👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾How to #Understand Holy #Icons
(Part 4)
Beloved children of the holy Church, who desire to worship God in spirit and in truth, let us now turn our attention to the question of holy icons. For many have stumbled here, taking into their hands what is foreign to the Orthodox tradition, and in so doing, they dishonor both the faith and the mysteries of God.
On Images Outside the Orthodox Church
In many lands, especially in the West, there have arisen images that do not belong to the order of the Eastern Orthodox Church. These images, though they may appear beautiful to the eyes of men, are in fact alien to the order of the fathers. Among these, we see depictions of Christ our God being sold with the hand raised in a two-fingers. But we, the children of the Church, have received another tradition: the one-fingered image, which confesses the mystery of the unity of the divine and human natures in Christ. For in Him are two natures, yet one Lord; two realities, yet one Person. The holy icons make this known, not by accident, but by the deliberate witness of the Church. Whoever neglects this is careless with the faith, for a false image can breed a false understanding in the heart.
On the Authority of the First Images
Therefore, let us cleave to the images that we have inherited from the beginning, those that the fathers have received and handed down. When questions arise, let us not rely on private imagination, but seek the wisdom of priests and scholars, for they are stewards of the mysteries of God.
On the Relationship Between Icon and Representation
Know also, brethren, that in order to understand any painting, there must be a harmony between the painter and the subject represented. For what is an icon, if not a mirror of its owner? It may bear likeness through movement, appearance, shape, color, or even the message it conveys. But unless we know when it was painted, by whom it was painted, and for whom it was painted, we risk falling into error. Many false judgments arise when men seize an image without first discerning its meaning.
The Danger of Misinterpretation
let us take the example of the letter “H.” Though it appears the same in form, its sound differs among peoples: for Ethiopians it bears one sound, for the English another, and for the Russians yet another. Here we see that a single written sign may not always carry the same voice or meaning.
Thus, if an Englishman were to stand before a chart of the holy Geʿez letters and declare, “This is H,” he would fall into error. For the sacred letters of Geʿez are not to be defined merely by outward appearance, nor by foreign naming, but by the true sound and meaning given to them.
Therefore, before we hasten to place a label upon any letter or image, we must understand its meaning. Without meaning, the sign is empty; but with meaning rightly discerned, the sign becomes full of truth and light.
Think also of the rainbow. To us Christians, it is the covenant God made with Noah, and it also signifies the beauty of the Mother of God. But in other places, the rainbow has been claimed for wickedness, as the mark of those who imitate the sins of Sodom. Does this mean that a Christian wearing rainbow colors has abandoned Christ? No. It means only that men interpret signs according to their hearts.
Even the holy Cross itself testifies to this. For Saint Paul declared that to those who believe, it is salvation, but to those who perish, it is foolishness. To us it is life, but to the Romans it was once the instrument of death. Thus it is plain that the same image bears contrary meanings depending on the eyes that behold it.
Continues 👇🏾