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EzraJacob
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What is the use and reason for Icons and the way they cover Eastern Orthodox churches? What is the meaning and belief of this.?
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Rawb
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A protestant once told a monk “I have no need or faith in those icons you have everywhere.” Startled the monk replied “I thought you said you were a Christian? Do you not believe in the Incarnation?”
What to many would seem like a non sequitor is, to the Orthodox mind, a perfectly unified ‘leap’. Icons are visible theology. In the first place they proclaim a belief in the Incarnation. God became MAN. He became a human being! So often we say this but we don’t actually contemplate what it truly means. By His Holy Incarnation Our Lord sanctified all physical matter, returned to us the gift that is Creation rightly focused on Him. Icons are a solid belief in this fact.
While in the West images are regarded primarily as a means of ‘focus’ or to call ones mind to prayer Icons are more than that. They do teach - the colors, symbols, arrangements of hands, shapes of ears, eyes, and mouths, the golden backgrounds or the multiple figures all can teach you something about Orthodox belief if you can read the Icons. They do call us to prayer - every Orthodox home has an icon corner that we stand before daily at some point to pray. More than these things however they are a window into heaven, showing us heavenly realities.
Icons bring our family, the saints, in with us. They are present during our Liturgies and in our lives and the icons remind us of that. In order to show love for our fellow family members we venerate their icon, but in venerating the icon we show veneration to the Holy Incarnation, and ultimately to all that Christ is.
It might help if you realized the the idea of ‘icon’ flows through all of Orthodox Christianity. Scripture is an Icon in Words. I’ve heard Chant referred to as an Icon in Sound. During Forgiveness Vespers, marking the start of Great Lent, we cross, bow, and kiss the cheeks of everyone in the parish, asking their forgiveness for any wrong in the past year. That cross and kiss is a veneration. Just as we venerate Icons of Christ made of paint and wood we venerate Icons of Christ made of flesh and bone.
That’s all icons really are.
What to many would seem like a non sequitor is, to the Orthodox mind, a perfectly unified ‘leap’. Icons are visible theology. In the first place they proclaim a belief in the Incarnation. God became MAN. He became a human being! So often we say this but we don’t actually contemplate what it truly means. By His Holy Incarnation Our Lord sanctified all physical matter, returned to us the gift that is Creation rightly focused on Him. Icons are a solid belief in this fact.
While in the West images are regarded primarily as a means of ‘focus’ or to call ones mind to prayer Icons are more than that. They do teach - the colors, symbols, arrangements of hands, shapes of ears, eyes, and mouths, the golden backgrounds or the multiple figures all can teach you something about Orthodox belief if you can read the Icons. They do call us to prayer - every Orthodox home has an icon corner that we stand before daily at some point to pray. More than these things however they are a window into heaven, showing us heavenly realities.
Icons bring our family, the saints, in with us. They are present during our Liturgies and in our lives and the icons remind us of that. In order to show love for our fellow family members we venerate their icon, but in venerating the icon we show veneration to the Holy Incarnation, and ultimately to all that Christ is.
It might help if you realized the the idea of ‘icon’ flows through all of Orthodox Christianity. Scripture is an Icon in Words. I’ve heard Chant referred to as an Icon in Sound. During Forgiveness Vespers, marking the start of Great Lent, we cross, bow, and kiss the cheeks of everyone in the parish, asking their forgiveness for any wrong in the past year. That cross and kiss is a veneration. Just as we venerate Icons of Christ made of paint and wood we venerate Icons of Christ made of flesh and bone.
That’s all icons really are.
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EzraJacob
Guest
I find it very interesting and beautiful. Though I am a Roman Catholic and believe my religion much and whole heatedly, I am very interested in the Orthodox icons and their beauty.
Thank you for your reply and enlightening me on this subject of the Eastern Orthodox faith.
Thank you for your reply and enlightening me on this subject of the Eastern Orthodox faith.
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wynd
Guest
More information: Iconostasis on OrthodoxWiki
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