Carrying the cross by himself, he went out to
what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There
they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus
between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.
It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read
this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the
city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.
John 19:17 - 20
Ten very short years ago I walked with my
family through the majestic St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. It is an
awe-inspiring testament to humanity’s capacity to create beauty from the
materials the earth provides. The churches of Rome and Florence overflowed with
the treasures of the of the world’s great artists and artisans.
But there is nothing more beautiful than
Michelangelo’s Pieta. Smaller than
you would imagine and shielded behind a Perspex window. It is surrounded by
viewers from every part of the world. It speaks of the tragedy that is the
death of Jesus, it is humanity expressed at its weakest moment, of a life ebbed
away, of a mother bereft of her child, of the fragility of who we are, a
reminder of our shared humanity, of despair, of loss. Michelangelo has captured
this one moment as an expression of the tentative unfolding of God’s plan. For
from these depths arises nothing less than a transformation of the world, a
promise that we too will participate in this - the most extraordinary story -
known to us. But the Easter event is not yet with us, our anticipation must
rest like Jesus in the tomb, to await the fullest possibility – that God will
raise him up.
These coming days you are invited to enter
into the Church’s sacred Triduum, its three days of reflection, penance, quiet
and then joyous celebration. May you be blessed with every Easter blessing.
Peter Douglas
Eastern icons challenge Western
notion of Resurrection
21 March 2018
by Melissa Jones
RESURRECTING EASTER: HOW THE WEST LOST AND THE EAST
KEPT THE ORIGINAL EASTER VISION
By John Dominic
Crossan and Sarah Sexton Crossan
224 pages; Published
by HarperOne
$39.99
One of the great tragedies of Christianity is the continued
divide between the Eastern and Western churches. Popes and patriarchs often
meet to discuss the dissolution of this partition, but there is still
parochialism, suspicion and feelings of theological superiority on both sides
that deprive us of the richer faith that could be found in our shared love of
Christ.
Resurrecting Easter: How the West Lost and the East Kept the
Original Easter Vision, brings the East and West a step closer
together. The authors, John Dominic Crossan and Sarah
Sexton Crossan, do this by showing us visual theological expressions of
our mutual Christian past. They share with us specific elements of image and
Scripture that can lead to a fuller understanding of what Christ's resurrection
means to all of humanity.
The book is a mix of travelogue, art history, church history
and theology, as the authors examine ancient images of Christ's resurrection in
both the East and the West. The Crossans are helpful tour guides who
offer the reader magnificent images and thought-provoking commentary. Sarah is
a veteran photographer and visual artist. John is author of more than 20 books,
a professor emeritus at DePaul University and a noted biblical scholar whose
portrayals of the historical Jesus have often been controversial.
This project developed out of the Crossans' curiosity
about an engaging image of the Resurrection in
an 11th-century Cappadocian church. Unlike the lone figure of the
triumphant Christ generally seen in Western churches, this icon in Turkey
showed Christ surrounded by others. This led them to question why Western
Christianity depicts an individual resurrection of Jesus, whereas Eastern
Church icons show a universal resurrection for Jesus and all humanity together.
This question set off a quest that ranged along Byzantium's
Greek Tiber, the Syriac Tigris, the Russian Neva and the Coptic Nile. The duo
made 20 research trips over the course of 15 years to document images and
collect information about extant versions of Christ's resurrection, although
the authors prefer to use the Greek word anastasis, which literally
means "up-rising."
According to John's commentary, "These images are quite
simply visual theology, and they challenge verbal theology to explain them — if
it can."
In his own efforts to explain these
images, Crossan asks evocative questions about the nature of Christ,
the purpose of his death and resurrection and what those things ultimately mean
for human existence and salvation. He explains that the book's emphasis
on universal over individual iconography for
Christ's resurrection is "remedial education for us Western Christians."
The common Western image of the Resurrection shows Christ as
a triumphant yet singular figure. If other humans are present at all, it is
often as guards lying asleep by the tomb. Crossan asserts that the
image of a solo, triumphant Christ does not tell the entire story. It does not
express the cosmic enormity of the cross and Resurrection in relation to human
life.
The common Eastern icon of the anastasis shows
Christ breaching the gates of hell, generally with two long, broken gates lying
in the shape of a cross and a personified Hades or Satan lying conquered under
his feet. The key element in this icon is Christ firmly grasping the wrist of
Adam in the pit, pulling him along as he ascends into heaven. Eve is almost
always represented, too, and sometimes she is also shown being pulled upward by
the hand of Christ. David, Solomon, John the Baptist or various others are
sometimes in view. In all versions, it is clear that Christ has conquered Hades
and is rescuing the souls imprisoned by death.
The authors begin the sixth chapter of the book with a quote
from the "Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom." This work, written
around the late fourth or early fifth century, is joyfully read at the end of
every Orthodox paschal liturgy. Only a snippet of the sermon was
provided in the book, but a longer bit provided here
supports Crossan's argument regarding the universality of Christ's
resurrection:
Crossan asserts that the image of the universal
Resurrection is the more theologically accurate portrayal of Christ's
resurrection and uses his considerable knowledge of scriptural history to
support this. This book may well stir some surprise or controversy among Roman
Catholic Christians. However, Eastern Orthodox readers may breathe a sigh of
relief and simply say, "Finally!"
The fact that the Crossans can present their
images and analysis as something new for Western readers shows how far apart
Eastern and Western Christianity still stand. An icon of the anastasis can
be found in every Orthodox Church throughout the world, so there is no need for
the curious to travel far.
Even though the Crossans "discovered"
what has been lying in plain sight, their work is valuable because it brings
Eastern and Western theology into dialogue via accessible commentary and fascinating
images. The authors remind the Latin faithful about what Orthodox believers
have embraced for centuries: Christ's resurrection was a universal, communal
event. It was not for the sake of stunning us with his divine glory, it was so
we — the new Adam and Eve created in God's image — can rise and live fully in
the light of divine goodness.
[Melissa Jones is an adjunct professor of liberal studies
at Brandman University in Irvine, California. Her doctoral studies
examined the influence of Augustine on Russian Orthodox thought.]
This story appeared in the March 23-April 5, 2018 print issue
of the National Catholic Reporter.
