Malankara Jacobite Syrian Christian Network
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Malankara Jacobite Syrian Christian Network
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Can Syriac Orthodox Church Permit Cremation? Dr. Thomas Joseph, Ph.D The Syriac Orthodox Church cannot consider authorizing cremation of the dead without considerable deliberation and re-interpretation of its faith, tradition and liturgy. Our concept of resurrection is not merely one of the soul putting on a mystical body at resurrection. At resurrection, the Church teaches that it indeed is the temporal body that is reunited with the soul and together are clothed in robes of glory.
For, as St. Paul writes in his first Epistle to the Corinthians (15:52-53): "For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."
In the Book of Ezekiel, the prophet vividly describes the vision of resurrection (Ezekiel 37:1-14). This narrative is fundamental to our understanding of resurrection of the dead. I quote Ezekiel 37:7-10:
"So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, `Thus says the Lord God: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."'" So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army."
Throughout the age of the Old covenant right from
the days of the patriarchs of Genesis and all through the age of the New
covenant until modern times, burial of the dead in graves and preservation
of their bones in the hope of resurrection has been an unbroken tradition.
The liturgical texts of the Syriac Orthodox Church abound in exquisite
poetry or prose that dwells on themes such as the dead abiding in the grave/Sheol
awaiting resurrection, soul awaiting to
I quote just a very limited set of the most
pertinent excerpts from the Shhimo (Book of Common Prayer for
Weekdays) and the Tekso d-`Ufoyo d-`aneede (Order of the Burial of
the Dead) below to illustrate. [Hymn at the end of every Sutoro and Lilyo (Midnight) Third Qawmo in Shhimo; also commonly sung during any commemoration of the departed]
Syriac: fagre w-naphshotho neq`un shawyoyeeth : breekh detho wothe wamnahem meethe.
Their bodies and their souls shall cry together: blessed is he who has come and will come and raise the dead.
Malayalam: Vannavanum varuvonum .... shareeratmakkal pataname.
...the dead rose and sang praise, the departed
came forth and gave thanks; their bones were revived with a great noise
(alluding to the 'rattling' in Ezekiel 37:7), the prophets took their lyres
and sounded them in joy; ... Syriac:
l-qabro noheth ... b-garme zdeeqe d-methkansheen
w-shubho lobsheen nafsho w-fagro shawyoyeeth w-qoymeen d-lo hbolo. omar leh nafsho l-fagro d-foosh bashlomo ... dahzono lokh b-yawmeh d-noohomo
The soul addressing the body says: Farewell, my brother and beloved one, I am departing from you to the abodes where God commands me to go. I have confidence in the Lord that I will meet you again on the day of resurrection.
Malayalam:
gaathrathod aatmav othunnu samaadhaanam priya
sahaja maruvuka nee pokunnen ninnarikee ninneram nikhilesan kalpikkum
sthaanathil karthaavil njaan aasikkunnund uddhaanathil ninne kaanmaan veendum. There are innumerable others that could be cited.
Today, there are many practical considerations that make the option of cremation appealing. However, creative solutions to these problems have to be explored in earnest before the Church should be compelled to accept an option that is difficult to reconcile with its traditions.
Burial is a symbolic demonstration of the belief that the very body which will, at the end of time, be restored by God should not be destroyed by man. The Church should not move away from millenniums of unbroken tradition without serious deliberation and considering its repercussions on the harmony of Syriac Orthodox faith and practice. |
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