Exploring Intercession of Departed Saints: Orthodox Christian Perspective II

Orthodox Christianity holds a profound belief in the intercession of departed saints (የቅዱሳን ምልጃ በአጸደ ነፍስ), viewing their ongoing influence and advocacy as vital to spiritual life. This essay further explores this belief, supported by biblical narratives and theological interpretations.

One notable illustration is found in 1 Kings 13:31-32, where a man of God believed the saint’s divine declaration would continue to hold true, reflecting the Orthodox conviction that the holiness and spiritual efficacy of saints persist beyond physical death.“ከቀበረውም በኋላ ልጆቹን እንዲህ ብሎ ተናገራቸው፦ በሞትሁ ጊዜ የእግዚአብሔር ሰው በተቀበረበት መቃብር ቅበሩኝ አጥንቶቼንም በአጥንቶቹ አጠገብ አኑሩ::በቤቴል ባለው መሠዊያ ላይ፥ በሰማርያም ከተሞች ውስጥ ባሉ በኮረብታዎቹ መስገጃዎች ላይ በእግዚአብሔር ቃል የጮኸው ነገር በእውነት ይደርሳልና።”

Similarly, St. John the Theologian, in his vision recorded in Revelation 6:10, witnessed saints and martyrs in heaven, decorated in white clothes, crying out to God for justice: "አምስተኛውንም ማኅተም በፈታ ጊዜ፥ ስለ እግዚአብሔር ቃልና ስለ ጠበቁት ምስክር የታረዱትን የሰዎች ነፍሳት ከመሠዊያ በታች አየሁ። በታላቅ ድምፅም እየጮኹ፦ ቅዱስና እውነተኛ ጌታ ሆይ፥ እስከ መቼ ድረስ አትፈርድም ደማችንንስ በምድር በሚኖሩት ላይ እስከ መቼ አትበቀልም? አሉ።" Their prayer underscores the belief that saints in heaven can intercede on behalf of the living, appealing for God's mercy and justice.

The intercessory role of saints is further exemplified in the Lord's words to the Prophet Jeremiah: " እግዚአብሔርም እንደዚህ አለኝ፦ ሙሴና ሳሙኤል በፊቴ ቢቆሙም፥ ልቤ ወደዚህ ሕዝብ አያዘነብልም፤ ከፊቴ ጣላቸው፤ ይውጡ።" (Jeremiah 15:1). This passage suggests that Moses and Samuel, although they departed long before the time of the Prophet Jeremiah, still possess the capacity to intercede before God.

Additionally, the narrative of King Solomon provides another powerful testament to the enduring intercession of departed saints. When Solomon turned away from God and worshiped idols, God declared, "ነገር ግን ከልጅህ እጅ እቀድደዋለሁ እንጂ ስለ አባትህ ስለ ዳዊት ይህን በዘመንህ አላደርግም። ነገር ግን ስለ ባሪያዬ ስለ ዳዊትና ስለ መረጥኋት ስለ ኢየሩሳሌም ለልጅህ አንድ ነገድ እሰጣለሁ እንጂ መንግሥቱን ሁሉ አልቀድድም።" (1 Kings 11:12). This indicates that God’s covenant with His devoted servant David extended mercy to Solomon’s generation. A similar outlook is echoed in Psalm 132:10: "ስለ ዳዊት ስለ ባሪያህ የቀባኸውን ሰው ፊት አትመልስ።."

In conclusion, these passages collectively reinforce the Orthodox Christian understanding that saints, though physically departed, continue to play a pivotal role in interceding for the living. Their prayers and presence in the spiritual sphere serve as a bridge, connecting the faithful with God's grace and mercy. This enduring communion between saints and the faithful underscores the timeless and unbroken connection within the body of Christ and goes beyond the boundaries of life and death.