Separation and reunion, continuity and rupture in death

The Separation and Union, Continuity and Discontinuity in Death: A Comparison of the Social Function of Greco-Roman Death Rituals and Related Rituals in Early Christianity

Kai-hsuan CHANG

In this article, I rely on ritual theories to explore the social function of death-related rituals in early Christianity. I investigate funerals, commemorations, and rituals associated with the death of Jesus Christ, such as the Lord's Supper and baptism. By comparing such rituals in early Christianity and in Greco-Roman society, I argue that rituals in early Christian groups not only contributed to Christian self-definition and the unity of the groups but also led to some “ritual transgressions” against Greco-Roman traditions and social structures . First, while funerals in most Greco-Roman groups were rites of passage to deal with the discontinuity caused by death, early Christians tried to proclaim continuity in their funerals because they believed in the creative power by which God had raised the body of Jesus Christ from the dead. For Christians, the fleshly body was no longer the lowest element in the cosmic hierarchy nor the unresolvable problem of discontinuity. Second, while the commemorations in most Greco-Roman groups were opportunities to unite people of similar status in the social hierarchy and to strengthen the previous social connections once again, Christians made efforts in the Lord's Supper (the commemoration of Jesus) to cross social boundaries and to form an “alternative community” that was more egalitarian and in line with their faith in the resurrection. The resurrection apostle Paul further considered baptism as an imaginary funeral for a baptizand because, by participating in this alternative community, a believer was deemed to separate from the hierarchical society to some extent. Thus, Christian groups embodied their distinct faith in Christ's resurrection partly through their ritual practices and their “ritual transgressions.”