In all human societies, individuals must go through various “coming of age” rites of initiation to enjoy full participation in political as well as religious institutions and to be considered members with full rights within their communities.
Christian initiation requires the receiving of the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist. During the time of the Apostles, Christian initiation did not share the secretive nature of membership in pagan associations or brotherhoods; curious or interested people freely attended prayer meetings of Christians (1 Corinthians 14.23–25). But towards the end of the first hundred years, the first signs of the secretive pagan customs show their influence on Christian rituals: borrowings from the symbology of the Eleusinian Mysteries become identifiable, like the lengthy preparation through which the initiates attained full “enlightenment”—a concept that expressed admirably the real divine gift received in the sacrament of Baptism, and did not present any particular difficulty in being incorporated into Christian discourse.
Nevertheless, the reality of Resurrection was considered total nonsense, because it referred to a reality never experienced empirically even under exceptional circumstances. The Stoic and Epicurean philosophers in the Areopagus of Athens listened with great attention to the masterfully prepared speech of Paul the Apostle (Acts chapter 17.22-34). Paul was telling them about the unknown god to whom was dedicated the altar standing in the Areopagus. The words of the Apostle presented to them the proclamation of conversion: “I proclaim to you the unknown God who is the creator of the world and everything in it, the lord of heaven and earth, who does not make his home in shrines made by human hands. Nor is he in need of anything, that he should be served by human hands; on the contrary, it is he who gives everything—including life and breath—to everyone. (…) And he did this so that they might seek the deity; (…) indeed he is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live, and move, and exist, as indeed some of your own writers have said: We are all his children. (…) But now, overlooking the times of ignorance, God is telling everyone everywhere that they must repent, because he has fixed a day when the whole world will be judged in uprightness by a man he has appointed. And God has publicly proved this by raising him from the dead.”
The philosophers were politely listening up to this point to Paul’s elegant words; they were enthralled by the Apostle’s consummate knowledge of Greek in his literary flavor; but as soon as they heard the idea of resurrection from the dead, they told Paul enough was enough! Some of them burst out laughing and made fun of Paul, others politely told him that they would like to hear him talk about such fancy theological topics some other time. And the matter was closed; or, so to speak, it was buried.
The burial of the Christian in the crucifixion and burial of his Lord Christ can be presented with the imagery of the grain of wheat being planted. That grain is not something dead; it is full of life when it is buried in the soil, and that is precisely why it sprouts, emerges to its new life and gives fruit hundredfold. Burial and death are the life cycle of the grain of wheat. Not death and subsequent burial to decompose and rot.
Similarly, the Christian is buried in the death of the Lord to die in his death and sprout anew divine and eternal with the breath of His Holy Spirit. Saint Gregory of Narek describes this reality of Christian life when he prays to the Lord to “exhale my miserable breath to inhale your good Spirit” (Prayer 21.3). Here indeed is the description of the Christian’s life, his breathing mechanism through which the Holy Spirit feeds us the love—the divine nature—of our Father.
