Sacred Relics in Religious Traditions

Belief in the Power of Holy Objects Transcends History

Apr 17, 2009

The power of relics, notably the bodies or parts of bodies associated with saintly men and women, can be traced to the ancient world and may even predate civilization.

The belief that relics — particularly body parts or remains of saints or other persons connected to the supernatural — impart a sense of grace, inter-connectedness with an afterlife or other worldly experience, or some aspect of religious experience or sanctification, is as old as ancient history, perhaps even prehistory.

Relics in the Ancient Near East

Perhaps Moses was buried in a secret place by Yahweh to discourage mass pilgrimages to the tomb. It's also possible that this helped to advance the belief that Moses would come again, resurrected in a sense, at the so-called “end times” to confront the modern pharaoh or man of sin so often identified as the feared Antichrist.

In the Egypt left behind by the “Exodus” Hebrews, mass pilgrimages to Abydos honored the god Osiris, who, according to legend, had been torn apart by his evil brother Set, and buried in parts throughout Egypt by his wife Isis. Each sanctuary — fourteen in all — contained parts of his body. Yearly celebrations associated with agricultural abundance (Osiris was identified with Egyptian agriculture) found the people slaughtering sacred animals, in effect eating flesh identified with the resurrection god.

Dionysus and the Greek and Roman Period

The secret initiation rites and ongoing revelries honoring the Baachic cult of Dionysus also involved eating raw meat.

Like Osiris, Dionysus was torn apart but resurrected. Researchers highlight similarities between Osiris and Dionysus, suggesting an Egyptian influence.

In Crete, during the height of Minoan civilization, the story of Dionysus was reenacted before thousands in the Knossos amphitheater. Egyptian influences are highly noted in Minoan culture by scholars that point to the important trade and commercial relationships between the civilizations.

Post Roman Veneration of Relics

The Roman Catholic Church inherited much of the tradition and practice of antiquity, adapting religious rituals and practices into an evolving theology and church dogma. The importance of relics played a significant role in this development. The remains of early martyrs were blessed and often placed into tombs that attracted the faithful. By the time the Middle Ages began, sacred relics connected the faithful to a sense of holiness that came to be identified with sacramentalism.

Holy relics, whether the head of John the Baptist or the crib of the baby Jesus, imparted grace. Further, the bodies of true saints did not decompose: they became the incorruptibles whose bodies, even in death, remained intact. The body of St. Clare at Assisi is an example. Although not an “incorruptible,” the body of Pope John XXIII attracts thousands of the faithful every day at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Relics Associated with Miracles

One of the earliest examples of healing attributed to relics is found in the Acts of the Apostles in chapter 19 (11-12). Handkerchiefs “or aprons” from Paul were “carried from his body to the sick” resulting in healing and the departing of “evil spirits.”

Even the Old Testament has an account of a man whose dead body was cast into the grave of the prophet Elisha.

“When the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived…” Such examples underscore the belief that contact with either the body parts of saintly figures or items associated with them not only are a means to grace but transcend physical debilitations.

Buddhism also follows a belief in relics, notably the body parts of Buddha or items associated with him. A shrine in Kandy, Sri Lanka contains one of his teeth. Social anthropologists point to such practices throughout the world, often traced to the earliest existence of primitive culture. Even in a post-modern world, relics continue to play a part in religious devotion.

The copyright of the article Sacred Relics in Religious Traditions in Catholic Practices is owned by Michael Streich. Permission to republish Sacred Relics in Religious Traditions in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.