Relics were thought to possess supernatural abilities and were capable of healing, bestowing spiritual blessings, offering divine protection, and curing diseases. It was the miracle-working power of relics that gave them their true value.
Biblical Truths And Verses About The Doctrine Of Relics.
What Are Relics?
Relics are the physical remains of saints or holy people or, more generally, objects that have been in contact with holy individuals. Relics are kept in sacred places and are often thought to have the power to bestow good fortune to those who venerate them.
As a result of the Church’s influence, people began to admire and appreciate items that belonged to the saints, such as bones, fingernails, hair strands, clothing, and books.
Christian faith in the efficacy of relics, (the physical remains of a holy place or person) is as old as the faith itself. They served as a spiritual bridge between life and death, as well as between man and God: “Because of the grace remaining in the martyr, they were an inestimable treasure for the holy congregation of the faithful.”
The ability of items that were touched by Christ or his apostles to cure is mentioned in the New Testament. Every altar has had a relic since the reign of Charlemagne because the early church believed that they serve as a spiritual bridge connecting life and death.
The most sacred relics belonged to Christ and his mother. Physical relics of Christ and the Virgin were typical items that they touched during their lifetimes, such as the wood from the True Cross or fragments of the Virgin’s veil because it was believed that Christ would rise from the dead and that the Virgin would be taken bodily into heaven.
The apostles and those regional saints are well-known for performing miracles throughout Europe and are linked to the most often encountered relics. Monasteries and cathedrals desired to acquire the prestigious relics since they gave honor and privileges to the possessor of all relics. Even some stolen relics, such as those of Saint Mark in Venice and Saint Nicholas in Bari, found a new home in another church.
Forms Of Relicses In Todays Church.
in today’s post-modern church, relics are in use in various forms unknowingly.
many churches and priests have their own approved relics according to the church dogma.
some of the common forms of relics in the church today are;
holy water,
Anointed oils,
blessed chains,
cross,
staff,
handkerchiefs,
candles,
bands, and bangles,
stickers,
and other consecrated materials by a member of the clergy and are used by individuals, churches, and homes, as articles of devotion, and faith, and as a source of healing and freedom from the enemy’s captivity.
As a natural symbol of purification, holy (blessed) waters and consecrated anointing oils, are used by religious peoples as a means of removing uncleanness, either ritual or moral.
Are Relics biblical
(2 Kings 13:20-21)
Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet. 2kings 13:20-21.
Veneration is a great regard given to something or someone because of the grace revealed or displayed in them by God; it is fundamentally distinct from worship or adoration (reserved for God alone).
Consequently, God is revered by venerating saints. Only insofar as the saint reflects the holiness and grace of God are he or she revered. If such an object is worshiped, the worshiper is not adhering to Catholic doctrine, which fully concurs with Protestantism regarding the sin of idolatry, or substituting something other than God for God, who alone is worthy of worship.
The supernatural and God’s grace were plainly communicated through matter in the verse above. Catholics can legitimately, in accordance with the Bible hold such objects in the highest regard and honor (veneration).
There are other explicit biblical examples of relics:
2 Kings 2:14: Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other; and Elisha went over.”
Acts 5:15-16: “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. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.”
Acts 19:11-12: “And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.” (cf. Matthew 9:20-22)
Elisha’s bones were a “first-class” relic — a relic from the person himself. These passages, on the other hand, offer examples of “second-class” relics — items that have power because they were connected with a holy person (Elijah’s mantle and even St. Peter’s shadow) — and third-class relics, or something that has merely touched a holy person or first-class relic (handkerchiefs that had touched St. Paul).
In the Pentateuch, we have a remarkable foreshadowing of relics and specifically of receiving holiness as a result of touching sacred objects:
Exodus 29:37 For seven days, make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy.
Exodus 30:25-29. 25 Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. 26 Then use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law, 27 the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, 28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.
The “holy anointing oil” is used to “mostly holy” the ark, tabernacle, and other significant religious items. Sacramentalism and the fundamental principle of relics could not be anything else.
Leviticus 6:27 stipulates that anything touching its flesh must be holy, and as relics are dead objects that give a holiness, this verse pertains to them.
As a result, holiness is once more being imparted by a dead thing (like Elisha’s bones). What distinguishes those from artifacts? The same was expressed about the grain offering as well (Leviticus 6:14–18).
Relics were also contained in the ark of the covenant, including “a golden urn containing the manna, Aaron’s budding rod, and the tables of the covenant [the two tablets of the Ten Commandments].” (Hebrews 9:4; compare Exodus 16:33–34; Numbers 17:10; 1 King 8:9; 2 Chronicles 5:10). Given that the manna, a sort of sustenance that God provided for the exiled Jews, was biological, it is likely that it required supernatural preservation if it was to persist for an extended period of time. It is extremely obvious how relics and the customs and values associated with them are comparable.
Protestant critics of relics demand we distinguish between legitimate use and idolatrous, corrupt use, such as using them for material gain or as magical charms.
Relicses must be understood sacramentally, incarnational, and according to the Bible’s reverence.
Like human desires, pride, greed, superstition, and idolatry are erroneous and evil attitudes. so There might be two or more persons kneeling before or wearing a relic, One might actually consider it as a charm or an idol and is terribly sinning, while others held it with total reverence to God.
Therefore, based on these intrinsically subjective variables, it is challenging to draw the limits at which Christians hold unto relics in their hearts. It’s not an easy situation.
Like the term “Trinity,” the word “relic” is not found in the Bible, but the doctrine’s nature and basic ideas are.
Relics Has Supernatural Powers.
Relics were supposedly capable of healing the sick, bleeding imperviously, putting out fires, guarding villages, and even defeating armies, according to pilgrims and chroniclers. In order to comprehend what occurred in the Holy Land, early Christians were interested in traveling to biblical sites, praying there, and conducting research there. Our earliest source on a Jesus relic being displayed to the faithful is Origen.
The True Cross and other artifacts of the Passion are said to have been discovered by Helena Augusta. About 100 years after her passing, Since there is no historical evidence connecting Helena to the discovery of the genuine cross, J.W. Drijvers warned against tying historical information to mythical accounts. The region around Golgotha, the location of the tomb, and any cross fragments that might have been discovered during the initial dig are not visible.
The earliest pilgrims to the Holy Land and their travel journals (itinera) serve as primary sources for information on the miraculous appearances of new relics, their abilities, and how after discovering all of the relics mentioned in the canonical gospels, people began to discover additional relics. According to the Itinerarium Burdigalense’s anonymous traveler, no Passion relic was being worshipped (or had been discovered) in Jerusalem in 333. According to this traveler, the balneus Cornelii centurionis in Caesarea has superhuman abilities because women who bathed there became pregnant. Similar results were obtained from a different Jericho water source, however, this time women should not drink from it.
Relics from the Holy Land were multiplied in Jerusalem in 570, including the Stone of Mary and the spelling book used by Jesus. He visited Jesus’ crib and bathtub in Nazareth, and he saw the iron chain that he used to hang himself in Jerusalem.
The prospect of obtaining a Holy Land relic marked a significant advancement in pilgrimages. In Europe, relics were placed in brand-new churches and worn as protection against bad luck.
Being near a relic or, much better, touching one was thought to bestow spiritual blessings, supernatural protection, and even a cure for illness. They were thought to be endowed with heavenly powers.
A Collection of Biblical Proofs & Evidence For Relics.
Exodus 29:37: Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.
Exodus 30:28-29: And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.
Leviticus 6:27: Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy . . .
2 Kings 2:11-14: And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
Elijah’s mantle is an example of a “second-class” relic: items that have power because they were connected to a holy person.
2 Kings 13:20-21: And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men, and they cast the man into the sepulcher of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood up on his feet.
The bones or relics of Elisha had so much supernatural power or “grace” in them that they could even cause a man to be raised from the dead. His bones were a “first-class” relic: from the person himself or herself.
Mark 5:25-30: And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
Luke 8:43-48: And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. [45] And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hiding, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him and how she was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
Jesus did say that the woman’s faith made her well, yet the instrumentality of a physical object in contact with Jesus was also a factor: as indicated precisely by its effect of causing “power” to go “forth from him.” God used the physical object for spiritual (and supernatural physical) purposes: healing. We see it again when Jesus heals the blind man:
John 9:6-7: When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way, therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
Jesus could have simply declared him healed, with no material object used. But, interestingly enough, Jesus didn’t do that. He used a bodily fluid (his own), and also clay, or dirt, and then the water of the pool, and rubbed the man’s eyes, to effect the miracle (two liquids, solid matter, and physical anointing action of fingers). The Bible thus teaches that physical things related to a holy person in some fashion can be channels to bring about miracles. This is exactly how Catholics view relics. There are several other examples of the same thing, with touch or matter of some sort being utilized to heal:
Matthew 8:14-15: And when Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
Matthew 9:28-30: And when he came into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.
Mark 1:30-31: But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
Mark 7:33-35: And he took him aside from the multitude and put his fingers into his ears, and he spits and touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.
Mark 8:22-25: And he cometh to Bethsaida, and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
Mark 9:26-27: And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up, and he arose.
Luke 13:12-13: And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
Luke 14:2-4: And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had dropsy. And Jesus answering spoke unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
See also the examples of lepers healed by Jesus’ touch (Matt. 8:2; Mark 1:40-41; Luke 5:13), and touch used to raise the dead (Matt. 9:24-25; Mark 5:40-42; 8:53-55), and further similar examples in chapter 9. One of these miracles is particularly interesting:
Luke 7:13-15: And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
Not even the deceased individual was touched by Jesus—only the bier that the casket was being carried on. Luke considered this to be significant enough to bring up. The suggestion is that grace was used to indirectly raise the deceased man by touching him through the bier (an inanimate object).
Acts 5:15-16: Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.
St. Peter’s shadow is another example of a “second-class” relic. Jesus’ garments and saliva are also in this category.
Acts 19:11-12 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. (Matt. 9:20-22)
QUESTIONS ON THE TYPES OF HOLY RELICS ACCORDING TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
Q. 1. How many types of Relics is there in the Catholic Church?
A. 1.The “types” of Relics are called “Classes” of Relics. There are three Classes of Relics in the Catholic Church.
Q. 2. What are the Classes of Relics?
A. 2. The 1st Class Relic consists of a part of the Saint, such as a bone, hair, etc…, and the instruments of Christ’s Passion.
The 2nd Class Relic consists of something that was owned by the Saint or instruments of torture that was used against a martyr.
The 3rd Class Relic consists of something that has been touched to a 1st or 2nd Class Relic. Anyone can make their own 3rd Class relics by touching an object to a 1st or 2nd Class Relic, including the tomb of a Saint.
Q. 3. Where does one find a Relic in a Church or Chapel?
A. 3. The Relics that you find in Churches and Chapels are usually kept in one of two places. A Relic may be kept in a cavity (“sepulchre”) inside the Altar. Or it may be in a “reliquary.” Relinquaries come in various forms, such as boxes, Noah’s Ark, caskets, the shape of a body part such as an arm or a leg. Usually they are decorated in gold and silver.
Q. 4. Is there anything said in the Church Canon law regarding Relics?
A. 4. Yes. In Canon Law # 1190, there is a reference to the treatment of Relics.
“§1 It is absolutely wrong to sell sacred relics.”
“§2 Distinguished relics, and others which are held in great veneration by the people, may not validly be in any way alienated nor transferred on a permanent basis, without the permission of the Apostolic See.”
The selling of Relics is called “simony.” While it is wrong to sell Relics, one is allowed to buy them if they are privately sold when buying them would save the Relics from desecration. This must be done only if the good that comes from buying the relic outweighs other uses the money spent could be used for. The buying of Relics at auctions or ebay should never be done. This is because bidding on them would drive up the price, forcing others to pay more when they too may be attempting to rescue the Relics. Such actions also encourage the money makers to increase the likelihood of a market developing in the sale of relics.
Q. 5. How does a person get a relic?
A. 5. Relics can be obtained from different Church sources such as the vicariate in Rome, the religious Order of the Saint involved, the shrine of the Saint involved, etc… When this is done, a donation is usually expected to cover the cost of the metal container (theca) that contains the relic. But, in all cases, no one is allowed to make a profit from the sale of Relics.
The Disadvantages Of Faith In Relicses To Kingdom Life Style.
The temptation to worship idols is one of the risks associated with reverencing relics. In ancient Israel, exactly this took place. The Hebrews were being plagued by deadly snakes, therefore God had instructed Moses to create a bronze serpent to protect them (Numbers 21:8–9). The bronze snake was preserved by the Israelites as a remembrance of God’s mercy and deliverance, but by the reign of King Hezekiah, the “relic” had turned into a thing of worship. The bronze snake that Moses created and that the Israelites had been offering incense to up until that point (known as Nehushtan) was one of Hezekiah’s reforms. (2 Kings 18:4). Physical aids to faith, if not commanded by God, are unnecessary and inevitably lead to superstition and idolatry.
Conclusion
There is no scriptural passage that instructs Christians to enter God’s presence through Christian relics.
Even if the complete Jesus crucifixion were to be unearthed intact, it wouldn’t be of any spiritual significance in the life of believers for our Christ is risen.
In no way whatsoever do relics help us draw nearer to God. Your ailments may be cured by the humerus of a saint, but your spirit will not be healed.
Relics should not be prayed to, worshipped by, or used in any other way to facilitate a closer relationship with God.
It is clear idolatry to use artifacts in this way (Exodus 20:3; Isaiah 42:8).
A simple tent for idols has no more validity as a site of worship than an elaborate church stocked with artifacts.
By way of the Lord, we approach God.
We approach God through the Lord Jesus Christ, not by relics.
We worship the Lord in spirit and truth (John 4:24), not by idols, icons, or relics, whether genuine or fake.
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