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Q&A Home > S > St. Mary > Assumption of St. Mary If the Eastern Orthodox do not believe in the Assumption of the body of the Holy Virgin Mary to heaven; how then did we get to believe in this tradition in our Church? I wonder where you got the information that the Eastern Orthodox do not believe in the Assumption of the body of St. Mary. Actually, just like the Coptic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates this feast on the 15th of August preceded by a two week fast. Not only that; but the Eastern Orthodox has churches named after the Assumption of St. Mary; such as the 'Assumption Greek Orthodox Church' in Long Beach, California, the 'Assumption of the Virgin Mary Ukrainian Orthodox Church' in Northampton, Pennsylvania, the 'Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption of St. Mary' in Manitoba, Canada and many others.
The early fathers wrote about the Assumption of St Mary saying "And from that time forth all knew that the spotless and precious body had been transferred to paradise" (John the Theologian, The Falling Asleep of Mary; 400 AD).
St. John Damascene gave an account of this assumption "Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem at the Council of Chalcedon (451) made known to the Emperor Marcian and his Empress Pulcharia, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles and that her tomb, when opened upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to Heaven" (Homily on the Dormition).
St. John Damascene also wrote "But even though, according to nature, your most holy and happy soul is separated from your most blessed and stainless body and the body as usual is delivered to the tomb, it will not remain in the power of death and is not subject to decay. For just as her virginity remained inviolate while giving birth, when she departed her body was preserved from destruction and only taken to a better and more divine tabernacle, which is not subject to any death."
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