Ancient Idols and the Holy Relics of the Saints: A Vital Difference

In the ancient world before Christ, idols were central to the religious lives of pagan peoples. These were physical images—carved of stone, wood, or cast in bronze—meant to represent gods and goddesses. More than art, these idols were believed to be indwelt by divine spirits. Through rituals, offerings, and invocations, the idol was believed to become a living manifestation of the deity it portrayed. In temples and homes alike, people bowed before these images, sought favors from them, and treated them as though they were gods in themselves.

The making of an idol was often a sacred task. Craftsmen carved or molded them in idealized human or animal forms, and priests performed consecration rituals meant to “open the eyes” or “breathe life” into the statue. Once this was done, the people no longer saw mere wood or stone, but a divine being to be worshipped, feared, and served.

This is what Scripture and the Church Fathers condemned so clearly. Not simply because these gods were false, but because the act of worship was misplaced—directed toward created things rather than the Creator. St. Paul writes that pagans “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image made like corruptible man” (Romans 1:23). The prophets and early saints called this idolatry a deception, often inspired by demons who mimicked the divine in order to enslave human souls.

But what of the relics of the saints—bones, garments, or even the tombs of holy men and women—which Christians honor and venerate? To the outsider, this may seem uncomfortably close to idol-worship. Yet the difference is profound and essential.

First, relics are not gods—they are the mortal remains of people who lived in communion with the true God. The Church does not believe that the saint becomes divine in essence, nor that their remains are to be worshipped. Rather, we honor these relics because God Himself glorified the saints, often working miracles through them during their lives and even after their deaths. Just as the prophet Elisha’s bones once raised the dead (2 Kings 13:21), so too have the relics of Christian saints become vessels through which God heals and comforts His people.

Second, relics are not made by human hands for the purpose of worship, as idols were. They are what remains of lives wholly given to Christ—lives transfigured by divine grace. Their sanctity is not something artificially invoked, but something revealed by the fruits of the Spirit made manifest in them.

Third, the veneration of relics does not draw attention away from God, but rather points us toward Him. To honor the saint is to glorify God, who made them holy. We do not worship the creature, but we give thanks for what the Creator has accomplished through His servants.

And most importantly, we venerate relics in the light of the Resurrection. These bones are not simply reminders of past holiness—they belong to a person who still lives in Christ and will, in the fullness of time, rise again in glory. As the Church proclaims, “We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come.” The relics of the saints are therefore not remains of a life that has ended, but sacred traces of a life that awaits transfiguration. They are signs of hope, testifying to the destiny of all who belong to Christ—that the body itself will be raised and glorified in the resurrection.-

In the Orthodox way of life, relics are not kept as museum pieces but are treasured within the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church. Churches are consecrated with relics placed in the Holy Altar, connecting every Divine Liturgy to the witness of the martyrs and the Communion of Saints. Faithful Orthodox Christians venerate relics with reverence—not as magic objects, but as tangible encounters with the holiness of God made manifest in His saints. We ask their intercessions, are encouraged by their example, and are reminded through their presence that sanctity is possible for us too. In this way, the relics become part of our journey toward Christ, witnesses not to superstition, but to the transfiguring power of divine grace in the body and soul of man.