‘Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints’ Ps. 116: 15

Relics include the physical or earthly remains of a saint or of a person who is considered holy, as well as other objects which have been ‘sanctified’ by being touched to his or her body. Relics may also include clothing and vestments worn by saints, instruments of torture, or items such as pieces of the True Cross.

Many Christians deny that the power in the relics of saints, but the Truth is that the bodies of the martyrs and saints and the objects that they handled contain within them the healing power of Jesus Christ, who shows honor to those who love Him by permitting them to imitate Him in all things and have an innate power from God.

The Orthodox Church reveres the remains and antiques used by Saints, as our Church respects the remains of saints and antiques belonging to these saints because it is biblical. The Orthodox Christians has the practice of venerating the relics of saints, reflects our beliefs of salvation. We understand salvation as theosis, or deification, becoming ‘partakers of the divine nature‘ “Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires”. (2 Peter 1: 4).

The holiness of the souls and of their bodies of the Saints, derives from their zealous grace and virtue-bestowing lives in the Body of the Church of Christ, of the God-Man. Holiness completely envelopes the entire soul and body and all that enters into the mystical composition of the human body. The holiness of the Saints does not hold forth only in their souls, but it necessarily extends to their bodies; so, it is that both the body and the soul of a saint are sanctified. Thus when we venerate the Saints, we venerate the entire person, in this manner not separating the holy soul from the holy body.

Scriptural Basis for use of Relics

The Patriarch Joseph also left a testament to the sons of Israel to preserve his bones in Egypt and, during their exodus, to carry them to the Promised Land and God will surely come to their aid (Gen. 50: 25) Moses carried the bones with him Joseph’s bones (Ex. 13: 19-20) and buried in Shechem (Josh. 24:  32)

“Prophet Elisha picked up Prophet Elijah’s mantle which had fallen from him He went back and stood at the bank of Jordan. Wielding the mantle, which had fallen from Elijah, he struck the water. When Elisha struck the water, it divided, and he crossed over” (2 Kings 2:13-15) Elisha was humble enough to respect the mantle of Elijah. Elisha uses Elijah’s relic, (mantle) to work a miracle.

A dead man was put into the grave of Prophet Elisha. When the dead man’s body came in contact with the bones of Elisha, he came back to life and rose to the feet (2 Kings 13: 21). “Elisha’s bones had the power to make a dead man alive. The power of Elisha’s relics prefigures the power of Christ, the new Elisha, who would display an even greater power over death.

A woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years and could not be healed by any one, and had spent all her living on physicians, came up behind him, and touched the fringe of His garment; and immediately her flow of blood ceased. She declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” (Lk. 8: 43-48).

Wherever and whenever Jesus came, in villages, cities, or country, they laid the sick in the market places, and besought him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well. Mk. 6: 56 – Christ’s relics – his clothes, had healing power.

“And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them” (Acts 5: 14-16).The people also gathered from the nearby town, bringing the sick and afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

“So that even the handkerchiefs and aprons were brought from his (St. Paul’s) body to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil Spirits went out of them.” (Acts 19:12). Peter was permitted to imitate Christ in this way and God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul. One might argue that no one told disciples to keep the relics of holy people, but neither did anyone tell them to throw the relics away.

From the very beginning, in Apostolic times, Christians piously preserved the honored Girdle of Blessed Virgin Mary, holy relics of the Holy Forerunner of our Lord and the holy Apostles, The Apostolic Fathers. From that time until now, the sacred relics of the holy Chosen Ones of God have, by their miracles, poured forth the immortal joy of our faith into the hearts of Orthodox Christians. The proofs concerning this are countless.

A letter written by the faithful of the Church in Smyrna in the year AD 156 provides an account of the death of St. Polycarp, their bishop, who was burned at the stake. The letter reads, “We took up the bones, which are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and laid them in a suitable place, where the Lord will permit us to gather ourselves together as we are able, in gladness and joy, and celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom.” Thus the veneration of relics of the saints is found in the early history of the Church.