHJ
(e) It Is an allegorcal picture Of the deathcon-
suering power of the Gospel false in the letter. true
In the spint.-(Ban WeiSsdeker: German ration
SHas)
a. 1t Is downright and deliberate fraud on the
part Of Jesus concoced between him and the family
at Bethany for theatrical effect the narrative being
faithful to the appearances, the jugglery being in
the occurrence.-(R snan)
2. Theories of Acceptance Two
only need be designated:
(a) Lazarus had not in the strict sense died, but
had passed into trance, from which he was awak
ened by the voice of Jesus.-( Panias, Caller,
Aspss, Kern, Svessey, Gf6,ey, Weisse: German
rasionaiias)
o. The story is literal historic TRUTH Tie
mass of Christian scholars and 6elievsrs)
The theories of denial are
based ID on the natural doubt of all mira
cle-stories; (2) on special doubt pertaining
to Johns authorship of the Fourth Gospel.
The theory proposed by Renan, in
volving criminal deception on the part of
Jesus, has been by all respectable schools
discarded, as no less logically inadequate
than morally monstrous. - Of the the
cries of acceptance, the first, assum
ing that Lazarus was in prolonged trance
and not literally dead, has been largely
favored by those who, while believing ia
the historical Christ and in the honesty OF
the record, exalt the usual and the natural.
The second theory, implying the death of
Lazarus, is favored by those who exalt &c
spiritual and believe in the freedom and
immanence of God.-The Helper b.
lieves in the reasonableness of miracl s.;
not in law-breaking miracles, but in / &C
Divine interpretations in nature, which :
very existence of God implies. 1t inter
prets by natural light as far as that lisht
will reach, and prefers when possible to
find a natural explanation of every phe
nomenon; yet it does not fight against
sufficiently attested unexplainable occur
rences; lest haply it be found fighting
against God. The HELPER also believes
that the Apostle John is essentially the
author of the Fourth Gospel. 1t is, after
no slight investigation, unable to escape
the conclusion that the Lazarus-story comes
to us from TINS apostle The Lazarus
story is integral in the only record that
accounts for the existence of Christianity
and makes the trend of history consistent
The difficulties in accepting this story as
true are not SO great as the difficulties of
constituting it as delusion or an imposi-
ton. 1t is surely no more improbable that
Jesus, by might of the Spirit, raised Laza-
rus from the dead, than that he himself
should personally appear in the earth after
his cruci6xion.