The Dormition of St. Mary & Free Will of Mankind

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The Dormition of St. Mary & Free Will of Mankind

-Fr. Jacob Anish Varghese, London.

“St. Mary is an image of the Christian goal- to become Christ-like in every thought, word and deed. As the Theotokos gave birth to Christ, every Christian is called to bring forth Christ in spirit and deed. Mary is the epitome of practical spirituality. In so doing, we imitate her practical spiritual life, including the purity and humility by which she formed her free will into perfect obedience to the Will of God.”

 – St.Maximus the Confessor.

The Dormition or the Assumption Feast (as more commonly known) of St. Mary is one of the Great Feasts of the Universal Orthodox Church- Eastern & Oriental. It commemorates the ‘sleeping’ or the ‘passing away’ of the Mother of God- the Theotokos.

Historical Background of the Feast of Dormition

There are no Biblical references to the Dormition of the Mother of God, but there are apostolic teachings and writings of the Early Fathers, which allude to this event. Already in the first century, the Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite wrote about Her “Falling-Asleep.” In the second century, the account of the bodily ascent of the Most Holy Virgin Mary to Heaven is found in the works of Meliton, Bishop of Sardis. In the fourth century, St Epiphanius of Cyprus refers to the tradition about the “Falling Asleep” of the Mother of God. In the fifth century, St Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, told the holy Byzantine Empress Pulcheria: “Although there is no account of the circumstances of Her death in Holy Scripture, we know about them from the most ancient and credible Tradition.” This tradition was gathered and expounded in the Church History of Nicephorus Callistus during the fourteenth century.

According to the Orthodox & Eastern Catholic tradition, Mary participated in the Feast of the Pentecost and spent the rest of her life serving and nurturing the nascent Church. She continued to inspire and encourage the disciples and believers till the age of 70. She was living with the Apostle John, obeying Jesus’ instruction while on the Cross. In the Acts of the Apostles, we read of how the St. Mary was the focal point of gathering for the disciples and the nascent Church (Acts 1. 13-14). Tradition tells us how Mary would go constantly to the Sepulchre of Our Lord to pray. On one such occasion, the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her about her Repose from earthly life that would take place 3 days later. As a symbol of this message, she was given an olive branch. When she got back after prayer she shared this message with the others, including St. Joseph the Righteous. St. John of Damsacus writes of how the disciples and believers gathered from all parts of the world and of how St. John (the beloved disciple of Our Lord) tells them of the impending Dormition of the Most Holy Mother.

  

The sole exception was Thomas, who had been delayed. He is said to have arrived three days after her death and in a cloud above her tomb saw her body leaving to heaven, he asked her "Where are you going, O Holy One?" and then she took of her girdle and gave it to him and said "Receive this my friend" then she disappeared. Thomas was taken to his fellow Apostles and asked to see her grave so that he could bid her goodbye. Mary had been buried in Gethsemane, according to her request. When they arrived at the grave, her body was gone, leaving a sweet fragrance. An apparition is said to have confirmed that Christ had taken her body to heaven after three days to be reunited with her soul.

Why do the Orthodox believe in the Dormition of Mary?

The terms Dormition and Assumption are sometimes used synonymously for the same event. But there are differences, which are to be noted in both these terms. The term Dormition comes from the Greek term ‘koimisis’ which means ‘sleeping’ or ‘falling asleep’ which is often a scriptural way of portraying death. The term Assumption is rather self- explanatory and tells only of the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven.

The Orthodox Church believes that Mary died a natural death and her soul was received by Jesus Christ and on the third day her body was resurrected and was taken up to Heaven. Orthodox theology teaches that the Theotokos has already undergone the bodily resurrection which all will experience at the Second coming, and stands in heaven in that glorified state which the other righteous ones will only enjoy after the Last Judgment.

While most Catholics believe as the Orthodox do, some of them believe that Mary was assumed bodily into heaven, without experiencing death. This ambiguity is not helped by the rather vague ‘ex cathedra’ teaching of Pope Pius XII in his Apostolic Constitution, Munificentissimus Deus (1950), which dogmatically defined the Assumption. This Papal declaration was made on the basis of the teaching of the Immaculate Conception in the papal decree of Pope Pius IX named ‘Ineffabilis Deus’ promulgated in 1854. While I do not want to get into the theological fallibility of the concept of Immaculate Conception, I do believe that this teaching cannot be extended to mean that St. Mary was assumed into heaven in bodily form, without experiencing death.

St. Severus of Antioch talks about the reality of the Death and Resurection of Christ saying that, ‘Without a preliminary death, how could the Resurrection have taken place?’ So this applies to Mary as well. To share in Christ’s Resurrection, she had to first share his death. The Mother is not superior to the Son who underwent death and Resurrection. Therefore, it is not in physical immortality that Mary proclaims the Resurrection of Christ, but, in dying and being exalted by her Son to the heights of heaven.

The feast of the Dormition is the sign, the guarantee, and the celebration that Mary’s fate is, the destiny of all those of “low estate” whose souls magnify the Lord, whose spirits rejoice in God the Saviour, whose lives are totally dedicated to hearing and keeping the Word of God which is given to men in Mary’s child, the Saviour and Redeemer of the world.

The importance of St. Mary in Orthodox Christianity

For 2000 years, the Church has held St. Mary in the highest esteem and seeks her intercession. The Orthodox Church honors and venerates the Virgin Mary as "more honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious without compare than the Seraphim.........." Her name is mentioned in every service, and her intercession before the throne of God is asked. She is given the title of "Theotokos" (Greek for "Birth-giver-of-God), as well as "Mother of God". She has a definite role in Orthodox Christianity, and can in no way be considered an instrument, which, once used, was laid aside and forgotten. This honor is accorded to her on various accounts; primarily, her obedience and submission to the will of God. St. Mary’s life was in perfect communion with God. As a young girl, she did not question the Angel Gabriel, when he told her that she would bear a child. We can understand the magnitude and importance of this submission when we consider the Jewish societal norms of the time. A virgin who bore a child out of wedlock would be condemned to death; and knowing that possibility, Mary accepted the will of God without considering the repercussions. Mary’s relationship with God was not a onetime event or a passing phase. On the contrary, her life itself was in accordance with His will. And it is due to this communion that the Church seeks her intercession and makes her an ideal model for all Christians to follow. St. Maximus the Confessor says that, “St. Mary is an image of the Christian goal- to become Christ-like in every thought, word and deed. As the Theotokos gave birth to Christ, every Christian is called to bring forth Christ in spirit and deed. Mary is the epitome of practical spirituality. In so doing, we imitate her practical spiritual life, including the purity and humility by which she formed her free will into perfect obedience to the Will of God.

The life of St. Mary and the Free Will of Mankind

Every man is created in the image and the likeness of God and has the gift of free will. There is no concept of pre- destination in Orthodox Theology. God in his nature as Creator has foreknowledge of what the future holds for every individual, but he does not predestine any one’s action. So man is free to choose between good and evil. When the Angel Gabriel brought the message of God to Mary, there was no compulsion on her to accept it. At no point did the Angel compel her, but left it to her free will to accept her commission or not.

Even after the Birth of Jesus, Mary applied her free will and chose to live in accordance with the Will of God. Even while seeing her own son being tortured and crucified, she still remained in absolute obedience to the Will of God. Her will was perfectly synchronized with the Will of God. Even we who commemorate the life and the Dormition of the Mother of God are called to understand the will of God and tune ourselves in accordance with it. 

St. Ambrose of Milan writes concerning the Mother of God in his treatise ‘On Virgins’ (377 A.D). He writes, ““She was a Virgin not only in body, but also in soul, humble of heart, circumspect in word, wise in mind, not overly given to speaking, a lover of reading and of work, and prudent in speech. Her rule of life was to offend no one, to intend good for everyone, to respect the aged, not envy others, avoid bragging, be healthy of mind, and to love virtue.” He also describes the Mother of God as ‘the personification of purity’. It is this exercise of her free will to choose the way of prayer and chastity that sets her as a role model for us to follow.

When St. Paul calls us the ‘ambassadors of Christ’ he means that we ought to carry the message of Jesus to the places we go and to the people we interact with. A good and earnest ambassador has no other message except that of his President. And that is the role that every Christian is called to. We are called to be proponents of a just and equitable society. A society that is free from discrimination on any count. And that is what the freedom fighters and the architects of the Indian Constitution dreamt of. But it is indeed sad to see that we are irresponsible in using our political and social freedom. A glance at any newspaper will reveal the plethora of social evils and political malaises that plague the Indian society today. We as Christians are not just waiting in hope for the ‘eternal life to come’. Yes, that is our everlasting hope, but we need to prepare ourselves in this world first. ‘Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ is our daily prayer and that is what every Christian should strive for. A true Christian cannot turn a blind eye to the social evils prevailing in society. We cannot ignore the people who are in need of comfort and essentials. St. Mary recognized the need of the wedding banquet at Cana and pleaded to Christ on their behalf. Every Christian who commemorates this great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God should therefore intercede to Christ our Lord on behalf of those in need. St. Mary’s life also reminds us that we need to implement the Will of God in our daily life and not leave it as an option to be exercised only while in Church on a Sunday morning.

May the Blessed Mother of God intercede for our souls to Christ Our Lord so that we might choose the good in our thoughts, words and action.

The Book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation

Do you believe in the Book of Revelation? Does the Orthodox Church believe in the Revelation? Does the Church believe in the Last Judgement? These are questions that are often thrown at us Orthodox Believers. Some para-denominational groups believe that the book of Revelation is their sole proprietary- to interpret, preach and teach. We find it quite difficult to counter the verses, numbers and symbols that they tell us about. This is a humble attempt to put the Book of Revelation in an Orthodox perspective. It is however not possible to explain all the imagery and symbolism that is used in the book. I will try and deal with some issues relating to the book of Revelation in a Question Answer format so that it becomes easier to comprehend.

1. Who is the author of Revelation?

It has been traditionally ascribed to John, but cannot be conclusively said so. It is noteworthy that he does not use a pseudonym like some other apocalyptic and patristic writers. We also understand that he was in exile on the island of Patmos (Rev.1.9). The author has a good knowledge of the Asian geography (the present day Turkey) as his letters in Ch.2,3 show. He is also intimately aware of the Hebrew Bible (not just the Greek translation). He is also well informed, like all prophets, about the political, economic and social situation in his time.

2. When was it written?

We cannot be sure of the precise date of the book, but it is generally accepted that the book was written during the intense persecution of the Christian Faith during the tenure of Domitian, the Roman Emperor from 81 - 96 AD. Other scholars think that it was written between 75-79, under Emperor Vespasian, based on calculations regarding the seven or eight emperors in Rev.17.

3. Why was it written?

It is extremely important to understand that the Book of Revelation cannot be properly interpreted without understanding the historic context in which it was written. As stated earlier, the period of the book is thought to be the time of persecution under the Roman Empire. We learn from other New Testament passages that the Early Christians believed that the Second Coming of Jesus was imminent; many of them believed that it would happen during their life time. This expectation was further fueled by the intense persecution of the Church at the hands of the Emperor Domitian who killed numerous Christians because they refused to accept him as ‘God’ after he had proclaimed himself so. Given the fact that the early Christians were enduring a horrible period of persecution, the main theme of Revelation is to provide the persecuted Christians with a sense of hope that would encourage them to remain faithful to Christ despite the fact that at any moment they could be put to death for the Faith. Hence, Revelation focuses on the ultimate triumph of the Kingdom of God and how the Christians by remaining loyal and faithful to Christ, will ultimately reap the rewards promised by Christ. John writes as a brother in tribulation. His vision recorded in Revelation was a reminder from God to the faithful not to give in to their enemies, but to remain faithful. They were challenged to remain hopeful and spiritually strong and to overcome state pressure, the slander against Christians that was prevalent in the synagogues, false teachers, etc. While the Book of Revelation does speak of events yet to come -- such as the Second Coming of Our Lord -- it is not a book that was written primarily to reveal contemporary or coming events.

4. What is apocalypse?

Before we learn about the genre of apocalyptic literature, let us see what apocalypse means. An apocalypse (Greek: ἀποκάλυψις apokálypsis; "lifting of the veil" or "revelation") is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John (Greek Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου) is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament. By extension, apocalypse can refer to any ‘End Time’ scenario, or to the end of the world in general.

5. What is apocalyptic literature? What are the features of apocalyptic writings?

Apocalyptic literature is a genre of prophetical writing that developed in post-Exilic Jewish culture and was popular among Christians of the Early Ages.

"Apocalypse" (Ἀποκάλυψις) is a Greek word meaning "revelation", "an unveiling or unfolding of things not previously known and which could not be known apart from the unveiling."

As a genre, apocalyptic literature details the authors' visions of the end times as revealed by a heavenly messenger or Angel. The apocalyptic literature of Judaism and Christianity embraces a considerable period, from the centuries following the exile down to the close of the Middle Ages.

6. Are there any other Apocalyptic literature in the Bible?

Yes. Other than the Book of Revelation, there are apocalyptic descriptions and narratives in the Book of Daniel, Isaiah 24-27; 33; 34-35, Isaiah 24-27; 33; 34-35, Ezekiel 2:8; 38-39, Joel 3:9-17, Zechariah—This book presents a number of apocalyptic visions and was highly influential on later writers. There are also New Testament passages like Mark 13, Matt. 24-25, 1 Thessalonians 4, 2 Thessalonians 2.

7. Does the Orthodox Church discourage reading the Book of Revelation?

No it does not. The Orthodox Church does not persuade people not to read Revelation. It however does caution people to read it with a solid knowledge of the rest of Scripture, especially the New Testament, and with a basic understanding of the times which produced Revelation. At the same time, the Orthodox Church does not accept the notion that everyone can properly interpret the Bible, not just the Book of Revelation, as he or she wants. Some Protestant bodies believe in this, but Orthodoxy does not. We say that the Church has the ability to properly interpret Scripture, and this means that we should study and adopt the interpretations that have been handed down over the 2000 years of the Church's living history. Given the fact that that which is contained in Scripture is the inspired word of God, revealed to mankind and not to a single individual, no individual has the right or ability to offer "the" definitive interpretation of Scripture.

However, the book of Revelation is not included in the lectionary of the Eastern Orthodox Churches. It is the only book from which passages are not read during corporal worship.

8. Was Revelation always included in the Bible?

Revelation was accepted into the Canon of the Bible at the Council of Carthage of 397 AD. Revelation's place in the canon was not guaranteed, however, with doubts raised as far back as the 2nd century about its character, symbolism, and apostolic authorship.

2nd century Christians in Syria rejected it because Montanism, a sect which was deemed to be heretical by the mainstream church, relied heavily on it. In the 4th century, Gregory of Naziansus and other bishops argued against including Revelation because of the difficulties of interpreting it and the risk of abuse. In the 16th century, Martin Luther initially considered it to be "neither apostolic nor prophetic" and stated that "Christ is neither taught nor known in it", and placed it in his Antilegomena (his list of questionable documents), though he did retract this view in later life. In the same century, John Calvin believed the book to be canonical, yet it was the only New Testament book on which he did not write a commentary. According to Merrill Unger and Gary N. Larson, in spite of the objections that have been raised over the years, Revelation provides a logical conclusion, not just to the New Testament, but to the Christian Bible as a whole, and there is a continuous tradition dating back to the 2nd century which supports the authenticity of the document, and which indicates that it was generally included within the, as yet unformalized, canon of the early church.

9. What are the different styles of interpreting Revelation?

There are a variety of ways to interpret the book of Revelation, and many of these methods overlap.

Some read the book of Revelation as entirely symbolic. This type of interpretation is often called Idealism, and "translates" the symbols found in the book as universal symbols depicting the clash between good and evil.

Others read Revelation as a book containing symbolism regarding events entirely contained in the past. In this school of interpretation, Revelation is about what has already happened, and not what will happen in the future. This is often called the Preterist (from Latin, meaning "Past") school of interpretation. In this school of thought, Revelation uses pre-existing Jewish symbolism to depict and explain the immediate and pressing concerns of the author.

Still others read the book as a book of speculative prophecy, literally portraying the apocalyptic end of time in which the glorified Christ will come to earth and usher in the Judgment Day. While not all people who adopt this Futurist method insist on interpreting every symbol as literally as possible, this is by far the most common interpretation in fundamentalist camps. Another method, similar in methodology, is the Historicist school, which identifies some of Revelation as occurring in the past and some as occurring in the future—often, this method applies the imagery of Revelation to major historical events, for example equating the plague of locusts with the spread of Islam throughout medieval Europe.

10. What are the symbolic meaning of the numbers referred to in Revelation?

There are a lot of numbers used symbolically in the Book of Revelation. It has often been superficially and wrongly interpreted to mean different things. But some of the numbers stand for the most basic things that we tend to overlook. For example, the number 4- it represents the whole earth, the four corners of the world, the four winds (Rev.4.6, 7.1)

The number 7 (7 planets, 7 days, etc) represents perfection and fullness. The number 12 too represents perfection (12 months, 12 tribes, 12 stars, 12 gates, 12 apostles). Its multiplications just intensifies this idea of fullness and perfection (24 elders in Rev.4.4, 144,000 in Rev.7.4)

11. What is 666? Is it the mark of the Beast?

The famous number 666 represents the powerful anti- Christ. This is a number which has drawn unlimited speculations over time. It was even ascribed to tyrannical dictators like Hitler, Gorbachov, Slobodan Milosevic, etc. There are prophecies concerning this number that the child born on this particular date will be the anti-Christ, etc. But these are mere fallacious and misleading rumors. Let us look at the number 666 in the light of Biblical and patristic understanding.

St. John ‘saw a beast rising out of the sea’ (Rev.12) It reminds us of the mythical monster Leviathan, ‘the dragon which the Lord will slay’ (Is. 27.1). It looks similar to the dragon in Rev.12 and has similar powers and monstrosity. The three monsters here in Ch.12 & 13 complete a pseudo- Trinity or an anti- Trinity in a sense. These monsters represent the Roman Empire in the time of John. The seven heads with blasphemous names represent the Emperors who were worshipped as gods. The Emperor Domitian, for example was called ‘Dominus et Deus’ i.e Lord and God.

13. 12 says, ‘It used the vast authority of the first beast in its presence. It forced the earth and all that live on it to worship the first beast.’ A historical interpretation of this imagery is that it represents a deputy or agent of the Roman Empire who played an important role in the Imperial Cult of Roma. Since the book was written in or near the Roman province of Asia, the most likely reference is to the provincial elite, local noblemen, wealthy people who had by this time acquired Roman citizenship and exercised political power under the supervision of the Roman provincial governor.

The Imperial Cult was very strong in the Roman Empire. Its purpose was to promote the cult of the Emperor- God and the Goddess Roma.

The ‘mark of the beast’ is an allusion to the coins which bore the image, name and insignia of the Emperor.

The puzzle of 666 is based on the fact that words in Hebrew and Greek can be given a numerical value, since each letter is also used as a numeral. John used the number to most likely represent Emperor Nero, because the value of the Greek letters of his name, if transliterated into Hebrew, is 666, while the same operation from Latin to Hebrew gives 616 which is consistent with some variant texts of the book of Revelation.

But the point for us is not to identify Nero or Domitian, but to understand that this beast, tyrannical, totalitarian, extortionist, terrorizing, de-humanizing like the Roman Empire/ Emperor will appear from time to time. It may assume a national character like the oppressive regimes in the world today or the oppressive economic and social policies that developed countries adopt to marginalize their poor, or on a more personal level it could just be a boss who antagonizes you at work! But the important thing to remember is that it is just a passing phase and that while the power of the beast seems tremendous, it is limited and finite. The beast has a ‘human number’ i.e 666, while we yearn for perfection that is symbolized by the numbers 7, 12, 24, 144000, etc.

To conclude, the Book of Revelation belongs to a genre called apocalyptic literature and was written in a particular context. There are several ways of interpreting this book. The Orthodox Church teaches that the Bible is to be interpreted and taught by the Holy Church, through and in the guidance and fullness of the Holy Spirit. It is not a matter of personal and convenience- driven interpretations as is practiced by a lot of the para- denominational groups around us. We cannot be certain about the meaning of the symbols used in this book, but we have to interpret it against the background of the other books contained in the Bible and the writings of the Church Fathers.

The Orthodox Church believes in the Second Coming of Jesus and the Day of Judgment, but we cannot put a date and time on it. We cannot similarly predict the sequence of events that lead to this Great Day. But what we can be sure of is that it will happen. Only God knows when the Day of Judgment is. In the meanwhile, we are to learn from the book of Revelation that there is always a struggle between good and evil. This struggle is always a draining and demoralizing one. There will be persecutions for people who stand by their values and morals, but in the end it is integrity and goodness that will triumph.