THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
Regarding the interment of human remains, the lack of burial for Christians does not diminish their worth. However, the overwhelming number of corpses creates a situation where burial is unfeasible. The faithful are not particularly troubled by this, recalling the promise that even the beasts that consume the dead will not obstruct the resurrection of the bodies, from which not a single hair will be lost (Luke 21:18). The truth would not convey: "Do not fear those who kill the body, but rather fear those who cannot kill the soul" (Matthew 10:28), if the life to come could somehow be compromised by the actions of adversaries over the deceased.
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It would be absurd to suggest that fear should arise from their threats before death, for the fear of having the body burial denied must come after death. Is it then incorrect for Christ to assert: "Do not fear those who kill the body, and afterward can do no more" (Luke 12:4), just because murderers might harm the corpse? It is not so; what Truth declares cannot be false. This assertion holds because while the body is alive, it experiences sensations, but once it has been killed, those sensations cease.
Thus, numerous Christian bodies may have been denied traditional burial, yet this cannot sever their connection to heaven and earth, both filled with the presence of the One who knows how to resurrect what He has made. Indeed, the psalmist articulates: "The corpses of Thy servants were given to the birds of the air to eat, the bodies of Thy saints to the beasts of the earth; they shed their blood like water around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them" (Psalm 78:2-3), but this statement underscores the cruelty of their oppressors rather than increasing the sorrow for the victims. While this situation appears dreadful to humanity, it remains true that "precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints" (Psalm 115:6). Therefore, acts such as washing and dressing the body, funeral customs, and the grandeur of the send-off serve more as comfort for the living than as assistance for the deceased. Should lavish burials confer any benefit to the wicked who have passed, it stands to reason that a modest or absent burial could unfairly affect the just.
We recall that the affluent man dressed in purple received a splendid farewell from his numerous attendants, celebrated by public opinion; yet, in the Lord's eyes, a far nobler send-off was bestowed upon the poor man, covered in sores, by the ministrations of angels who did not take him to a grand sepulcher but carried him to Abraham's bosom. Those who mock our defense of God's people may be seen laughing in disdain. However, their own philosophical thinkers frequently disregarded burial rituals. Whole legions, perishing for their earthly homeland, often did not concern themselves with the resting place of their remains or the fate awaiting their bodies. Poets have renownedly sung of such valor: "For those who lie not in tombs, the vast sky itself is a gravestone." How much less reasonable is their scorn for the burial of Christians, who are assured not only of the transformation of their flesh from the earth in due time but also of their reclamation and reconstitution from the very elements into which their decayed bodies have transformed!
In contemplating this prophecy, we might reflect on the devastation of Jerusalem brought about by Titus, the Roman emperor, during the time when our Lord Jesus Christ was spreading His teachings among the Gentiles following His Resurrection and Ascension. I struggle to reconcile how those individuals can still be considered God's chosen ones, given their rejection of Christ—whom they not only denied but also crucified—and their refusal to believe even after His Resurrection, which led to the persecution of His followers. The true Israel consists solely of those who have embraced faith in Christ, to whom He extended His promise and who have received the spiritual nourishment intended for His faithful.
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The Lord Himself stated, "I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 15:24). These faithful are counted as children of the promise, heirs of God's inheritance (Rom. 9:8).
Among those chosen are Joseph, a righteous man, and the Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ (Matt. 1:16), John the Baptist, the friend of the Bridegroom, along with his parents, Zacharias and Elizabeth (Luke 1:5), Simeon, who awaited the Lord's comfort (Luke 2:25), and Anna, the widow who recognized Christ's divine presence through the Spirit. The blessed Apostles also belong to this group, including Nathanael, in whom there was no deceit (John 1:47), and another Joseph who sought the Kingdom of God. A great multitude welcomed Christ, proclaiming, "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Matt. 21:9), among whom were children whom He proclaimed as fulfilling the Psalm, "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength." After His Resurrection, three thousand were baptized in one day, followed by five thousand another day, united in heart and soul by a fervent love, sharing all possessions in common (Acts 4:32). This led to the establishment of holy deacons, including Stephen, who was martyred for his faith (Acts 7:59). Numerous churches in Judea were formed through Christ's influence, of whom Paul was personally unknown (Gal. 1:22), but recognized for his previous fervor against the faith, equally known for the transformative grace of Christ.
According to the prophecy regarding him, he was like a ravenous wolf, first as a persecutor leading many to death, and later as a preacher proclaiming the life of Christ. These individuals, part of the true heritage of God, reflect the remnant saved by grace according to divine election. Not included in this remnant are those from whom it is said, “And the rest were blinded.” Thus, we observe, "What then? Israel has not obtained that which it seeks, but the election has,” leading to the conclusion that these chosen remain part of God’s inheritance. Meanwhile, in Israel that did not accept the gift, there is no longer a discussion of God’s inheritance following the glorification of Christ. During the reign of Titus, the Gentiles entered into God's inheritance, as foretold in the Psalms, with the destruction of both the temple and the city belonging to that people.
Furthermore, we might consider the adversities faced by the people prior to Christ's incarnation, enduring profound suffering during the Babylonian exile (1 Samuel 24:14) and later under Antiochus and the Maccabean revolt, which led to their glorification despite immense trials (2 Maccabees 7). If we look toward the aftermath of the Resurrection and Ascension, we realize that the inheritance of God continues to be understood through the trials faced by Christ’s Church at the hands of idolaters and critics, where many martyrs endured considerable suffering.
This Church embodies the inheritance of God, consisting of both the Israelites and the Gentiles joined together through Christ, the cornerstone rejected by the builders but vital to the unity of disparate walls. He is our peace, merging both into one Body of God, where we, as believers, become God’s children, crying, “Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:15). The term "Abba" reflects the familiar address of Father.
Moreover, they have turned Jerusalem into a mere storage place, illustrating the very Church of our free Jerusalem, our mother (Gal. 4:26), of whom it is said, “more are the children of the desolate than the married wife” (Isaiah 54:1). The phrase "storing apples" symbolizes the neglect resulting from persecution, for such storage diminishes when the fruit is consumed. Indeed, the Church, likened to the sweet apples from the Lord's garden, awaits the return of the spirits of the martyrs.
The psalmist laments, “The dead bodies of Thy servants they have given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and the flesh of Thy saints unto the beasts of the earth” (Ps. 78:2). The wording emphasizes the dignity of God’s servants, now referred to as His saints, reinforcing the divine ownership of their bodies. Those termed "dead" signify those who have departed from this life, while mortals may still inhabit living forms. As the spirits of the martyrs ascended akin to apples returning to their vineyard, their earthly remains were left exposed, yet nothing from their essence can be lost, for the promise of resurrection assures renewal by Him who counts even the hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30).