Incorruptibility
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Incorruptibility is the property of a body — usually a human body — that does not decompose after death. Such a body is sometimes referred to as incorruptible (adjective) or as an incorruptible (noun).
Incorruptibility is seen as distinct from the good preservation of a body, or mummification. Incorruptible bodies are often said to have a sweet smell.
Incorruptibility in Christianity
In Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox Christian cultures, if a body remains incorruptible after death, this is generally seen to be a sign that the individual is a Saint. The converse is not true: not every Saint is expected to have an incorruptible corpse.
According to the Catholic Church, a body is not deemed incorruptible if it has undergone an embalming process or other means of preserving the dead.
Incorruptibility in other cultures
Although incorruptibility is seen as a primarily Christian phenomenon, other cultures have examples of revered, incorrupt dead. The followers of Paramahansa Yogananda maintain that his body was incorruptible. While the death certificate clearly shows the body was embalmed, his followers claim that such a corpse would normally show signs of mold developing from the pores if a pore-blocking cream is not used. No such cream was used in this case.
Another possible candidate is that of a Tibetan monk (reported by AFP, quoting the Hindustan Times, 2004). This body has been revered by the local villagers since its discovery in 1975. However, this case may be more appropriately considered a case of natural mummification.
In other cultures, however, an incorrupted body is a sign that the corpse is a vampire. The opposite is also true. Bodies that had decayed too fast were also treated as vampires.
Causes
The causes of incorruptibility are disputed. The two main positions can be summarised as an argument for a spiritual cause, or an argument for a physical or environmental cause.
The argument for a big spiritual cause may include a belief that the pious nature of the individual in some way permeated the flesh (a metaphysical cause having a physical effect), or a belief that decomposition was prevented by the intervention of a deity.
The argument for a physical cause includes a belief that the corpse has been subjected to environmental conditions such that decomposition is seriously retarded. There are a number of ways of retarding decomposition, but the mechanism commonly stated is that of saponification.
See Also:- Bog body.
Incidence of incorruptibility
Incorruptibility is seen almost overwhelmingly only in Anglican, Catholic or Orthodox Christian cultures. However, it is argued by some that this is more due to the cultural phenomenon of exhuming the bodies of pious people to discover if they are incorrupt or not, a practice that is uncommon in other cultures, even other Christian cultures.
Instances of incorruptibility
Among the Saints and holy men whose bodies are said to be or have been incorrupt are (this list is by no means exhaustive):
- St. Bernadette
- St. Agnes of Montepulciano
- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (Mother Cabrini)
- St. Clare of Assisi
- St. Margaret Mary (Marie Alacoque)
- St. John Vianney (Jean Vianney)
- St. Cuthbert
- St. Francis Xavier[]
- Pope Pius X (Though the article suggests that he may have been embalmed)
- St. Vincent de Paul
- Jacinta Marto visionary at Fatima
- St. Matrona of Chios, Orthodox saint
- St. John (Maximovitch) of Shanghai and San Francisco, Orthodox saint
- St. Raphael (Hawaweeny) of Brooklyn, Orthodox saint
- Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov and three other Buddhist holy men
- Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Hindu holy man
- Paramahansa Yogananda, Hindu holy man
References
- The Incorruptibles: A Study of the Incorruption of the Bodies of Various Catholic Saints and Beati, Joan Carroll Cruz, Tan Books & Publishers, June 1977, ISBN 0895550660
External links
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