What inspired you to write your new book, “I Am Lazarus?”
The resurrection of Lazarus of Bethany is mentioned in three books of the bible. The shortest verse of the bible, John 11:35, reports that “Jesus wept” at the news his friend, Lazarus of Bethany, had died. Four days later, Jesus approached the tomb and commanded Lazarus to “come forth.” That is true friendship, if your friend loves you so much that he would resurrect you from the dead. I also theorized that Jesus had another, more interesting reason; say, to have Lazarus nurture and shepherd Christianity through the ages into modern times. I always thought the life of Lazarus, and the other two whom Jesus raised from the dead demanded to be told.
How did you do the research?
I started reading the bible in earnest as a young teen. In addition, I am an avid reader of all genre’s, and I especially love historical non-fiction and fiction. In deciding to write a fictional memoir of Lazarus of Bethany, I started with the bible, and branched out to virtually every other resource. History records that Lazarus actually did flee Judea after the crucifixion and in time became a significant religious fixture on Cyprus. I spent months immersed in research about Lazarus, the apostles, and crafted the story of how he helped shape what the world today knows as Christianity.
Lazarus was named in the bible, but Sarah and Elan were not. How did you select their names?
Since Lazarus and his story is the central arc of my book, I left his name as it is in the bible. Though Sarah and Elan are not named in the biblical accounts of their respective resurrections, I simply chose two names I liked. However, both of them will be quite important to our history when I finish their collective stories.
What is the significance of the three resurrections of Lazarus, Sarah, and Elan?
To me, the resurrections are clearly done by Jesus to demonstrate that as the Son of God, he has complete control over life and death. Two of the resurrections show that death is defeated through simple belief in the savior. Lazarus believed Jesus was the son of God. Jarius, (Sarah’s father), believed that Jesus could, and would, heal his sick daughter. Elan’s mother, (the widow fro Nain), elicited compassion from Jesus, and that compassion led him to resurrect the young man in front of a large and very public crowd of mourners.
Elan’s resurrection is the most public and could be couched as perhaps the most dangerous one for Jesus. As I wrote in the passage after this miracle, the religious and Roman authorities probably were very concerned that if this man, Jesus, could resurrect the dead then what was to prevent him from resurrecting their enemies and turning that resurrected army against them.
How did you create the world of Lazarus?
I’ve lived with Lazarus in my head for years. That he finally decided to come out was cathartic, and entertaining. His story, combining the true, biblical one, and the fictional, 2,000-year-old one, were immensely fun to write. I imagined what it might be like, to not age as those around you did. That first question, “what would you do if…” guided every word as I wrote the adventures Lazarus, Sarah and Elan experienced. There have been dozens of TV shows, movies, plays, etc. around this topic, so it wasn’t that hard to put me into his shoes, so to speak, and begin telling his story.
Who is Sarah?
I wanted Sarah to be loved by anyone who reads I Am Lazarus. In her I combined all the sweetness and innocence of my friends and family. I also gave her personality a fierceness born of her circumstances, i.e., a young Hebrew woman born in the time of Jesus, her death and resurrection, suspicions by townspeople of witchcraft and the threats on her life, fleeing with a man she did not know, becoming a warrior, retreating into herself to heal her psychological wounds, etc. She will one day know human love, but not in book one.
Why does Elan question his resurrection?
Elan feels the need to understand why he was resurrected. It lent a bit of mystery and suspense to the story, especially as he develops an intense interest in science and the sky (where everyone thinks God lives). Lazarus was given a charge by Jesus, but Elan wasn’t, he was just told to meet Sarah and then to find Lazarus. His desire to go into the sky, or into the realm of God to ask why he’d been brought back to life is what drives him. It will drive his actions until he actually meets God.
One thing I never really touch on in Book One of the Trilogy, is where these questions eventually take Elan. This will be very clear in books two and three of the series.
Do you believe in angels?
Absolutely. When I wrote the account of Sarah’s resurrection, an experience from my childhood served as the basis for that. I was quite ill as a child, and during one particularly bad evening I died. What I wrote for Sarah is somewhat like what I experienced that day; swirling angels, a large, orange/white circle above my bed, a singular angel holding my hand and telling me it wasn’t my time yet. Now I know one of the reasons I experienced that; to eventually use it in this book, and I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to present it as Sarah’s.
Are you a religious person?
I believe in God. I believe in Jesus, his Son. I believe in the Holy Spirit too. I was raised Episcopalian until the age of 10, then we moved to a Pentecostal Church, (I know, it sounds shocking, but it was the 70’s and the Jesus movement was roaring) where I very clearly saw and experienced the fruits of the Spirit. Those experiences grounded me in my belief and knowledge of Jesus. I also believe that I was guided in my thoughts and research as I sat at the dining room table and typed the story of Lazarus, Sarah, and Elan.
(Basye, VA – January 2022) Christians often wonder what God’s plan is for their short time on Earth, and author James Davison explores this question through the lives of the three people resurrected by the Son of God—Lazarus of Bethany, the daughter of Jarius, and the son of the widow from Nain. In the first of a series of three books told in the form of an imagined memoir, the three discover their resurrections imparted immortality and together, they travel across the centuries, collecting and preserving the words of Jesus Christ.
“I am Lazarus,” published November 2021 by Resource Publications, follows the trio from 33 CRE to just after the crusades as they navigate their way through the ages, eluding a persistent group of zealots who are determined to permanently return them to the grave.
According to the Book of Mark, Jesus wept at the news that his good friend had passed away. Making his way to the tomb where Lazarus had been placed, Jesus raises him from the dead. Davison picks up the well-documented Biblical story from there, bringing Lazarus together with the two others also mentioned in the Bible as having been resurrected.
Every chapter paints an indelible picture of what the trio of immortals been doing since ancient times as the mystery of their resurrections deepens. From encounters with the Apostles Paul and John to defending early Christians from Saladin’s Army, the three persevere throughout the years, never aging, but always struggling to understand the reason for their continued existence, and pray their work finds favor with God.
“Davison has brilliantly and inventively brought Christianity’s formative moments to life,” said award winning author L.Y. Marlow. “Davison takes the reader on a journey that bridges together biblical heritage, prophets, and heroism–the start of a series that is worthy not just of a book but the big screen.
About James Davison
James Davison, author, and songwriter has traveled the world for his work in television news, politics, public relations, and law enforcement. He has dined with presidents, preachers, and prisoners. He draws on his many adventures, experiences, and relationships to craft his stories. His first book was the speculative fiction thriller Trinity 3.11 (2019). His next book is “Bottom Feeder,” a serial killer mystery set in the bayous of rural Louisiana in 1974.
"I Am Lazarus" is the first book in a trilogy by James A Davison.
