Publisher's Synopsis
The story is narrated by Josiah, a fictional character, who meets Lazarus in Capernaum. They become close friends and, through a wide range of activities, Lazarus brings Josiah to faith. Many of these joint activities involve Jesus, while others involve Martha and Mary, Philip, James, Zacchaeus, Bartimaeus, Paul of Tarsus and others. Josiah relates the account of Lazarus' life and deaths to his inquisitive great nephew, Reuben. Reuben and Josiah's wife, Miriam, have innumerable questions for Josiah, which allow for discussions about a wide range of issues such as: Why did Jesus' family initially reject his ministry? Should we always do what we can to stop evil from happening? Why did Jesus weep loudly at Lazarus' tomb? What did Lazarus experience when he died or was he just asleep? First century Jewish laws, the importance of the Temple, the history of important Jewish festivals, the interplay between the Sanhedrin and Roman authorities, and what was Jewish life really like in the Roman world, provide interesting context to the entire "rest of the story" about Lazarus. Dr. Slaght is a retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer with 32 years of service in mainly U.S. Embassies worldwide. He retired in 2004 with the rank of Career Minister, the highest rank in the Service below ambassador. He is a Christian, an active member of The Gideons International, former President of the International Church Ministries group, a former deacon in two churches and father of three fine sons. He became interested in Lazarus as a result of a Bible study discussion concerning Lazarus' resurrection. Since the Bible reports virtually nothing about Lazarus after his resurrection, Dr. Slaght decided to write his own historical fictional account of this fascinating Biblical character. Dr. Slaght and his wife, Joan, live on a 20-acre hobby farm in Statesboro, Georgia.
