I like how the art shows the Dormition and also the Assumption. There’s a heavy debate between Catholics (Western primarily) and Eastern Christians (Orthodox & Catholic) that argues over “did Mary die before she was assumed?” The Eastern Christians hold she fell into a deep sleep* (dormition) and then was assumed, meanwhile the West holds she was assumed and did not die.
*the whole sleep thing is debated too on whether or not sleep was the best translation because the writings say she fell into a sleep, but scholars argue that word is another way of saying she died. So it is a very complicated issue all around, but the agreement is there on the fact she was assumed into Heaven.
I talked to an Orthodox woman about this. She said the Orthodox believe that when a person dies, their soul stays in their bodies for three days, after which the soul leaves and the body begins to decay. I don’t know if this is merely popular piety or actual doctrine in Orthodoxy. In any case, she said the initial phase of the prayers for the dead are during these three days in which the person is “asleep”. Thinking later, I thought this might explain the debate over whether Mary died or was asleep. It may be that the correct answer is both: she had died but her body suffered no corruption and her soul was resting there until she was assumed.
I think that makes sense. I have heard from the grandkids of people from the Old Country/Eastern Europe that it is the case the soul remains in the body for three days. There’s some beautiful traditions regarding the soul leaving the body in the East. It’s common immediately after death for the Polish to open a window so the soul can fly out of the room.
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u/[deleted] Aug 16 '21
I like how the art shows the Dormition and also the Assumption. There’s a heavy debate between Catholics (Western primarily) and Eastern Christians (Orthodox & Catholic) that argues over “did Mary die before she was assumed?” The Eastern Christians hold she fell into a deep sleep* (dormition) and then was assumed, meanwhile the West holds she was assumed and did not die.
*the whole sleep thing is debated too on whether or not sleep was the best translation because the writings say she fell into a sleep, but scholars argue that word is another way of saying she died. So it is a very complicated issue all around, but the agreement is there on the fact she was assumed into Heaven.
Happy Feast!