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The Russian language is rich. There are many different words and expressions in it, and we, as a rule, do not think about where this or that phrase came from. Some people mistakenly believe that the expression “May you rest in peace” is absolutely identical to the wish for the “Kingdom of Heaven.”
“May you rest in peace” - this phrase is often said when addressing the deceased. However, people sometimes don’t even think about what these words mean and how they appeared in our speech.
Originally from Ancient Rome
When performing a burial, before the priest intersects the body, relatives or colleagues of the deceased sometimes, as if wanting to fulfill an obligation to the newly deceased that was not fulfilled on time, pronounce a funeral speech. And you rarely hear sincere words at the same time - as a rule, these are forced routine phrases, a set of verbal cliches. For some reason, the last phrase, which set one’s teeth on edge, “May the earth rest in peace to you” is especially annoying - as if the soul of a deceased sinner, in anticipation of the severity of the afterlife, is crying out with all its might to us, where those left behind:
No need! I ask, don’t do it yet, don’t bury me in the ground. Will I be able to find joy in that life Among the screams, pain, death and fire?
In fact, these words are an ancient Roman curse on the deceased - the pagans considered it the highest dishonor when the body does not rest in the ground:
The sentence “May the earth rest in peace” has quite ancient roots, dating back to the times when paganism dominated the earth. According to most historians, it came to us from Ancient Rome, where these words sounded in Latin as Sit tibi terra levis. The wish for a “land made of fluff” was used by some Roman poets and philosophers in their works.
Thus, in the poems of a certain Mark Valery Martial there are the following lines:
Sit tibi terra levis, mollique tegaris harena, Ne tua non possint eruere ossa canes
.
Mark Valery Martial (Martialis), ancient Roman poet (40-104)
In other words
May the earth rest in peace to you, And softly cover the sand so that dogs can dig up your bones.
What did this phrase mean for the Romans: a wish for good or, on the contrary, did it serve as a curse?
However, throwing coins into a freshly dug grave to “lie better” also came to us from paganism - then it was called “redemption of land”, and bone mounds, drinking vodka in “company” with the dead - from the same place...
I propose to consider the expression “may the earth rest in peace.” Alas, one only hears it during the most unpleasant hours. But still, where did this expression come from, does it have any meaning?
1.“The phrase is meaningless both in a religious sense and in a purely atheistic one. For a religious person, it doesn’t make much difference where the body lies: in “fluff”, in stones, in concrete or in a swamp. And even more so for an atheist (they buried it in accordance with hygienic standards - and at the table, to celebrate the event).”
2. “There is nothing “good” in wishing “rest in peace.” This is a politically correct curse on the deceased.”
3. “Rest in peace is a pagan expression.”
4. In fact, these words are an ancient Roman curse on the deceased - the pagans considered it the highest dishonor when the body does not rest in the ground.”
This is what we agreed on! According to the archdeacon, all people, when burying their loved ones, curse them! Nevertheless, from the heap of negativity, the idea is extracted that this phrase comes from ancient, “pagan” roots.
Then it becomes necessary to clarify what the word “pagan” means. From the Internet:
1.Paganism - (from the ancient Slavic pagans - peoples, foreigners, the modern concept - “nations”), the designation of national religions, that is, all non-Christian ones. The pagans themselves did not call themselves that. The gods of Paganism personified the elements of nature.
2. The term “paganism” comes from the Church Slavonic word “language”, meaning “people”. In the Old Testament era, Jews called all other peoples pagans, putting into this word a negative assessment of the peoples themselves and their religious beliefs, customs, morals, culture, etc. From the Jews the term “paganism” passed into Christian vocabulary.
3. The Slavic term comes from Church Slavic. “language”, that is, “people”, “tribe”, by which the Hebrew terms “goy” and “nokhri” are translated in the Slavic translation of the Bible.
Perhaps that's enough. It is clear that “ pagan” is “folk ”. For the purposes of ruling the world, the Semitic Arabs imposed their idea of the folk faith of other nations, making a scarecrow out of it.
We will note in passing that this is where the swear word “outcast” comes from. That is, if you are not an Arab-Semite, then you are already automatically an “outcast”, because you are one of the “goyim”. Remember, from S. Yesenin: “Go you, my dear Rus'...”
So, the roots of the expression “rest in peace” have an ancient, folk, non-Christian origin. There is no religious background here.
Let's dig further into where this phrase comes from among the people. Can the earth really be like fluff? After all, it is usually heavy, much heavier than water, whatever fluff there is. So, were the ancients wrong?
But no. Anyone who knows well the properties of certain phenomena or objects (and the ancients were exactly like this) has probably already answered that the earth can be downy, much lighter than water. The name of this land is an ancient and familiar word - il. Westerners presented it to us as a discovery, under the fashionable word - sapropel. The wonderful properties of silt were well known in ancient times. If you dry the sludge, you get a very light mass that feels like fluff, soft to the touch, very light. It is much lighter than water and contains a lot of useful substances. Here's what sludge is used for:
“In medicine: sapropel is used in medical (physiotherapeutic) practice for applications, baths for mud therapy. In agriculture, sapropel is used as fertilizer. Sapropel fertilizer helps to mobilize the soil composition, leading to self-cleaning from pathogenic plants, fungi and harmful microorganisms. The mineral part of sapropels contains a large number of trace elements, rich in vitamins, and many enzymes.
Sapropel fertilizers are a unique product, the only organic fertilizer used for radical improvement (reclamation) and sanitation of soil. In animal husbandry: sapropel, rich in salts of calcium, iron, phosphorus, without admixture of sand and poor in clay, is added to the diets of farm animals as a mineral supplement (pigs up to 1.5 kg, cows up to 1.5 kg, chickens 10-15 g per day)."
What do you think of the above?
Due to its excellent properties, silt in ancient times was considered very useful and was highly valued by our ancestors - Aryan farmers. That is why the phrase “may the earth rest in peace” arose.
Origin of the expression and its meaning
Often in Russian speech, stereotyped phrases are used, the cliché meaning of which is not given importance. The fact is that the expression “May the earth rest in peace” has nothing to do with Orthodoxy. During funeral services and commemoration of the deceased, a Christian priest never uses it.
In Russian, the phrase has been preserved since pagan times. Then people did not yet know about the immortality of the soul, so they wanted to put the deceased to rest with maximum comfort, believing that his spirit would remain with the body. Along with the deceased, jewelry, clothing and other items “necessary” for the afterlife were placed in the tomb, grave.
In some cultures, it was customary to bury his servants, dogs, and even wives with the deceased. It was assumed that the deceased would be able to take advantage of all this, and to make it more comfortable for him to rest, they wanted “earth made of fluff.”
The phrase "May the earth rest in peace" was used to express respect for the deceased. Nowadays they say this, suggesting that they wish for the soul of the one who has passed on to another world that it will be gentle in heaven.
A wish for good or evil?
Undoubtedly, from the point of view of a modern person, Martial’s continuation of the common Latin expression Sit tibi terra levis sounds like a wish for evil and torment even after death. Nevertheless, we should not forget that we are still talking about a pagan period, therefore it is not worth interpreting the poet’s words in the light of today’s culture, civilization or religion.
Archaeologists find the abbreviation for wishes on many gravestones of those times. By the way, there were different interpretations of this phrase: TLS - Terra levis sit (May the earth rest in peace), or SETL - Sit ei terra levis (May the earth rest in peace). The fact is that pagans often believed that the soul does not disappear from the body after the death of a person, and therefore, if desired, the deceased can turn around, sit down, stand up, or even go somewhere. It was precisely in order for the deceased to lie comfortably in the grave or, if necessary, to get out of it, they wished him “rest in peace.”
Attitude to the phrase from a religious point of view
Some people mistakenly believe that the expression “May you rest in peace” is absolutely identical to the wish for the “Kingdom of Heaven.” However, Orthodox priests argue that this is far from the case. In their opinion, Sit tibi terra levis is a pagan phrase, and it has nothing to do with Christianity. After all, according to Christian teaching, the soul does not remain in a dead body, but leaves it, rushing to the judgment of God. This means that this phrase should not be uttered by a believer.
Is it possible to wish “rest in peace”
When a person says: “May the earth rest in peace,” he strives to wish the deceased a better “life” after death. But such an expression cannot be used, especially in relation to an Orthodox person.
If we turn to the origins of this phrase, there are two different interpretations of its meaning:
- It is believed that this expression was pronounced over the grave of an enemy. Such a wish served as a curse, a wish that not a trace of a person would remain after his death.
- The second option relates to pagan beliefs. It was assumed that a person could rise from the grave at the time appointed for him. Therefore, there should not be a hard and heavy layer of earth above it.
Atheism or paganism?
Nowadays you can often hear, even from priests, that this phrase is atheistic, has nothing to do with the church, with Christian doctrine, and, on the contrary, absolutely contradicts it.
But in fact, this phrase has nothing to do with atheism. She's pagan. In ancient times, people's religious ideas differed from those accepted today. People believed that a person's soul remains with the body after death. They honored the body and sought to provide it with maximum comfort in the afterlife. They provided a person with various attributes of secular life, put weapons, utensils, and jewelry in the graves. There was even a custom of burying his servants and wives, horses, and dogs with the deceased.
A whole ship could be placed in a pharaoh’s tomb to make it more convenient for him to travel along the river of death.
What the priests say
Orthodox doctrine teaches us that the body is only a temple for the soul. When a person passes away, his bodily shell dies, but the soul continues to exist independently. By wishing for a person: “May the earth rest in peace,” we deprive him of the opportunity to find the “Kingdom of Heaven,” since we care about the body of the deceased.
Don’t wish to “rest in peace”, pray for the deceased to ease his fate
Christian teaching indicates that after death the soul cannot be reborn in another form. She ascends to heaven, where she will await the Supreme Judgment. Moreover, its fate will be determined not only by earthly deeds during a person’s life, but by the prayers of loved ones for the salvation of his soul.
Therefore, it is so important to pronounce the correct phrases regarding the deceased at funerals, wakes, and to conduct funeral rites in accordance with the canons of the Orthodox Church.
Important! The newly introduced one needs to say: “The Kingdom of Heaven,” thereby wishing him to be closer to God.
The Kingdom of heaven
According to Christian doctrine, the body is the seat of the soul, a temple that should be maintained in proper order. Including after death. Resurrection is one of the main dogmas of the church. And after the Resurrection, the soul will again be reunited with the body, wherever it is, and in whatever state it is.
Hence the careful, reverent attitude in church rites towards the body of the deceased. Hence the various funeral rites. But the soul is immortal.
The phrase “May he rest in peace” was inherited from paganism. But if many pagan rituals were quite successfully assimilated by the church, then this phrase contradicts faith, does not bring any benefit to the deceased and cannot be used. Instead, one should wish the deceased the Kingdom of Heaven .
What to say to the deceased
If a person during a burial says: “May the earth rest in peace,” no one will judge or scold him for this phrase. The expression has caught on and is self-evident.
According to the clergy, it is impossible to harm the deceased with such a wish. But you can help the soul of the deceased find peace and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
First of all, a prayer coming from the heart will help with this: “Rest, O Lord, the soul of Your newly departed servant, and forgive him all his sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant him the Kingdom of Heaven.”
It is also important to say “eternal memory” to the deceased. This means wanting a person to enter into the eternal memory of God. When we say “blessed memory,” we only want to preserve for ourselves good memories of the deceased, and this is not entirely Christian.
The phrase “May the earth rest in peace” cannot be used when burying a believer, an Orthodox person. This shows concern for the body of the deceased, but not his soul. In Orthodoxy, it is customary to wish for the “Kingdom of Heaven” and “eternal memory.”
Why shouldn’t Orthodox Christians say “May the earth rest in peace” at a cemetery during a funeral?
Orthodox traditions do not support pagan ones, which explains the ban, why one cannot wish the departed “May the earth rest in peace.”
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For people of different beliefs, there will always be the right words when saying goodbye to someone who has left our world. Statements with the right meaning will ease their fate.
Where did the phrase “May the world rest in peace” come from?
There are several versions of the origin of the expression “May the earth rest in peace,” which can often be heard during funerals in a cemetery. It appeared a very long time ago, as evidenced by old Roman tombstones. Engraved on the stone is the following expression, which can be found in full or abbreviated form: STTL - in Latin “Sit tibi terra levis”.
In ancient times, the faith was pagan, people worshiped idols and thought that a person does not part with his soul after death. It was believed that he would also need everything that he used during his life, which is why many objects were placed in his tomb. And so that the deceased could more easily endure being in the grave and that he would not feel hard, they wanted soft earth.
According to another version, the phrase is considered a curse for enemies. Because there is its continuation: “May the earth rest in peace and softly cover the sand so that dogs can dig up your bones...”. These lines are taken from a poem by the ancient Roman poet Marcus Valerius Martial. This is how they cursed their enemies, wishing the deceased not to remain united with the body.
Why Orthodox Christians cannot wish the deceased “May the earth rest in peace”
In Orthodoxy they believe that after death the soul goes to God, goes through ordeals and awaits the Great Judgment. Therefore, it is customary to take more care of her rather than the body. It is considered a mortal shell in which a person undergoes tests and corrections on Earth.
During a funeral in a cemetery, Orthodox priests wish the deceased the “Kingdom of Heaven” or say “Rest in Peace,” but do not say: “May the earth rest in peace.” Such an expression is considered a disrespectful manifestation of Christ, who gives faith that life does not end here, it is eternal.
In a cemetery, at home or in another place, when you want to remember the deceased, it is better to read a short prayer. To wish him the Kingdom of Heaven and ask for forgiveness of all the sins that he committed during his life, but did not have time to repent of them.
Relatives should worry about his soul, and not about the land in which he is buried. At the time of Judgment, everyone will rise up to answer for their actions. This is the essence of Orthodoxy, that everyone remains alive, which is why they say that a person is deceased, that is, he is in a dream.
You can say “Eternal Memory” to a deceased Orthodox Christian, and this will also be correct, because such a phrase accompanies the end of the memorial service. You need to read a prayer asking for forgiveness of unflattering acts that violate the canons of the Orthodox, and the granting of grace to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven. When saying goodbye, Jews say: “Peace be upon his ashes” or “Peace be with him.”
Peace to dust
“Peace be upon his ashes” or “Peace be with him” is a phrase that is appropriate when bidding farewell to a Jewish deceased. In Hebrew it sounds like “alav-ha-shalom” and, as follows from the book of Mishley by King Shlomo, it is pronounced every time to glorify the righteous and righteous life as such. The fact is that one of the names of the Almighty is Shalom, and it literally means “perfection” or “peace.” Therefore, when saying “Peace be upon your ashes” to a righteous person, it is meant that he has reached such a level of spiritual perfection at which, after his death, he will rest next to “peace,” with the Almighty. Those who hear “alav-ha-shalom” should follow the example of the mentioned righteous Jew and walk the righteous path through life.
Why is the phrase “Peace be upon your ashes” often found as an epitaph on the gravestones of not only Jews? It is permissible to use it on tombstones and when bidding farewell to Orthodox Christians, if we remember the biblical episode of the Lord’s creation of man “from the dust of the earth.” This phrase, on the one hand, contains the idea of the kinship of man with everything that exists that was created by God (earth, creatures, etc.). On the other hand, the physical nature of man is emphasized, which is “destroyable” and mortal. According to John Chrysostom, this phrase “and the Lord God created man from the dust of the ground” helps to remember the humility and inevitability of physical death, which is contrasted with the immortality of the soul.
Everlasting memory
Any memorial service for the deceased ends with the exclamations of “Eternal memory,” so it is logical to say this phrase when saying goodbye to a baptized deceased. A memorial service, a special prayer remembering the deceased, asking for forgiveness and granting him the Kingdom of Heaven, is read not only on the day of the funeral. In a church or at a grave, a priest can read it on the 9th and 40th day, on the year of death, on the birthday or name day of the deceased. At home or when visiting a grave, everyone can read the litiya - a shortened version of the memorial service. And on Parental Saturdays, parastases are held - a special type of funeral service, when all dead Christians are remembered.
The rite of requiem ends with the request: “In the blessed dormition, grant eternal rest, O Lord, to your departed servants, and create for them eternal memory.” Then “Eternal Memory” is repeated three times. In the rite of the memorial service there is also the phrase “Save and rest the soul of Thy servant,” which is also appropriate at the funeral and wake of an Orthodox Christian.
