Living Lazarus

This mosaic panel is in the early 6th century CE church of Sant’Apollinaire Nuovo in Ravenna (see post below). In the upper parts of the walls, above the clerestory, are panels depicting scenes from the life of Christ. Here is the story of the Raising of Lazarus, told in spare efficiency: Christ on the right just raises his hand and Lazarus, in his sepulcher and still in his burial winding cloth, opens his eyes, alive once again.