Martyr Nicholas Varzhansky
What Are Holy Relics?
The term holy relics refers to the bodies of God’s saints — whether miraculously preserved from corruption or, even when naturally decayed, their bones and other bodily remains. They are called “holy” because they serve as a sacred memorial of those who were precious to Christ and His Church, and because the Lord continues to work miracles through them by His divine power.
From ancient times, the remains of prophets and righteous men have always been treated with reverence:
> “Josiah said, ‘What is this monument that I see?’ And the men of the city answered him, ‘It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things concerning you.’ And he said, ‘Let him alone; let no one move his bones.’ So they preserved his bones, together with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.” (2 Kings 23:17–18)
The Wisdom of Sirach likewise proclaims:
> “May their memory be blessed! May their bones flourish from their place, and their name continue through generations of glory.” (Sirach 46:13–15)
Christ’s Words on the Tombs of the Righteous
In Matthew 23:29–36, the Lord reproves the Pharisees for adorning the tombs of the prophets. Yet He does **not** condemn the act of honoring graves itself. Rather, He condemns their hypocrisy: they honor the dead prophets with monuments while persecuting and killing the living prophets, wise men, and scribes sent to them—just as their fathers did.
Similarly, when Christ says they “travel sea and land to make a single proselyte” (Matt. 23:15), He does not condemn missionary zeal, but their failure to nurture the new convert in righteousness — turning him instead into “twice as much a child of hell” as themselves.
Thus, the veneration of holy tombs is not condemned by Christ; only the hypocrisy of those who honor the dead while rejecting the living truth.
The Miraculous Power of the Saints’ Belongings
Even the garments and shadow of the righteous were vessels of divine grace:
> “Elisha took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the waters, saying, ‘Where is the Lord God of Elijah?’ And when he struck the water, it parted, and Elisha crossed over.” (2 Kings 2:14)
> “They brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, so that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.” (Acts 5:15)
> “They brought handkerchiefs or aprons from Paul’s body to the sick, and diseases left them.” (Acts 19:12)
No Christian would discard such miraculous cloths. Likewise, all believers revere with piety and awe the holy relics through which God continues to manifest His power.
Miracles Through the Relics of the Saints
The Old Testament bears witness to the miraculous power residing in the very bones of the saints:
> “Elisha died and was buried. In the following year, bands of Moabites invaded the land. As they were burying a man, they saw the raiders and hastily cast the body into Elisha’s tomb. When the man touched Elisha’s bones, he revived and stood on his feet.” (2 Kings 13:20–21)
And the Book of Sirach confirms:
> “Even after his death, his body prophesied; in his life he performed wonders, and after death his deeds were marvelous.” (Sirach 48:14–15)
A Challenge to the Sectarians
We must ask the sectarians: What kind of Christians are you, that you reject the holy relics of Christ’s Apostles and God’s saints—through whom God continues even now to work miracles by His power? Give an answer.
Refutation of Sectarian Objections
1. Objection:
“The relics of the Prophet Moses were not venerated, for ‘no one knows his burial place to this day’ (Deut. 34:6). Therefore, God does not desire such veneration.”
Orthodox reply:
Then why did God work a miracle through the relics of Elisha? If his bones were spiritually indifferent, the dead man would not have been raised upon touching them. The location of Moses’ tomb remains hidden for reasons known only to God—not because the veneration of holy relics is displeasing to Him.
2. Objection:
“‘Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God’ (1 Cor. 15:50); therefore, relics are unnecessary.”
Orthodox reply:
No Orthodox Christian claims that relics in their present, corruptible state will appear unchanged at the general resurrection. On the contrary, we confess that all bodies—including the relics of the saints—will be transformed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52), and that our resurrected bodies “will be like His glorious body” (Phil. 3:21; cf. 1 Thess. 4:16). The holiness of relics does not depend on their current physical condition, but on the grace of God that dwells within them and manifests through them even now.
3. Objection:
“Scripture commands the destruction of the bones and tombs of idolatrous Jews (Jer. 8:1–3); therefore, all relics must be destroyed.”
Orthodox reply:
This passage refers specifically to the wicked—“the evil generation”—who defiled the land with idolatry and sin. It does not concern the relics of the righteous. On the contrary, the Old Testament itself testifies to the veneration of holy tombs: King Josiah preserved the tomb of the prophet who foretold his coming (2 Kings 23:16–18), and the Wisdom of Sirach glorifies the resting places of the prophets: “May their memory be blessed… their names live unto generations” (Sirach 46:13–15).
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Thus, the Orthodox veneration of holy relics is not innovation, but the faithful continuation of biblical and apostolic tradition—confirmed by miracles, upheld by the Fathers, and sealed by the living experience of the Church throughout the ages.
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