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Holy Saturday and the Harrowing of Hell

April 10, 2015 / / 5 Comments

 

Holy Saturday service - priest scattering flowers.

Holy Saturday – Priest scattering rose petals.  Article – The Baltimore Sun.  2013

During Holy Week each day has a particular theme, a spiritual lesson for the faithful who attend the services.  As an Orthodox Christian I get much of my theological education not from reading books but from attending the services.  In addition to the Scripture readings, the hymns and prayers of the Church teach me about how God saved us in Christ.  They form as it were a running commentary on the Bible, and for those diligent and attentive they offer a form of liturgical education and dicipleship training. Standing attentively with an open heart gives one a good spiritual workout!

Each day of Holy Week has a particular theme: Thursday – Christ’s death, Friday – his burial, Saturday morning – his descent into Hell, and Saturday midnight – his resurrection.  In my early days as an Orthodox Christian my focus was on the Pascha/Easter service that celebrates Christ’s third day resurrection.  Then I began to make it a point to attend the other services and found to my happy surprise that these services have their own special take on Jesus Christ and how Christ saves us.

Recently, I began attending the Holy Saturday morning Liturgy.  At first I thought to myself: “Why is there a morning Liturgy on the day of Christ’s resurrection when we are going to celebrate the Resurrection later that night?”  I soon learned that the theme of the Holy Saturday service is Christ’s time in Hell.  The Apostles’ Creed confesses: “And he descended into Hell” (descendit ad infernos). During my time as a Protestant Evangelical I thought that one line in the Apostles Creed was a curious aberration with little relevance for salvation.  This “curious aberration” turned out to be a hidden gem of the early Church.

 

Epitaphios - tapestry depicting Christ's burial

Epitaphios – tapestry depicting Christ’s burial

Did you ever wonder what happened to Christ after he was buried?  His body was lying in the tomb but what about his soul?  It is interesting that while the Nicene Creed used in the Orthodox Church does not say anything about Christ’s descent into Hell, the Church has a lot to say about that theme in the Holy Saturday Liturgy.

The Holy Week prayer book (p. 415) used in Greek Orthodox churches contains the following hymn:

 

Icon of the Resurrection - Descent into Hell Source

Icon of the Resurrection – Descent into Hell Source

Today Hades cried out groaning: “Would that I had not received the One born of Mary; for He came upon me and loosed my power.  He shattered the gates of brass; the souls, which I held captive of old, as God He raised up.”  Glory O Lord to Your Cross and Your Resurrection.

Today Hades cried out groaning: “My authority is dissolved; I received a mortal, as one of the mortals; but this One, I am powerless to contain; with Him I lose all those, over which, I had ruled.  For ages I had held the Dead, but behold, He raises up all.  Glory O Lord, to Your Cross and Your Resurrection.

Today Hades cried out groaning: “My power had been trampled on; the Shepherd has been crucified, and Adam He raised up.  I have been deprived of those, over whom I ruled; and all those, I had the power to swallow, I have disgorged.  He, Who was crucified has cleared the tombs.  The dominion of Death is no more.”  Glory O Lord, to our Cross and Your Resurrection.

For Orthodox Christians Hell is not a fearful place of torment and punishment, but rather a battlefield where a great battle was fought and our Hero Christ triumphed over the enemy Death (1 Corinthians 15:20-26).

 

Greek Orthodox priest scatters rose petals. Source

Greek Orthodox priest scatters rose petals. Source

In the Greek Orthodox tradition there is the custom of the priest walking up the aisle of the church on Holy Saturday morning scattering rose petals or flowers left and right as a sign of Christ’s triumph over Death and our release from Hell.  It is quite a surprise then to walk into an Orthodox church for the Pascha/Easter service and instead of finding everything tidy and neat, one sees a joyous mess — the floor all covered with flowers.  In a little while the walls of the church will reverberate with shouts of: “Christ is Risen!” and the response: “Truly He is Risen!”

Robert Arakaki

Articles and Resources

Dan Rodricks.  “Orthodox Easter arrives, with bells, chants and rose petals.”  The Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2013.

Wesley J. Smith.  “The Joy of Orthodox Pascha.”  First Things, 18 April 2014.

Saint John Chrysostom’s 5th century Pascha homily on Christ’s resurrection.  Also in the Holy Week service book, pp. 481-482.

 

April Fools’ Day

April 2, 2015 / / 2 Comments

 

Reformed seminary turned upside-down. Theologians unable to explain mystery.

Reformed seminary turned upside-down! Theologians unable to explain mystery.

On April 1, 2015, Tony Arsenal, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary graduate “announced” his conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy.  See “From Geneva to Constantinople — The Eastern Orthodox Arsenal.”  He writes:

As many of you know, I have a deep love for the early Church. My theological passions circle around the related doctrines of Triadology and Christology, and I have recently become disillusioned with the insufficiency of the modern Reformed bodies in these areas. . . . .  Read more.

 

Orthodox Fools for Christ

There is in Orthodoxy’s spirituality the tradition of “fools for Christ.”  What may seem at first glance to be bizarre has biblical roots.  Apostle Paul writes:

We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ!  We are weak, but you are strong!  You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!  (1 Corinthians 4:10; OSB)

The tradition of holy fools points to the radical message of the Cross and reminds us of the radical difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the present age.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.  For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness.” (1 Corinthians 3:19; OSB)

There is the temptation in today’s society to be cool, to be respectable, to go with the flow but the Lenten journey to Christ’s humiliation, crucifixion, and his resurrection all remind us of a divine wisdom that challenges the wisdom of the world.

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14; OSB)

Thus “becoming fools” is part of Christian discipleship.

Let no one deceive himself.  If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. (1 Corinthians 3:18; emphasis added; OSB)

Some Christians have taken these verses literally and used them to express a particular type of Christian discipleship.  Keep in mind that this is not a form of mental illness but an intentional form of Christian discipleship.  In the blog CityDesert article “Fools for Christ” is a concise explanation of this seemingly outrageous form of spirituality.

One form of the ascetic Christian life is called foolishness for the sake of Christ. The fool-for-Christ set for himself the task of battling within himself the root of all sin, pride. In order to accomplish this he took on an unusual style of life, appearing as someone bereft of his mental faculties, thus bringing upon himself the ridicule of others. In addition he exposed the evil in the world through metaphorical and symbolic words and actions. He took this ascetic endeavor upon himself in order to humble himself and to also more effectively influence others, since most people respond to the usual ordinary sermon with indifference.

 

 Basil the Fool

Basil the Fool for Christ. Source

Basil the Fool for Christ. Source

One of Russia’s important saints is Basil the Fool.  He lived in the days of Ivan the Terrible and one occasion rebuked the Czar for not paying attention to the sermon during  the Divine Liturgy.  On other occasions Basil rebuked the Czar for his violence against innocent people.  When Basil died the Czar acted as pallbearer and carried his coffin to the cemetery.  The icon depicts Basil’s nakedness which demonstrated his utter destitution and the severity of his asceticism.  Basil is credited with a number of miracles.  It is believed that by his prayers the city of Moscow was spared from invasion by the Crieman Khan, Mukhamed-Girey.

St. Basil's Cathedral - Moscow

St. Basil’s Cathedral – Moscow

Today, many people who visit Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow are unaware that this famous church building was named after a Fool for Christ.

Wishing you all a blessed April Fools Day!

Robert Arakaki

The Triumphal Entry – Palm Sunday

April 1, 2015 / / 8 Comments

 

Behold, Your King is coming!

Behold, Your King is coming!  source

This year while Protestants and Roman Catholics have already celebrated Palm Sunday, for Orthodox Christians Palm Sunday still lies ahead.

Palm Sunday is a familiar event for many Christians but it is a profound multi-layered event that has much to teach us about our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

In Matthew’s Gospel we read a quote from the prophet Zechariah:

Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,  A colt, the foal of a donkey.  

(Matthew 21:5; Zechariah 9:9, OSB)

 

Early Christians viewed Jesus’ death and resurrection from the standpoint of Christus Victor (Christ the Conqueror).  But all too often we forget or overlook that Jesus Christ is unlike worldly conquerors.

Marcus Aurelius shown in a four horse chariot

Marcus Aurelius shown in a four horse chariot.  Source

Unlike Roman emperors who entered triumphantly riding a chariot drawn by war horses, Jesus enters Jerusalem riding a donkey — a sign of humility.

Cyril of Jerusalem in his Catechetical Lectures used Zechariah 9:9 to drive home the point the uniqueness of Christ’s kingship.

Kings are many; of which do you speak, O Prophet? Give us a sign which other Kings have not. If you say, A king clad in purple, the dignity of the apparel has been anticipated. If you say, Guarded by spear-men, and sitting in a golden chariot, this also has been anticipated by others. Give us a sign peculiar to the King whose coming you announce. And the Prophet makes answer and says, Behold! Your King comes unto you, just, and having salvation: He is meek, and riding upon an ass and a young foal, not on a chariot. You have a unique sign of the King who came. Jesus alone of kings sat upon an unyoked foal, entering into Jerusalem with acclamations as a king. (Lecture 12.10)

The Orthodox Matins Service for Palm Sunday has an interesting allegorical interpretation of Jesus riding the foal.

Mosaic - Jesus enters Jerusalem.

Mosaic – Jesus enters Jerusalem.

O Thou who ridest on the cherubim and art praised by the seraphim, Thous hast sat, O gracious Lord, like David on a foal, and the children honored Thee with praise fitting for God; but the Jews blasphemed unlawfully against Thee.  Thy riding on a foal prefigured how the Gentiles, as yet untamed and uninstructed, were to pass from unbelief to faith.  Glory be to Thee, O Christ, who alone art merciful and lovest mankind. (Lenten Triodion p. 492)

Thus, there is in Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem a missionary message — that Christ came to save not only the Jews but also the Gentiles.  With Christ’s entry into Jerusalem the Old Covenant of Moses reaches its conclusion and a New Covenant commences.  The Old Israel is superseded by the New Israel:

Let us also come today, all the new Israel, the Church of the Gentiles, and let us cry with the Prophet Zechariah; Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem; for behold, thy King comes unto thee . . . . (Lenten Triodion p. 489)

In his Catechetical Lectures Cyril also sees Jesus entry into Jerusalem as fulfilling another prophecy in Zechariah 14:4, a favorite verse among Evangelicals who view it in light a literal 7 year Tribulation, the Antichrist, and the Second Coming.  (See Calvary Chapel’s founding father Chuck Smith’s dispensationalist commentary.)  Cyril of Jerusalem in his Catechetical Lecture notes:

But He might perchance even sit upon a foal: give us rather a sign, where the King that enters shall stand. And give the sign not far from the city, that it may not be unknown to us: and give us the sign plain before our eyes, that even when in the city we may behold the place. And the Prophet again makes answer, saying: And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives which is before Jerusalem on the east. Does any one standing within the city fail to behold the place?  (Lecture 12.11)

An Invitation

Palm Sunday is an invitation to worship Jesus Christ.  Just as the Jews and the city of Jerusalem were given the opportunity to receive Christ as King so too the opportunity is given to all today.  We find in Canticle One Palm Sunday viewed from the Christus Victor motif:

Out of the mouth of Thy servants, the innocent babes and sucklings, Thou hast received praise.  Thou hast overthrown the adversary and by Thy Passion on the Cross Thou hast avenged Adam’s fall of old; with the Tree Thou hast raised him up, and he sings to Thee, O Lord, a hymn of victory.

(Lenten Triodion p. 496)

 

Robert Arakaki

Resources

The Lenten Triodion.  Edited by Mother Mary and (Metropolitan) Kallistos Ware.

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