Category: Easter (Page 2 of 4)

In its worship the Orthodox Church uses what is called the eight tones.  These tones guide the singing of the various hymns relating to Christ’s resurrection, the Virgin Mary, and the theme of the day.  Tone two for the Resurrectional apolytikia describes quite nicely and very succinctly Christ’s resurrection.

Second Tone

When you descended unto death, O life immortal, You destroyed Hades with the splendor of Your divinity. And when You raised the dead from the depths of darkness, all the heavenly powers shouted: O Giver of life, Christ our God, glory to You.

Here is the link to the choir of St. Anne Orthodox Church (Corvallis, Oregon) singing this particular hymn.  Source

Christ the Firstborn of the Dead

In Colossians 1:18 the Apostle Paul describes Jesus Christ as the firstborn of the dead.  It seems that Paul has inserted an ancient Christological hymn into his letter to the Colossians.

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or ^[f]powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. ¹⁸ And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. [NKJV; emphasis added]

In this ancient hymn we find an allusion to Genesis in which Christ creates the Earth and our first parents, Adam and Eve, and an allusion to the new heaven and the new earth that would be described in Revelation 21.

The Greek word for “firstborn” is “πρωτότοκος” (prototokos).  While the word can be understood as first in time, it is better understood as first in  hierarchical ordering.  Thus, “firstborn” can also be understood to mean “first in rank,” “preeminent,” or “unique supremacy.”  (See Kittel Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Vol. VI pp. 876-881)

In the case of Christ’s resurrection, he was indeed the first Man to rise from the dead.  We see in the Resurrection Icon the Second Adam descending to Hades and rescuing the first Adam.  Unlike Lazarus whose resurrection in John 11 was a temporary one, Christ’s resurrection is a permanent triumph over Death.  The liberation of Adam and Eve from the power of Death is a promise that we too will be sharers in Christ’s Resurrection.

What is striking about Colossians 1 is the dominance of the Christus Victor paradigm.  Our salvation is described in terms of our being delivered from the power of darkness and our transfer into the kingdom of the Son (1:13).  Christ’s preeminence over thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers (1:16) likewise reflects the Christus Victor paradigm.  While elements of the penal or forensic paradigm can be inferred from “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (1:14) and “peace through the blood of His cross” (1:20), these verses can also be understood from the standpoint of a cosmic war.  Christ comes to rescue those held hostage by the Devil. The long war between Christ and Satan is concluded by Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross and his triumphal Resurrection.  Now that we have been rescued from the Devil and from Death, we can like the Prodigal Son return home and be reconciled with the Loving Father who awaits our return.

Christ’s Resurrection entitles him to supremacy over the new heaven and new earth.  This is the basis for the Great Commission passage found in Matthew 28:18-20 in which Christ commands his Church to go and evangelize all the nations.  We are commanded to let the world know that mankind’s great enemy Death has been defeated and that the gift of Life is available through the Risen Christ.  Along with the command to evangelize is the command to baptize.  This is because through the sacrament of baptism we are joined to Christ’s death and to his resurrection (Romans 6:3-4).  Baptism is more than a symbolic gesture, it contains a spiritual power that joins the believer to their Lord on a profound level resulting in new life.  Previously, there was darkness and corruption in the core of our being but thanks to the sacrament of baptism we have been engrafted into Jesus Christ the New Vine.

Hope Under the Shadow of COVID-19

For over a year we have been living under the shadow of the global COVID-19 pandemic.  See my Easter posting from last year: “Being Faithful in Dark Times.”  Our generation is not the first to struggle with the terror of widespread illnesses and unexpected deaths of friends and loved ones, and the sense of isolation and desolation caused by social distancing.  The history of mankind has been shadowed by other plagues and pestilence as well.  It is not certain when we will exit the current health crisis, but it will pass as did many prior pandemics.  COVID-19 is a reminder that our enemy Death is not far away.  Easter Sunday is a reminder that Jesus Christ has dealt Death a decisive blow.  This is the basis for Good News of the Christian religion.  Christians can dare to hope in the face of death, sickness, and suffering.

I would encourage readers to visit the website for the Resurrection Icon illustration above.  There you will see a much larger version of the Resurrection icon shown here.  If you look closely at the faces of the three central figures: Christ, Adam, and Eve, you will see expressions of joy, hope, and courage–the three things so desperately needed in these COVID-19 times.

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

Robert Arakaki

The Myrrh Bearing Women, carrying jars of aromatic spices to anoint Jesus’ body, being greeted by the Angel announcing the Good News of Christ’s Resurrection.

Tonight I attended the Holy Thursday service at the local Orthodox Church via Zoom.  It was strange witnessing one of the most significant services being held in an almost empty church (due to the mandatory lock down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic).  The Holy Thursday service, also known as the Twelve Gospels, recalls Christ’s betrayal, condemnation, crucifixion, and burial through twelve readings from all four Gospels.  It is the longest service in the Orthodox Church’s liturgical calendar.  After the Holy Thursday service is a time of waiting.

For the faithful women followers of Jesus, the period following Jesus’ crucifixion and death must have been bleak and painful.  It must also have been a time of depression, doubt, and confusion.  One lesson we can learn from the example of the faithful women is the importance of faithfully ministering to the needs of others, including the dead.  It was the custom in those days, as in so many other cultures, to show respect to the departed.  In Mark’s Gospel, chapter 16, we read about this act of faithfulness:

16 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. ² Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. ³ And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” ⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. ⁵ And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.

⁶ But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. ⁷ But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”  (Mark 16:1-7; NKJV)

The grieving women had woken up in the predawn darkness, bought spices, then headed to the tomb to pay their respect to recently departed beloved Jesus.  They had a problem, the huge stone blocking the entrance to the tomb. This was a topic of conversation among them as they headed towards the tomb of Christ.  We read in verse 3:

And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”

They did not know the answer, but they went anyway.  When they arrived at the tomb, God had a surprise waiting for them–Jesus had risen from the dead!  Due to their faithfulness, they were the first to hear the Good News of Christ’s resurrection and were given the task of evangelizing the Disciples.  For this reason the Orthodox Church honors the Myrrh Bearing Women on the second Sunday following Easter Sunday (Pascha).  On this Sunday, the Church sings:

You commanded the myrrhbearers to rejoice, O Christ! / By Your Resurrection, You stopped the lamentation of Eve, the first mother! / You commanded them to preach to Your apostles: The Savior is Risen from the tomb! [Kontakion – Tone 2]

There will be dark times in our lives when the road forward is blocked by a huge obstacle.  Through the ages the biggest obstacle for the human race has been Death.  The lock down for the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic can be a time of anxious waiting.  It reminds us of the proximity of death.  Many people are looking forward to life returning to normal when we can forget about death, but for Christians, we look forward to our being sharers in Christ’s resurrection.  Let us follow the example of the Myrrh Bearing Women who were faithful in doing good deeds even in the face of obstacles and uncertainty.  Faithfulness in dark times requires inner strength and hope in something that we do not yet see.  Before the joy of Easter is a time of waiting and hoping, of faithfulness during dark times.

Robert Arakaki