M
Metatron1
Guest
Is there a doctrinal position regarding the disposition of the people alive at the time of the Resurrection? I think I remember most of the fathers holding a probable opinion that they would die and be resurrected shortly thereafter, and this seems reasonable.
—If we say that “Resurrection” is applied equivocally here to both bodily and spiritual resurrection, then it would follow that a person can be resurrected twice, which seems absurd.
—And experiencing death of the body seems to be a necessary imitation of Christ, in a mysterious and anagogical way, to unite our souls to God.
Following this opinion does seem to raise some interesting questions though.
—How would they die? Temporal death seems to be continuous, as temporal life. We are not changed into another state until after this one is terminated. And because this happens in continuous time, there needs to be a before and after from a temporal aspect. This is more than a natural priority, because if one were to die and resurrect in the same instant that instant would exist outside of time; and this doesn’t seem to answer to the material nature of a bodily death.
More conclusively, the body of the man Christ Jesus lay for three days in the tomb. And the human nature of Christ is the type we all follow. The mystery of the continued union of the divine and human natures of Christ, that will be understood when we are separate souls, and precisely because we are separated souls. And obviously, there if the body were instantly glorified the soul would never be separate.
So it follows that to enter into glory, there must be time separating the death of the body with its glorification. So would those living during the final days simply experience a miraculous cessation of vital function? And then there would be an interval of time between their death and the Resurrection where all souls will be separated? Would it be as brief as possible? And when all souls are separated from their bodies, would the community of saints, through the shared rest of their souls in God, receive the understanding of the Mysteries of the Tomb?
This seems fascinating, but it also seems incompatible with translation, which, however, is exceptional and gratuitous. I wonder if this can be/has been reconciled. It is an attractive proposition, that God would make use of the period during which the soul is separate to impart unto us a mystery.
I must say, contemplation along these lines is actually quite striking, in a way. I’d love to here some thoughts; if there’s a doctrinal position and all this speculation is way off, then I apologize for wasting space and time. I realize I’m assuming quite a few things but I subject myself unreservedly to any authority.
—If we say that “Resurrection” is applied equivocally here to both bodily and spiritual resurrection, then it would follow that a person can be resurrected twice, which seems absurd.
—And experiencing death of the body seems to be a necessary imitation of Christ, in a mysterious and anagogical way, to unite our souls to God.
Following this opinion does seem to raise some interesting questions though.
—How would they die? Temporal death seems to be continuous, as temporal life. We are not changed into another state until after this one is terminated. And because this happens in continuous time, there needs to be a before and after from a temporal aspect. This is more than a natural priority, because if one were to die and resurrect in the same instant that instant would exist outside of time; and this doesn’t seem to answer to the material nature of a bodily death.
More conclusively, the body of the man Christ Jesus lay for three days in the tomb. And the human nature of Christ is the type we all follow. The mystery of the continued union of the divine and human natures of Christ, that will be understood when we are separate souls, and precisely because we are separated souls. And obviously, there if the body were instantly glorified the soul would never be separate.
So it follows that to enter into glory, there must be time separating the death of the body with its glorification. So would those living during the final days simply experience a miraculous cessation of vital function? And then there would be an interval of time between their death and the Resurrection where all souls will be separated? Would it be as brief as possible? And when all souls are separated from their bodies, would the community of saints, through the shared rest of their souls in God, receive the understanding of the Mysteries of the Tomb?
This seems fascinating, but it also seems incompatible with translation, which, however, is exceptional and gratuitous. I wonder if this can be/has been reconciled. It is an attractive proposition, that God would make use of the period during which the soul is separate to impart unto us a mystery.
I must say, contemplation along these lines is actually quite striking, in a way. I’d love to here some thoughts; if there’s a doctrinal position and all this speculation is way off, then I apologize for wasting space and time. I realize I’m assuming quite a few things but I subject myself unreservedly to any authority.