Wouldn't matter if they were homogenized or canonized....they remain dead corpses no matter how you dress them up or don't dress them.
Wouldn't matter if they were homogenized or canonized....they remain dead corpses no matter how you dress them up or don't dress them.
caww:
Well they are dead, but they are dead saints. So Polycarp’s Martyred bones were visible reminders of someone who persevered even in the face of death.
So we agree, they are dead from our human perspective, but in reality, they are more alive than us. That is where we part. Catholics see those martyred as completely part of the Communion of Saints [affirmed in Apostles Creed]. You and your tradition does not. Fair enough.
caw:
Here is a nice summary of Relics, as even the Protestant Church Historian notes, no Church Doctor or Father ever rejected it and there are some passages in the scriptures that relics of some sort were associated with Miracles indicating that God does work through matter to bring about spiritual things. This of course is not surprising to any Catholic or Orthodox Christian worth his or her salt, for this follows logically from the reality of the Incarnation of Christ.
So I will take Saint Polycarp, Jerome, Augustine, etc as evidence supporting my view, you can take all the Free Republic Protestant self anointed prophets and theologians and other internet self anointed theologians to support your view. Again, fair enough.
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/things/relics.htm