An inquiry into the Eucharist of Greek Orthodox Church though the lense of BLOCK TIME

According to the Orthodox Church, then, the Eucharist is not just a reminder of Christ's sacrifice or of its enactment, but it is a real sacrifice. On the other hand, however, it is not a new sacrifice, nor a repetition of the Sacrifice of the Cross upon Golgotha. The events of Christ's Sacrifice the Incarnation, the Institution of the Eucharist, the Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven, are not repeated during the Eucharist, yet they become a present reality. ..............we are projected in time to that place where eternity and time intersect………….. 

As one Orthodox theologian has said, During the Liturgy we are projected in time to that place where eternity and time intersect, and then we become the contemporaries of these events that we are calling to mind. Thus the Eucharist and all the Holy Liturgy is, in structure, a sacrificial service. How all this takes place is a mystery. As Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow wrote in his Longer Catechism, concerning the changing of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, this none can understand but God; but only this much is signified, that the bread truly, really and substantially becomes the very true Body of the Lord, and the wine the very Blood of the Lord. Furthermore, as St. John of Damascus states, If you enquire how this happens, it is enough for you to learn that it is through the Holy Spirit.... We know nothing more than this, that the Word of God is true, active and omnipotent, but in the manner of operation unsearchable.

 I believe applying  block time to the Orthodox Eucharistic theology is fascinating, as it bridges physics, philosophy, and mysticism. The Orthodox view,  describes the Eucharist as a moment where “we are projected in time to that place where eternity and time intersect,” making the events of Christ’s sacrifice (Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, etc.) a “present reality.”

 

• Eternal Presence of Christ’s Sacrifice:
• In block time, the Crucifixion isn’t confined to a single moment 2,000 years ago but exists eternally at its space-time coordinates. The Eucharistic liturgy could be seen as a ritual that aligns participants with this eternal event, not by “repeating” it but by accessing its timeless reality.
• The Orthodox emphasis on the Eucharist as a “real sacrifice” yet not a “new sacrifice” fits this model. The sacrifice is fixed in the block, unchanging, and the liturgy makes it present without altering or replicating it.
• Intersection of Eternity and Time:
• The phrase “where eternity and time intersect” suggests a transcendence of linear time. In block time, all moments are part of a unified structure, but God, as eternal, exists outside this structure, encompassing all of space-time. The Eucharist, empowered by the Holy Spirit, might be a point where the temporal (liturgical moment) connects with the eternal (God’s timeless reality).
• This resonates with the block universe’s static nature, where events like the Crucifixion are eternally accessible, not as memories but as realities. The liturgy could be a “portal” to this eternal moment, facilitated by divine mystery rather than physical mechanics.
• Mystical vs. Mechanistic:
• While block time offers a conceptual analogy, Orthodox theology resists reducing the Eucharist to a mechanistic process. As St. John of Damascus notes, the transformation of bread and wine into Christ’s Body and Blood is “through the Holy Spirit” and “unsearchable.” Block time might help us imagine the simultaneity of all moments, but the Eucharistic mystery involves divine action that transcends even the four-dimensional block.
• The block universe is a human model, limited by our understanding of physics and philosophy. The Orthodox view prioritizes the ineffable, suggesting that the Eucharist’s “projection” into eternity involves a divine reality beyond spacetime’s structure.
• Liturgical Time as Timeless:
• In the liturgy, Orthodox Christians experience a kind of “sacred time,” distinct from ordinary chronological time. This aligns with block time’s rejection of a privileged “now.” The Eucharist could be seen as collapsing the distinction between past and present, allowing the faithful to stand at the foot of the Cross, not metaphorically but in a real, mystical sense.
• The block time analogy breaks down, however, in that the Eucharist isn’t just about accessing a fixed event but participating in a living, transformative relationship with Christ. The “present reality” of the sacrifice includes its ongoing power to sanctify, which goes beyond a static block’s implications.