The meaning of the cult of relics in the Orthodox tradition

This article by Michel Stavrou examines the theological meaning of the veneration of relics in the Orthodox tradition. Drawing on doctrinal and patristic study, it seeks to move beyond psychological or devotional explanations in order to propose a properly theological foundation. The central idea is that the veneration of the bodily relics of saints rests on three interdependent pillars: the conception of Christ as a corporate being recapitulating humanity in the Holy Spirit, the holiness of martyrs and saints as living images of Christ, and the progressive pneumatization of the human body through divine grace, a process of deification of which relics remain the testimony after death. The contribution of the article is to show, drawing on the Fathers — John of Damascus, Basil of Caesarea, Nicholas Cabasilas, Gregory Palamas — that relics possess a sacramental and eschatological function, complementary to that of icons, inscribed within the eucharistic and ecclesial dynamic of the Orthodox Church.