Iconography In The Orthodox Church - What Are Icons?

In this video, Fr. Theophan Mackey discusses the importance of Iconography In the Orthodox Church.

Fr. Theophan Mackey
St. Job of Pochaiv Orthodox Church, Los Alamos, NM

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[andys]

Protestants venerate the US flag by taking their hats off, standing and putting their hands over their hearts. It's pretty much the same concept. The flag represents the principles of the US Republic and by doing those acts of veneration, they are by extension honoring those principles they believe are true. The flag itself is an image representing something.

[WolfFistProductions]

That analogy with the war soldier was pretty cool. That is a interesting way to think about it. I'd love to hear a orthodox Jewish person's thoughts on that analogy

[michaelwhite]

Thank you for a wonderful explanation.

[lewwatson]

Thank you for this explanation. After reading The Father’s Tale by Michael O’Brien, I am intrigued by Eastern Christianity from a historical perspective. This was a helpful explanation. God bless you!

[sebastianrossouw]

The 7th ecumenical council explains that veneration of icon and worship of god is bring heaven closer to us and not about old testament worshipping of idol. It is basically a pattern recognition method to have people of connecting being alive with the joy of god and his gifts of creation. An empty barren building offers nothing to the soul or our closeness to god beyond being an echo chamber for our own egos. Art and creativity comes from God (church doctrine) beauty and inner peace comes from God (doctrine of the bible) and so when we create these things with the joy of God in our hearts than others feel it and when they feel it they are led closer to God.

[donhaddix]

​Although Catholics also venerate religious images, iconography is most often associated with the Eastern or Orthodox Church, which teaches that the use of icons during prayer helps the worshiper know God, be united with the holy saints, and develop the fruit of the Spirit. When an Orthodox Christian enters his church, he lights a candle, makes the sign of the cross, and then kisses the icons of Christ, the Theotokos (Mary), and the saints. The church sanctuary will contain many other “Holy Icons, ” as they’re called. Orthodox Christians are to have icons at home, too, and the place where the icons are kept is where family prayers are offered. Icons are seen as an illustration of the Incarnation of Christ, who left His spiritual abode to dwell in a material world. The devout also believe that an icon is a window into heaven, and their veneration passes straight to heaven, where it is received by the person depicted in the icon. Some claim that icons have facilitated miracles. John Calvin and the other Protestant Reformers were iconoclasts; that is, they demanded the removal of icons from churches and homes. According to the Reformers, the veneration of icons and other religious artifacts was idolatry, and they were right. Any kissing of, bowing down before, or praying toward an icon is certainly idolatrous. Members of the Orthodox Church insist that they are not worshiping the paint and wood, but they admit that they give veneration, adoration, and reverence to the saints and Mary depicted in the icons. They pray to men and women; they ascribe to the icons a spiritual power that it does not possess. This is unbiblical. There is nothing wrong with producing or enjoying religious art, per se. Viewing a painting of a biblical scene in an art gallery and admiring the artist’s technique cannot be considered idolatry. Having a picture of Jesus or of angels in one’s home may not be idolatry, either. Iconography can be studied as an art form, and icons can be viewed as fascinating examples of historical religious art. But using icons to aid one’s worship or viewing them as a “window to heaven” is definitely idolatry.
The Bible strictly forbids idolatry (Leviticus 26:1; Deuteronomy 5:9). God alone deserves to be bowed down to and worshiped. Icons are not intercessors before the throne of grace, and neither are the saints they represent. People in heaven do not have the power to hear our prayers or grant our requests. Only Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit can intercede for us before the Father (Romans 8:26–27, 34). We should stay as far away as we can from anything that could possibly lead to idolatry.

God sent poisonous serpents into the camp, and people began to die. This showed the people that they were the ones in sin, and they came to Moses to confess that sin and ask for God’s mercy. When Moses prayed for the people, God instructed him to make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole so the people could be healed (Numbers 21:5-7). God was teaching the people something about faith. It is totally illogical to think that looking at a bronze image could heal anyone from snakebite, but that is exactly what God told them to do. It took an act of faith in God’s plan for anyone to be healed, and the serpent on the stick was a reminder of their sin which brought about their suffering. There is no connection between this serpent and the serpent which Satan spoke through in the Garden of Eden. This serpent was symbolic of the serpents God used to chastise the people for their unbelief.

they looked at the serpent, nothing more. they did not keep it.

the temple images were never worshiped.

[samuelsmith]

Is generation required in orthodoxy or is it a tradition? As a Protestant I’m interested in orthodoxy :) ✝️☦️

[dave]

Is the use of icons mandatory?

How is it that carved icons can emit the divine energies, and where can I find that in Scripture?

[marcusaton]

3:27 The image itself can be art to remind us of our beliefs but I think the bowing and kissing is where it is crossing a line.

Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬
You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.

You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.

[OrthodoxPhilip]

"They're not realistic paintings, but they're designed to convey spiritual reality". I know this is a very common saying in Orthodox circles, but it does not come from the Church fathers. In fact they seem to teach the complete opposite. We have an icon of Christ because His incarnation resulted in a physical form which can be depicted. That is the teaching of St. John of Damascus. The physicality of icons is the testimony of the reality of the gospel experienced by the apostles and making icons into spiritual objects sounds very Gnostic and undoes the whole patristic teaching and defense of them. I hope one day Orthodox people and clergy will return to the language and teachings of the fathers such as St. John of Damascus and the fathers of the 7th ecumenical council, none of which taught that icons are spiritual images, but rather images of the physical forms seen by the apostles and proclamations of the reality of the gospel. The reason why they aren't "realistic" is simply because they were started in the Roman empire and inherited the Roman painting style, which has become the timeless style for Christian iconography. There are many Russian Orthodox icons which are quite realistic and still canonical as a witness to this.

[ministeriosemmanuel]

οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ εἴδωλον, οὐδὲ παντὸς ὁμοίωμα, ὅσα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω καὶ ὅσα ἐν τῇ γῇ κάτω καὶ ὅσα ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς. οὐ προσκυνήσεις αὐτοῖς, οὐδὲ μὴ λατρεύσεις αὐτοῖς· ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, Θεὸς ζηλωτής...
( ΕΞΟΔΟΣ 20:4-5)

[garinforsberg]

Honest Protestant question: Is the purpose of icons to show honor and help us on earth to focus our prayers? Is the connection made through the use of the icon symbolic and done in rememberance, a spiritual connection or bridge only possible through the icon, or real and mysterious?

[andyontheinternet]

This stuff REALLY bothers me. It's like Christianized idolatry. I don't see it in the Bible or early church fathers either.

[anataskova]

Icons are the one thing you will never convince me are not idols. The analogy of the soldier and the picture doesn't exactly transfer well. I don't cross myself and bow down to the picture. Also, destroying that picture wouldn't mean anything, however destroying an icon, that's basically blasphemy to the Orthodox. Bowing yourself to it, crossing yourself, and kissing it, sounds like worship to me. And by the way, loving your spouse or children more than you love God can also be a form of idolatry. Also, this idea that some Christians are saints and some are not, is not scriptural. According to the Bible, all true Christians are saints and there is no need to put some Christians above others. I guarantee that the Apostle Paul would write an epistle to the Orthodox Church regarding icons if he was here today.

[donhaddix]

as a vet, us citizen. etc. I respect the flag as a symbol. as a christian there are no icons in my home, they are idols.

[adityanaik]

But bible say 3 “You shall not worship any other god except me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven or on the earth or in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not worship them or serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on the third and fourth generations of those who hate me.

[frederickanderson]

Apostle Paul says we are the written epistles seen by all men. Their are no physical description of Jesus or mary or any character in the whole canon. The imagination of man is evil from his youth.

[CryoftheProphet]

No, dead saints do no hear your prayers. They are not God. They are not omnipresent. They could never hear more than one saints prayers at a time, they are not god.