City
Bethany
BETH-uh-nee · Modern Al-Eizariya, West Bank
Bethany is a city of the biblical world, known today as Al-Eizariya, West Bank.
What is known
- Home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha — the site of Lazarus's raising from the dead (John 11) and Mary anointing Jesus's feet (John 12:1-8)
- Jesus's regular lodging place when visiting Jerusalem, and the starting point of his ascension in Luke 24:50-51
- Since at least the 4th century AD, a tomb here has been venerated as the burial place of Lazarus, though the identification rests on continuous tradition rather than an inscription
History
- Founded
- A small Judean village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, inhabited since at least the Bronze Age
- Population
- A modest village, likely a few hundred residents in the 1st century AD
- Coordinates
- 31.7700° N, 35.2644° E
Archaeology
Excavations by Father Sylvester Saller (1949-1953) uncovered four superimposed churches east of the traditional Tomb of Lazarus, the earliest dating to the 4th-5th century, along with rock-cut tombs, wine-presses, and cisterns. Bronze Age tombs attest to very early occupation of the site. The tomb has been venerated as Lazarus's burial place since at least the 4th century AD, though the identification rests on continuous tradition rather than inscriptional proof.
Scripture references
- Matthew 21:17
- Matthew 26:6-13
- John 11:1-44 — Raising of Lazarus
- John 12:1-8
- Luke 24:50-51 — The Ascension
On a modern map
Further reading
Reflect
Jesus kept returning to Bethany, the home of his friends — who gives you that kind of resting place, and who receives it from you?
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