Teme teologice în imnografia slujbelor ortodoxe de înmormântare (I)

Abstract

In the liturgical treasury of the Orthodox Church, the services for the dead have also a place of honor. Since the first millennium, for those a sleep in the Lord, the Church has drawn up specific regulations, which are performed on the day of death, on theeve of the funeral (at “dinner”), at the funeral and on the remembrance of 3, 9, 20 and 40 days, at the annual commemorations until the seventh year after death and the general commemorations during the liturgical year. By a historical and ritual point of view, things are (almost) clear, as much has been written about these issues. Not at all approached in Romanian theology is the analysis of the hymnography of funeral services, from the point of view of its theological theme.This is the subject of the present study, which at tempts a thematization of funeral hymn creation and a theological analysis of verses and tropest hat syn the size orthodox dogmatic teachings on triadology, anthropology, prayer and good deeds, death and life, heaven and hell, private and Universal Judgment. For certain theological and philological nuances, a comparative liturgical exercise was achieved, studying in parallel texts from the funeral services in Romanian, Greek and Slavonic.A true hymn of life, the orthodox hymnography of funeral services illustrates the richness of the teaching of faith and plastically presents the great truths concerning the mystery of life and death, as well as those concerning the Kingdom of Heaven which the Christian fore tells and prepares through his pure and virtuous life.