About the #resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
Beloved and respected members who follow the orthodox teachings that we convey on John's Repentance page; As mentioned in the title above, it is a short lesson about Easter and the reserection. We entrust you to read it and participate in the blessings of this feast.
It is undoubtedly, the conviction of the Orthodox the world over, but also of all Christians, that fear of death was vanquished: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and to those in the tombs, He has granted life,” triumphantly exclaims one of the oldest, together with the Phos hilaron (Gladdening light), hymns of the Christian Church.
However, the true fact of death, the result of man’s fall, and of his free choice to disobey God and thus break communion with Him, was not abolished. Death, as human being’s ultimate enemy, “will be the last enemy to be destroyed” in the words of Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 15:26). By means of their faith in the Resurrection of the Son and Word of God, the faithful will be able to live true life, “in abundance of life” according to John the Evangelist: (I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly, John 10:10). This is the life, rid of the catalytic influence of the devil, that God gave to humanity by the Resurrection of Christ, who “did trample down death and did abolish the devil” (the correct wording of the euchologion in the funeral service).
By His death Christ did abolish the devil that until then had the power of death, thus liberating humanity that used to be enslaved by their fear of death. In the words of the author of the epistle to the Hebrews: “That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage (Hebrews 2: 14-15. See also “putting an end to the agony of death…because you will not abandon my soul to Hades“ in the book of the Acts of the Apostles 2:24 and 27).
This conviction was preserved unchanged in the century long tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church, where, Easter, that is the Resurrection, is re-enacted not only every Sunday, especially during the Orthros, but it is also celebrated every year with even more joyfulness than in the Western world, where they celebrate more the Birth of our Saviour. There are other differences between the Western and Eastern Christianity, in the theology and in the conscience of the faithful, as for instance the “eschatological”—and therefore doxological—dimension of the Christian self-awareness, in contrast with the “historical”—and therefore more missionary—practice of our brothers in the Western world. The resurrection however, remains the element that represents more than any other the Orthodox Christian self-awareness, while in the Western world, until very recently, Crucifixion was the predominant signifier.
The first theologian to have developed and established the determining importance of the Resurrection of Christ was St. Paul, the great Apostle to the nations. In his first, and, according to many, oldest written text, the first epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul refers, for the first time, to the significance of the Resurrection for the future of the Christians: “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (4:14). In other words, faith in the resurrection of Christ, leads to the partaking of the faithful to the eschatological Kingdom of God, a state by far more glorious than even that of Paradise. For this reason, and after quoting an apocalyptic text, using a language that all his readers would be able to understand, he concludes his argumentation by the phrase “and so we will be with the Lord for ever” (4:17).
The first Monday of #Easter
"Christ has risen from the dead,
with great power and authority,
he has seized Satan,
and freed Adam,
Peace,
from now on,
let it be,
joy and peace!."
The first Monday of Easter is known as 'ma‘idot', which means to pass through, just like Passover in Hebrew. In Orthodox teachings, the words ma‘idot, Fasika, and Pasca all refer to crossing.
The significance of ma‘idot can be understood in three ways. Firstly, after over 430 years of slavery in Egypt, God heard the cries of the oppressed Israelites and commanded Moses to have each family kill a year-old lamb without blemish and spread its blood on their doorposts. This day became known as Easter, as the angel of death passed over the houses where the lamb's blood was present, sparing their firstborns. This event represents the passing from slavery to freedom.
Secondly, when the Israelites finally left Egypt, God drowned Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, while the Israelites passed through it on dry land. This marked their passage from slavery to freedom and their journey towards the promised land of Canaan, flowing with honey and milk.
Lastly, in the New Testament, Christ's death and resurrection allowed souls to pass from hell to heaven. Through the blood of the Lamb, Christ, those who were once enslaved by sin were able to pass from death to life and from condemnation to repentance. This is our ultimate Passover, as Christ loved us and washed us from our sins with his blood.
Therefore, ma‘idot is a day to commemorate Christ's death and resurrection, which brought salvation to the world and allowed souls to pass from hell to heaven.
May the name of the Holy God be praised forever and ever in every tongue that He has created, today and always.
May the blessings of God's mother, the virgin, and the cross be upon us. Amen.
© John's Repentance
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