A reliquary (also referred to as a shrine , by the French term châsse , and historically also referred to as a phylactery ) is a container for relics . A portable reliquary may be called a fereter , and a chapel in which it is housed a feretory or feretery .
126-526: Relics may be the purported or actual physical remains of saints , and may comprise bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or with other religious figures. The authenticity of any given relic is often a matter of debate; for that reason, some churches require documentation of a relic's provenance. Relics have long been important to Buddhists , Christians , Hindus , and to followers of many other religions. These cultures often display reliquaries in shrines, churches, or temples to which
252-472: A relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Relics are an important aspect of some forms of Buddhism , Christianity , Islam , shamanism , and many other religions. Relic derives from the Latin reliquiae , meaning "remains", and
378-477: A wax seal . In Catholic theology, sacred relics must not be worshipped, because only God is worshipped and adored. Instead, the veneration given to them was " dulia ". Saint Jerome declared, "We do not worship, we do not adore, for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the Creator, but we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore Him whose martyrs they are." Until 2017,
504-485: A balance of righteousness: wherefore one of them was dragged down to Hades by the weight of his blasphemy [the balance points downward] , whereas the other was lightened of his transgressions unto the comprehension of theology [the balance points upward] . O Christ God, glory to Thee." The Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity on New York City's Upper East Side is the largest Eastern Orthodox Christian church in
630-481: A band; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha; and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. Also cited is the veneration of relics from the martyr and bishop Saint Polycarp of Smyrna recorded in the Martyrdom of Polycarp , written sometime from 150 to 160 AD. With regard to relics that are objects, an often cited passage is Acts 19:11–12, which says that Paul
756-546: A certificate of authentication, signed and sealed by someone in the Congregation for Saints , or by the local Bishop where the saint lived. Without such authentication, relics are not to be used for public veneration. The Congregation for Saints, as part of the Roman Curia , holds the authority to verify relics in which documentation is lost or missing. The documents and reliquaries of authenticated relics are usually affixed with
882-669: A clean slate is given. Through baptism a person is united to the Body of Christ by becoming a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church. During the service, water is blessed. The catechumen is fully immersed in the water three times in the name of the Trinity. This is considered to be a death of the "old man" by participation in the crucifixion and burial of Christ, and a rebirth into new life in Christ by participation in his resurrection. Properly,
1008-601: A form of the Latin verb relinquere , to "leave behind, or abandon". A reliquary is a shrine that houses one or more religious relics. In ancient Greece , a city or sanctuary might claim to possess, without necessarily displaying, the remains of a venerated hero as a part of a hero cult . Other venerable objects associated with the hero were more likely to be on display in sanctuaries, such as spears, shields, or other weaponry; chariots , ships or figureheads ; furniture such as chairs or tripods ; and clothing. The sanctuary of
1134-403: A formal declaration of an ecumenical council. Lack of formality does not imply lack of authority within holy tradition. As the church increased in size through the centuries, the logistic dynamics of operating such large entities shifted: patriarchs, metropolitans, archimandrites, abbots and abbesses, all rose up to cover certain points of administration. Lesser cycles also run in tandem with
1260-455: A great church built just outside the walls of Tours. When Saint Martin died on November 8, 397, at a village halfway between Tours and Poitiers , the inhabitants of these cities were ready to fight for his body, which the people of Tours managed to secure by stealth. Tours became the chief point of Christian pilgrimage in Gaul, a place for the healing of the sick. Gregory of Tours travelled to
1386-664: A great deal between cultures. The Eastern Orthodox Church places emphasis and awards a high level of prestige to traditions of monasticism and asceticism with roots in Early Christianity in the Near East and Byzantine Anatolia . The most important centres of Christian Orthodox monasticism are Saint Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula ( Egypt ) and Mount Athos in Northern Greece . All bishops are monks; if
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#17328521783171512-613: A great deal to 14th-century Hesychast mysticism and the wood-carving genius of the Russian Orthodox Church . The first ceiling-high, five-leveled Russian iconostasis was designed by Andrey Rublyov in the cathedral of the Dormition in Vladimir in 1408. The small top crossbar represents the sign that Pontius Pilate nailed above Christ's head. It often is inscribed with an acronym, "INRI", Latin for " Jesus of Nazareth, King of
1638-521: A man who is not a monk is elected a bishop, he must be tonsured a monk before he may be consecrated. Customarily, also, a man must either be a monk or be married to be ordained. Aspects of the iconography borrow from the pre-Christian Roman and Hellenistic art . Henry Chadwick wrote, "In this instinct there was a measure of truth. The representations of Christ as the Almighty Lord on his judgment throne owed something to pictures of Zeus. Portraits of
1764-465: A new life of salvation through repentance whose purpose is to share in the life of God through the work of the Holy Spirit. The Eastern Orthodox Christian life is a spiritual pilgrimage in which each person, through the imitation of Christ and hesychasm , cultivates the practice of unceasing prayer. Each life occurs within the life of the church as a member of the body of Christ . It is then through
1890-437: A new location. Offerings made at a site of pilgrimage were an important source of revenue for the community who received them on behalf of the saint. According to Patrick Geary , "[t]o the communities fortunate enough to have a saint's remains in its church, the benefits in terms of revenue and status were enormous, and competition to acquire relics and to promote the local saint's virtues over those of neighboring communities
2016-561: A ninth-century Italian deacon named Deusdona, with access to the Roman catacombs, as crossing the Alps to visit monastic fairs of northern Europe much like a contemporary art dealer. Canterbury was a popular destination for English pilgrims, who traveled to witness the miracle-working relics of St Thomas Becket , the sainted Archbishop of Canterbury who was assassinated by knights of King Henry II in 1170. After Becket's death, his successor and
2142-479: A person dies the soul is temporarily separated from the body. Though it may linger for a short period on Earth, it is ultimately escorted either to paradise ( Abraham's bosom ) or the darkness of Hades , following the Temporary Judgment . Orthodox do not accept the doctrine of Purgatory , which is held by Catholicism. The soul's experience of either of these states is only a "foretaste"—being experienced only by
2268-734: A priest by his bishop as a means of bestowing faculties upon him (i.e., granting him permission to celebrate the Sacred Mysteries). The antimens is kept on the Holy Table (altar), and it is forbidden to celebrate the Divine Liturgy (Eucharist) without it. Occasionally, in cases of fixed altars, the relics are built in the altar table itself and sealed with a special mixture called wax-mastic . The necessity of provide relics for antimensions in new churches often necessitates continuous division of relics. An account of this process can be found in
2394-611: A reliquary and may be buried inside larger structures such as a stupa or chorten . Particularly in China and throughout East and Southeast Asia, these take the form of a pagoda ; in Japan, this is known as a tō . Two famous very early excavated reliquaries are the 1st-century Bimaran Casket and the Kanishka Casket of 127 AD, both believed to have contained part of the cremated remains of Gautama Buddha . Relics associated with Buddha are
2520-569: A ship from. A study in 1870 found that, put together, the claimed relics of the cross at that much later time weighed less than 1.7 kg. By the middle of the 16th century, the number of relics in Christian churches became enormous, and there was practically no possibility to distinguish the authentic from the falsification, since both of them had been in the temples for centuries and were objects for worship. In 1543, John Calvin wrote about fake relics in his Treatise on Relics , in which he described
2646-708: A strong sense of seeing each other as parts of one Church. Adherents of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sees their year punctuated by the liturgical calendar of the church on which they depend. Eastern Orthodoxy holds that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and rejects the Filioque clause ("and the Son ") added to the Nicene Creed by the Latin Church , on the grounds that no council
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#17328521783172772-431: A testament to its authenticity. In Likeness and Presence , Belting argued that the cult of relics helped to stimulate the rise of painting in medieval Europe. Reliquaries are containers used to protect and display relics. While frequently taking the form of caskets, they have many other forms, including simulations of the relic encased within (e.g., a gilded depiction of an arm for a relic consisting of arm bones). Since
2898-710: A treatise of the pre-revolutionary Russian church historian Nikolay Romansky [ ru ] . According to Romansky, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church operated a special office, located in the Church of Philip the Apostle in the Moscow Kremlin , where bones of numerous saints, authenticated by the church's hierarchs, were stored, and pieces of them were prayerfully separated with hammer and chisel to be sent to
3024-684: A union that transcends time and space and joins heaven to earth. This unity of the Church is sometimes called the communion of the saints . Pre-eminent among the saints is the Virgin Mary (commonly referred to as Theotokos or Bogorodica : " Mother of God "). In Eastern Orthodox theology , the Mother of God is the fulfillment of the Old Testament archetypes revealed in the Ark of the Covenant (because she carried
3150-659: Is a psalm, and is in the book of psalms, it is not classified as being within the Psalter (the first 150 psalms). Eastern Orthodoxy does not subscribe to the doctrine of sola scriptura . Rather, Eastern Orthodoxy teaches that its church has defined what Scripture is, and therefore, its church also interprets the meanings of Scripture. Scriptures are understood by Eastern Orthodox interpretation to contain historical fact, poetry, idiom, metaphor, simile, moral fable, parable, prophecy and wisdom literature , and each bears its own consideration in its interpretation. While divinely inspired,
3276-478: Is also believed that her virginity was not compromised in conceiving God-incarnate, that she was not harmed and that she remained forever a virgin. Scriptural references to "brothers" of Christ are interpreted as kin. Due to her unique place in salvation history according to Eastern Orthodox teaching, Mary is honoured above all other saints in this religion and especially venerated for the great work that God accomplished through her. The Eastern Orthodox Church regards
3402-422: Is because the mortal remains of the deceased are associated in some manner with the holiness of their souls which await reunion with their bodies in the resurrection ." Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) pointed out that it was natural that people should treasure what is associated with the dead, much like the personal effects of a relative. In an interview with Catholic News Service , Fr. Mario Conte, executive editor of
3528-544: Is due to God alone. Thus Orthodox teaching warns the faithful against idolatry and at the same time remains true to scriptural teaching (vis. 2 Kings 13:20–21) as understood by Orthodox Sacred Tradition . The examination of the relics is an important step in the glorification (canonization) of new saints. Sometimes, one of the signs of sanctification is the condition of the relics of the saint. Some saints will be incorrupt , meaning that their remains do not decay under conditions when they normally would (natural mummification
3654-498: Is known as holy tradition . Holy tradition does not change in the Eastern Orthodox Church because it encompasses those things that do not change: the nature of the one God in Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the history of God's interactions with his peoples, the Law as given to the Israelites, all Christ's teaching as given to the disciples and Jews and recorded in scripture, including
3780-408: Is not the same as incorruption) . Sometimes even when the flesh does decay the bones themselves will manifest signs of sanctity. They may be honey-coloured or give off a sweet aroma . Some relics will exude myrrh . The absence of such manifestations is not necessarily a sign that the person is not a Saint. Relics play a major role in the consecration of a church . The consecrating bishop will place
3906-451: Is often called Palamism . In understanding the Trinity as "one God in three persons", "three persons" is not to be emphasised more than "one God", and vice versa. While the three persons are distinct, they are united in one divine essence, and Their oneness is expressed in community and action so completely that They cannot be considered separately. For example, Their salvation of mankind is an activity engaged in common: "Christ became man by
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4032-661: Is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity , alongside Catholicism and Protestantism . Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ") Eastern Orthodox Church is organised into autocephalous churches independent from each other. In the 21st century, the number of mainstream autocephalous churches is seventeen ; there also exist autocephalous churches unrecognized by those mainstream ones . Autocephalous churches choose their own primate . Autocephalous churches can have jurisdiction (authority) over other churches, some of which have
4158-499: Is possible, to remind them that the Buddha was a real person, and to also promote good virtue. One of the earliest sources that purports to show the efficacy of relics is found in 2 Kings 13:20–21: And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites used to invade the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied
4284-684: Is reserved for the display of the Blessed Sacrament (host or prosphora and Eucharistic wine after consecration in the sacrament of the Eucharist). The importance of relics in the Byzantine world can be seen from the veneration given to the pieces of the True Cross . Many great works of Byzantine enamel are staurothekes , or relics containing fragments of the True Cross. Other significant relics included
4410-507: Is still formed in the image of God; humans are still God's creation, and God has never created anything evil, but fallen nature remains open to evil intents and actions. It is sometimes said among the Eastern Orthodox that humans are "inclined to sin"; that is, people find some sinful things attractive. It is the nature of temptation to make sinful things seem the more attractive, and it is the fallen nature of humans that seeks or succumbs to
4536-565: Is used in services, which bishops preside, and which of the typica is followed by specific congregations . In the Middle East, Orthodox Christians are usually referred to as Rum ("Roman") Orthodox, because of their historical connection with the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire . Those things which in the West are often termed sacraments or sacramentals are known among the Eastern Orthodox as
4662-578: The Golden Legend or the works of Caesarius of Heisterbach . These miracle tales made relics much sought-after during the period. By the Late Middle Ages, the collecting of, and dealing in, relics had reached enormous proportions, and had spread from the church to royalty, and then to the nobility and merchant classes. The Council of Trent of 1563 enjoined bishops to instruct their flocks that "the holy bodies of holy martyrs ... are to be venerated by
4788-543: The Eastern Churches , which adopted the practice of moving and dividing the bodies of saints much earlier than the West, probably in part because the new capital of Constantinople , unlike Rome, lacked buried saints. Relics are venerated in the Oriental Orthodox , Eastern Orthodox , Roman Catholic , and some Anglican Churches. Reliquaries provide a means of protecting and displaying relics. While frequently taking
4914-488: The Gregorian modes in the West, and to other ancient Christian musical systems, is used. Byzantine music is microtonal . Northern Slavs, however, have used simpler tonal systems evolved through the sundry local types of Znamenny chant ; today Western music , often with four-part harmony , and the "tones" are simply sets of melodies. There are numerous versions and styles that are traditional and acceptable and these vary
5040-603: The Leucippides at Sparta claimed to display the egg of Leda . The bones were not regarded as holding a particular power derived from the hero, with some exceptions, such as the divine shoulder of Pelops held at Olympia . Miracles and healing were not regularly attributed to them; rather, their presence was meant to serve a tutelary function, as the tomb of Oedipus was said to protect Athens . The bones of Orestes and Theseus were supposed to have been stolen or removed from their original resting place and reburied. On
5166-580: The Son is eternal and begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit is eternal and proceeds from the Father. Eastern Orthodox doctrine regarding the Trinity is summarised in the Greek edition of the Nicene Creed , which notably does not affirm the Filioque . Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in a monotheistic conception of God (God is only one), which is both transcendent (wholly independent of, and removed from,
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5292-473: The Western Hemisphere . Locality is also expressed in regional terms of churchly jurisdiction, which is often also drawn along national lines. Many Orthodox churches adopt a national title (e.g. Albanian Orthodox , Bulgarian Orthodox , Georgian Orthodox , Greek Orthodox , Romanian Orthodox , Russian Orthodox , Serbian Orthodox , Ukrainian Orthodox , etc.) and this title can identify which language
5418-452: The catacombs of Rome . These places were always outside the walls of the city, but martyriums began to be built over the site of the burial. Since it was considered beneficial to the soul to be buried close to the remains of saints, several large "funerary halls" were built over the sites of martyr's graves, including Old Saint Peter's Basilica . These were initially not regular churches, but "covered cemeteries" crammed with graves, wherein
5544-453: The girdle worn by the Virgin , and pieces of the body or clothing of saints. Such relics (called contact relics , or secondary relics) were, however, scarce and did not provide most believers with ready access to proximity to the holy. The growth in the production and popularity of reproducible contact relics in the fifth and sixth centuries testifies to the need felt for more widespread access to
5670-511: The "sacred mysteries". While the Roman Catholic Church numbers seven sacraments, and many Protestant groups list two (baptism and the Eucharist) or even none, the Eastern Orthodox do not limit the number. However, for the sake of convenience, catechisms often speak of the seven great mysteries. Among these are Holy Communion (the most direct connection), baptism , Chrismation , confession , unction , matrimony , and ordination . But
5796-571: The Apostle 's handkerchiefs were imbued by God with healing power. In the gospel accounts of Jesus healing the bleeding woman and again in the Gospel of Mark 6:56, those who touched Jesus' garment were healed. The practice of venerating relics seems to have been taken for granted by writers like Augustine , St. Ambrose , Gregory of Nyssa , St. Chrysostom , and St. Gregory Nazianzen . Dom Bernardo Cignitti, O.S.B., wrote, "[T]he remains of certain dead are surrounded with special care and veneration. This
5922-494: The Canterbury chapter quickly used his relics to promote the cult of the as-yet-uncanonized martyr. The motivations included the assertion of the Church's independence against rulers, a desire to have an English (indeed Norman English ) saint of European reputation, and the desire to promote Canterbury as a destination for pilgrimage. In the first years after Becket's death, donations at the shrine accounted for twenty-eight percent of
6048-610: The Catholic Church divided relics into three classes: In 2017, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints abolished the relics of the third degree, introducing a two-stage scale of classification of relics: significant (insigni) and non-significant (non insigni) relics. The first are the bodies or their significant parts, as well as the entire contents of the urn with the ashes preserved after cremation. The second includes small fragments of
6174-467: The Church Fathers, though, the authority of interpretation grows, and full patristic consensus is very strong. With canon law (which tends to be highly rigorous and very strict, especially with clergy) an unalterable validity also does not apply, since canons deal with living on earth, where conditions are always changing and each case is subject to almost infinite variation from the next. By tradition,
6300-463: The Eastern Empire, though still prohibited in the West. The Eastern capital was therefore able to acquire the remains of Saints Timothy , Andrew and Luke , and the division of bodies also began, the 5th century theologian Theodoretus declaring that "Grace remains entire with every part." In the West, a decree of Theodosius only allowed the moving of a whole sarcophagus with its contents, but
6426-620: The Eastern Orthodox Church, when faced with issues that are larger than a single bishop can resolve, holds a local council. The bishops convene (as St. Paul called the Corinthians to do) to seek the mind of the church . A council's declarations or edicts then reflect its consensus (if one can be found). An ecumenical council is only called for issues of such importance, difficulty or pervasiveness that smaller councils are insufficient to address them. Ecumenical councils' declarations and canons carry binding weight by virtue of their representation across
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#17328521783176552-466: The Eastern Orthodox Church. As baptism is a person's participation in the death and resurrection of Christ, so Chrismation is a person's participation in the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost . A baptised and chrismated Eastern Orthodox Christian is a full member of the church and may receive the Eucharist regardless of age. Anointing with chrism substitutes for the laying-on of hands described in
6678-717: The Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord ; Wednesday is consecrated to the Cross and recalls Judas' betrayal; Thursday honors the holy apostles and hierarchs, especially St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra in Lycia ; Friday is also consecrated to the Cross and recalls the day of the Crucifixion; Saturday is dedicated to All Saints, especially the Mother of God , and to the memory of all those who have departed this life in
6804-693: The Jews " or "INBI", Greek Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ὁ βασιλεύς τῶν Ἰουδαίων for "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews". Other crosses associated with the Eastern Orthodox Church are the more traditional single-bar crosses, budded designs, the Greek cross , the Latin cross , the Jerusalem cross (cross pattée), Celtic crosses , and others. A common symbolism of the slanted foot stool is the foot-rest points up, toward Heaven, on Christ's right hand-side, and downward, to Hades, on Christ's left. "Between two thieves Thy Cross did prove to be
6930-541: The Messenger of St. Anthony magazine in Padua , Italy , said, "Saints' relics help people overcome the abstract and make a connection with the holy ... Saints do not perform miracles. Only God performs miracles, but saints are intercessors." In the early Church the disturbance of the remains of martyrs and other saints was not practiced. They were allowed to remain in their often unidentified resting places such as in cemeteries and
7056-461: The Middle Ages. Many were designed with portability in mind, often being exhibited in public or carried in procession on the saint's feast day or on other holy days . Pilgrimages often centered on the veneration of relics. The faithful often venerate relics by bowing before the reliquary or kissing it; those churches that observe the veneration of relics distinguish between the honor given to
7182-476: The Mother of God were not wholly independent of a pagan past of venerated mother-goddesses. In the popular mind the saints had come to fill a role that had been played by heroes and deities." Icons can be found adorning the walls of churches and often cover the inside structure completely. Most Eastern Orthodox homes have an area set aside for family prayer, usually an eastern facing wall, where are hung many icons. Icons have been part of Orthodox Christianity since
7308-513: The New Covenant in the person of Christ) and the burning bush that appeared before Moses (symbolising the Mother of God's carrying of God without being consumed). The Eastern Orthodox believe that Christ, from the moment of his conception, was both fully God and fully human. Mary is thus called the Theotokos or Bogorodica as an affirmation of the divinity of the one to whom she gave birth. It
7434-485: The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed—possess a verified authority that endures forever, irrevocably. However, with local councils and patristic writings, the church applies a selective judgement. Some councils and writers have occasionally fallen into error, and some contradict each other. In other cases, opinions differ, no consensus is forthcoming, and all are free to choose. With agreement among
7560-485: The Romano-Christian concepts that gave relics such a powerful draw. He distinguished Gregory's constant usage of sanctus and virtus , the first with its familiar meaning of "sacred" or "holy", and the second as "the mystic potency emanating from the person or thing that is sacred... In a practical way the second word [virtus] ... describes the uncanny, mysterious power emanating from the supernatural and affecting
7686-420: The actual relic is embedded. A philatory is a transparent reliquary designed to contain and exhibit the bones and relics of saints. This style of reliquary has a viewing portal to view the relic inside. The feretrum was a medieval form of reliquary or shrine containing the sacred effigies and relics of a saint. During the later Middle Ages , the monstrance form, primarily used for consecrated hosts,
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#17328521783177812-607: The advice of the Delphic Oracle , the Spartans searched for the bones of Orestes and brought them home, without which they had been told they could not expect victory in their war against the neighboring Tegeans . Plutarch says that the Athenians were likewise instructed by the oracle to locate and steal the relics of Theseus from the Dolopians . The body of the legendary Eurystheus
7938-406: The annual ones. A weekly cycle of days prescribes a specific focus for each day in addition to others that may be observed: Each day of the Weekly Cycle is dedicated to certain special memorials. Sunday is dedicated to Christ's Resurrection ; Monday honors the holy bodiless powers (angels, archangels, etc.); Tuesday is dedicated to the prophets and especially the greatest of the prophets, St. John
8064-417: The attraction. Eastern Orthodox Christians reject the Augustinian position that the descendants of Adam and Eve are actually guilty of the original sin of their ancestors. The Eastern Orthodox Church understands the death and resurrection of Jesus to be real historical events, as described in the gospels of the New Testament . Church teaching is that Eastern Orthodox Christians, through baptism, enter
8190-464: The authority that Christ bestowed on his disciples when he made them apostles. Holy tradition is firm, even unyielding, but not rigid or legalistic; instead, it lives and breathes within the church. For example, the New Testament was entirely written by the early church (mostly the apostles). The whole Bible was accepted as scripture by means of holy tradition practised within the early church. The writing and acceptance took five centuries, by which time
8316-440: The availability of access to the divine but were not infinitely reproducible (an original relic was required), and still usually required believers to undertake pilgrimage or have contact with somebody who had. The earliest recorded removal, or translation of saintly remains was that of Saint Babylas at Antioch in 354, but, partly perhaps because Constantinople lacked the many saintly graves of Rome, they soon became common in
8442-406: The beginning of the church. An iconostasis , also called the templon , is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church . Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church. The modern iconostasis evolved from the Byzantine templon in the 11th century. The evolution of the iconostasis probably owes
8568-573: The bodies of all saints as holy because of their participation in prescribed rituals called holy mysteries . Physical items connected with saints are also regarded as holy, through their participation in the earthly works of those saints. According to Eastern Orthodox church teaching and tradition, God himself bears witness to this holiness of saints' relics through the many miracles connected with them that have been reported throughout history since biblical times, often including healing from disease and injury. Eastern Orthodox Christians believe that when
8694-413: The bodies, as well as objects used by saints and blesseds. The sale or disposal by other means of "sacred relics" (meaning first and second class) without the permission of the Apostolic See is now strictly forbidden by canon 1190 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law . However, the Catholic Church permitted the sale of third-class relics. Relics may not be placed upon the altar for public veneration, as that
8820-456: The cathedral's total revenues. In the absence of real ways of assessing authenticity, relic-collectors became prey to the unscrupulous, and some extremely high prices were paid. Forgeries proliferated from the very beginning. Augustine already denounced impostors who wandered around disguised as monks, making a profit from the sale of spurious relics. In his Admonitio Generalis of 789, Charlemagne ordered that "the false names of martyrs and
8946-453: The church as embracing all Christ's members, those now living on earth, and also all those through the ages who have passed on to the heavenly life. The church includes the Christian saints from all times, and also judges, prophets and righteous Jews of the first covenant, Adam and Eve, even the angels and heavenly hosts. In Eastern Orthodox services, the earthly members together with the heavenly members worship God as one community in Christ, in
9072-713: The country where the primate resides (e.g., the case of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople whose canonical territory is located partly in northern Greece and the east); sometimes they overlap (the case of Moldova where the jurisdictions of the patriarchs of Bucharest and of Moscow overlap). The spread of Eastern Orthodoxy began in the eastern area of the Mediterranean Basin within Byzantine Greek culture . Its communities share an understanding, teaching and offices of great similarity, with
9198-415: The cremated remains or ringsel of prominent Buddhists. In rare cases, the whole body is conserved, as in the case of Dudjom Rinpoche . A year after his death in 1987, his physical body was moved from France and placed in a stupa in one of his monasteries near Boudhanath , Nepal. Pilgrims may view his body through a glass window in the stupa. The Buddha's relics are used to show people that enlightenment
9324-551: The dioceses that needed to place them into new antimensions. Many churches were built along pilgrimage routes. A number in Europe were either founded or rebuilt specifically to enshrine relics, (such as San Marco in Venice ) and to welcome and awe the large crowds of pilgrims who came to seek their help. Romanesque buildings developed passageways behind the altar to allow for the creation of several smaller chapels designed to house relics. From
9450-399: The divine. These contact relics usually involved the placing of readily available objects, such as pieces of cloth, clay tablets, or water then bottled for believers, in contact with a relic. Alternatively, such objects could be dipped into water which had been in contact with the relic (such as the bone of a saint). These relics, a firmly embedded part of veneration by this period, increased
9576-542: The doctrinal definitions and statements of faith of the seven ecumenical councils, including the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed , and some later local councils, patristic writings, canon law , and icons. Not all portions of holy tradition are held to be equally strong. Some—the holy scriptures foremost, certain aspects of worship, especially in the Divine Liturgy, the doctrines of the ecumenical councils,
9702-589: The eleventh and twelfth centuries, substantial numbers of pilgrims flocked to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, in which the supposed relics of the apostle James, son of Zebedee , discovered c. 830, are housed. Santiago de Compostela remains a significant pilgrimage site, with around 200,000 pilgrims, both secular and Christian, completing the numerous pilgrimage routes to the cathedral in 2012 alone. By venerating relics through visitation, gifts, and providing services, medieval Christians believed that they would acquire
9828-471: The essence of God but rather participating in His energies. This would mean that we do not become "divine", we still remain human but become "gods" by grace, or in other words "icons of the living God" as many call it. The Eastern Orthodox Church, in understanding itself to be the Body of Christ , and similarly in understanding the Christian life to lead to the unification in Christ of all members of his body, views
9954-404: The exterior, this collection of small rooms is seen as a cluster of delicate, curved roofs at one end of the church, a distinctive feature of many Romanesque churches. Gothic churches featured lofty, recessed porches which provided space for statuary and the display of relics. Historian and philosopher of art Hans Belting observed that in medieval painting, images explained the relic and served as
10080-422: The faithful make pilgrimages to gain blessings. The term is sometimes used loosely for containers for the body parts of non-religious figures; in particular, the kings of France often specified that their hearts and sometimes other organs be buried in a different location from their main burial. The use of reliquaries became an important part of Christian practices from at least the 4th century, initially in
10206-457: The faithful, for through these [bodies] many benefits are bestowed by God on men". The Council further insisted that "in the invocation of saints, the veneration of relics and the sacred use of images, every superstition shall be removed and all filthy lucre abolished." There are also many relics associated with Jesus . In his introduction to Gregory's History of the Franks , Ernest Brehaut analyzed
10332-533: The fire of God's love in the action of the Holy Spirit that each member becomes more holy, more wholly unified with Christ, starting in this life and continuing in the next. The church teaches that everyone, being born in God's image, is called to theosis , fulfillment of the image in likeness to God. God the creator, having divinity by nature, offers each person participation in divinity by cooperatively accepting His gift of grace. This isn't to be mistaken as participating in
10458-442: The form of caskets, they range in size from simple pendants or rings to very elaborate ossuaries . The relics were enshrined in containers crafted of or covered with gold , silver , gems, and enamel . Ivory was widely used in the Middle Ages for reliquaries; its pure white color is an indication of the holy status of its contents. These objects constituted a major form of artistic production across Europe and Byzantium throughout
10584-579: The good will of the Father and by the cooperation of the Holy Spirit. Christ sends the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father, and the Holy Spirit forms Christ in our hearts, and thus God the Father is glorified." Their "communion of essence" is "indivisible". Trinitarian terminology—essence, hypostasis, etc.—are used "philosophically", "to answer the ideas of the heretics", and "to place the terms where they separate error and truth". When Eastern Orthodox Christians refer to "fallen nature", they do not mean that human nature has become evil in itself. Human nature
10710-488: The holy scriptures themselves had become in their entirety a part of holy tradition. But holy tradition did not change, because "that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all" remained consistent, without additions, and without subtractions. The historical development of the Divine Liturgy and other worship services and devotional practices of the church provide a similar example of extension and growth "without change". Besides these, holy tradition includes
10836-504: The hope of resurrection and eternal life. The main service offered in the Church is the Divine Liturgy . Most parishes offer this service on Sunday mornings and on major feast days, though it can be offered almost any day of the year. Additional services include Orthros and Vespers ; prayer services in the morning and evening, respectively. For the composition of religious chant, the Octoechos , an eight- tone (mode) system, analogous to
10962-557: The material universe) and immanent (involved in the material universe). In discussing God's relationship to His creation, Eastern Orthodox theology distinguishes between God's eternal essence, which is totally transcendent, and His uncreated energies , which is how He reaches humanity. The God who is transcendent and the God who touches mankind are one and the same. That is, these energies are not something that proceed from God or that God produces, but rather they are God himself: distinct, yet inseparable from God's inner being. This view
11088-592: The most important in Buddhism, but those related to other enlightened figures like Sariputta and Moggallana are also highly revered. In Buddhism, relics are known as cetiya ; one of the most significant is the relic of the tooth of the Buddha in Sri Lanka . In Japan, Buddhist relics are known as shari ( 舎利 , śarīra ) , and are often stored in a shariden ( 舎利殿 , relic hall, reliquary) . (See also: Japanese Buddhist architecture ) Relics In religion,
11214-428: The mystery of baptism is administered by bishops and priests; however, in emergencies any Eastern Orthodox Christian can baptise . Chrismation (sometimes called confirmation ) is the mystery by which a baptised person is granted the gift of the Holy Spirit through anointing with Holy Chrism . It is normally given immediately after baptism as part of the same service, but is also used to receive lapsed members of
11340-604: The mystical life of the Church, and especially by receiving the Sacred Mysteries ( Sacraments ). In the Orthodox service books , the remains of the departed faithful are referred to as "relics", and are treated with honour and respect. For this reason, the bodies of Orthodox Christians are traditionally not embalmed . The veneration of the relics of the saints is of great importance in Orthodoxy, and very often churches will display
11466-596: The natural... These points of contact and yielding are the miracles we continually hear of." Rome became a major destination for Christian pilgrims as it was easier to access for European pilgrims than the Holy Land . Constantine the Great erected great basilicas over the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul. A distinction of these sites was the presence of holy relics. Over the course of the Middle Ages, other religious structures acquired relics and became destinations for pilgrimage . In
11592-400: The parables, the prophecies, the miracles, and his own example to humanity in his extreme humility. It encompasses also the worship of the church, which grew out of the worship of the synagogue and temple and was extended by Christ at the last supper, and the relationship between God and his people which that worship expresses, which is also evidenced between Christ and his disciples. It includes
11718-433: The primary and authoritative written witness of holy tradition and is essential as the basis for all Orthodox teaching and belief. Once established as holy scripture, there has never been any question that the Eastern Orthodox Church holds the full list of books to be venerable and beneficial for reading and study, even though it informally holds some books in higher esteem than others, the four gospels highest of all. Of
11844-526: The protection and intercession of the sanctified dead. Relics of local saints drew visitors to sites like Saint Frideswide's in Oxford , and San Nicola Peregrino in Trani . Instead of having to travel to be near to a venerated saint , relics of the saint could be venerated locally. Believers would make pilgrimages to places believed to have been sanctified by the physical presence of Christ or prominent saints, such as
11970-442: The relics of Theseus, the bones are sometimes described in literary sources as gigantic, an indication of the hero's "larger than life" status. On the basis of their reported size, it has been conjectured that such bones were those of prehistoric creatures , the startling discovery of which may have prompted the sanctifying of the site. The head of the poet-prophet Orpheus was supposed to have been transported to Lesbos , where it
12096-537: The relics of saints prominently. In a number of monasteries , particularly those on the semi-autonomous Mount Athos in Greece, all of the relics the monastery possesses are displayed and venerated each evening at Compline . As with the veneration of icons , the veneration ( Greek ; δουλια, dulia ) of relics in the Orthodox Church is clearly distinguished from adoration (λατρεια, latria ); i.e., that worship which
12222-400: The relics on a diskos (paten) in a church near the church that is to be consecrated, they will then be taken in a cross procession to the new church, carried three times around the new structure and then placed in the Holy Table (altar) as part of the consecration service. The relics of saints (traditionally, always those of a martyr) are also sewn into the antimension which is given to
12348-524: The relics themselves were considered valuable, they were enshrined in containers crafted of or covered with gold, silver, gems, and enamel. Ivory was widely used in the Middle Ages for reliquaries, its pure white color an indication of the holy status of its contents. These objects constituted a major form of artistic production across Europe and Byzantium throughout the Middle Ages. Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy , otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity ,
12474-437: The relics they housed also became popular; hence, for instance, the skull of Pope Alexander I was housed in a head-shaped reliquary. Similarly, the bones of saints were often housed in reliquaries that recalled the shape of the original body part, such as an arm or a foot. Many Eastern Orthodox reliquaries housing tiny pieces of relics have circular or cylindrical slots in which small disks of wax-mastic are placed, in which
12600-569: The saints and the worship that is due to God alone (see Second Council of Nicea ). Sixteenth-century reformers such as Martin Luther opposed the use of relics since many had no proof of historical authenticity and objected to a cult of saints. Many reliquaries, particularly in northern Europe, were destroyed by Calvinists or Calvinist sympathizers during the Reformation , being melted down or pulled apart to recover precious metals and gems. Nonetheless,
12726-512: The saints reflects a belief that the saints in heaven intercede for those on earth. A number of cures and miracles have been attributed to relics, not because of their own power, but because of the holiness of the saint they represent. Many tales of miracles and other marvels were attributed to relics beginning in the early centuries of the church. These became popular during the Middle Ages . They were collected in books of hagiography such as
12852-604: The shrine when he had contracted a serious illness. Later, as bishop of Tours, Gregory wrote extensively about miracles attributed to the intercession of St Martin. Nestorian Christianity utilized the hanānā –a mixture made with the dust of Thomas the Apostle 's tomb–for healing. Within the Assyrian Church of the East , it is consumed by a couple getting married in the Mystery of Crowning . The Second Council of Nicaea in 787 drew on
12978-510: The sick, to seek intercession for relief from famine or plague, to take solemn oaths, and to pressure warring factions to make peace in the presence of the sacred. Courts held relics since Merovingian times. St Angilbert acquired for Charlemagne one of the most impressive collections in Christendom. An active market developed and relics entered into commerce along the same trade routes followed by other portable commodities. Matthew Brown likens
13104-555: The site of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem . As holy relics attracted pilgrims and these religious tourists needed to be housed, fed, and provided with souvenirs, relics became a source of income not only for the destinations that held them, but for the abbeys, churches, and towns en route. Relics were prized as they were portable. They could be possessed, inventoried, bequeathed, stolen, counterfeited, and smuggled. They could add value to an established site or confer significance on
13230-619: The soul—until the Final Judgment , when the soul and body will be reunited. The Eastern Orthodox believe that the state of the soul in Hades can be affected by the love and prayers of the righteous up until the Last Judgment. For this reason the Church offers a special prayer for the dead on the third day, ninth day, fortieth day, and the one-year anniversary after the death of an Eastern Orthodox Christian. There are also several days throughout
13356-469: The state of affairs with relics in Catholic churches. Calvin says that the saints have two or three or more bodies with arms and legs, and even a few extra limbs and heads. Due to the existence of counterfeit relics, the Church began to regulate the use of relics. Canon Law required the authentication of relics if they were to be publicly venerated . They had to be sealed in a reliquary and accompanied by
13482-507: The status of " autonomous " which means they have more autonomy than simple eparchies . Many of these jurisdictions correspond to the territories of one or more modern states; the Patriarchate of Moscow , for example, corresponds to Russia and some of the other post-Soviet states . They can also include metropolises , bishoprics , parishes , monasteries , or outlying metochions corresponding to diasporas that can also be located outside
13608-573: The subgroups significant enough to be named, the " Anagignoskomena " (ἀναγιγνωσκόμενα, "things that are read") comprises ten of the Old Testament books rejected in the Protestant canon , but deemed by the Eastern Orthodox worthy to be read in worship services, even though they carry a lesser esteem than the 39 books of the Hebrew canon . The lowest tier contains the remaining books not accepted by either Protestants or Catholics, among them, Psalm 151 . Though it
13734-455: The teaching of St. John Damascene that homage or respect is not really paid to an inanimate object, but to the holy person, the veneration of a holy person is itself honour paid to God. The Council decreed that every altar should contain a relic, making it clear that this was already the norm, as it remains to the present day in Catholic and Orthodox churches. The veneration of the relics of
13860-400: The term also properly applies to other sacred actions such as monastic tonsure or the blessing of holy water , and involves fasting, almsgiving, or an act as simple as lighting a candle, burning incense, praying or asking God's blessing on food. Baptism is the mystery which transforms the old and sinful person into a new and pure one; the old life, the sins, any mistakes made are gone and
13986-505: The text still consists of words in human languages, arranged in humanly recognisable forms. The Eastern Orthodox Church does not oppose honest critical and historical study of the Bible. In Eastern Orthodoxy, " that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all ", the faith taught by Jesus to the apostles, given life by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost , and passed down to future generations without additions and without subtractions,
14112-659: The town of Libretha, whence the people of Dion had transferred the relics to their own keeping. According to the Chronicon Paschale , the bones of the Persian Zoroaster were venerated, but the tradition of Zoroastrianism and its scriptures offer no support of this. In Buddhism , relics of the Buddha and various sages are venerated. After the Buddha's death, his remains were divided into eight portions. Afterward, these relics were enshrined in stupas wherever Buddhism
14238-486: The translation by Theodotion . The Patriarchal Text is used for the New Testament . Orthodox Christians hold that the Bible is a verbal icon of Christ, as proclaimed by the 7th ecumenical council . They refer to the Bible as holy scripture , meaning writings containing the foundational truths of the Christian faith as revealed by Christ and the Holy Spirit to its divinely inspired human authors. Holy scripture forms
14364-422: The uncertain memorials of saints should not be venerated." The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) of the Catholic Church condemned abuses such as counterfeit relics and exaggerated claims. Pieces of the True Cross were one of the most highly sought-after of such relics; many churches claimed to possess a piece of it, so many that John Calvin famously remarked that there were enough pieces of the True Cross to build
14490-505: The upheavals of the barbarian invasions relaxed the rules, as remains needed to be relocated to safer places. The veneration of relics continues to be of importance in the Eastern Orthodox Church . As a natural outgrowth of the concept in Orthodox theology of theosis , the physical bodies of the saints are considered to be transformed by divine grace —indeed, all Orthodox Christians are considered to be sanctified by living
14616-612: The use and manufacture of reliquaries continue to this day, especially in Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian countries. The earliest reliquaries were essentially boxes, either simply box-shaped or based on an architectural design, taking the form of a model of a church with a pitched roof. These latter are known by the French term chasse , and typical examples from the 12th to 14th century have wooden frameworks with gilt-copper plaques nailed on, decorated in champlevé enamel . Limoges
14742-426: The whole church, by which the mind of the church can be readily seen. However, not all issues are so difficult as to require an ecumenical council to resolve. Some doctrines or decisions, not defined in a formal statement or proclaimed officially, nevertheless are held by the church unshakably and unanimously without internal disturbance, and these, also reflecting the mind of the church, are just as firmly irrevocable as
14868-667: The year that are set aside for general commemoration of the departed, sometimes including nonbelievers. These days usually fall on a Saturday, since it was on a Saturday that Christ lay in the Tomb . The Eastern Orthodox believe that after the Final Judgment: The official Bible of the Eastern Orthodox Church contains the Septuagint text of the Old Testament , with the Book of Daniel given in
14994-517: Was also supposed to protect Athens from enemy attack, and in Thebes , that of the prophet Amphiaraus , whose cult was oracular and healing. Plutarch narrates transferrals similar to that of Theseus for the bodies of the historical Demetrius I of Macedon and Phocion the Good . The bones or ashes of Aesculapius at Epidaurus , and of Perdiccas I at Macedon, were treated with the deepest veneration. As with
15120-481: Was called for the addition. Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in the Trinity , three distinct, divine persons ( hypostases ), without overlap or modality among Them, Who each fully share in one divine essence ( ousia , Greek: οὐσία)—uncreated, immaterial, and eternal . These three persons are typically distinguished by their relation to each other. The Father is eternal, neither begotten nor proceeding from any,
15246-496: Was celebrated funerary and memorial services. It may have been thought that when the souls of the martyrs went to heaven on resurrection day they would be accompanied by those interred nearby, who would thus gain favour with God. Some early Christians attributed healing powers to the dust from graves of saints, including Gregory of Tours . The cult of Martin of Tours was very popular in Merovingian Gaul , and centered at
15372-407: Was enshrined and visited as an oracle . The 2nd-century geographer Pausanias reported that the bones of Orpheus were kept in a stone vase displayed on a pillar near Dion , his place of death and a major religious center. These too were regarded as having oracular power, which might be accessed through dreaming in a ritual of incubation . The accidental exposure of the bones brought a disaster upon
15498-415: Was keen." Local clergy promoted their own patron saints in an effort to secure their own market share. On occasion guards had to watch over mortally ill holy men and women to prevent the unauthorized dismemberment of their corpses as soon as they died. Geary also suggests that the danger of someone murdering an aging holy man in order to acquire his relics was a legitimate concern. Relics were used to cure
15624-614: Was sometimes used for reliquaries. These housed the relic in a rock crystal, or glass capsule mounted on a column above a base, enabling the relic to be displayed to the faithful. Reliquaries in the form of large pieces of metalwork jewellery also appeared around this time, housing tiny relics such as pieces of the Holy Thorn , notably the Holy Thorn Reliquary now in the British Museum . In Buddhism, stupas are an important form of
15750-471: Was spread. Some relics believed to be original remains of the body of the Buddha still survive, including the relic of the tooth of the Buddha in Sri Lanka. A stupa is a building created specifically for the relics. Many Buddhist temples have stupas and historically, the placement of relics in a stupa often became the initial structure around which the whole temple would be based. Today, many stupas also hold
15876-452: Was the largest production centre; NB the English usage differs from that of the French châsse , which denotes large size rather than shape. Relics of the True Cross became very popular from the 9th century onward and were housed in magnificent gold and silver cross-shaped reliquaries decorated with enamels and precious stones. From about the end of the 10th century, reliquaries in the shape of
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