Grija pentru cei adormiţi reflectată în tradiţia şi legislaţia canonică ale Bisericii Ortodoxe

Abstract

Inspired by the description of the burial of our Lord in the Gospels, Christians from the very beginning buried their dead with proper care and ceremonies. They believed that the body of every Christian was indeed “a temple of God“ and, as such, it also was holy (1 Co 3, 16-17). In expectation of the “resurrection of the dead“, Christians believe that their bodies will once again be united with their souls and live forever.The Christian belief in the resurrection of the body was then the main reason why, since ancient times, the „funerals were arranged, the obsequies celebrated and the tombs prepared with a reverent piety“ among the Christians (St. Augustine, The City of God I, 13). The burial of the Christian has a deep religious meaning that sums up certain gestures, ceremonies and religious customs, codified in the tradition and canonical legislation of the Orthodox Church that will be the subject of this study.