| In our days people can dream about a harmonious era of the “great goddess,” when people worshipped female deities, the status of women was high, and tempers were gentle and peaceful. There is no point at scoffing at such dreams: they reflect, however crookedly, a longing for paradise lost. But they have no connection to historical reality. The Athenians worshiped a goddess and lived in the most democratic society of the time – but at the same time, as the French historian Andre Bonnard writes: “The slave was not, however, the only human creature who had no part in Athenian democracy. Side by side with him, and despised almost as much, was woman” (Greek Civilization, [vol. 1, p. 126]). In our days, we can point to the extremely high honor they were granted as something of which we moderns can likely approve; after all, we live in a civilization that has been formed for nearly two millennia by Christianity. But in those days, when the preaching of the Apostles was first being heard, when the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke was writing his Gospel, the fact that it was women who first saw the Resurrected Lord was extremely uncomfortable, even indecent. The pagans missed no opportunity to mock this. Celsus, one of the first anti-Christian polemicists, writes: “That while alive he was of no assistance to himself, but that when dead he rose again, and exhibited the marks of his punishment, and showed how his hands were pierced with nails: who beheld this? A half-frantic woman, as you state, and some one else, of those who were engaged in the same system of delusion.” Having women as witnesses of the Resurrection was such a monstrously losing PR move that there can be only one explanation: they indeed saw the Risen Lord first. If the Apostles had begun to come up with colorful details to give credibility to their proclamation, they would never, not for anything, nor under any circumstances have made women the first witnesses of the Resurrection. This is an extraordinary testimony to the authenticity of the Gospel. As Bishop N. T. Wright, a prominent Biblical scholar, puts it: “Whether we like it or not, women were not regarded as credible witnesses in the ancient world. When the tradition had time to sort itself out and acquire the fixed form we already find in Paul’s quotation of it in 1 Corinthians 15, the women were quietly dropped; they were apologetically embarrassing. But there they are in all four gospel stories, front and center, the first witnesses, the first apostles. Nobody would have made them up. Had the tradition started in the male-only form we find in 1 Corinthians 15, it would never have developed, in such different ways as well, into the female-first stories we find in the gospels” (Surprised by Hope [p.55]). |
| Still, some mysterious force was drawing the Myrrhbearers to their Teacher, buried not far from the place of execution. They felt the need to pay their last respects and to finish the burial rite. Actually, Joseph and Nicodemus had already done the rite of burial, even if only a minimal one: they had washed the body of Christ, anointed it with spices and wrapped it in clean linen. Of course they had no time to do everything required, but they did what they could, considering the circumstances. The Myrrhbearing Women knew that the entrance to the tomb was blocked by a large stone, sealed by the high priest " s seal and under the protection of the Roman guards. Why then, contrary to common sense, did they risk being insulted by soldiers known for their rudeness or, even worse, risk being arrested and interrogated by the Jewish leaders? It was all over. But the dedicated women had nevertheless decided to go and complete the burial rite. What motivated them? Undoubtedly, boundless love toward the Teacher! Even though He had died, the heavenly ideas and feelings that He granted them were the most inspiring of all that they had experienced in their lives. The Lamp seemed to be extinguished, but its light had settled in the depth of their hearts and continued to enlighten and to warm them. They had received from Him the strength that nothing could either stop or dishearten. And what happened? When they came unto the sepulcher, they found the guards scattered, and the heavy stone rolled back. Not only this, but as a reward for their courage, they were the very first to hear the wonderful news that to this day makes our hearts rejoice: " Christ is Risen! " " Be not affrighted " - said an angel, appearing as a young man clothed in a bright garment: " Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: He is risen! He is not here: behold the place where they laid Him. " And as another reward for their great love the Myrrhbearing Women were appointed to be the first heralds of Christ " s victory over Hades and death! |
| Yet even in the face of hopelessness, these women act. They buy ointments that will help his body dry out as it decays, and sweet spices so that even in death, his body is honored. Their actions show their steadfast love for Christ, that even after hope is shattered, they go the extra mile to honor Jesus. Such is their love for this dead man. In their actions, we see that the myrrhbearers came to anoint Christ not out of a desire for any recognition or reward from Jesus, nothing that they could get out of it. He is dead. The women probably have no recollection that Christ said he would rise again, so they probably have no hope of triumph in Jesus’ death. They come not to receive, and probably not consciously to give either, but they are motivated by their love for Him, that they want His body to be blessed with sweet smelling fragrance. Yet these women are honored with being the first witnesses to Christ’s resurrection. They were the first to know the joy that Christ had defeated death, that hope was fulfilled, that despair and grief were not all that was left to them. And, they were the first commissioned with going and telling others that Christ had risen from the dead. These women were not seeking the excitement of some great commission, but they received this as a result of their desire to love and serve Christ even after death. Now, we know the triumph of Christ. We know the end of the story. We know this even as we walk with these women to the tomb, as they despair, hopeless. Yet still in our lives, we also may deal with despair. Why am I stuck in this job? Why can’t I pay my bills? Why can’t I be patient with my children? Why do I feel so alone? When we are abandoned, when we try to follow God’s will but can’t see the way, when we lose someone or something we don’t think we can live without, when we suffer, perhaps that is when we experience Christ as dead. In the recent film trilogy and popular book, The Lord of the Rings, our two reluctant heroes, Frodo and Sam, talk about how different it is to not merely be the readers of a tale, but in the middle of it, not knowing how it will really end up. If you don’t mind, I’d like to read you this passage. It begins with Sam talking to Frodo: |
| Christ is risen! Truly He is risen! The Resurrection Accounts Which Most Orthodox Never Hear I hate to tell you this, but most Orthodox don’t know much about Jesus’ Resurrection. Well, “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death”, of course. But for years I had the nagging feeling that something was missing about our Resurrection experience in the Orthodox Church, and finally I’ve figured out what it is: most of the Pascha story! Those who come to Sunday Matins (Orthros) hear all the Resurrection accounts on an eleven-week rotating cycle – but things being what they are, not many come to Sunday Matins. Only the minority who attend Holy Saturday morning Divine Liturgy hear Matthew’s summary of the Resurrection story. I’m afraid not enough are in church on the Sunday after Pascha to hear how Doubting Thomas became Believing Thomas. At Sunday Liturgy, Orthodox do not hear the stories of Christ’s Pascha morning appearance to the Myrrhbearing Women and then to Mary Magdalene alone in the garden, of Luke’s account of the Pascha night appearance in the upper room, of the Emmaus Road appearance, of the lovely story of the risen Lord fixing breakfast for the Apostles by the Sea of Galilee, and more. This is not enough. If there was one thing I could change in the Orthodox Church’s unchanging lectionary, this would be it. These stories are mysterious and thrilling. What was it about the risen Lord that was so familiar, yet apparently so hard to recognize? In what way in Luke’s account was he now not “with them”, even while he was obviously there still with them? Why did he tell Mary Magdalene not to touch him because “I am not ascended to my Father and your Father”, while Matthew says the other Myrrhbearing women clung to his feet? And then there was his ability to materialize and dematerialize which (I don’t mean to be irreverent) sounds almost like modern science fiction. There is a certain feeling that hangs over these Pascha stories: luminous, numinous, transcendent, sweet, a profound calm, an immense excitement, great joy – it’s beyond words. They have a dreamy, myth-like quality, but the point is made over and over: This was no illusion. This was Real. Especially when they are read aloud (oh, I wish you would come to Sunday Matins regularly and hear them), the Resurrection stories are wonderful in the literal sense of that word, full of wonder and awe. |
| In the Church services the stress is on the Apostle Thomas’ vision of Christ and the significance of the day comes to us in the words of the gospel: Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand, and place it in My side; do not be faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” ( Jn 20.27–29 ). We have not seen Christ with our physical eyes nor touched His risen body with our physical hands, yet in the Holy Spirit we have seen and touched and tasted the Word of Life ( 1Jn 1.1–4 ), and so we believe. At each of the daily services until Ascension Day we sing the Easter Troparion. At each of the Sunday services beginning with Antipascha, we sing the Easter canon and hymns, and repeat the celebration of the “first day of the week” on which Christ rose from the dead. At all of the liturgies the epistle readings are taken from the Book of Acts telling us of the first Christians who lived in communion with the Risen Lord. All of the gospel readings are taken from the Gospel of Saint John, considered by many to be a gospel written particularly for those who are newly-baptized into the new life of the Kingdom of God through death and new birth in Christ, in the name of the Holy Trinity. The reason for this opinion is that all of the “signs”-as the miracles in Saint John’s Gospel are called-deal with sacramental themes involving water: wine and bread. Thus, each of the Sundays after Thomas Sunday with the exception of the third, is dedicated to the memory of one of these “signs.” The Myrrhbearing Women The third Sunday after Pascha is dedicated to the myrrhbearing women who cared for the body of the Saviour at his death and who were the first witnesses of His Resurrection. The three troparia of Holy Friday are sung once again and from the theme of the day: The noble Joseph, when he had taken down Thy most pure body from the Tree, wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices, and placed it in a new tomb. |
| Tweet Нравится All-Conquering Love Bishop Alexander (Mileant) And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalane, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had brought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun. The devotion of St. Mary Magdalene and the other Holy Myrrhbearers, who came to anoint the body of Jesus Christ, is clear and heartfelt by those who themselves lived through the times of church persecutions in the Soviet Union. Those were dangerous times. It took great courage just to go to church then. One had to pick one " s way to the still " working " churches, sometimes at night, through the back streets. One was never sure if the priest there where still serving, or if they already had been arrested. Much danger lay in wait on one " s road to church: neighbors might report you to the " appropriate authorities, " you might be stopped and questioned, you might lose your job, etc. People were afraid to openly wear a cross on their chest or to have icons at home. The Holy Myrrhbearing Women were in a similar situation. You will recall that even Peter, the most determined and courageous of Apostles, had renounced Christ only two days earlier, out of fear that a servant girl would report him. The other disciples of Christ, fearful of being arrested scattered abroad. When they met again to discuss what to do next, on the third day after Christ " s crucifixion, they did it secretly " for fear of the Jews. " If the One Who had shown so many great miracles and was so revered by the people was laughed at, defiled, condemned, and executed in the most shameful way; what were His disciples to expect, finding themselves outlawed and without any protection. It was only a matter of time until they would be arrested as well. Having this in mind, it was only sensible for the Myrrhbearing Women not " to kick against the goads, " it was all over. Their best hopes were gone along with their Teacher into the sepulcher. Evil was triumphant. It was prudent to hide somewhere, to lie low. |
| The male disciples are openly of little faith: fools, and slow of heart. They were anything but filled with enthusiasm – on the contrary, they were deeply dejected and disappointed: “but we had thought that…” All this time, it was the women who were showing unwavering faith. It was they who were the “Apostles to the Apostles”; it was from them that the Apostles learned of the Resurrection. However, instead of responding with a joyful “Truly He is Risen!” the men simply did not believe: And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not (Luke 24:11). This is an astonishingly anti-male text. One can only assume that militant feminists had a hand in writing it. However, no such thing can be suggested, for fairly obvious reasons. The text, as has been verified by scholars, was written in the first century, and definitely not in the twenty-first century AD. In the first century AD there were no militant (or any other kinds of) feminists. It would not have even occurred to opponents to reproach the Church for being too patriarchal and for belittling the feminine. The ancient world was so rigidly patriarchal, so anti-feminine, that it is hard for us even to imagine. Pious Jews prayed daily with the words: “I thank Thee, O God, that Thou hast not created me a woman” – although, compared to the pagans, such an attitude still looked quite benevolent. Nonetheless, in the Old Testament, Eve is called a “helper,” “a help meet for him,” and “the mother of all living.” Many Biblical texts glorify pious women: housekeepers, mothers, wives, and even warriors and prophetesses. In Greek mythology the first woman was not Eve, but Pandora – the very same from whom the expression “Pandora’s box” entered every European language. Grievances have even been preserved from Greeks dissatisfied with their inability to have sons without the help of women: it would have been much easier to bring an offering to the temple and then pick up the child in the morning – but no, one has to deal with women. |
| But this was for love. This took courage. His love did not stop there. The Scriptures tell us: he bought fine linen (about in today’s money), and took the Lord to his own new tomb, hewn out of the stone (about in today’s dollars). And as the Holy Friday Hymn tells us, he buried… A Stranger. We have to remember that – Christ was a stranger to him. Such courage. Such expense. Such love. Such faith. For A Stranger. Yet the courage and the love we commemorate today on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers is not primarily associated in the minds of most people with the memory of Saint Joseph of Arimathea. It is associated with the group of holy women, whom Holy Tradition describes as showing manly courage – courage that, again, could have and should have gotten them arrested, and even killed. Courage that all but one of the Apostles themselves lacked. (Remember: they ran away) This is the great embarrassment this event represents – the visit to the Tomb of the Lord, not by the loyal Apostles – who should all have been there – but by the Myrrhbearing Women, who would have been excused if they had run away. Being a Christian doesn’t simply mean loving Jesus. Without courage, love fails. Love means nothing. Ultimately, the Apostles would have to learn that lesson. But on that day, their lack of courage to be where they should be, to be there to open the doors when the faithful women needed to enter to see the Lord, to put Christ the King before their fear of the power of Caesar… it brought their manhood crashing down. It was the holy women who acquired the manly virtues that day. It is the reason the Church remembers them as saints, evangelists, and equals-to-the-apostles. In addition to the Mother of God, they include Mary Magdalene; Mary, the wife of Cleopas; Joanna, wife of Chouza; Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee; Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus; Susanna, and others whose names are unknown to us. Saint Augustine tells us that every morning, the rising of the sun at dawn has been hallowed by that one day, when the Myrrhbearers discovered the Resurrection of Christ. |
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| The Great Ministry of Christian Women Have not many of us also come to the Lord in this way, ashamed and hiding? I still have a picture in my memory of something I saw many years ago. It was far away, in Siberia, on Pascha. It was night, with people standing around the full church. A professor from the institute approached and, like the publican, stood in the back of the crowd, with his collar turned up and his hat pulled down. Today is the feast day of the Myrrhbearing Women and the day commemorating Joseph and Nicodemus – two Pharisees, two members of the council, who buried the Lord. This is a day celebrating fidelity, inasmuch as these were the only people who remained faithful to the Lord in the first days following the crucifixion. Nicodemus and Joseph believed the word of Jesus, but had previously been afraid to express openly their faith in the coming Kingdom of God. They had come to Him in secret. You will recall how Nicodemus came to Him by night so that his comrades would not see that he was turning to the persecuted Teacher. Have not many of us also come to the Lord in this way, ashamed and hiding? I still have a picture in my memory of something I saw many years ago. It was far away, in Siberia, on Pascha. It was night, with people standing around the full church. A professor from the institute approached and, like the publican, stood in the back of the crowd, with his collar turned up and his hat pulled down. He crossed himself timidly, looking from side to side. His soul was drawn to the church, but he was scared. And can we judge him? After all, if someone had seen him there he would likely have experienced many bitter moments and difficulties, perhaps losing his job altogether. That is the way Nicodemus, too, had to come by night. Joseph of Arimathea, who at times spoke in defense of the Savior against His enemies, was also a secret disciple. They stayed faithful to Him during the most desperate and dire moments – when all the disciples, having forsaken the Lord, had fled. Joseph and Nicodemus, risking their positions, went to Pilate to ask permission to bury the body of the executed Teacher. The bodies of the executed were normally thrown into a common grave, but Pilate gave them permission. As we know, it was Joseph and Nicodemus who carried the Lord’s body to the tomb, located in the garden. |
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