[Kolokotronis]

"The Paschal Troparion says "trampling down death by death..." That's not the same as "annihilating." The Orthodox would say that Christ destroyed the power of death, because death is no longer a full stop, but only a commas for a Christian; it is no longer an end but a new beginning; it is no longer death but life."

The Troparion reads, in English,

Christ is risen from the dead, Trampling down death by death, And upon those in the tombs Bestowing life!

In Greek it reads,

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

The operative word here is πατήσας.

This Troparion is very old, but not as old as the Catechetical Homily of + John Chrysostomos. He actually uses the word "annihilated". In Greek, the relevant line reads,

Ανεστη Χριστος, και συ καταβεβλησαι.

In English it reads,

Christ is risen and you are annihilated!

This isn't to say, clearly, that no one dies, but it does mean that death in the sense that it was an apparently eternal bar to the fulfillment of our pre-Fall created purpose, has been utterly and completely destroyed. From the descent into Hades to today, failure to fulfill our created purpose is a 100% personal fault, a free choice and not the work of God.

[kosta50]

Lovely post, Kolo mou. +Chrysostom quotes from 1 Corinthians 15:54 ("death is swallowed up/destroyed"), which is taken from Isaiah 25:8 (he will swallow up/destroy death). Obviously death is still around, but, it has been changed, as you said in that it is no longer an "eternal bar to the fulfillment of our pre-Fall created purpose."

What I find amazing is youtr last sentence: "From the descent into Hades to today, failure to fulfill our created purpose is a 100% personal fault, a free choice and not the work of God," which ZC should find fmailiar to his ears.

This is going right back very heart of Judaism, namely that God has given man everything he needs to save himself, "...that you may do it." [cf Deut. 30:14] , and that those who fail have no one to blame but themselves.

God did his part; now it's up to you to do yours.