Words on Icon?

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Indeed, they are Greek. ΜΡ ΘΥ is an iconographic abbreviation of Μητηρ Θεου, meaning “Mother of God”. The other abbreviation ICXC is similarly an abbreviation of of Ιησούς Χριστός, “Jesus Christ”.
 
KarenElissa said:
We have these two icons in our church. My kids in religious ed were asking what the lettering on them means. I assume the the MP OY has to do with Mary and the ICXC with Jesus, but can anyone be more specific? Also I’m guessing they are greek? Thanks!
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The little bar above the letters is used to mean abbreviation. For Greek icons, the I A M is typically: omicron, omega, nu, “HO ON.”
 
Vico said:
The little bar above the letters is used to mean abbreviation. For Greek icons, the I A M is typically: omicron, omega, nu, “HO ON.”
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I was trying to figure out what the I A M was. I was looking at it assuming it was Iota alpha mu. I’ve never seen that in English.😃
 
KarenElissa said:
We have these two icons in our church.
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It’s great your church is interested in incorporating holy icons.

These appear to be from a group called Monastery Icons. I would suggest you not purchase additional icons from Monastery Icons. If you google them you’ll find they are not an orthodox group. I’m sure others here can offer some links to the background on the group.

It appears that these images may be signed on the front. I was taught in icon painting/writing classes that one should never sign a holy icon on the front, only on the back.

St. Tikhon’s Monastery Bookstore and St Vladimir’s Seminary Press and Bookstore are a couple sources for icons from orthodox Orthodox…
 
5Loaves said:
These appear to be from a group called Monastery Icons. I would suggest you not purchase additional icons from Monastery Icons. If you google them you’ll find they are not an orthodox group. I’m sure others here can offer some links to the background on the group.
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I was about to say the same thing. I visited a rural SSPX chapel and school in Kansas, and the school was full of these prints from the company Monastery Icons. This company is actually a small group of “monks” who have moved around so much between churches and religions that they are no longer considered credible by anyone, which is why you’ll find absolutely no information about them on their website, only ways to send money. They incorporate all kinds of Hindu polytheistic prayers when they “bless” their icons, and they mix idolatry in with their Christianity, or so the rumors I am helping to spread go. Of course I cannot personally verify any of this, but surly internet consensus is reliable, no? :rolleyes:
 
Vico said:
The little bar above the letters is used to mean abbreviation. For Greek icons, the I A M is typically: omicron, omega, nu, “HO ON.”
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Actually, the little bars above the letters were put there to allow the person reading out loud to say the holy words slowly and with the utmost respect, as is still done in the Slavonic language. The bars signify that the words are holy and refer to God and His Saints.

Alex
 
Nine_Two said:
I was trying to figure out what the I A M was. I was looking at it assuming it was Iota alpha mu. I’ve never seen that in English.😃
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My Greek’s a little rusty, but doesn’t “ho on” (omicron omega nu) mean “the one who is”? “I am” would be “eimai”, wouldn’t it?
 
Alexander_Roman said:
Actually, the little bars above the letters were put there to allow the person reading out loud to say the holy words slowly and with the utmost respect, as is still done in the Slavonic language. The bars signify that the words are holy and refer to God and His Saints.

Alex
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No doubt true. So it looks like the Melkite page needs an update as it says “In Greek, the bar above the letters means a contraction/abbreviation”.

mliles.com/melkite/thesaurusi.shtml
 
Alexander_Roman said:
Actually, the little bars above the letters were put there to allow the person reading out loud to say the holy words slowly and with the utmost respect, as is still done in the Slavonic language. The bars signify that the words are holy and refer to God and His Saints.

Alex
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Sorry, Alex, but every text I’ve ever seen says that it’s the abbreviation symbol in Slavonic and Greek.

And I’ve seen it used that way in civil text, as well, in in Soviet era Ukrainian civil documents. (I’ve a cousin who’s a document collector.)

I’ve also seen it used on photograph annotations in latinski… I’m not certain if it’s Polish, Slavonic, or Ukrainian, but it’s latin characters, slavic speakers, annotating family photos…
 
Thanks all! I really like these icons, they are on the wall just outside of the sanctuary on either side, but I had never really thought too much about the lettering until the kids asked. Now I can tell them. 👍 😃
 
Koheleth said:
My Greek’s a little rusty, but doesn’t “ho on” (omicron omega nu) mean “the one who is”? “I am” would be “eimai”, wouldn’t it?
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The “ho on” is taken from “ego eimi ho on”, which is the Septuagint rendering of Tetragrammaton.
 
KarenElissa said:
We have these two icons in our church. My kids in religious ed were asking what the lettering on them means. I assume the the MP OY has to do with Mary and the ICXC with Jesus, but can anyone be more specific? Also I’m guessing they are greek? Thanks!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_22yl9Xrdlf8/Sz7RmiAOTQI/AAAAAAAA4bA/wfPVKGbYbWc/s400/DSCF6233.JPG http://lh4.ggpht.com/_22yl9Xrdlf8/Sz7Rf7MisBI/AAAAAAAA3Q8/7fovcispHfc/s400/DSCF6231.JPG
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Listen, these people are heretical and apostates they mix the holy with the demnoic in their “icons” here is an article about these bast… by an Orthodox priest

orthodoxinfo.com/general/monasteryicons.aspx

remember to inform your priest about this so he may perform the appropriate burning rites.
 
Crusading_Canuk said:
Listen, these people are heretical and apostates they mix the holy with the demnoic in their “icons” here is an article about these bast… by an Orthodox priest

orthodoxinfo.com/general/monasteryicons.aspx

remember to inform your priest about this so he may perform the appropriate burning rites.
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Heh, here’s a fun quote from the article:
“I found the following additional information on the Catholic Answers forum. I didn’t provide the direct links because this may improve their Google search engine rankings.”
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Awfully defensive priest, no?
 
Koheleth said:
My Greek’s a little rusty, but doesn’t “ho on” (omicron omega nu) mean “the one who is”? “I am” would be “eimai”, wouldn’t it?
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Yeah, I am is the better known “εγο ειμι”, but I’m sure part of the reason I am is being chosen to translate it is because it is only three letters, like ho on.
 
Vico said:
No doubt true. So it looks like the Melkite page needs an update as it says “In Greek, the bar above the letters means a contraction/abbreviation”.

mliles.com/melkite/thesaurusi.shtml
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Yes, the Melkites don’t know everything! 😃

One of there older (and ill-advised) prayerbooks actually contained a commemoration of the victory of Tsar Peter over the Swedes and the Ukrainian Hetman Ivan Mazeppa (!).

What that has to do with Eastern spirituality . . .:confused:

But, for the most part, they’re OK! 😉

Alex
 
Aramis said:
Sorry, Alex, but every text I’ve ever seen says that it’s the abbreviation symbol in Slavonic and Greek.

And I’ve seen it used that way in civil text, as well, in in Soviet era Ukrainian civil documents. (I’ve a cousin who’s a document collector.)

I’ve also seen it used on photograph annotations in latinski… I’m not certain if it’s Polish, Slavonic, or Ukrainian, but it’s latin characters, slavic speakers, annotating family photos…
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I’m sorry too - for the ill-informed texts you’ve been reading! 🙂

In the liturgical Slavonic tradition, the “hats” signify sacred words and are a signal to the reader to slow down and pronounce them with the utmost care and respect.

The letters IC XC and MP OY etc. have been used forever in the liturgical texts and readings and everyone knew what they represented. The idea that one needs bars above them to indicate abbreviations is simply a modern (and wrong) explanation.

Alex
 
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