The Difference Between Images and

👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾The #Difference Between #images and #Holy #Icons: A Biblical and Spiritual Lesson (Part 7) Beloved in Christ, let us open our minds and hearts to understand the sacred distinctions between images and the holy icons themselves, for knowledge of this truth safeguards the faith and guides the soul in reverent worship. 1. The Nature of Images ✍🏾A painting or image is a tangible object, a visible representation of a person or event. Chief Kidane Wold Kifle, in his Sewasew Wegs Dictionary of Grammar, explains that a painting is a “portrait, a shadow of a form, a design, or a representation.” Yohannes Zedamasco further clarifies that a picture contains the likeness of the one represented, yet it remains distinct from the person depicted. ✍🏾In other words, while a painting resembles its subject, it is not the subject itself. Consider a photograph: there is the living person, and there is the photograph. If one asks, “Who is this in the picture?” the answer is the person represented, not the paper or canvas itself. The image points to reality, it reveals, it instructs but it cannot act or live independently. Thus, images are vehicles of representation, not the essence of the being they depict. 2. Three Types of Pictures in the Bible The Scriptures reveal three distinct categories of images: a) Holy Icons ✍🏾The term “holy” derives from the Gë`ëz verb qedese, meaning “to separate, honor, or choose.” Holy icons are thus set apart for God, sacred objects that guide the faithful toward spiritual contemplation. They allow us to see, with the eyes of the spirit, the identity and deeds of the saints. Their holiness derives from the saints they depict and the miracles God performs through them. ✍🏾In the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the following are recognized as holy icons , created according to apostolic tradition and canonical teachings: 👉🏾The Holy God 👉🏾Our Lady, the Holy Virgin Mary 👉🏾The Holy Angels 👉🏾The Holy Prophets 👉🏾The Holy Apostles 👉🏾Other righteous and holy persons ✍🏾These images represent the saints’ lives, their virtue, and their participation in God’s glory. Holy icons are not mere decoration they are windows to the divine, teaching and inspiring the faithful. (Exodus 25:18–22; 36:8–35) b) Idols images (Unclean Images) ✍🏾In contrast, the Bible warns against images that oppose God’s work and glorify evil. These unclean images are set up for false worship and deception. Among them are: 👉🏾The golden calf worshipped by the Israelites (Exodus 32:1–10) 👉🏾The golden image of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon (Daniel 3:1) 👉🏾The female deity Astaroth worshipped by the Canaanites ✍🏾Such images are condemned because they lead the heart away from God (Deut. 7:25; 1 Kings 12:28–30; Daniel 11:31; Matthew 24:15–18). They are instruments of idolatry and spiritual corruption, gate of sin. c) Secular or Worldly Images ✍🏾Finally, there are images that are neither holy nor intended for worship. These include portraits, photographs, inscriptions, and symbols used in everyday life. Their purpose is informational, decorative, or symbolic, not spiritual. Examples include: 👉🏾Images of rulers on coins (Matthew 22:20) 👉🏾Photographs of people or objects 👉🏾Logos, traffic signs, and organizational symbols 👉🏾Decorative motifs, tattoos, or calligraphy 👉🏾These images are neutral they carry meaning in the material world but do not convey holiness or divine presence. Continues 👇🏾