By Archimandrite Arsenios Katerelos
Never and nowhere in any false religion or human philosophy, never has anyone thought, either seriously or jokingly, how it was possible to vanquish the most unwanted intruder into the life of people, our greatest enemy, Death, which is undoubtedly the leading cause of suffering in this present life.
The Resurrection of Christ, which abolished Death, will result in the common resurrection of the dead. This is a truth that is purely Christian. It was not devised by the Disciples of Christ, who were primarily simple fishermen, and apparently were not predisposed for philosophies and theories. The victory over death is not a human invention, but a work and revelation of the Holy Glorious Triune God to fallen man.
Never has anyone in antiquity, from among the most wise, intellectual, scientific, fanciful, romantic, even the most naive, liars or story tellers, nobody has ever thought of the possibility of conquering death. It was never even written about in fairy tales. It did not exist as nostalgia, not because people didn't desire it, but something else. It was simply such an elusive thing, no one even dared to desire it, or imagine it. And we all know well, that in life we desire those things that we somewhat have, albeit minimally, with the chance that we can attain it or we have seen others attain it.
Christianity is not just a teaching, but it is primarily events that can be tangible and guaranteed, from which emanates automatically and without words the truth at least of the central teachings about God, man, the world, etc. In this regard, the resurrection of the dead is the result of the event of the Resurrection of Christ. Since Christ foretold that He would rise again, and so it took place, and the same person said that we would rise from the dead, then, as long as one took place, the other is certain to take place, since both are equally humanly impossible.
The Resurrection of Christ has a dual guarantee, prophetic and historic, as it is the most certain event in human history. Therefore, again and often times, Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
