The Biblical (and extra-biblical) Origin of Relics
For those new to the Catholic Faith or for those who are completely unfamiliar with it, relics can seem to be a stumbling block. Why do Catholics have relics? Is this practice something new and created specifically by the Church? It is not the purpose of this essay to explain relics in their totality; rather, I would like to explain the biblical (and one extra-biblical) origin of relics to show that there is a continuity with the ancient Jewish veneration and respect of the remains and garments of the Patriarchs and Prophets and the Catholic veneration of relics.
Adam's Bones on Golgotha
The first instance I would like to discuss comes from outside of the Bible but has to do with some of the main characters of the book of Genesis. The reason I wish to discuss this here is because in order to understand the instances of the Bible in which relics are mentioned, one must understand the Jewish traditions of such examples. According to Jewish tradition, when Noah entered the Ark, he took along the bones of Adam, and when he disembarked, he buried Adam's bones on Golgotha, where Jesus was later to be Crucified. Hence why there are so many artistic depictions of a skull at the bottom of the Cross with the Blood of Christ dripping onto it. This symbolizes Christ's Redemption of the race of Adam from sin. Even to this day, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem has a chapel dedicated to Adam which is directly below the site of the Crucifixion.
For those who may find this idea hard to believe, it should be noted that this was not only a Jewish tradition but also a Christian one. There are a number of Church Fathers who agreed with this idea. In his Catena Aurea, St. Thomas Aquinas quotes St. Athanasius in this regard: “When mankind became corrupted, then Christ manifested His own body, that where corruption has been pass seen, there might spring up incorruption. Wherefore He is crucified in the place of Calvary; which place the Jewish doctors say was the burial-place of Adam.” St. John Chrysostom says something similar: “He carried the badge of victory on His shoulders, as conquerors do. Some say that the place of Calvary was where Adam died and was buried; so that in the very place on where death reigned, there Jesus erected His trophy.”
In his own commentary on Matthew, Aquinas notes that there was not a consensus among the Fathers regarding whether Golgotha was actually the place where Adam was buried. (This would imply that certain Fathers would not have agreed with the Jewish tradition of Noah taking Adam's bones on the Ark and then burying them on Calvary.) He writes
2358. Next, the place is set down: and they came to the place that is called Golgotha, which is the place of the skull. Among men, a skull is something said to be stripped bare, as is clear in cemeteries. Hence in Greek it is called ‘kranios’. And some say that Adam was buried in that place. Jerome disproves this, since he was buried in Hebron (Josh 14).
Aquinas repeats this in his commentary on John. Enough has been said in regard to Adam's burial place. Suffice it to say that there was a tradition (no one is forced to believe in small “t” tradition) around the time of Jesus, that belonged to both the Jewish people and the early Christians, that out of reverence for Adam, Noah brought his bones and buried them at Golgotha.
Relics in the Bible
I will now turn to the Bible itself for evidence of relics. The first biblical instance of reverence for bones comes from the book of Exodus: “Moses also took Joseph’s bones with him, for Joseph had made the Israelites take a solemn oath, saying, 'God will surely take care of you, and you must bring my bones up with you from here.'” (Exodus 13:19) This was to fulfill what Joseph had said earlier in the book of Genesis: “Joseph said to his brothers: 'I am about to die. God will surely take care of you and lead you up from this land to the land that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.' Then, putting the sons of Israel under oath, he continued, 'When God thus takes care of you, you must bring my bones up from this place.'” (Genesis 50:24-25) The book of Joshua confirms this action: “The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried in Shechem in the plot of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of money. This was a heritage of the descendants of Joseph.” (Joshua 24:32) Even in the New Testament, the Letter to the Hebrews mentions this: “By faith Joseph, near the end of his life, spoke of the Exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his bones.” (Hebrews 11:22) This instance clearly shows the veneration that the Hebrews gave to the Patriarch's bones. Such veneration is offered by the Faithful to this day with the relics (bones, cloths, etc.) of the saints.
The next two instances come from the 2nd book of Kings. The first is after Elijah is taken up in a fiery chariot: “He [Elisha] gripped his own garment, tore it into two pieces, and picked up the mantle which had fallen from Elijah. Then he went back and stood at the bank of the Jordan. Wielding the mantle which had fallen from Elijah, he struck the water and said, 'The LORD, the God of Elijah—where is he now?' He struck the water: it divided, and he crossed over.” (2 Kings 2:12-14) The second has to do with Elisha's bones. 2 Kings tells us “At that time of year, bands of Moabites used to raid the land. Once some people were burying a man, when suddenly they saw such a raiding band. So they cast the man into the grave of Elisha, and everyone went off. But when the man came in contact with the bones of Elisha, he came back to life and got to his feet.” (2 Kings 13:21) A third and final example comes from the book of Acts regarding Paul's handkerchief: “So extraordinary were the mighty deeds God accomplished at the hands of Paul that when face cloths or aprons that touched his skin were applied to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.” (Acts 19:11-12)
One of the major teachings of the Council of Trent was that the invocation of the saints via their relics, was approved by miracles: “But who would not be convinced of the honor due the saints and of the help they give us by the wonders wrought at their tombs? Diseased eyes, hands, and other members are restored to health; the dead are raised to life, and demons are expelled from the bodies of men!”1 Later on, the Roman Catechism further cites a number of the above Scripture passages to back up its teaching. Thus, the miracles wrought by the relics mentioned in the above passages of Sacred Scripture are in and of themselves considered proofs for the legitimacy of invoking the help of the saints and venerating their remains. To this day, many miracles have been seen by those who venerate the relics of the saints. Such miraculous cases are often used in the cause for the beatification and canonization of saints.
It is hoped that the reader has seen with all these examples the Biblical roots and origins of the Catholic Doctrine regarding relics. As with most doctrines, this one did not sprout up from nowhere but gradually developed from the Jewish understanding and practice to the current use in the Catholic Church.
Notes
1The Catechism of the Council of Trent, (Rockford, IL: Tan Books, 1982), 372-373.
Great work. Thanks!