Introduction
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Divisio
1) First part: Ferrer follows the Gospel account of the resurrection of Lazarus (cf. John 11, 1-45) and thus introduces its first cause, the causa humanitus retractiva, which can be found in the moment when Christ decides to return to the region of Judea to resurrect Lazarus of Bethania despite the fact that the apostles had tried to dissuade him, as Christ had many enemies there who wanted to stone him. Against the apostles' fear, Christ said: “Nonne duodecim hore sunt diei?” (John 11, 9) and Ferrer proposes four interpretation of this sentence (literal, allegorical, tropological and anagogical). 2) Second part: concerning the causa meritalis inductiva, i.e. Christ's love (charitas sive dilectio) for Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, et e converso. “Diligebat Ihesus Martham et sororem eius et Lazarum” (John 11, 5): Ferrer points out that these words show the tria genera personarum loved by Jesus, namely the personas pure continentes (= Martha), the personas digne penitentes (= Mary) and the personas iuste presidentes (= Lazarus). 3) Third part: concerning the causa principaliter effectiva, i.e. “the power and authority of Christ, his precept and command”, and this is the cause expressed by the thema. Through the continuation of the gospel, Ferrer expounds on the quinque cerimonias observed by Christ in the resurrection of Lazarus; these five ceremonies, according to Ferrer's moral interpretation, show “how the sinner is to be resurrected from the death of guilt to the life of grace through penance”: 1. the opening of the tomb, i.e. the revelation of sins through confession (the bodies of sinners represented as a monumentum, “quia ad extra est pulcrum et depictum […] sed ad intra est turpe et fetidum et plenu corruptione, in quo iacet mortua anima” and as sepulcra dealbata, “que a foris apparent hominibus speciosa, intus autem plena sunt ossibus mortuorum et omni spurcicia” [Matthew 23, 27]); 2. the prayer to the Father, i.e. the prayer to be made by the confessor during confession; 3. the order to Lazarus: “Lazare, veni foras”, i.e. the expulsion of sins in obedience to the confessor who invites to penance; 4. The order to remove Lazarus' bandage, i.e. the absolution from sins by the confessor; 5. The order to let Lazarus go, i.e. to allow the penitent to complete the penance (the confessor, for example, must not assign excessive penances and “nullus debet impedire penitentiam alterius nisi esset preiudicativa” [reference to Matthew 23, 13]).