Communion of Saints

MARIA GWYN MCDOWELL

For Orthodoxy this signifies the ongoing participation (methexis, or koinonia – communion) in God by all of God’s holy elect. those still living on earth, those passed to the Lord, and the holy angels who also form part of the heavenly church. The letters to the churches of Corinth and

Ephesians are addressed to the “saints” (Eph. 1.1; 2Cor. 1.11) surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12.1). Aside from Scripture, the earliest attesta­tions to a cult of the saints is the early cult of martyrs. Ignatius of Antioch asserts that true discipleship lies in the witness, the martyria, of a confessing death. The 3rd-century Life of Polycarp testifies to 2nd-century Eucharistic meals at the grave­side of martyrs, and encourages the honor­ing of the saints by following their example. origen of Alexandria in the 3rd century emphasizes the singularly united life of the whole body of Christ, in which those in heaven continue in the struggle of faith through their sustaining love and interces­sion for the living. When St. John Chrysos­tom preached in the late 4th century, the cult of the saints was well established. In his sermons martyrdom is a powerful act of love; martyrs “speak” their faith through deeds and speak freely to God, their human lives encouraging imitation (Chrysostom 2006. 29–33). The martyr and saint has thus become an exemplar of virtue, a spiritual model.

Chrysostom highlights the transition from martyrdom to asceticism as persecu­tion gave way to peace and to an increas­ingly institutionalized Christianity. In part inspired by Athanasius’ Life of Antony, asceticism through bodily virginity, separa­tion from the world, and a life of prayer was increasingly idealized. Ironically, often the greatest advocates of asceticism were active members of urban and ecclesial life. St. Basil the Great’s social programs inaugurated their own attendant form of monasticism, in which serving others was considered integral to an ascetic life. Contemporary studies of holy men and women emphasize their role as agents of change who ignored social divisions in order to serve the needs of all, rich and poor alike (Hackel 1983).

By the 8th century, St. John of Damas­cus speaks of venerating saints as friends of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit. This concept of holiness as the presence of God is crucial. Holiness is thus not reserved for exemplary individuals only, but is the common promise of Christ’s people, and part of the standard graced way of life for all disciples. In the divine liturgy the giving of Eucharistic Commu­nion is preceded by the celebrant saying “Holy things for the holy,” referring to both the gifts being offered and the people receiving them. The people’s response, “One is holy, one is Lord, Jesus Christ,” underscores the singular divine source of the church’s holiness. An individual’s holi­ness is the synergy between personal free­dom and the grace of God which results in both repentance and virtue.

The participation of believers in the holi­ness of Christ leads to three important points. First, saints are not those whose lives are perfect, but whose lives at some point and in some manner exemplify the virtues and holiness of God. Second, just as God cannot be contained in a single description, neither can the image of God in the saints. Saints are those in whom the image and likeness of God are embodied in a uniquely distinctive manner. Third, unity with Christ in holiness crosses boundaries of time and “matter.” As living members of Christ, our spiritual forebears continue to be present. Just as God deified matter in the incarnation, even the bodies of saints participate in holiness, something that is underscored in the Orthodox Church’s cultus of holy relics.

The church does recognize particular per­sons as exemplary. These men and women are “glorified” saints, and their prayers are requested in public worship. The process of glorification has no fixed process nor firm regulation. Nektarios, Patriarch of Jerusalem (d. 1680), established three conditions for glorification: indisputable orthodoxy of faith; a holy life and confession of faith with an openness to martyrdom; and man­ifestations of divine grace via miracles, post­humous healings, spiritual assistance, or bodily incorruptibility. In practice not all of these signs need be present together. Saint­hood among the Orthodox is often the result of a popular devotion. The recognition by the church is a response to the evident grace of God. Today, glorification involves a formal service in which the saint is no longer prayed for; instead, God is thanked for the holy person and his or her interces­sions are requested: they are prayed to.

Participation in the holiness of God has given rise to an astonishing diversity of Orthodox saints. In an age of persecutions, the Great Martyrs exemplify steadfast faith in the face of suffering and death. The desert fathers and mothers and stylite saints man­ifest personal holiness and offer intercession on behalf of urban neighbors. Military saints, once glorified for their (frequent) refusal to fight, become defenders against non-Christian attackers. Unmercenary saints-physicians offer free medical assis­tance and spiritual healing. The liturgy lists among the saints patriarchs, prophets, martyrs, wonderworkers, theologians, fathers, mothers and teachers of the church, monastics, ascetics, spiritual guides, physi­cians, and healers.

This diversity is conditioned by social context. Susan Ashbrook Harvey observes that the early church is noted for its diver­sity of holy lives in which female saints always exemplify a public role. But as the criteria for sainthood increasingly involves ecclesial leadership, not only did the number of female saints decline in later centuries, but their lives, while no less holy, were increasingly conducted in private (Harvey 1998: 104). Fr. Michael Plekon (2009) notes the dangers of an exaggerated reverence which can obscure complex lives. The controversy surrounding Mother Maria Skobtsova (newly glorified) and Fr. Alexander Men highlights the tension often lost in idealized hagiographies between participation in the holiness of God and an Orthodox “life in progress” revolving around the struggle of repentance and transformation. Yet it is this coexistence of imperfection and holiness which inspires and comforts believers as they are accom­panied in the life of faith by their spiritual forebears.

SEE ALSO: Deification; Elder (Starets); Menaion; New Martyrs; Newly Revealed Saints; Passion Bearers; Relics; St. Nicholas the Wonderworker; Soteriology

REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS

Chrysostom, J. (2006) The Cult of the Saints: Select Homilies and Letters, trans. W. Mayer and B. Neil. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press.

Hackel, S. (1983) The Byzantine Saint. San Bernardino: Borgo Press.

Harvey, S. A. (1998) “Holy Women, Silent Lives,” St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 3–4: 101–4. Plekon, M. (2009) Hidden Holiness. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.