The Placement of the Holy Relics of the Apostle James the Greater (Brother of Apostle John the Evangelist), Apostle Simon the Zealot, Apostle Mathias, Apostle Timothy, and St. George the Great Martyr and Trophy-bearer at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
[The following is taken from "The Consecration of a Greek Orthodox Church According to Eastern Orthodox Tradition, A Detailed Account and Explanation of the Ritual," by Gus George Christo, Texts and Studies in Religion, Volume 109, The Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston/Queenston/Lampeter, 2005; pgs. 3-7.]
The Centrality of Relics in the Church
Christianity in its formative years was a persecuted religion. The primary notion of martyrdom, a martyrdom by death and a baptism in one’s own blood, clearly marked that era. The individuals who suffered martyrdom perfectly imitated Christ’s sacrifice and martyrdom upon the cross. There existed a direct connection between the cosmic redemptive and expiatory death of Christ and that of the martyrs. Therefore, it was a common practice during the early Christian centuries to erect Churches over the tombs of the martyrs so the bloodless sacrifice, the Holy Eucharist, could be celebrated and the everlasting Kingdom of God ushered and established sacramentally in time and space by the concrete presence of the very body and blood of the resurrected and glorified Son of God, who sits at the right hand of God the Father.
The holy scriptures are filled with examples of people, places and things that are consecrated to the service of God. For example, it is noteworthy to mention in Acts 5:16 of the healing power in the Apostle Peter’s shadow, and in Acts 19:11-12 of the restorative power of the handkerchiefs and aprons touched by the Apostle Paul. Indeed, Luke 8:40-48 describes an infirmed yet faithful woman who touched the hem of Christ’s garment and was healed. The Apostle and Evangelist John notes in the Book of Revelation (6:9) of his vision where he sees under the altar the souls of the saints who underwent martyrdom for the testimony of the gospel. Scriptural examples account for us how the early Church developed the sacred tradition of: securing holy relics under the altar, placing objects such as garments coming in contact with relics as objects of veneration, and processing with relics. A classic example of the procession of relics appears in the Book of Exodus (13:19) where Joseph’s bones were handled sacredly and became part of a four hundred year procession. Moses had vowed that Joseph’s bones would find their final resting place in the promised land.
The Church officially canonized the universal tradition of consecrating Churches with the holy relics of martyrs at the Seventh Ecumenical Council held in Nicea in 787 A.D. Legislation was drawn up making the consecration of Churches without relics heretical.
According to the theology of relics presented by St. John Chrysostom in his panegyric homilies, God takes the martyrs' souls and gives mankind their relics until the final resurrection of the dead. Hence, relics are treasures that contain innumerable goods for human beings to harvest. They are symbols of Christ's bodily and perfect resurrection from the dead, of the future age and of the unwaning day of the kingdom. They serve as means of transforming corrupt human nature into the image and likeness of Christ.
How does God sanctify saints' relics? The grace and holiness of the Spirit of God moves from the martyrs' souls to their bodies and then to their clothing. From their clothing it spreads to their shoes and, finally, it moves into the very shadows they cast, as evidenced by the shadow of St. Peter that raised a human corpse back to life once it passed over it.
The veneration of relics by the faithful stemmed from the martyrs' imitation of Christ's baptism in death, suffering and sacrifice, and their subsequent emigration into heaven, call to a better and more spiritual life, change from corruptibility to incorruptibility, and spiritual wedding to Christ the Master. Resulting from a martyrdom by death, or a baptism in blood, a martyr became a channel for the power of God and an intercessor between God and human beings. The martyr's holy relics served as the visible and concrete manifestation of all this to the early Church.
Holy relics, adorned with the stigmata of Christ, become vehicles revealing God's power and love toward mankind in several ways. Firstly, they thwart the devil's attack upon Christians and endlessly wound him, as they remind him of Christ's saving death and resurrection that the holy martyrs imitated. Secondly, the relics impart great benefits to the Christians who honor them at special shrines and seek the assistance of the martyrs to whom they belong. The benefits given include: God's compassion and forgiveness of any sin committed, restoration of physical and mental health to the ill and preservation of the healthy, great boldness before God, instruction about Christ's gospel, leadership towards virtue, and cleansing from the unclean spirits that are exorcised. Even the dead may be brought back to life. Thirdly, martyrs' relics function as altars for the celebration of the divine liturgy, and thus grant great benefits to the faithful throughout salvation history, because they are imbued with invisible power, dominion and the grace of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the power of the relics of the glorified saints in heaven is the nobility of the Christians and the crown of the Church. Therefore, unlike material treasures, relics are neither diminished nor dan¬gerous when divided. Since they are spiritual things, they increase in value when they are partitioned and multiply when they are divided. Finally, someone who has venerated a saint's relics is readily recognized by his countenance, form, gait, feeling of piety and devotion, by the collection of his thoughts, and by his humility. The movements of his body and the proclamation of his philosophy distinguish him as someone who paid such homage. Scripture proves this point when it remarks: "A man's attire, grinning laughter and gait show what he is" (Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach 19:30).
The locations where the relics of God's saints have been deposited are solely according to God's providence. God selects the location for the deposition of a saint's relics with the specific purpose of edifying the people with the truth and power of the gospel, which is clearly revealed by the saint's triumph over his executioners. At these locations or shrines God guides the pilgrim to exhibit the same zeal for the faith as the martyr who presently resides in heaven. The pilgrim's acceptance of this guidance gives God the opportunity to prepare a safe har¬bor for him and provide comfort for his misfortunes. The shrines become sites of refreshment and renewal as the pilgrim's con¬sciousness is unburdened and his perspective relating to his sal¬vation is recaptured and secured. The pilgrim then leaves the shrine as an "ensouled" and "spiritual shrine" because the saint and his achievements dwell within his thoughts and heart.
In the final analysis, central to the picture of a saint's martyrdom and holy relics is the life of Christ culminating in His martyrdom upon the cross and vindication through His resurrection. Around that center, we have as primary witnesses to this martyrdom apostles and saints, who not only believed in but actually fol¬lowed after Christ, and especially those who among them shared in His holy martyrdom. It is quite clear from this picture that the early Church understood the gospel culminating in the martyrdom and glorification of Christ in a most literal way, pro¬claiming it not only in word but in example and deed. Faith was not an assent to a set of ideas related to Christ, but a way of life, Christ's life. The model of a believer was the person who fol¬lowed Him to the cross and who became through his own mar¬tyrdom a witness to the glory of His resurrection. There is a crude realism to this picture of faith, particularly when one exam¬ines it in some of its details, most notably the detail connected with the holy relics of the Christian martyrs; but such a crudity indicates in the most indisputable manner that the Christian gospel is concerned with the entire man and not just with his mind or spirit. The dust of history is transformed into a witness that anticipates its renewal, which has already been com¬menced in the resurrection of Christ and in the glorification of His martyrs and saints who partake in it through their death. Martyrdom is integrally linked with Christianity because it is the most effective and decisive way of overcoming the existing powers of darkness, repre¬sented by sin and satan, and the most effective way of re-establishing the Kingdom of God in humanity and in the world at large.
The centrality of relics in the life of the Church is best seen during the time of the Christian Roman Emperors. Whenever the celebration of a martyr’s feast day occurred in the imperial city of Constantinople, the emperor would humble himself in the public’s view by putting off the imperial purple and all insignias of earthly sovereignty, he would dress in simple peasant clothes, enter the imperial Church and venerate the martyr’s relics. And once the emperors reposed, they left orders behind for their earthly remains to be interred next to those of the holy martyrs. It was the custom in Constantinople for the emperors to be buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles that housed the awesome relics of Christendom such as the true cross of Christ, the bones of the Twelve Apostles and of numerous martyrs, and the holy fathers of the Church. For this reason, St. John Chrysostom, the Archbishop of Constantinople once wrote:
"In Rome, the emperor, the consuls and the rulers make pilgrimages to the graves of the Fisherman and the Tent-maker. But in Constantinople, those who once wore the diadem are satisfied if they are buried, not even near the Apostles, but outside in the forecourt. So the emperors become doorkeepers for the Fishermen…These find themselves inside, like the lords, but those, as though they were servants, consider it a favor if they may find a place by the outer door." ["John Chrysostom and His Time, Volume Two, Constantinople: The Later Years," by Rev. Chrysostomus Baur, O.S.B. Translated by Sr. M. Gonzaga,. R.S.M., p. 460. Copyright 1988 by Bu>chervertriebsanstalt. ISBN 3-905238-11-X.]
Glory to God for all Things. Amen.
[Holy Relics freely offered to the Holy Trinity Community of Wilmington, Delaware by Fr. Gus George Christo, Ph.D.]
