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Tag: Christus Victor (Page 3 of 3)

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.

 

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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