Well that's the crux of the issue. Her body may have ascended, but it is most likely that she has not received her glorified body. That is why I brought up the issue of Enoch and Elijah. Unlike St. Mary they have not died. However, like St. Mary, their bodies are (most likely) in Paradise until they return to preach.
Don't we receive the resurrection body before Final Judgement??? So I guess I'm trying to understand why it necessarily means that if St Mary received a resurrection body, she must have passed Judgement. We say in the doxology of St Mary that she is up high in the heavens...couldn't that just mean Paradise like all the rest of the saints, with her being an exception as to having received a resurrection body? Could anybody shed some more light on this tradition on St Mary (I read St Theodosius), but how reliable is this teaching? Why is our church now against it, while one of our own patriarchs who is remembered every liturgy is the one who wrote in detail about it?? It's so confusing.
Concerning the Hezekiel's original question, H.H. Pope Shenouda has written a book on the Transfiguration. I haven't read it, just skimmed through, and he does address the issue of the glorified body. Let me know if it talks about Elijah and Moses' glorified bodies.
For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:20-21 ASV)
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:50-58 KJV)
The passage from 1 Corinthians seems to indicate that the transformation will occur after the Final Judgment.
How so? It only speaks of the putting on of incorruptibility, it doesn't specify anything on the judgement, no? The words of Christ seem to indicate quite the opposite:
John 5: 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Comments
Well that's the crux of the issue. Her body may have ascended, but it is most likely that she has not received her glorified body. That is why I brought up the issue of Enoch and Elijah. Unlike St. Mary they have not died. However, like St. Mary, their bodies are (most likely) in Paradise until they return to preach.
Could anybody shed some more light on this tradition on St Mary (I read St Theodosius), but how reliable is this teaching? Why is our church now against it, while one of our own patriarchs who is remembered every liturgy is the one who wrote in detail about it?? It's so confusing.
The words of Christ seem to indicate quite the opposite: