Chapter One: The Theological Concept of the Relics of Saints

A- General concept of the phrase “relics” of saints:

The word relic in Greek and in classical Latin RELIQUIAE originally meant anything left over from the dead, but over time it took on a religious meaning as the Church assigned this word to the remains of saints and what pertains to them: such as the bodies and tools that the saint used during his earthly life and all that remains of the tools that he suffered with and that led to his martyrdom.

The remains are the saint's skin, his skeleton, his clothes, and every material thing he used until his death, and often the sacred vessels and tools that had to do with his body.

B- Sanctification of matter:

God came to sanctify, purify and elevate matter when he accepted to become a body. Because our body as humans is of the matter of this world, but this matter is contrary to what some ancient Greek philosophers say, such as Plato, who consider the body as a prison for the soul and matter itself corrupt, or like the Gnostic heresy which asserts that matter is evil.

It is good in itself, because it is God’s creation. But we can consider it to have been corrupted after the fall with the corruption of human nature. But this does not mean that it cannot be sanctified again, because Christ came to sanctify it. Therefore, when a person is sanctified in soul and body, “your bodies are members of Christ (1 Cor. 6:15) and the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19), and this is our call to be sanctified in our entirety.

We see in our baptism, when water is sanctified and restored to its original nature, that it transcends its own nature: Christ, by descending into the Jordan, and by his baptism, transformed water into the power of redemption for all people, and made it bear the grace of redemption in the world.

In the same perspective, the Christian who adheres completely to Christ has his body’s substance transformed by the grace of Christ, so that his body is filled with the Holy Spirit and becomes a reflection and a reflection of the power of Christ in the world, and his entire body becomes divine because it adheres to the incarnate God.

Man became a slave to satanic forces when he became a slave to the world and its matter. Man’s liberation begins with the liberation of matter, that is, its purification and redemption, and its restoration to its original function: a means of God’s presence, and a protection and defense against the destructive satanic reality.

Matter, from the Christian worldview, is never neutral. For if it is not “connected to God,” that is, if it is not viewed and used as a means of communion with Him and life in Him, it becomes the bearer of what is “demonic,” indeed the very place of its existence.

It is no coincidence that the rejection of God and religion in our age has crystallized into the principle of materialism, that matter is the absolute scientific truth, and that a war must be waged against God in the name of “materialism.” This rejection is unprecedented and continues in ever-expanding parts of our supposedly civilized world.

But it is also no coincidence that false religion and false spirituality are often based on the rejection of matter, and thus the rejection of the world itself, and on making matter synonymous with evil, that is, blasphemy against God’s creation.

The rejection of divine intervention in matter was one of the reasons that led the iconoclasts to their heresy and contempt for the remains of the saints. They did not reject the doctrine of the Incarnation in theory, but on the contrary, they built their doctrine on it. As for the practical aspect, they rejected the sanctification of matter in general and the deification of man in particular. In other words, they refused to accept the results of the Incarnation: the sanctification of visible things, the material world, and thus they did not understand the entire plan of salvation.

The Bible and the Christian faith are unique in testing matter and showing that it is good in its essence, with the possibility of its transformation into a vehicle for the fall of man and his slavery to death and sin, and a means by which Satan steals the world from God. But we can “in Christ” and by His power liberate matter and restore it as a symbol of God’s glory and existence, and as a secret of His action and fellowship with man.

Sanctification, whether of water or of bread and wine in the sacrament of thanksgiving, is never an apparent and “material” miracle, nor a transformation that our senses can examine or demonstrate. In fact, in “this world,” that is, according to the standards and “objective” laws of this world, nothing will happen to the water, nor to the bread and wine.

Nor will laboratory testing of these substances reveal any change or transformation. The Church has always considered it a sin and blasphemy to expect or seek such a transformation. Christ did not come to replace “natural” matter with “supernatural” matter, but to restore and realize it as a means of communion with God.

The holy water in baptism and the holy bread and wine in the Eucharist represent the whole of creation, but they represent it as it will be in the end, that is, when it is fulfilled in God, and God fills everything with Himself. Sanctification, then, is the manifestation and appearance of that end, that final truth for which the world was created, which was realized in Christ through His incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension, and which the Holy Spirit proclaims in the Church now, and which will be fulfilled in the “coming” kingdom.

Because sanctification is always the manifestation of the end of all things, it is not an “end in itself.” Man sees that the bread and wine are truly “the body and blood of Christ” in order to obtain true communion with God. In the Orthodox Church there is no worship of the holy gifts themselves or for themselves, because the realization of the mystery of thanksgiving lies in man’s communion and transformation. And for this very reason, this mystery was given.

And holy water is to appear and be forgiveness of sins, redemption and salvation, that is, to be what every substance is intended to be: a means to an end, and the end is the deification of man and his knowledge of God and his fellowship with Him.

C- Body transformation:

The Church greatly values the human body. This is evidenced by the incarnation of Christ, the basis of the salvation of man and of the whole world. The Apostle Paul explains: “In him dwells the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form” (Col. 2:9; cf. Phil. 2:5-11; Heb. 2:13-18; Is. 8:18; Acts 8:9). The disciples experienced this on the Mount of Transfiguration and after the Resurrection. The Lord’s body did not dissolve in the tomb, but was raised up and touched by the apostles, even to the wounds (Ps. 15:9-10; Lk. 24:39; Jn. 2:21; 20:27; Acts 31-32; Rev. 5:6).

In the new creation of Christ, the human body becomes “the member of Christ” and “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:15-19), and man is called to glorify God “with his body” (1 Cor. 6:20), and to offer it “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Rev. 12:1), “so that the life of Christ may be made manifest in our body” (2 Cor. 4:10). The man of the new creation is “the offspring of God” (Acts 17:18) and a sharer in the glory of God, which he reflects in his body (2 Cor. 3:18).

The Church's war, then, is not against the body but against its passions. If the man of the new creation is freed from his corrupt passions, his senses and his entire body will become pure and enlightened, and everything around him will shine with the love and glory of God.

D- Deification of the body:

Through the communion of the Holy Spirit, man is deified in his entirety (1 Thessalonians 5:23), that is, in spirit and in powers (actions) as well as in body.

One of the most important results of deification is the sanctification and deification of the body. The body is not a prison for the soul as Plato teaches, nor does it have only an earthly purpose: “The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body” (1 Cor. 6:13). As we said before, the body must be its own body and a holy temple for God. Therefore, the body must be completely sanctified by deification, and only by deification does the body reach its full value, not in modern humanistic theories.

Saint Symeon the New Theologian says about the deification of the body: “The soul, which by its sanctification has become worthy of being a partaker of divine grace, necessarily continues to sanctify its entire temple. For it is in this temple that it resides and is found in all its members. Therefore, the grace of the Holy Spirit, when it dwells in the soul, also dwells in its temple. But as long as the soul remains in this temple, the Holy Spirit does not transfer its entire temple to His glory, because it is necessary for it to have its freedom and to express its desires and show its will until its earthly life ends. When the soul is separated from the body, the struggle ceases. If the soul triumphs and separates from the body, bearing the crown of incorruption, then the grace of the Holy Spirit dwells and completely sanctifies the temple of this soul. Therefore, we find the bones and remains of the saints overflowing with healings that cure every weakness.”

The separation of the soul from the body frees both from their need for each other and from the influence of one on the other. Thus divine grace is bestowed upon both without any hindrance, as both become entirely God's and divine grace dwells in them after having spent a life worthy of divinity while they were together. As for at the general judgment, the body also acquires the incorruptibility that God granted to the soul when it was sanctified.

St. Athanasius also says about this: “Divine grace is found in the souls and members of the saints” (Commentary on Psalm 117). Likewise St. Macarius says: “Just as the body of Christ was glorified at the Transfiguration on the mountain by divine glory and by the light that never sets, so the bodies of the saints are glorified and shine. And just as the glory that is in the body of Christ shone forth brightly, so also the power of Christ on that day overflows and shines outside their bodies” (Word 15, 38). The richer the participation in the communion of the Holy Spirit, the more sanctified the bodies are. St. John Chrysostom says: “By death the bodies of the saints do not become alienated from the grace by which they lived, but are increased by it” (In Praise of a Martyr).

H - Results of deification:

1- Facial shine:

The first man whose face shone was Moses (Exodus 34:29-35), then Saint Anthony, Sisoi, Moses the Ethiopian and others…

2- The transmission of the saint’s grace by touch:

Thus we find that what touched the body of Saint Paul was not only holy but also transmitted grace to others (Acts 19:21). Saint Basil the Great also says: “Whoever touches the bones of the martyr, the grace of sanctification contained in them is transmitted to him.”

3- The abundance of goodness:

The holy relics of some saints exude an indescribable sweet fragrance. We read in the martyrdom of Saint Polycarp (+ 156) that his body exuded a sweet fragrance at the time of his martyrdom. “…the martyr stood in the middle, not like meat being burned, but like bread being roasted, or like gold or silver, placed in a crucible, and we smelled a fragrance like incense or rare and precious perfumes.”

We read in the Synaxarium that the body of the great martyr, Saint Demetrius, overflowed with myrrh, “was exuding so abundantly that the local inhabitants and other people coming from far away places would take from it without it running out, or rather it would increase through the intercession of the saint. This myrrh had the power of great cures and healings.”

The same is the case with a number of saints, such as Saint Nektarios, Bishop of Aegina, Saint Seraphim of Sarov, Vimania, who founded the monastery of Hilandarius, Saint Ignatius, and others...

“The fragrance of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:2) and the grace of the Holy Spirit descend upon the saints during their earthly life and fill their bodies. This is the baptism of fire and the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit, as we say in the sacrament of Holy Unction. Baptism continues in the saints, making them feel an inexpressible warmth and an unknown fragrance, which are fruits of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, chrism is prepared in the Church from aromatic elements.

4- The incorruptibility of holy relics:

The Orthodox Church has many remains of saints that have not been corrupted despite the long time that has passed. For example, we mention the relics of Saint Spyridon from the island of “Kerkyra” in Greece. There his body, which dates back to the fourth century, is located. It is not mummified or deprived of air, but placed in a coffin, uncovered. The same is true of the body of Saint Theodora. In the monasteries of “Kiev” and other Russian regions, there are the bodies of a thousand monks that are still preserved incorruption. Likewise in Romania, for example, Saint John the New, Saint Dimitri Sarapov, and others…

“Sometimes the incorruptibility of the bodies of saints is considered an indication of their holiness (and sometimes the opposite is true). But incorruptibility is not a general rule for beatification.”

5- The miracles that happen through the holy remains:

The miraculous ability of the saints is not due to their own ability, but to the divine power dwelling in them, for they have the same power as God, and according to the gift that the Holy Spirit gave them, the various miracles that occur through their blessed hands appear in them. Some of them heal the sick and raise the dead, and some of them were free from the control of the laws of nature in their holy life by the presence of divine grace. We see some of them prophesy, or speak in tongues, or see visions, and some of them show in their bodies the features and wounds of the Lord Jesus… and some of them radiate from their bodies a miraculous light to the point of dazzling those who look at them, and some of them emit a sweet, fragrant smell, like incense, whether before or after their repose. And all this is by the action of divine grace.

Divine grace does not leave the saints before or after their repose. It sanctifies not only their souls, but their bodies as well.

The saints are the instruments of divine grace that are active in them. They are not like the old Adam, before sin, but in the image and likeness of the new Adam, Jesus Christ. They surpass Adam in holiness and rank. They have become gods - as Adam desired to become - but gods by grace, in the fullness of their freedom and the freedom of God, and not by transgressing against God. They possessed divine life, uncreated grace, uncreated powers, and so they transcended nature by their miracles to the extent that man as a created hypostasis (in the image of the hypostasis of Jesus) rises above nature as a blind, brute substance without a hypostasis.

“The miraculous power of the saints, which is peculiar to all the baptized, but in a latent state, is an uncreated power; otherwise it would cease to be divine, and would become a mere natural manifestation. When the priest anoints us with chrism, we receive the Holy Spirit as a grace for life, and as gifts that He reveals whenever He wills for our benefit (1 Cor. 12:13:1-13).”

The lives of the saints mention a great number of miracles that were performed by means of the holy relics. In the life of Saint Nektarios we read the following incident: “On the day of the saint’s death, a man took hold of his right hand. He was devoid of faith and piety, but his wife was a pious woman. As soon as he took hold of her, he felt that she was warm and soft. He was greatly amazed, then he repented and became, by the grace of the saint, a believer and a pious person.”

6- Glorification of the body in the present life and after the general resurrection:

Father Romanides says in his article on the glorification of man: “Glorification is no longer limited only to the heart, as is apparent in the prophets, but extends to every body of those who are glorified and continues in the saints permanently, so that they are inspired by their constant glorification and become holy relics.”

We also say in the funeral service that the body of the Christian is “the image of the indescribable glory of God” even though it “bears the marks of sins.”

“The doctrine of the veneration of the relics of the saints (as well as the veneration of icons) is based on the belief that there is a spiritual connection between the Holy Spirit and the relics of these saints, which physical death could not dissolve into the dust from which they were taken. These relics continued to live with the living soul to some extent. There is a spiritual grace in their bodies and even in the smallest remains of their bodies. This spiritual grace preserved and preserves these bodies to remain incorruptible and uncorrupted. These relics of the bodies of the saints are bodies glorified before the time, that is, before the general resurrection of the dead bodies that await this day. They resemble the body of the Lord when He was in the grave, which, although dead and without a living soul, was not cast out by the divine spirit, but was awaiting the resurrection.”

Chapter Two: The Holy Remains in the Bible

A- The Holy Remains in the Old Testament:

We find in the Bible evidence of the veneration of the relics of saints, even in the Old Testament. It is mentioned that the bones of the righteous Joseph were preserved with care and attention (Joshua 49:15). This is indeed strange, since in the Old Testament it was considered an “uncleanness” to touch the body of a dead person (Lev. 21:1-9; Ex. 44:25). However, the Israelites transported Joseph’s bones with great respect, and did not defile themselves (Gen. 50:25; Ex. 13:19). “The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, and buried in Shechem, in the field which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hammurabi of Shechem for a hundred pieces of silver, became an inheritance for the children of Joseph” (Joshua 24:32).

Many died in Egypt, and only the remains of Joseph were transferred, because he was a well-known and great saint and a friend of God, as his biography says.

God Himself honored the body of His chosen one Moses with great honor, as He arranged for the angels to bury him in the land of Moab. No one has known until now how or where Moses was buried. “And the Lord said (to Moses), ‘This is the land about which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, “I will give it to your descendants; I have shown it to you with your eyes; but you shall not cross over there.’ So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor. No one knows of his grave to this day…” (Gen. 34:4-8).

It is well known about the relics of Saint Elisha that no sooner had the body of a deceased person touched the bones of the prophet in his grave than the dead man came to life and rose. “So Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of Moabites came to the land at the beginning of the year. And it came to pass, when they were burying a man, that they saw the bands of Moabites, and they cast the man down by the tomb of Elisha. And the man came down and touched the bones of the prophet, and revived, and rose up on his feet” (4 Kings 13:21).

And also, “And Elijah hid himself in the whirlwind, and Elisha was filled with his spirit. And in his days he was not shaken by the fear of any ruler, nor was he overcome by any word. And in the sleep of death his body prophesied. In his life he performed signs, and after his death he performed marvelous works” (Sir 13:15).

St. Cyril of Jerusalem said: “Elisha, while he was alive, performed the miracle of resurrection with his spirit.” “And when Elisha entered the house, behold, the child was dead, lying on his bed. So he went in and shut the door on them and prayed to the Lord. He went up on the child and lay on him and put his mouth on his mouth and his eyes on his eyes and his hands on his hands and stretched himself out on him until his flesh was warm. Then he went back and walked in the house for a while here and a while there, then he came back again and stretched himself out on him. And the child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. Then he called Gehazi and said, ‘Call this Shunammite woman,’ and she called her. So he came in to him and said, ‘Take your son.’ So she went up and fell at his feet and bowed herself to the ground and took her son and went out” (4 Kings 32:37-32).

Moreover, so that the souls of the saints would not remain honored alone, but so that people would believe that the bodies of the righteous also have the same power, the dead man who fell into the tomb of Elisha was revived when he touched the body of the dead prophet.

The body of the dead prophet performed the miracle instead of his spirit. If he was dead and lying in the grave, he gave life to the dead, and the giver of life himself remained dead as he was. And why? So that this work would not be attributed to the spirit alone if Elisha had risen. Rather, to show that in the absence of the spirit in the body, there is included in the bodies of the saints an effective power for miracles, since for a period of years a prominent spirit dwelt in them, subject to it.

When King Josiah of Judea was eradicating idolatry, he burned many of the bones of the dead and turned them to ashes. However, he ordered that the relics of the prophet, the holy man of God, who was there, be preserved with honor, whole and intact. “…And Josiah turned and saw the graves that were there in the mountain; and he sent and took the bones from the graves, and burned them on the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of the Lord which the man of God had proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. And he said, What is this image that I see? And the men of the city said to him, It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that were done on the altar of Bethel. And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they left his bones alone, and the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria…” (see 4 Kings 23:4-25).

Finally, the book also tells that one of the “men of God” prayed and did not keep the commandments, and was punished for that by being met by a lion as he was leaving Bethel on his donkey, and killed him. “And he remained lying on the road, with the donkey opposite him, and the lion standing beside the body.” That is, the beast that became an instrument of divine justice did not tear the body of the man of God apart, but rather reconciled with the donkey and stood beside it guarding the holy relic. Then some people passed by and saw him, so they hurried to the city and spread the news. As for the old prophet who had caused the man of God to go astray, he went to that place and found his body lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside the body, and the lion did not eat the body nor devour the donkey. So the prophet took the body of the man of God and put it on the donkey and returned with it. The old prophet entered the city to mourn him and bury him, and he placed his body in his grave, and they mourned him saying: Alas, my brother. And after he had buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God was buried; lay my bones beside his bones” (1 Kings 13:25-31).

This last passage testifies to the prophet’s confidence in the miraculous power inherent in the relics of the holy man, and that if he had disobeyed God’s commandments for a moment, he would have been punished. Likewise, the position of the donkey and the lion, who became tools in God’s hand, stood with honor and piety beside the relics.

B - The Holy Remains in the New Testament:

If the bones and remains of the prophets of the Old Testament - anointed from the outside - raised the dead, how much more so the relics of the saints of the New Testament, in whom Jesus dwelt from the inside and anointed them with the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, making their bodies temples for Him (1 Corinthians 6:19).

He who does not honor the relics of the saints is far from the spirit of the Gospel, because the Gospel commands us to present our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice (Rom. 13:1). And this sacrifice is only offered by the Holy Spirit, making the body for the Lord and the Lord for the body (1 Cor. 6:13). If the life of the Lord Jesus is made manifest in our bodies (2 Cor. 4:10), how much more will the grace of His Holy Spirit be made manifest.

The Gospel of Matthew states that the tombs of the prophets in the days of Christ were built in Jerusalem and the tombs of the righteous were decorated in honor of their holy relics: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the tombs of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets’” (Matthew 23:29-30).

Perhaps you say: Christ did not praise this action of the people of Jerusalem, but rather the opposite, for he rebuked them, saying: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the graves of the righteous.” But the blessed Theophylactus answers this by saying: “The Lord did not rebuke them because they built tombs for the prophets, for this is a good action, but because they did this hypocritically or hypocritically, he rebuked them for their hypocrisy and their wickedness against Christ. They said, ‘If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets,’ although at the same time they intended to kill the Son of God, about whom the prophets had prophesied. Therefore the Lord said to them: ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Fill up your fathers’ measure.’ From here we see clearly that the veneration of the holy relics was among the Israelites not only before the coming of Christ, but also during the days of His life on earth.

The woman with a flow of blood, when she touched the hem of the Savior’s garment, would not be called an idolater, but on the contrary, because of that she received healing and praise. “And a woman who had been suffering from irregular bleeding for twelve years, and had suffered much from many physicians and had spent all her money, and was no better but was worse, when she heard about Jesus, she came behind him in the synagogue and touched his garment, for she said, If I touch his clothes, I will be made well.

And immediately her blood stopped flowing, and she felt that she was healed of her disease. Then Jesus knew in himself that power had gone out from him. So he turned to the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done this. The woman was afraid and trembled, knowing what had happened to her. She came and knelt before him and told him the whole truth. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be free from your disease” (Mark 5:25-43, Matthew 9:20-22, Luke 8:43-48).

And those who came with faith and fervor to the shadow of the holy Apostle Peter were not rejected, but the opposite, because they were rewarded with healing from their diseases. Rather, “the believers were increasing in multitudes to the Lord, both men and women, so that people were bringing the sick into the marketplaces and laying them on beds and mats, so that Peter, as he passed by, might shade some of them with his shadow. And in Jerusalem also, from the surrounding cities, multitudes gathered, bringing sick people and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed one by one” (Acts 5:14-16).

He did not call those upon whom the bandages and handkerchiefs taken from the body of St. Paul were placed and those who were healed thereby exorcists and healers. “And God wrought great miracles by the hand of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or bandages were taken from his body to the sick, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them” (Acts 19:11-12). If the apostolic shade and handkerchiefs have this status of honor among the believers, then it is even more so that the honor of the holy relics of the apostles is undoubtedly even greater among them. And if the former has healing power, it is even more so that these also have it.

We also conclude that the bodies of all Christians, as well as the bodies of the saints, should be temples of the Holy Spirit. This is what St. Paul the Apostle confirms in his words: “Do you not know that you are temples of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16-17), “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own, for you were bought with a price? Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

The same Apostle also says: “If he cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful to the Lord, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21). Certainly, the bodies of the saints are temples of the Holy Spirit and “vessels for honor,” even if the soul has departed from them through death.

Chapter Three: Veneration of the Relics of Saints According to Christian History

A- The presentation of the Holy Relics:

The veneration of holy relics is not limited to the Orthodox Church alone, but is shared by all the ancient traditional churches, including the Catholic Church. This veneration dates back to the most ancient times. As we have seen, the Holy Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, as well as the Holy Tradition bear witness to this. The veneration of the relics of saints is not a new custom among Christians, but rather dates back to the earliest Christian times, and it is a continuous tradition in our Church. Our guide from tradition is the martyr Polycarp (c. 156-157), whose remains are described as “more precious than precious stones and more valuable than gold” (see the Martyrdom of Polycarp, Chapter 18:1). The faithful were keen to collect them with great care and venerate them with the highest veneration befitting the saints.

Here is this text that confirms our words:

“When the devil saw the martyr crowned with the incorruptible crown, he tried to prevent us from taking his body, although many wanted to do so, in order to approach his holy body. He caused Nicetas, Herod’s father and Alex’s brother, to meet the governor and ask him not to hand over the body, claiming that we might leave the crucified one and begin to worship him. Their words were instigated by the Jews who watched us and feared that we would snatch him from the fire, and they did not know that we could not leave Christ who suffered for the salvation of the whole world, even the wicked, nor worship anyone but him. For he whom we worship is the Son of God, but the martyrs, the mighty disciples of Christ, we love because of their unlimited love for their King and Teacher… At the insistence of the Jews, Canderius placed the body in the middle of the square and burned it according to custom. “So we gathered his bones, which are more precious than precious stones and more valuable than gold, and placed them in a suitable place, hoping that the Lord would help us to gather there as often as we could, so that we might celebrate, rejoicing and rejoicing in the memory of his testimony, so that those who had struggled before us might serve as teachers and trainers for all who would struggle in the future.”

We can conclude from this passage several conclusions, the first of which is that the believers distinguished between honoring the saints and worshipping them, not as some accuse the Orthodox Church of worshipping relics, for it is clear that the Church worships Christ only and honors relics. The second is that this text testifies that the tradition of our Church, which requires holding the Divine Liturgy on a table containing holy relics, is a very old Christian tradition.

B- The development of the veneration of holy relics:

During the Christian persecution, the veneration of the relics of the martyrs increased so rapidly that the liturgy did not accompany this development until the third century. The relics of the martyrs were collected and buried for every pious person. In the middle of the third century, Cyprian of Carthage attested to the veneration of the instruments of torture of the martyrs by saying: The bodies of those imprisoned for Christ sanctify their chains (Epistle 13), and in the fourth century Basil of Caesarea reported the official celebration that took place on the day of their martyrdom. In Rome - during the persecution - the relics were immediately linked to the liturgical ritual, since the veneration of the dead was the only ritual that the faithful could freely practice in Rome during the persecution in Christian meetings near the graves to pay due honor to their dead. What was not known until the end of the third century was that the Eucharist was celebrated over the graves of the martyrs.

During the fourth and fifth centuries the veneration of the relics of the martyrs grew as a liturgical rite and was theologically confirmed in the West by Maximus of Turin, who adopted the Mystical Body as the reference for the doctrine of the “Mystical Body” (Homily 77). At the same time the tombs of the martyrs were opened, and the remains or objects that had come into contact with their temples or real bodies were distributed as blessings.

1- The practice of venerating relics in the East:

The practice of venerating the relics of saints and martyrs differed in general in the East from that in the West. In the East, the bodies of saints were “exhumed” (exposed), divided into parts and transferred from one place to another, such as the transfer of the relics of Saint Babylas in 351. In the fourth century, the transfer of the remains was carried out with solemn celebrations.

In our Orthodox Church, there are saints whose relics are transferred on a feast day, in addition to celebrating their birthdays or deaths.

We mention, for example, the transfer of the relics of Saint Nicholas to Bari on May 9 and the transfer of the relics of Saint John Chrysostom to Constantinople on January 27.

It is worth mentioning the miracles that occur when transferring the holy relics, including this one: “There was a place near Alexandria called Manufin. In this place was found an ancient temple inhabited by demons. That place was very frightening because many evil spirits inhabited it. But as soon as Saint Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria, transferred the relics of Saints Cyrus and John to it, all the demonic forces suddenly left it (June 9). When Saint Luke the Evangelist transferred the hand of Saint John the Forerunner from Sebastia to the city of Antioch as a precious treasure as a reward for his education there, since then the holy hand of the Forerunner was kept by the believers of Antioch in great honor and many great miracles were performed through it (January 7).

2- The practice of venerating relics in the West:

“The practice of venerating relics in the West was different because the Theodosian Law (issued by Emperor Theodosius II in 435 AD) severely punished grave-diggers because it considered the removal and exposure of remains to be a violation and desecration of the sanctity of graves. The popes strongly defended this view and believed that the removal of the remains of a saint was an anomaly and was not permitted except for compelling and essential reasons. However, this severity soon eased in the eighth century until Popes Paul I (757-567) and Paschal I (817-824) allowed the removal of a large number of relics. This practice increased rapidly and as a result, in Italy they began to divide and distribute parts of the bodies of saints. In the time of Charlemagne, the veneration of relics was decided upon, and this last matter affected the economy and social development of the Pilgrinages” and became associated with “the procession of the Western world.”

3- The practice of venerating relics after the iconoclastic war:

In the East, after the conflict between the supporters of icons and their opponents, the veneration of the relics of saints and icons developed as well. Saint John of Damascus defended the doctrine of the veneration of the relics of saints in the East based on the teaching: God gave the relics of saints to the Church as a salvific meaning and for this reason it is very necessary to offer her veneration as a representative of the saints, friends of Christ, sons and heirs of God. Therefore, the veneration of relics is in fact veneration of God. This opinion became a new starting point in Orthodox thought in general, knowing that the relics of saints receive secondary veneration from the veneration given to God.

Heretics such as the Manicheans fought against this veneration. In the eleventh century, the veneration of icons became more important than the relics of saints, while the theology of the relics of saints became something traditional (ceremonial). In the seventeenth century, the Orthodox theologian Stephen Yavorsky paid great attention to this problem.

4- The practice of venerating relics after the Crusades:

In the West, especially during the Crusader period, the veneration of relics grew, especially in the year 1204 after the occupation of Constantinople, when a large number of relics fell into the hands of the Latin forces and were seized, as was the case in Antioch, Jerusalem and Edessa. They sent these relics to enrich the churches of Central Europe, and the Latins justified this action by saying that it was not aimed at trade, but rather to enrich themselves with them due to their high value.

C- The definitions of the Seventh Ecumenical Council and some local opinions on the relics of the saints:

The Seventh Ecumenical Council, held in 787, called the relics of the saints “springs of healing” and punished those who did not venerate them. It said: “Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us the relics of the saints as sources of salvation, overflowing with various benevolences for the weak. Therefore, those who dare to reject the relics of the martyrs, knowing their authenticity and truth, if they are bishops or clergy, let them be degraded, and if they are monks or laymen, let them be deprived of communion” (Acts of the Third and Seventh Councils).

This same Seventh Ecumenical Council determined that the holy relics should be placed in churches and incense burned, threatening to degrade the episcopal rank if this was not done, as it said in its Seventh Canon: “We determine that the placing of the holy relics of the martyrs in those churches that were consecrated without being placed in them on the day of their consecration should be accomplished by specific prayer. And the bishop who from now on celebrates the consecration of a church without holy relics should be degraded as one who transgresses ecclesiastical traditions.”

The Council of Gangra, held in the year 343, in its twentieth canon, excommunicated those who disdained the memory of the martyrs and did not gather to celebrate prayers in honor of the martyrs in the places where their holy relics were placed. Such heretics were known as the Ephstatites, and they despised the holy relics and did not come to the churches where they were placed. When the holy fathers of the council had refuted and disproved the false allegations of the Ephstatites and excommunicated them and all those who shared their twisted opinions, they proceeded to their meetings: “Whoever is carried away by arrogance and despises the meetings in honor of the martyrs and the prayers and memorials that are celebrated for them: let him be excommunicated” (canon twentieth).

The Carthaginian Council, which was held in the year 401, ordered in its eighty-seventh law the destruction of altars (temples and churches) in which the relics of the martyrs were not placed. Thus, the councils that met in the East bear witness to the veneration of the holy relics, and the councils of the West also bear witness to it. We have refrained from citing their testimony because what we have mentioned is an end for the believer, but for the non-believer, doubling the testimony is futile and of no benefit.

Chapter Four: Teaching the Fathers about the Importance of Holy Relics

A - An overview of the main points in the teaching of the Fathers on the holy relics:

This doctrine, that is, “the veneration of the holy relics,” developed and took shape in the East with Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, and in the West with Saint Ambrasius and the Blessed Augustine.

These saints had enemies, the first of whom was Vigilantius in Gaul, who criticized the most important foundations regarding the rite of holy relics, declaring that Christians were idolaters. As a result, Christian writers began to defend in their writings the difference between veneration and worship and the theological foundations regarding the relics of saints. Saint Jerome (420-347) responded to Vigilantius, fundamentally objecting and defending the rite of veneration of the relics of saints, based on the Holy Scriptures, the tradition of the Church, and the miracles that God had worked through the relics. After Jerome, the fathers further clarified the relationship between God, the saints, and their earthly relics, emphasizing four essential points to establish their doctrine:

1) – Believers see the saints in the remains they venerate, and this is the starting point for Ephrem the Syrian, Theodore (the Goth), Maximus (of Turin), and others.

2) – Since the martyrs were saints on earth, their bodies are also sacred. John Chrysostom and Basil the Great emphasized that the blood of the martyrs and the personal history of their sufferings stirred the courage of the faithful, the steadfastness of the martyrs made their remains precious, and the holy remains are a memorial to us, for we should imitate them (the martyrs).

3) – Gregory of Nyssa, Blessed Augustine, Paulinus (of Nola), and Pope Leo I (440-461) established the veneration of the relics of saints on the basis of evidence or testimony of divine miracles – through their instruments, and we give glory only to God, and inasmuch as His power is manifested in the relics we venerate them.

4) – The fourth justification is based on the fact that the remains of saints are the remains of friends whose closeness to God made them saints. Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine the Blessed are the ones who affirmed this view of the remains of saints.

Finally, we say that the period of the emergence of the iconoclasts was very important, as the theology of Saint John of Damascus emerged during it, defending the veneration of the icon, linking it to the veneration of the relics of the saints.

B - Testimony from the Fathers about the Holy Relics:

1- Saint Basil the Great:

St. Basil wrote a letter to Bishop Arcadis on the occasion of his building a new church, in which he said: “I was very pleased to hear that you were busy with the matter of building a house for the glory of God – and this is evident since you have become a Christian – and that with practical love you have loved ‘the beauty of the house of the Lord’ as it is written, that in this way you have prepared for yourself that heavenly palace which the Lord has prepared in His rest for those who love Him. If I can find any of the remains of the martyrs, I hope that I will be able to contribute to your loving endeavor.” On the occasion of the commemoration of the day of the martyrdom of St. Barlaam, St. Basil says: “The death of the saints was honored in ancient times with tears and beating of the chest. Joseph wept bitterly when Jacob died, and the Jews mourned greatly when Moses died. But today we rejoice and exult in the death of the saints with lamentations after death, and we even walk around their graves in a divine procession. For the death of the righteous has become a sleep, and it has become life….”

Interpreting the words of the Psalmist (Precious before the Lord is the death of his righteous ones), he says: “When someone died according to Jewish law, the dead person was considered unclean. But when they die in Christ and for Christ, the relics of his saints are precious. And the priests and the Nazirites were previously told not to touch dead bodies, lest they should be defiled: “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man or woman desires to make a vow of devotion to the Lord, let them abstain from strong wine, and drink neither wine vinegar nor strong vinegar, nor drink grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes, whether fresh or dried. All the days of their abstention they shall not eat anything that is prepared from any wine, from the kernel to the peel. And all the days of their abstention no razor shall pass over their head, until the days are fulfilled in which they abstain from the Lord, and they shall be holy, and the hair of their head shall grow. And all the days that a father abstains from the body of a dead person shall he not go near the body of a dead person, nor defile himself for his father or for his mother, for his brother or for his sister, when they are dead; for the abstention from his God is upon his head; all the days of his abstention he is holy to the Lord.’” (Numbers 6:6-8). Now anyone who touches the bones of the martyrs is included in the holy things. In a sermon on the forty martyrs, he said about their relics distributed throughout that area: “They are what govern our entire region and are for us a barrier and a pillar against hostile attacks.”

In his speech about the holy martyr Mammantus he says: “The miracles by which the holy martyr granted health to some and life to others are famous to all.” And in his speech about the martyr Saint Julita he wrote: “When her holy relics were transferred to a place devoid of water, a spring of sweet water gushed forth from the ground, so that the inhabitants of that area called Saint Julita their nurse, like a mother who feeds her children with milk.”

2- Saint John Chrysostom:

This saint says in his speech about the martyr Dorosida: “Where gold and riches are useless, there the remains of the saints are useful. For gold does not cure sickness or save from death, but the bones of the saints do both” (Minny edition 50, 689). The same saint also testifies that the remains of the saints are frightening to the demons. He mentions that the remains of Saint Babyla nullified the actions of Apollo, who refused to answer the ungrateful Emperor Julian’s request, and Apollo himself confessed that the reason for his silence was that the remains of the saint were buried next to his temple. Then the emperor ordered the remains to be transferred to another place to free Apollo. From this, Saint John Chrysostom concludes: “The first deceiver (Satan) did not dare to look at the tomb of Babyla. This is the power of the saints, whose shadow the demons could not bear while they were alive, and whose clothes, while they were dead, tremble even in their graves.”

The saint himself testifies that devout Christians are accustomed to:

• To pray before the holy relics.
• To hold meetings and celebrations around it.
• To kiss it before Holy Communion.
• They wish to be buried next to her.

St. John Chrysostom says in his eulogy to St. Ignatius the God-bearer: “Not only are the bodies of the saints full of grace, but also their souls. For if in the time of Elisha something like this happened, when the dead prophet touched the dead and was released from the bonds of death and returned to life, how much more is grace now more abundant and the action of the Holy Spirit more fruitful? For whoever touches the coffin itself (of the saints) out of faith must surely draw from it a great benefit. Therefore God has left for us the relics of the saints, desiring to lead them to that zeal which was in them and to give us a true harbor and remedy against the evil which surrounds us on all sides.” And also in the discourse on the Second Corinthians: “The bones of the saints subject and despise the tortures of the devils and release those bound by their cruel bonds… Dust, bones, and ashes are the tortures of the hidden beings.” “Do not look at the naked body of the martyr, devoid of spiritual activity, lying before you, but rather at the fact that in him resides another power greater than the soul itself, which is the grace of the Holy Spirit, which by its miraculous action achieves for us the truth of the resurrection. For if God has given the dead and bodies transformed into dust such a power that none of the living possess, then much more will He give them on the Day of Resurrection a better and more blessed life than the previous one” (his speech regarding the martyr Babila).

3- Saint Jerome:

In his answer to Vigilantius, this saint tried to prove to him that we venerate the remains of the saints because we worship Christ, and do not worship idols, and more importantly, that the bodies of the dead in Christ Jesus are not defiled as some say, such as the Jews and Samaritans, who consider the body impure (defiled), and he proves this based on the Holy Bible. As for the text of his letter, here it is: “We truly reject the worship not only of the remains of the martyrs, but also of the sun, the moon, the angels, the archangels, the cherubim, the seraphim, and every name, not only in this world but also in the world to come. Therefore, we do not serve a creature more than the eternally blessed Creator. We venerate the remains of the martyrs, and we worship the Lord. The martyrs are martyrs for the Lord. So we venerate the servants of the Lord who reflect their Lord who said: “He who receives you receives me also.” He continues by saying: I want to ask Vigilantius, are the remains of Peter and Paul defiled? Was the body of Moses defiled, which we say that the Lord Himself buried?

Do we worship idol reliquaries every time we enter the churches of the apostles, prophets and martyrs? Let me ask him this question: Was the body of the Lord defiled when they placed it in the tomb?! If the remains of the martyrs are not worthy of honor, how do we read in Psalm (116:110): “Precious to the Lord is the death of his saints”? If dead men defile those who touch them, how did it happen that the dead Elisha raised the man who was also dead? This life came after his death (the death of the prophet), which according to Vigilantius must have been defiling.

Based on this opinion - the opinion of Vigilantius - the saint concludes that “every camp of the camps of Israel and the people of God was defiled because the body of Joseph and the body of the patriarchs in the desert dwelt in it, and it also bore their defiling sleep.”

The saint continues to ask questions and says: “I want to ask: Are the remains of the martyrs defiled? And he answers: If this is true, then why did the apostles allow themselves to walk behind (the defiled body) of Stephen in a funeral procession? And why did they hold a great lamentation for him? (Acts 8:2).

4- Saint Cyril of Jerusalem:

The saint says in his eighteenth sermon: “Not only are the souls of the saints worthy of honor, for in their dead bodies there is also strength and power. For the body of Elisha was dead in the grave, and yet when he touched the dead, he revived” (2 Kings 13:21). So the body of the dead prophet did the work of the soul. For that which was dead gave life to the dead, and he remained among the dead. Why is that? For fear that if Elisha were alive, the miracle would be attributed to the soul alone. And to prove that when the soul is absent, there is some power in the body of the righteous because of the righteous soul that dwelt in it for years, and was its instrument.

Let us not be deniers, my children, as if this had not happened. For if “aprons and handkerchiefs” (Acts 19:12) which are on the outside, heal the sick when they touch them, how much more can the body of the prophet himself raise the dead?”

5- Saint Ambrose:

Saint Ambrose, who was Bishop of Mediolan, says in his speech on the discovery of the relics of Saints Grevasius, Protasius and Cilicia: “If you ask me: What do you honor in a mortal body? I say to you: I honor in the body of martyrdom the wounds received for the name of Christ. I honor the memory of eternal virtue. I honor the holy remains of confession to the Lord. I honor in the dust the seed of immortality. I honor the body that taught me to love the Lord and not to fear death for the Lord. And why should I not honor that body that the demons who wounded it in agony tremble at and glorify in the grave? Honor, then, the body that glorified Christ on earth and reigned with Christ in glory.”

This saint speaks of the transfer of holiness to what belongs to the saint as well, saying on the day of the discovery of the relics of Saints Fasius, Protasius, and Cilicia: “You have acknowledged, and even witnessed for yourselves, that many have been freed from the rank of demons. More than these, those who, as soon as they touched the clothes of the saints with their hands, were immediately healed of their tools. The miracles of ancient times have been renewed since grace poured out on the earth more abundantly through the coming of the Lord Jesus: for you see that many have been healed under the shadow of the saints.

Believers wonder: How many handkerchiefs have been passed from hand to hand? How many garments have been placed on the most holy relics and become healing with a single touch. Everyone races to touch them and whoever touches them becomes healthy and well.

6- Saint Ephrem the Syrian:

He says in a eulogy for the martyrs: “And after death they act as if they were alive, healing the sick and expelling demons, and by the power of the Lord they repel every evil influence from their control in torment and torture, because the grace of the Holy Spirit, which works miracles, is always associated with the holy relics.”

7- Saint Epiphanius:

The Bishop of Cyprus wrote in his translation of the status of the holy prophets: “Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. The graves of these saints were attended with great honor because of the many wonders that God had done there for many through the prayers of the prophets and saints.”

8- Saint John of Damascus:

St. John wrote: “The saints are God’s treasures and pure dwelling places. God says: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people’ (2 Cor. 6:16). The divine book says: ‘The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them’ (2 Cor. 6:16). The death of the saints is rather a sleep than death, for they have labored in this matter and will live without end. ‘Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his righteous’ (2 Cor. 6:16). What state can be higher and more honorable than being in the hand of God? God is light and life. Those who are in the hand of God are in life and light. For God has dwelt in their minds and bodies, as the apostle says: ‘Do you not know that your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you?’ The Holy Spirit is the Lord, ‘and whoever destroys the temple of God, him God will destroy’ (2 Cor. 6:16). How can the spiritual temples of God not be honored? In their lives they stood before God with boldness. The Lord Christ has given us the remains of the saints as springs of salvation. Let no one be ungrateful, for the (relics) overflow with various blessings and pour out sweet-smelling “myron.” If water gushed forth by God’s will from the solid rock, in the desert, and in the donkey’s ark (when Samson was thirsty) (Exodus 17:6, Judges 18:15-19), how can anyone not believe that sweet-smelling “myron” was flowing from the remains or relics of the martyrs? There is no one among them who does not know the power of God and the honor that He, the Almighty, bestows upon the saints. Yes, there is no one among them who does not believe in this miracle.

“Anyone who touched a dead person was considered unclean according to the old law. But the dead were not like these then. We do not call dead those who died believing in the hope of resurrection. But how can a dead body work wonders? How can demons be cast out with these bodies, and the weak be healed, and the blind see, and lepers be cleansed, and temptations be removed without a doubt? How much effort would you have to make someone seek you out, so that you might be represented before a dead king and be praised before him? Are not those who intercede for the whole human race and pray to God for us worthy of honor? Indeed, they are worthy of all honor and veneration.”

9- Saint Gregory Palamas:

St. Palamas says in the Relics: “The divine light is the gift of deification… It is the grace of the Holy Spirit, a grace by which God shines only through the mediation of the souls and bodies of those who are truly worthy. But here lies the true example of God, that is, in man’s manifestation of Him through himself, and in the accomplishment of the works that are proper to Him. The divine life, which becomes the special inheritance of their entire being, does not leave the saints at the moment of their death, but (the divine life) continues to be revealed even in their bodies, and this is the basis of the veneration of the relics of the saints.”

And he also says: “Glorify the holy tombs of the saints. And if they are there, and if there are relics (remains) of their bones, it is because the grace of God does not abandon them, just as the divinity did not abandon the honorable body of Christ after his death, which gives life.”

On the necessity of prostrating before relics: “We also prostrate before the holy relics, because they were not stripped of their holy power, just as the divinity was not separated from the body of the Lord in His three-day death.”

Editing and compiling the network about the message of the Lattakia Diocese
From Sunday 13/9/1998 to Sunday 24/1/1999
Except for the issues published in
20 + 27 / 12 / 1998
3/1/1999 due to holidays
Christmas, circumcision, New Year and theophany.