Χριστός Ανέστη! Christ is Risen! Христос воскрес!

Χριστὸς ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν, θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας καὶ τοῖς ἐν τοῖς μνήμασι ζωὴν χαρισάμενος.

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and to those in the tombs, granting life.

This is my favorite icon of the Resurrection. In the Orthodox tradition, the actual moment of the Resurrection is never depicted by iconographers, and that is because we believe that it is something that the human mind cannot possibly fully grasp. The emphasis is also given to the importance of the Resurrection, and how it brought the opportunity for humankind to live a new life. For more info, see here, and if you can read Greek, this is also very good and simple.

And this is the Holy Light, as it now burns inside my Kandili. May we keep it in our hearts always! Happy Easter everyone, Χριστός Ανέστη, Christ is Risen, Христос воскрес!

Lazarus Saturday

Dead.
Dead and four days buried.

Russian icon. The Raising of Lazarus. 15th century, Novgorod school.

Sebastiano del Piombo, The Raising of Lazarus. Early 16th century.

Giuseppe Salviati, The Resurrection of Lazarus. 16th century.

Mosaic in Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo. The Resurrection of Lazarus.

Duccio di Buoninsegna, The Raising of Lazarus. 1310-11.

Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἐκραύγασε· Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω. Καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ τεθνηκὼς δεδεμένος τοὺς πόδας καὶ τὰς χεῖρας κειρίαις, καὶ ἡ ὄψις αὐτοῦ σουδαρίῳ περιεδέδετο. Λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· λύσατε αὐτὸν καὶ ἄφετε ὑπάγειν. Πολλοὶ οὖν ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, οἱ ἐλθόντες πρὸς τὴν Μαρίαν καὶ θεασάμενοι ἃ ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν. (Ιωάννης ια', 43-45)

If you want to read more about Lazarus Saturday, click here.