What happened to the body of the Theotokos? The Feast
of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin does not end with her first
resurrection, which is the entry of her soul into heaven. There is another
mystery also connected with it which refers to her holy body. What happened to
the body of the Theotokos? Why there is no tradition in the Christian Church
both in East and West that mentions any bodily relics of the all-holy Mother of
God, but there are traditions only about her girdle (zone) and garments
(estheta and maphorion)? Apparently, according to ancient traditions, her body
too was miraculously translated into heaven after its burial in Gethsemane, and
was united with her soul. Indeed her tomb was found empty shortly after the
burial. This tradition of the translation of the body of the Theotokos from the
tomb to heaven (metathesis or metastasis in Greek, transitus in Latin) is very
strong in the Orthodox Church as liturgical practice and many and important
patristic texts bear witness, although sources do differ on details.
References about the Falling Asleep in the Lord of the Blessed
Virgin Theotokos we can find in the works of John of Thessalonica, Theoteknos
of Livias, Modestus of Jerusalem, Andrew of Crete, Germanus of Constantinople,
John the Monk of the Old Lavra, John Damascene and Theodore the Studite. To
these texts one could go on and add several others from the later Byzantine
fathers and ecclesiastical authors of the second millennium, such as Leo the
Emperor, John of Euchaita, Isidore of Thessalonica, Philotheos of
Constantinople, Gregory Palamas of Thessalonica, Nicholas Cabasilas, Damaskenos
Stoudites, etc. These texts point to a common tradition, although one observes
differences in the details as scholars argue. They all agree, however, that the
tomb of St. Mary in Gethsemane, where the body of the Blessed Virgin Mary was
buried by the holy Apostles, was found empty when they opened it three days
later. Here is how this ‘tradition’ is presented by Patriarch Juvenal of
Jerusalem to Empress Pulcheria of Constantinople at the time of Chalcedon (AD
451) who asked for the relic of the Theotokos to be transferred from Jerusalem
to Constantinople.
“There is nothing in the holy, inspired Scripture about the
death of Mary, the holy Theotokos; but we know from an ancient and truest
tradition that at the time of her glorious falling asleep, all the holy
Apostles, who were traveling the world preaching salvation to the nations, were
in an instant lifted up and brought to Jerusalem. As they stood before her,
they saw an angelic apparition, and a divine chanting was heard from the higher
Powers. And so, in a state of divine and heavenly glory she placed her soul
into God’s hands in an ineffable way. Her body, which had received God, was
carried with angelic and apostolic hymns, was prepared and laid to rest in a
coffin in Gethsemane. It was there and for three days that the angelic choruses
and hymns continued unceasingly. After three days, however, the angelic hymnody
ceased. The Apostles were there, and since one of them –Thomas– who had been
absent from the burial, came after the third day and asked to reverence that
body which had received God, they opened the coffin. They could not find
anywhere her much-praised body, and since all they could find were her burial
swaddling-clothes and the ineffable fragrance that came out of them and filled
their bowels, they closed the coffin again. Amazed by the miracle of this
mystery, they could only think this: that the One who willed to be incarnated
and become human from her in his person, and to be born in the flesh he who is
God the Word and Lord of Glory, and who preserved her virginity incorruptible
after the birth, he was also the One that was well-pleased to honor her
immaculate and spotless body, after her departure from this world, [by endowing
it] with incorruptibility and with a transposition (metathesis) [to heaven]
before the common, and universal resurrection.”
Orthodox and Roman Catholic Doctrine: This is
not the place to present in detail all the variable patristic accounts of the
falling asleep of the Theotokos and assess their conclusions. In spite of
differences, it is clear that they all point to the glorification of the
Blessed Theotokos at her death, which marks her entry into Heaven and taking a
place closer to Christ than any other heavenly or human being. The mystery of
her bodily transposition which is warranted by the empty tomb is a matter of
faith and piety and is based on the mystery of the Incarnation. Based on this
logic that pertains to the mystery of Christ and the unique place of the
Blessed Virgin Theotokos in it, it is also logical to assume that she too has
experienced the resurrection of the body as a unique anticipation of the
general resurrection of all humanity in the end of time. In spite of this, the
Orthodox Church has not accepted the Roman Catholic dogma of the bodily
assumption of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, which was promulgated by Pope
Pius XII on 1 November 1950 through his Bull Munificentissimus Deus. The
reasons for this rejection have been both theological and historical. The Roman
Catholic Dogma of the Assumption is based on the earlier Marian dogma of the
Immaculate Conception (that the Virgin was born immaculate, free from original
sin), which was promulgated by Pope Pius IX on 8 December 1854 through his Bull
Ineffabilis Deus. In effect this meant that being sinless she could not and did
not die but was assumed into heaven both in body and soul. For the Orthodox
these Roman Catholic Marian Dogmas are rather rationalizations of piety and are
not clearly warranted in the Holy Tradition of the Church. Orthodox piety and
faith preserves the mystery of the blessed Theotokos along with the mystery of
Christ the Incarnate God and Lord of Glory. The festal hymn of the Dormition
proclaims this most clearly: “In giving birth you kept your virginity. In
falling asleep you did not abandon the world, O Mother of God. You passed over
into life, for you are the Mother of Life, and by your intercessions you
deliver our souls from death.” Rev.
Fr. George Dragas
Also, visit John
Sanidopoulos’ web-blog, Mystagogy,
for his Dormition of the Theotokos
resource page:
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