Regarding the Orthodox Christian Understanding of Amalek
Within the Greek Orthodox Christian tradition, the biblical concept of Amalek is understood almost exclusively through a spiritual and typological lens, guided by the Church's liturgical texts and the scriptural interpretations of the Holy Fathers. Amalek is not seen as a historical enemy to be reviled in a literal sense, but as a profound symbol of the unseen spiritual warfare every Christian endures.
Liturgical Worship and Typology
The most direct and authoritative expression of the Church's understanding comes from its liturgical worship. The hymns of the Church, particularly for the Great Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross (September 14), explicitly interpret the battle against Amalek as a prefigurement of Christ's victory over evil through the Cross.
Moses' Hands as a Type of the Cross: In the battle recorded in Exodus 17, Moses stands on a hill overlooking the fight. When he holds his hands up, Israel prevails; when he lowers them, Amalek gains the advantage. The Church's hymnography identifies Moses' outstretched arms as a clear "type" or foreshadowing of the Cross. A hymn from the Vespers service for the feast proclaims: "Moses once prefigured you when he extended his arms up and he routed utterly Amalek the Tyrant King oh most precious cross."[1] Another hymn from the canon of the feast elaborates: "The prophet Moses of old in himself prefigured the undefiled passion when he stood between those men of God with hands held up in the form of the Cross he raised a monument of Victory defeating the destroyer Amalek and his forces."[1] This shows the Church's official teaching: victory comes not from human effort, but from the power of the Cross.
Joshua as a Type of Jesus: The leader of the Israelite army was Joshua. In the Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Old Testament that is the official text of the Orthodox Church—the name "Joshua" is rendered as Iesous (Ἰησοῦς), which is the same Greek name as "Jesus."[2][3] The Church Fathers and subsequent Orthodox teaching see this as a divinely ordained typology.[4] Joshua, the man who leads Israel in its physical battle against Amalek, is a direct prefigurement of Jesus Christ, who leads humanity in the spiritual battle against sin and death.[5]
The Patristic Understanding of Spiritual Warfare
The Church Fathers consistently interpreted the "hard passages" of the Old Testament spiritually, seeking the deeper, Christ-centered meaning. This is especially true for the command to exterminate Amalek.
Amalek as a Symbol of Sin and the Passions: St. Gregory of Nyssa, a preeminent 4th-century Father, in his work The Life of Moses, establishes a framework for allegorical interpretation.[6][7] In this view, Egypt represents the world of sin and the passions, and Pharaoh is a type of the devil.[8] Amalek, who attacks the Israelites after their liberation from Egypt, represents the lingering and insidious nature of sin, the passions, and demonic forces that continue to assault the soul even after baptism and initial repentance. The battle is internal.
Annihilation as a Call to Spiritual Purity: Following this spiritual interpretation, the command to King Saul to "utterly destroy" Amalek (1 Samuel 15) is not seen as a divine mandate for genocide. Such a literal reading would be inconsistent with the nature of God as revealed in Jesus Christ.[9] Instead, St. Gregory and the patristic tradition as a whole understand this as a radical call for spiritual vigilance and purity.[10][11] The command to leave no remnant of Amalek signifies the absolute necessity of rooting out every sinful thought, every passion, and every compromise with evil from the heart. Saul's failure to do so, by sparing King Agag, is a timeless lesson on the danger of allowing even a small foothold for sin, which ultimately leads to spiritual death.
The Current Teaching of the Church
This ancient understanding remains the official and living tradition of the Greek Orthodox Church today. It is proclaimed from the pulpit, taught in catechism, and woven into the fabric of the Church's life.
A Continuous, Inner Battle: The concept of "unseen warfare" is central to Orthodox spirituality.[12] Official archdiocesan and parish resources teach that every Christian is engaged in a daily, internal struggle against Satan and his demonic forces, which manifest as sinful thoughts (logismoi) and passions.[13][14][15] The story of Amalek serves as a scriptural icon for this reality.[9]
The Cross as the Weapon of Peace: The ultimate victory over the spiritual Amalek is achieved only through the power of Christ's Cross. In the Troparion of the Cross, a frequently chanted hymn, the faithful sing: "O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance. Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians over their adversaries; and by virtue of Thy Cross, preserve Thy habitation."[16] The "adversaries" here are understood primarily as the spiritual forces of evil. The Cross is the "weapon of peace" and the "trophy invincible" that defeats the true enemy of humanity—the devil, sin, and death.[17]
In summary, the Greek Orthodox tradition, through its official liturgical texts and the authoritative teachings of the Church Fathers, interprets Amalek as a powerful and enduring symbol of the inner spiritual battle against sin and evil. The narrative is not a justification for physical violence but a call to complete spiritual purification, made possible only through the victory won by Jesus Christ upon the Cross.