Reliquie: Unterschied zwischen den Versionen

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==Siehe auch==
==Siehe auch==
* [[Kategorie:Reliquien_(Medien)]]
* [[:Kategorie:Reliquien_(Medien)]]
* [[:Kategorie:Heilige]]
* [[:Kategorie:Heilige]]
* [[:Kategorie:Heilige_aus_Deutschland]]
* [[:Kategorie:Heilige_aus_Deutschland]]

Version vom 3. September 2015, 13:01 Uhr

Eine Reliquie (lat. reliquiae "Überbleibsel" oder "Zurückgelassenes") sind Teile der sterblichen Überreste eines Gläubigen, üblicherweise eines Heiligen. Zu den Reliquien kann auch Kleidung oder persönlicher Besitz eines Heiligen gezählt werden oder andere Gegenstände, wie z.B. Teile des Kreuzes Jesu.

Geschichte

Elisha, Berührung Jesus' Kleidung.
Bereits im frühen Christentum entwickelte sich eine besondere Verehrung der Märtyrer. Der erste biblische Beleg für Reliquien findet sich in der Apostelgeschichte, wo die Gläubigen dem hl. Paulus Tücher wegnahmen und diese dann auf die Kranken legten, die geheilt wurden. (Apg 19,12 EU). Lange Zeit wurde die Tradition gepflegt, über den Gräbern von heiligen Märtyrern Kirchen zu errichten. Üblicherweise werden Reliquien bei der Weihe der Kirche in das Altartuch (Antimension) eingenäht. Mit dieser Praxis soll der innere Zusammenhang zwischen der Gemeinschaft der Heiligen und der irdischen Kirche versinnbildlicht werden.
Die Reliquienverehrung ist eine der ältesten Formen der Heiligenverehrung und bereits seit der Mitte des 2. Jahrhunderts nachweisbar. Dies ist bemerkenswert, da in der heidnischen Antike die Reliquienverehrung nicht erwünscht war und Körperteile von noch so frommen Verstorbenen als unrein galten. Der Kirchenvater Johannes von Damaskus meint dazu, der "Tod der Heiligen ist ja viel mehr ein Schlaf als ein Tod. Denn sie haben sich geplagt ihr Leben lang und werden leben ohne Ende."<ref>Johannes von Damaskus: Genaue Darlegung des orthodoxen Glaubens. Von der Verehrung der Heiligen und ihrer Reliquien.</ref>

Der Kirchenvater Johannes von Damaskus (650–750): "Als heilbringende Quellen gab uns der Herr Christus die Reliquien der Heiligen, die auf mannigfache Weise die Wohltaten ausströmen, wohlriechendes Öl hervorquellen. Und niemand sei ungläubig! Denn wenn aus hartem, festem Fels in der Wüste Wasser quoll, weil Gott es wollte, und aus einem Eselskinnbacken dem dürstenden Samson, ist es dann unglaublich, daß aus Märtyrerreliquien wohlriechendes Öl quelle? Keineswegs, wenigstens für die, welche die Macht Gottes und die Ehre kennen, die den Heiligen von ihm zuteil wird."<ref>Johannes von Damaskus: Genaue Darlegung des orthodoxen Glaubens. Von der Verehrung der Heiligen und ihrer Reliquien.</ref> God also performs miracles through the holy relics of saints, in this way revealing his glory and glorifying his saints in whom he is pleased. One example is the relics of Saint Nektarios, which emitted a sweet-smelling sweat after he had passed away and showed no sign of decay until 20 years after his death. OWIK

Der Kirchenvater Johannes von Damaskus (650–750): "Im Gesetze galt jeder, der einen Toten berührte, für unrein. Aber diese sind keine Toten. Denn seitdem er, der selbst das Leben, der Grund des Lebens ist, zu den Toten gezählt ward, nennen wir die, die in der Hoffnung auf Auferstehung und im Glauben an ihn entschlafen sind, nicht Tote. Denn wie kann ein toter Körper Wunder wirken?"<ref>Johannes von Damaskus: Genaue Darlegung des orthodoxen Glaubens. Von der Verehrung der Heiligen und ihrer Reliquien.</ref>

Johannes von Damaskus rät nicht nur zur Verehrung von Zeitgenossen Jesu oder Märtyrern sondern auch "die vor der Gnade lebten, die Propheten, Patriarchen, Gerechten, die die Ankunft des Herrn vorherverkündet."<ref>Johannes von Damaskus: Genaue Darlegung des orthodoxen Glaubens. Von der Verehrung der Heiligen und ihrer Reliquien.</ref>

Johannes von Damaskus: "Auf den Wandel all dieser wollen wir achten und ihren Glauben, ihre Liebe, ihre Hoffnung, ihren Eifer, ihr Leben, ihren Starkmut in den Leiden, ihre Ausdauer bis zum Blute nachahmen, damit wir mit ihnen auch an den Ehrenkronen teilhaben."<ref>Johannes von Damaskus: Genaue Darlegung des orthodoxen Glaubens. Von der Verehrung der Heiligen und ihrer Reliquien.</ref>

The relics of the saints are venerated because in Orthodox belief the body remains temple of the Holy Spirit even after death. St. Cyril of Jerusalem writes: "Though the soul is not present a power resides in the bodies of the saints because of the righteous soul which has for so many years dwelt in it, or used it as its minister." God also performs miracles through the holy relics of saints, in this way revealing his glory and glorifying his saints in whom he is pleased. One example is the relics of Saint Nektarios, which emitted a sweet-smelling sweat after he had passed away and showed no sign of decay until 20 years after his death. In North America, the Church is blessed to have three complete sets of relics: St. Herman of Alaska, St. John Maximovitch, and St. Alexis Toth. OWIKI

One of the earliest sources that purports to show the efficacy of relics is found in 2 Kings 13:20–21:

   20 Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. 21 Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man's body into Elisha's tomb.     When the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet. (NIV)

Also cited is the veneration of Polycarp's relics recorded in the Martyrdom of Polycarp (written 150–160 AD).[14] With regard to relics that are objects, an often cited passage is Acts 19:11–12, which says that Paul's handkerchiefs were imbued by God with healing power. The practice of venerating relics seems to have been taken for granted by writers like Augustine, St. Ambrose, Gregory of Nyssa, St. Chrysostom, and St. Gregory Nazianzen. Dom Bernardo Cignitti, O.S.B., wrote, “...[T]he remains of certain dead are surrounded with special care and veneration. This is because the mortal remains of the deceased are associated in some manner with the holiness of their souls which await reunion with their bodies in the resurrection.” [15] Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) pointed out that it was natural that people should treasure what is associated with the dead, much like the personal effects of a relative.[16] In an interview with Catholic News Service, Fr. Mario Conte, executive editor of the Messenger of St. Anthony magazine in Padua, Italy, said, "Saints' relics help people overcome the abstract and make a connection with the holy. ...Saints do not perform miracles. Only God performs miracles, but saints are intercessors."[17] WPE

Eastern Orthodoxy Grapevine cross of Saint Nino of Georgia (Sioni Cathedral, Tbilisi, Georgia) The importance of relics in the Byzantine world can be seen from the veneration given to the pieces of the True Cross, believed to have been discovered by Helena, mother of Constantine I in the fourth century. Other significant relics included the girdle worn by the Virgin, and pieces of the body or clothing of saints. Such relics (called contact relics, or secondary relics) were, however, scarce and did not provide most believers with ready access to proximity to the holy. The growth in the production and popularity of reproducible contact relics in the fifth and sixth centuries testifies to the need felt for more widespread access to the divine. These contact relics usually involved the placing of readily available objects, such as pieces of cloth, clay tablets, or water then bottled for believers, in contact with a relic. Alternatively, such objects could be dipped into water which had been in contact with the relic (such as the bone of a saint). These relics, a firmly embedded part of veneration by this period, increased the availability of access to the divine but were not infinitely reproducible (an original relic was required), and still usually required believers to undertake pilgrimage or have contact with somebody who had. The earliest recorded removal, or translation of saintly remains was that of Saint Babylas at Antioch in 354, but, partly perhaps because Constantinople lacked the many saintly graves of Rome, they soon became common in the Eastern Empire, though still prohibited in the West. The Eastern capital was therefore able to acquire the remains of Saints Timothy, Andrew and Luke, and the division of bodies also began, the 5th century theologian Theodoretus declaring that "Grace remains entire with every part". In the West a decree of Theodosius only allowed the moving of a whole sarcophagus with its contents, but the upheavals of the barbarian invasions relaxed the rules, as remains needed to be relocated to safer places.[42] The veneration of relics continues to be of importance in the Eastern Orthodox Church. As a natural outgrowth of the concept in Orthodox theology of theosis, the physical bodies of the saints are considered to be transformed by divine grace — indeed, all Orthodox Christians are considered to be sanctified by living the mystical life of the Church, and especially by receiving the Sacred Mysteries (Sacraments). In the Orthodox service books, the remains of the departed faithful are referred to as "relics", and are treated with honour and respect. For this reason, the bodies of Orthodox Christians are not traditionally embalmed. The veneration of the relics of the saints is of great importance in Orthodoxy, and very often churches will display the relics of saints prominently. In a number of monasteries, particularly those on the Holy Mountain (Mount Athos in Greece), all of the relics the monastery possesses are displayed and venerated each evening at Compline. As with the veneration of icons, the veneration (Greek; δουλια, dulia) of relics in the Orthodox Church is clearly distinguished from adoration (λατρεια, latria); i.e., that worship which is due to God alone. Thus Orthodox teaching warns the faithful against idolatry and at the same time remains true to scriptural teaching (vis. 2 Kings 13:20–21) as understood by Orthodox Sacred Tradition. The examination of the relics is an important step in the glorification (canonization) of new saints. Sometimes, one of the signs of sanctification is the condition of the relics of the saint. Some saints will be incorrupt, meaning that their remains do not decay under conditions when they normally would (natural mummification is not the same as incorruption). Sometimes even when the flesh does decay the bones themselves will manifest signs of sanctity. They may be honey colored or give off a sweet aroma. Some relics will exude myrrh. The absence of such manifestations is not necessarily a sign that the person is not a Saint. Relics play a major role in the consecration of a church. The consecrating bishop will place the relics on a diskos (paten) in a church near the church that is to be consecrated, they will then be taken in a cross procession to the new church, carried three times around the new structure and then placed in the Holy Table (altar) as part of the consecration service. The relics of saints (traditionally, always those of a martyr) are also sewn into the antimension which is given to a priest by his bishop as a means of bestowing faculties upon him (i.e., granting him permission to celebrate the Sacred Mysteries). The antimens is kept on the High Place of the Holy Table (altar), and it is forbidden to celebrate the Divine Liturgy (Eucharist) without it. While Orthodoxy does not make use of the strict classification system of the Roman Catholic Church, it too recognizes and venerates relics which may pertain to Jesus Christ or a saint, such as a relic of the True Cross, the Chains of Saint Peter (feast day, 16 January), the grapevine cross of Saint Nino of Georgia, etc. Places can also be considered holy. When one makes a pilgrimage to a shrine he may bring back something from the place, such as soil from the Holy Land or from the grave of a saint. WPE

Wie soll man also die nicht ehren, die Diener und Freunde und Söhne Gottes sind? Denn "die Ehre, die man den gutgesinnten Mitknechten erweist, ist ein Beweis der Liebe gegen den gemeinsamen Herrn".<ref>Johannes von Damaskus: Genaue Darlegung des orthodoxen Glaubens. Von der Verehrung der Heiligen und ihrer Reliquien.</ref>

Siehe auch

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

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