Symbols of the
Resurrection
Symbols are an important part of our faith and are very
evident within our churches. The icons; the altar, the icon-screen, the
candles, and even the vestments of our priests are all symbols of various types
Each holds a meaning that must be understood if the
symbol is to touch our lives with more than its mere
external appearance.
An ordinary egg, for example, is a symbol of the
Resurrection of our Lord On the Feast of Pascha, we bless baskets of food
containing, among other things, eggs. Just as the egg appears to be lifeless,
so too did the body of Christ appear to be a mere corpse.
But just as the egg can contain life, so does Christ
contain the life we receive through His Resurrection! . This is the symbolic
meaning behind the use of the egg as a symbol of. Resurrection.
Another common symbol of the Resurrection is the lily. It
blossoms from a dry and lifeless-looking bulb into one of the most beautiful
flowers of God's creation. Jesus Himself speaks of the lily in His Sermon on
the Mount when He says that "not even Solomon, in all of his splendor, was
attired like one of these." This is the beauty
from lifelessness that no king on earth could ever hope to
match.
An ancient bird from Greek mythology, the phoenix, has been
incorporated as a symbolic form of the Resurrection in many Orthodox churches.
Mythology describes how the bird fell to earth and burned, and yet from its
ashes arose another bird. Christ's life in an earthly form was destroyed
through the Crucifixion, but a new and more glorious life came about as a
result of His Resurrection. The idea of resurrection, in analogy to the tale of
the phoenix, is depicted visually in icons showing #n eagle rising out or a
flame.
The peacock is a symbol of antiquity often found upon the
walls of the ancient catacombs of the early Church. The bird was used as a
symbol because the peacock has an unusually beautiful tail. Each year, however,
the bird loses its beauty during the. molting season to. such an extent that
the apparent intrinsic worth of the bird is
greatly diminished. Yet the value of the bird is enhanced
as the molting season comes to an end and a new and more beautiful tail
appears. In the eyes of men, the mystery, the awe, the greatness of Christ is
enhanced countless times over through the Resurrection..
An even more common and certainly much more familiar
example of the Resurrection is the existence of the Orthodox Church itself. The
community of the faithful would not exist at all had it not been for the
miracle of the Resurrection. Thus the Church, the peacock; the phoenix bird,
the my and the egg are all reminders of the greatest event in history. We
should seek to grow in awareness and appreciation of this event, being reminded
of it again and againt through the use of the symbol, a means of communication
and
understanding.
(Reprinted from "Enquiry," June, 1978)
Viata Crestină, Aprilie-Iunie
2004
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