When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)
The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26)
The Scriptures teach that Death is both our enemy and God’s enemy. One Orthodox hymn from the 6th Century for the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross makes it clear that God sends His Son, Jesus, into the world to destroy death.
The enemy was vanquished, and death was trampled down, by the elevation of your cross on Golgotha. The power of death was destroyed, and the resurrection has been granted to the believers. Therefore, we venerate your precious cross. (George Demacopoulos, SACRALIZING VIOLENCE IN BYZANTIUM, p 99)
Both the Scriptures and ancient Orthodox hymnology agree that Death is our and God’s final enemy. That fact alone might tell us to reject interpreting Genesis 3 to mean God uses death to punish Adam and Eve for their sin. It is clear in the New Testament that Death is not God’s punishment for sin, but rather is God’s enemy. This means God was not threatening Adam and Eve with death if they sinned, rather the Lord warns them that Death is looking to steal them away from God – sinning will make this possible. For Adam and Eve to die, they had to be separated from God. Satan slyly tricks Eve into thinking she won’t die as a result of eating the forbidden fruit. However, her disobedience of God causes her to be separated from God which enables Death to claim power over her and Adam too for he also disobeys God’s warning. Sin and Death, personified, believe they have the means to permanently separate God from His human creatures. Despite human sin and rebellion, God uses the crucifixion and resurrection to draw Satan and Death into their own trap in order to destroy Sin and Death’s power and to restore humanity to communion with their Creator.
Another of the ancient hymns for the Elevation of the Cross says:
For a seal has been given to us – the tree of the cross, on which the Savior willingly suffered, by the tree he crushed the pride of the enemy. And granted us the cross as the guardian of our souls, let us laud him with praise and give glory to God. (George Demacopoulos, SACRALIZING VIOLENCE IN BYZANTIUM, p 99)
Ancient hymns make it clear that Death is God’s enemy and God wishes to rescue us humans from Death’s enslaving power.
Orthodox scholar George Demacopoulos notes that beginning in the 6th Century there is a shift in Christian thinking about the cross. Prior to this time, the Cross was valued as the instrument of Christ’s crucifixion through which God triumphed over death. After the 6th Century, Christians in the Roman Empire began seeing the cross more as a sign of military victory for the Empire – God is using death not to defeat Death but to triumph over the enemies of the Roman Empire. This is the birth of Christian nationalism – the enemy is no longer death, but other nations and peoples. The victory of Christ is no longer a spiritual victory over sin/ death/ Satan/ hell but becomes a military sign for the Roman Empire to defeat its political and national enemies.
Continued tomorrow: Two Contrasting Hymns
Fraternized 