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“The song is ended, but the melody lingers on.”
- Irving Berlin (1888–1989), American songwriter
It is the lot of most mortals to live and die once. That seems enough.
There have been a few recorded exceptions.
Chronologically, as recorded in Holy Writ, there were these.
The unnamed son of the widow of Zarephath, the woman who, in a pagan city, was on the brink of starvation when Elijah asked her to bake him a cake. He may have tired of the fare supplied by ravens at the brook of Cherith.
Using her last batter, she did as requested and was rewarded with continued meal in the barrel and oil in the cruse until the famine associated with the drought of that day ended.
One day her son died. We do not know that nature of his illness. All we are told is that it was so grievous he ended up dying. The widow, grief stricken, accosted Elijah.
Elijah beseeched the Almighty, in response to which the boy was brought back to life. This may have been the 1st recorded artificial resuscitation, but, on the other hand, it is apparent the boy was dead before Elijah’s prayer and action, which consisted of laying his body on the boy’s 3 times.
That which is dead is not as easily resuscitated as that which is yet (barely) alive.
