The glorified body

[The_Prodigal]

In this podcast, Father Thomas Hopko suggests that at the Lord’s Resurrection, the dead received their glorified bodies immediately.

Relevant quote, from the middle of the podcast:

“When Christ raised from the dead in His glorified body, He gave the glorified body to all those in the tombs immediately… The relic of their psychic body might still be in the tombs… until the last day when all the tombs will be empty… but the dead in Christ are already entering into that splendid glory of the age to come.”

This also implies that they will resurrect again on the last day – an ambiguity that doesn’t make sense to me, if the claim is that they have already received the glorified body.

I post in this forum because I wonder if this idea is known among Eastern Christians. I have never heard it expressed before; I am Roman Catholic. Or is this Father Hopko’s personal interpretation?

 

[Eucharisted]

The risen were returned to life, not resurrected to glory. Jesus rose many people back to life, but He was the first to rise to glory.

 

[mardukm]

Dear brother Prodigal,

I’m not a Byzantine, but I think that when Fr. Hopko states “he gave the glorified body to those…,” he is referring to the Mystery of the Eucharist - NOT under the appearances of bread and wine, naturally.

Blessings,
Marduk

 

[The_Prodigal]

Marduk,

I don’t think Father Hopko is referring to the Eucharist here.

 

[Ghosty]

If Fr. Hopko is distinguishing between a physical and a glorified body, then his theology is simply shoddy. When Christ rose from the dead with His Glorified Body, was His physical body left in the tomb? Of course it wasn’t.

The whole point of the Resurrection is that we will receive a Glorified Body. Those that rose with Christ were certainly Glorified, but they did not receive their Glorified Bodies, because that specifically refers to the reunion of the Glorified soul with the natural body, as happened with Christ and Mary for certain, and perhaps others who are unknown. The whole “relic of the physical body” simply makes no sense at all.

Peace and God bless!