by Bob Curran
The Witch of Endor
The exact nature of the dead prophet’s return from the tomb is unclear. Did he return as a vision or a ghost, or did he return in actual bodily form? Was he summoned by the magic of the witch, or did God allow him to return in order to rebuke the king? Whatever form his return took, he was able to communicate with Saul (some have argued that this was direct communication, others that it was through the witch), and he was able to issue a dire and angry prophesy: Saul would be defeated by the Philistines and the king himself would die. This warning proved to be correct, and is counted as God’s retribution on the wayward king. Although there is no indication as to what befell the revenant prophets after he had uttered his prophesy (presumably he returned to the grave) the incident remains a Biblical example of an individual being called forth from the tomb by supernatural forces.
The actual form that the revenant took is not properly described. The Standard King James Bible translation simply states that it was “an old man covered in a mantle,” which the witch sees, but the translation then goes on to state that Saul saw that it was Samuel (whom he unquestionably recognized) and that it terrified him. This seems to imply that the returning revenant took on some form of bodily shape, which was recognizably that of the prophet. Whether this form was corporeal or spiritual is a matter for conjecture. Some biblical scholars have argued that this was not in fact Samuel, but some sort of demon that had been drawn to the situation by Saul’s previous wickedness, and was seeking to undermine the children of Israel. Again, one cannot be altogether sure.
Gradually, as the Hebrew people became more settled, and, as the Judaic consciousness began to expand and develop some similar stories, testimonials concerning the power of the Hebrew patriarchs began to emerge, and a number of these are found in the Old Testament.
When it came to returning from the dead, some of the departed prophets appeared to have a problem: Some of them had never actually died in the traditional sense. In these instances, the phrase that has been used to describe the departure of such figures from this life is bodily translation, in which they passed from one sphere of existence into another without actually dying. The implication contained in this translation was that they might return from the Afterlife (being with God) at any time.
Elijah
Although it is quite possible that a number of early heroes were translated in such a fashion, only a couple of stories are now recorded in Semitic and Christian scripture; one of these was the important Hebrew prophet Elijah.
After Abraham, the ninth-century BCE figure of Elijah ranks high amongst all the prophets and patriarchs of both Jewish and Christian traditions. (Elijah was one of the prophets who is reputed to have appeared to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.) He is referred to as a “Tishbite,” although there is no geographical location for his homeland. It is thought that the village or settlement of Tishbe, from which he reputedly came, might have lain in Gilead—a mountainous region to the east of the River Jordan. However, the term Tishbite was also a general one simply meaning “foreigner.” He preached at a time of great turmoil and division in the kingdom of Israel, when the cult of Yahweh (Jehovah) was becoming more firmly established in the Semitic consciousness.
He is perhaps most famous for his denunciation of Jezebel, the Phoenician wife of King Ahab of Israel, who had brought foreign worship into the country, and for his confrontation with her priests (the priests of Ba’al-Malkart of Tyre—the city from which she came). In this, he is seen as the conscience of an emerging faith, and therefore takes his place as one of its chief exponents. It was natural, therefore, that he should have some supernatural elements and powers associated with him. One of these miraculous attributes was the power to raise the dead. This power was demonstrated later. After speaking out against Jezebel, Elijah fled to avoid the wrath of Ahab and hid briefly by the brook Cherith (identified by some as the Wadi-el-Kelt near Jerusalem) before leaving Israel for the Phoenician town of Zerephath (Serepath), which lay between the cities of Tyre and Sidon on the Mediterranean coast. There he lodged with a Phoenician widow and her young son who were extremely good to him. However, the widow’s son became sick and died. The widow begged Elijah to restore him to life, which the prophet eventually did by using a supernatural power that God had allegedly given him. It is assumed that he restored the child to full health, as the Bible (1 Kings 17:22) tells us no different. What became of him is unknown, but it is presumed that he continued to live quite normally in Zerephath for many years afterward.
Besides having the power to raise from the dead, Elijah himself was not destined to die in the traditional manner; his departure from this world was rather spectacular. He was walking one day on the banks of the River Jordan together with his friend Elisha, who would succeed him. Desiring to cross the river, Elijah held out his staff; the waters parted so that the two of them could cross on dry land. As they crossed, a great chariot drawn by horses of fire descended from the heavens, and Elijah was carried up in a whirlwind. His cloak fell to the ground, but was picked up by Elisha, who put it on and therefore became the next prophet of Israel. The translation of Elijah meant that the prophet could return from “the Bosom of Abraham” at any time, and indeed in the Christian tradition we are told that both John the Baptist and Jesus were at times mistaken for the resurrected prophet.
Enoch
According to both Jewish and Christian traditions, Enoch was another patriarch who had the same fate as Elijah. Enoch was a direct descendant of Adam and a forefather of Noah. A somewhat mystical figure, he is said to have lived between 3284 and 3017 BCE, departing this life when he was almost 300 years old. He appears to have been a man of great faith, and, because of this, God promised him that he should not taste death and so at the end of his long life he was translated. The book of Genesis tells us that “Enoch walked with the Lord and was not,” probably meaning that he was carried directly into Heaven. The Talmud would also suggest that Enoch was transformed into an angel named Metatron, and he became part of the Host gathered around the Throne of God. Allegedly, he was the only angel allowed to sit within the Heavenly Precincts (a privilege reserved for God alone) and he appears to have had great power. According to Rabbinical tradition, his flesh became flame; his veins became fire; his lashes became flashes of lightning; and his eyes became flaming torches—a quite startling transformation indeed! Much mystical and magical lore has been attached to Enoch’s name, and several books of sorcery, which are of supernatural origin, are ascribed to him. A number of these books reputedly carry incantations designed specifically for summoning the angel Metatron (the translated body of Enoch himself) from beyond the grave and bending the heavenly entity to one’s will.
Metatron
The power to raise people from the dead, as exemplified in the prophet Elijah, was passed on to his successor Elisha. Elisha raised the child of a Shunamite woman who had shown both Elisha and his servant Gaichazi great kindness. According to the tale Elisha lodged at the house of the woman and her husband in Kfar Shunam while he carried out his ministry in the region. As he lodged there, the prophet sensed a great longing in the woman, for the couple had no children and her husband was very old. When he left, the woman refused any form of payment for her kindness, but the prophet promised that they would have a son shortly afterward. Two years later, however, the small boy fell victim to heatstroke and died. Distraught, the woman sent for Elisha, who was some distance away, and begged the holy man to restore the child to life. Elisha was unable to go at that particular time, but sent his servant Gaichazi to visit the woman and perform the miracle. The servant was unsuccessful, so Elisha himself went and bent over the boy’s bed, putting his mouth to that of the child and whispering the name of Hashem, a mystical name for God. The boy sneezed, woke up, and came back to life. Why the prophet used such an obscure name for God and not the conventional Yahweh is worthy of note—it may be that the Shunamite was not a Hebrew, or it may be that it was part of a magical spell or incanta
tion to summon the boy back from death.
The Ephraimites
With some modifications, this story bears a striking resemblance to the tale of Elijah and the widow’s son, and it is possible that the two stories might have come from the same source. It might also be possible to argue that they both come from a much earlier source concerning Mesopotamian “wonderworkers,” which had been attributed to the two Semitic patriarchs.
Ezekiel
Yet another of the early Prophets who is supposed to have seen the dead rise was Ezekiel. He has been always been something of a mystery, because so little is known about him, and many biblical scholars now agree that, because of the variation in both style and tone, the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament (which only mentions his name twice) was probably written by more than one man and was compiled about 597 BCE. Nothing is known of his birth or background, though he describes himself as a priest or as the son of a priest—some sources say that he was the son of the Prophet Jeremiah. The book was brought together—perhaps by a person represented by Ezekiel—among a group of Semitic exiles in a place known as Tel-abib on the banks of the Chebar River “in the land of the Chaldeans.” These people were fugitives from Babylonian captivity when Babylonian forces had overthrown King Jeconiah of Israel and carried off many of his people into slavery in Babylon.
In the book of Ezekiel, God took the Prophet into a valley through which human bones were scattered. The book of Ezekiel gives no location for this place, nor does it explain to whom the dead bones might have belonged. However, it has been suggested that they belonged to the Ephraimites, which was one of the tribes of Israel that fled from captivity in Egypt before the arrival of Moses and Aaron. God then asked Ezekiel a question: “Son of Man. Can these bones live?” Ezekiel replied that only God Himself knew. Upon this statement, God commanded the Prophet to prophesy over the bones, so that they might live. As Ezekiel prophesied, sinews and flesh were added to the dry bones so that they were bodies, but had no life. God told Ezekiel to prophesy again, and a great wind—the breath of God that had supernatural properties—blew through the valley. The bodies rose once again to join the living. This was counted as one of the greatest miracles of Ezekiel’s career, and the one for which he is best remembered.
Many biblical students now take the previous story as allegorical—symbolising the rebirth of the people of Israel after a period of Babylonian captivity. For many fundamentalist Christians, however, the story is factual, and they believe that, through His supernatural power, God did actually raise a valley of dead bones—restoring them to life. The raising of the dead in the valley, they argue, represents the eternal power of God and His superiority over life and death. Whatever the reality of the situation, the idea of supernatural resurrection (mainly at the behest of Yahweh or God) was therefore becoming imbedded in both Jewish and Christian traditions.
Christianity
The notion of raising the dead was not solely confined to the early Hebrew leaders and prophets. Jesus Christ also allegedly performed such miracles during the course of his ministry on earth, and, of course, reputedly returned from the grave after being crucified. This indeed has laid the foundations of a religion that has lasted more than 2,000 years.
One of those who was brought back from the dead by Christ was the daughter of Jairus, described as a high-ranking official in the synagogue. The story is recorded in three of the Synoptic Gospels—Mark, Luke, and Matthew—and follows roughly the same story.
While Jesus was preaching, Jairus approached him and, falling down before him, asked him to come and “lay hands” on his daughter who was ill and close to dying. Because Jesus was considered to be a great healer, he hoped that this would restore her to health. While Jesus was on his way to Jairus’s house, a servant arrived telling him that the girl had died. Taking either a couple of his disciples or the girl’s grieving parents with him, Jesus went into the room where the child lay. Bending over the bed, Jesus took her by the hand and reputedly said in Aramaic, “Talitha Qumi,” which means “Little girl, arise.” The child awoke and got up, fully restored to life. However, this miracle is disputed by some biblical scholars who claim that it wasn’t a resurrection from the dead at all. They point out that, although Mark and Luke seem to be in agreement (Mark 5:21–24; 35–42 and Luke 40–42; 49–56), the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 9:18–26) takes a slightly different stance, omitting the crucial statement that the girl was dead. The suggestion is that she was merely ill and had recovered by the time that Jesus had arrived. This, it has been argued, casts doubt about the particular “miracle” and the alleged “resurrection.”
Lazarus
There is also a dispute about another of Jesus’s resurrection miracles—that of Lazarus (or Elaezar) of Bethany, although it is unclear as to exactly who Lazarus actually was. In the biblical account he lived in the small town of Bethany, and was the brother of Mary Magdalene (one of the Jesus’ more prominent female followers) and their sister Martha. However, some traditions (largely medieval but citing earlier sources) assert that he was the brother of the Virgin Mary and therefore Jesus’ earthly uncle. Other legends describe him as a Cypriot living with his sisters, who all became followers and friends of Jesus. The relationship between Jesus and Lazarus seems to have been very deep, because when he heard of Lazarus’s death, Jesus wept openly. When he arrived in Bethany he found that Lazarus had already been laid in the tomb. Jesus then told his sister Martha that he was sure that Lazarus would rise again. Jesus ordered the stone to be rolled away from the entrance to the tomb and cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus! Come forth!” whereupon the cadaver appeared at the mouth of the tomb, still clad in his burial clothes. Jesus ordered the shroud-wrappings to be removed, and it was discovered that Lazarus was alive and had indeed risen from the dead at Jesus’ command. This was widely accepted as a symbol of His divinity, and was cited as one of his greatest miracles. The story appeared in the Gospel of John (11:1–45). What became of Lazarus thereafter is unknown. The Bible remains remarkably silent on his subsequent existence—although there have been a number of legends.
Some stories say that Lazarus was reviled by his neighbors because he had cheated death and was forced to flee to Cyprus (hence, the Cypriot connection of the later tales) where he became bishop of Larnaka/Kittim, and was specifically appointed to the post by the apostles Paul and Barnabas. The bishops of Kittim had a special status: They were autocephaletic, which means that they did not report to any higher authority and acted as functioning rulers. Another story, recounted in the 13th-century Golden Legend, states that directly after the Crucifixion, Lazarus and Mary Magdalene fled with some friends from the Holy Land to Europe, where Lazarus became the first bishop of Marseilles. Other parts of France also appear to claim him as well; for example, he is also cited as bishop of Vezelay in Burgundy, while the Abbey of the Trinity in Vendome at one time was said to hold a phylactery (the Jewish name was tefilin) allegedly containing a tear of Christ, which had been shed at the tomb of Lazarus. In neighboring Autun he was extolled as Saint Lazere and the church in the town was dedicated to him. Saint Lazere, according to legend, was also incredibly old, outliving most men in the surrounding area. This was presumably attributed to the fact that he had apparently been raised from the dead. In all of these legends, Lazarus continued to live a normal life after being resurrected by becoming a prominent churchman.
Jesus Christ
Arguably, the greatest resurrection miracle in Western belief was, of course, the rising of Jesus Christ, an alleged event that has laid the foundations for the Christian religion. The core of this belief is that Jesus was crucified, died on the Cross, and was buried in a tomb. However, on the third day after his crucifixion it is believed that he rose again, and this event was witnessed by a section of his followers. Believers say that this event is the ultimate proof of his divinity and union with God. Indeed, it is often proclaimed that Jesus “conquered” death through his own will and sense of purpose. Many fundamentalist beli
evers assert that this was an actual bodily resurrection and that Jesus returned “in the flesh” and not as a spirit or ghost. In other words, he was resurrected in tangible form. Jesus appeared several times to his followers, and in one account (John 20:24–29) a follower named Thomas (also called Didymus) asked him for physical proof of his bodily return from the grave. Jesus therefore invited him to place his fingers in the holes in his hand, made by the nails at the Crucifixion, or to thrust his hand into the wound made by the lance of a Roman soldier who stood beside the Cross. Whether or not Thomas did this is not revealed in the Bible, but the invitation alone seemed to have been enough to convince him of Jesus’ bodily form. Strangely, none of the other followers appear to have questioned the nature of Jesus’ corporality.
Of course, there has been much theological debate about the exact nature of the resurrection story. Fundamentalist Christians have strongly argued that it was an actual bodily event and, as evidence, point to the fact that in one of his appearances after death, Jesus actually sat down and ate a meal with two witnesses. Today some Christians assert that the resurrection was not an actual physical event, but rather a symbolic embodiment of the aspirations and belief of the Christian people. Although it is not the intention of this book to become embroiled in theological controversy, the resurrection story does give one of the strongest examples in modern belief of an individual’s return from the dead. It is a story that had been passed down for more than 2,000 years, and one that had formed one of the central tenets of an established church. For believers, Jesus actually conquered death, and remains the only person who returned from the grave through His own spiritual will and the purity of His existence on earth.