[49] Renan suggested that Jesus and his friends at Bethany arranged a pretended death and resurrection of Lazarus. This seems inconsistent with the absence of any allusion to it or to Lazarus in the Epistles, and also with the evident relation of the narrative to the parable. It looks more as if the parable of Lazarus and the rich man had been dramatized and the return of Lazarus from "Abraham's bosom" added. At every step in the narrative (John xi.) there is a suggestion of some old "mystery-play" fossilized into prosaic literalism. [50] This is the genuine sense of the story in Acts xiii. There is no evidence in Paul's writings that he ever bore the name of Saul. Bar-Jesus has a double meaning,--"Son of Jesus" and "Obstruction of Jesus." The antithesis may have been suggested by the words of Pilate, in many ancient versions of Matt, xxvii. 16, 17: "Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? Jesus Bar Abbas, or Jesus that is called the Christ?" Elymas, commonly used as a proper name, means Wise Man. The word magoi denotes Wise Men in Matt. ii. 1, where they bring gifts to the infant Christ, but the same word is made by translators to denote a "sorcerer" when the wise man is opposing Paul! Nobody named Sergius Paulus was known before the Consul of A.D. 94, who must have been long enough dead for this legend to form before it was written. [51] "Boast not of thy clothing and raiment, and exalt not thyself in the day of honor: for the works of the Lord (in nature) are wonderful, and his works among (wise) men are hidden."--Ecclus. xi. 4; cf., in same, xvi. 26-27, where it is said the beautiful things in nature "neither labor, nor are weary nor cease from their works." [52] Ewald compares the omission of the name of Moses for so many centuries with the omission of Solomon's name. (Geschichte des Volkes Israel, Bk. ii.). Such omissions do not, he says, cast doubt on the historic character of either. The descriptive references to Solomon during the time when his name is suppressed are more continuous, and more historical. The utterance of Solomon's name was probably at first avoided through Jahvist horror of his supposed idolatry and worldliness, but as he was addressed in a psalm as "God," and as superstitions about his demon-commanding power grew, it seems not improbable that there was some fear of using his name, akin to the fear of uttering the proper name of God or of any evil power. [53] It is shocking to find this woman named as Mary Magdalene in the "Harmony of the Gospels," appended to the Revised Bible. This deliberate falsehood is carefully elaborated by separating the story as told in Matthew and Mark as another incident, under the heading, "Mary anoints Jesus."