their tradition. >> one of the problems is lazarus only appears in the gospel of john. he pops up out of nowhere. he's raised from the dead, and then he vanishes from the narrative. >> and this really has to make you wonder, is this an historical event, or is this a legend that makes a theological point about the importance of resurrection in christian theology? >> the story of lazarus that is given to us in the gospel of john tells us much more about the person of jesus than it does about lazarus. this doesn't mean that lazarus didn't exist. >> but there is another theory, one that puts lazarus at the heart of the passion narrative. >> there's this mysterious figure in john's gospel, the disciple whom jesus loved. tradition identified him with john. some people suggest it was thomas.