Lenten Themes: The Veneration of Icons in the Eastern Tradition (From Byzantines.net)
"We venerate Your sacred image, O Lord, and we beg forgiveness of our sins."
There is a renewed interest and appreciation of iconography among Byzantine Catholics in the United States. It is an encouraging indication of a return to our centuries-old traditions. Out ancestors, accepted Christianity in the Byzantine Rite, also accepted the practice of venerating holy icons. Without them our liturgical worship becomes sorely mutilated and loses a great deal of its solemnity and splendor. Let us them become acquainted with the history, the meaning and the true spirit of the veneration of icons.
Strictly speaking, an icon (Gr. eikon-image, picture) is a portable sacred image, painted on a piece of wood according to the style and techniques of Byzantine art. But in its broader sense, as it will be considered here, an icon is any sacred image painted, or otherwise reproduced, for the purpose of veneration. The holy icon should not be considered as an object of art or decoration, but rather as a sacred object, fostering devotion and piety. Through the veneration of icons we should feel closer to God and to things divine.
Icons were used in the first centuries of Christianity, first as an object of decoration or private devotion, and later exposed in Christian churches for public veneration. Apocryphal writings of the second century relate that the icon of the Blessed Mother painted by St. Luke was the first icon. According to another legend, Jesus himself gave and "image of His sacred face," called the Icon Made Without Hands ("Nerukotvorennyj Obraz"), to the Apostle Thaddeus, who used it for miraculous healing and the conversion of the Chaldean King Abgar of Edessa (cf. Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. I, 13). Although these are only legends, nevertheless they confirm an historical fact that in the East the veneration of icons originated in the Syro-Palestinian region, the cradle of Christianity.
It seems that the first icons were of the Holy Martyrs and their deeds which were painted in their oratories, as indicated by the homilies of St. Basil the Great (d. 379) and St. Gregory of Nyssa (d. 394). Only later, some time during the fifth century, were the icons of Jesus Christ and of the Blessed Mother introduced. By the sixth century Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, became a great center of sacred art. It was in Constantinople that a special style of icon painting was developed which became known as the Byzantine style, and eventually becoming the pride of Byzantine art.
The golden age of Byzantine art and iconography began in the middle of the ninth century and ended with the sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204. Unfortunately, due to the iconoclasm (violent opposition against the veneration of icons and sacred objects) of the eighth and ninth centuries, almost all primitive icons were destroyed. Today, the best collection of holy icons (the 6th-15th centuries) is preserved at the Greek Orthodox monastery of St. Catherine on Mt. Sinai, which was built by Emperor Justinian I in the sixth century.
The ancestors of the Ruthenians received Christianity at the end of the ninth century when Byzantine art was in its golden age and iconography became a generally understood language in the Byzantine Church. Byzantine art, reaching various peoples and cultures, necessarily became subject to some changes according to the needs and genius of the particular countries. Thus, throughout the centuries, we can recognize various schools of icon painting which constitute the national heritage of the given places.
In the Carpathian region we have holy icons dating from the sixteenth century when the Ruthenian local iconographers (educated mostly in Kiev and L'viv) started to "nationalize" their style in order to make them more "popular". The oldest icon, painted by an unknown local artist, is the icon of the Blessed Mother in the village of Izki, Volove County (end of the 16th c.). In the opinion of contemporary art-critics this icons is the "highest achievement of Carpathian painting."
An icon does not represent the Divinity. But, by its symbolic pictorial language, it testifies to the participation of Christians in the divine life. Thus, the icon becomes a "manifestation of divine life" among men, a "transfigured vision" of divine mysteries, a "vision of the invisible" (Hebr. 11: 1), - indeed, a true "theology in color." The icons representing the saints, also, to some extent share in their sanctity and glory. Consequently, they become "vessels of grace," present and working as in their relics. St. John Damascene offers the following explanation: "The Saints, during their earthly life, are filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit. After their departure the same grace remains in their souls as in their bodies (relics-I Cor. 6:19). The very same grace is present and active in their sacred image and icons." (P.G. 94, 1249D).
Thus the holy icon becomes a means of communion with the Saints and a source of special graces and even of miracles. This explains the existence of many miraculous icons, through which Jesus Christ, the Blessed Mother and the Saints continue to bestow favors and to work miracles.
In the Subcarpathian region there are several miraculous icons of the Blessed Mother, the most important of which are in Klokochovo (from the middle of the 17th c.), in Mariapovch (by artist S. Papp, 1676), and in Krasnyj Brod (by the Basilian artist, M. Spalinskyj, 1769). The miraculous icon at the Basilian Monastery in Mukachevo is not of local origin. It was painted in Constantinople, 1453 and was donated by Pope Pius XI to the Eparchy of Mukachevo on 1926.
In the Old Testament, due to the danger of idolatry, God forbade the Jews to worship the "carved image or likeness" of any creature (Ex. 20:4-5; expl. Duet. 4:15-20). In the first centuries the Christians, too, in the face of paganism and idolatry, adhered to these Mosaic ordinances. The frescoes from the second and third centuries found in the catacombs served only as decoration. But after the victory of Christianity over paganism (313 A.D.), when Christianity theology was sufficiently developed, the Fathers of the Church gradually admitted the public veneration of icons. The iconoclastic fury of Emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741), during which the leading defenders of the icons were St. Germanus of Constantinople (d. 733) and St. John Damascene (d. 749) made the Church define her teachings. In reply, at the seventh Ecumenical Council of Nicea (787), the Church's teaching concerning the veneration of icons was solemnly proclaimed.
The Fathers explained that the veneration of icons, theologically, was based on the mystery of incarnation, since in the person of Jesus Christ we received revelation not only of the "Word of God" (Jn. 1:1-14), but also of the "Image of God," as attested by St. Paul saying that Jesus is the "image (eikon) of the unseen God." (Col.1:15) Jesus Himself testified : " To have seen Me is to have seen the Father!" (Jn. 14:9)
The following is the teaching of the Church on holy icons:
1. The Mosaic Law (Gen 20:4-5) was a temporary provision against idolatry which, in time, lost its relevance.
2. Jesus, by taking human flesh (by His incarnation) revoked the prohibition of the Old Testament, since He became the "visible image (eikon) of God," manifesting "God's glory" on His face. (II Cor. 4:4-6)
3. Jesus Christ, by His glorious resurrection, also glorified His human nature, which reflected His divinity. (comp. Transfiguration, Mt. 17:2)
4. God created man to His own "image (eikon) and likeness" (Gen. 1:26) and, after the fall of Adam, our Savior Jesus Christ restored our human nature to its pristine glory. (II Cor. 3:18)
5. The honor given to an icon is only veneration (proskynesis) and not adoration (douleia), which is given to God only.
6. The honor extended to an icon by a bow, a prayer, a kiss, incense or the burning of a candle is relative, i.e. it "passes on to him who is represented on it (to its prototype)" (cf. St. Basil, On the Holy Spirit, 18).
Our ancestors venerated holy icons not in their churches, but also in their homes. These were called-devotional icons, believed to protect their homes and to secure for them the continuous flow of God's blessings. These icons usually occupied a prominent place in every home and were decorated with an embroidered cloth and flowers. A hanging vigil lamp or votive candle added to the spiritual atmosphere of the room. Any visitor entering the home was expected to take off his hat and to pay homage to the icon before he would greet the host.
The ancient rules of Christian house-keeping from the sixteenth century, entitled "Domostroj" (House-keeping), reminded our ancestors: "The Christian should have, in every room of his house, a holy and venerable icon or image, decorated with a veil (embroidery), and provided with a votive lamp (candle). The lamp should be burning as prayers are said as a sign of veneration and proper respect.."
This traditional and praiseworthy devotion to the home icon is being recommended in our religious education classes throughout the Metropolitan Province of Pittsburgh in the form of an "Icon Corner." Hopefully, it will win the support of parents and become a prayer shrine for the entire family.
FATHERS AND SPIRITUAL WRITERS ON HOLY ICONS
St. Gregory Palamos: On the Holy Icons
'You shall not make an image of anything in the heavens above, or in the earth below, or in the sea' (cf. Ex 20.4), in such a way that you worship these things and glorify them as gods. For all are the creations of the one God, created by Him in the Holy Spirit through His Son and Logos, who as Logos of God in these latter times took flesh from a virgin's womb, appeared on earth and associated with men, and who for the salvation of men suffered, died and rose again, ascended with His body into the heavens, and 'sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High' (Heb 1.3), and who will come again with His body to judge the living and the dead. Out of love for Him you should make, therefore, an icon of Him who became man for our sakes, and through His icon you should bring Him to mind and worship Him, elevating your intellect through it to the venerable body of the Saviour, that is set on the right hand of the Father in heaven.
In like manner you should also make icons of the saints and venerate them, not as gods --for this is forbidden-- but because of the attachment, inner affection and sense of surpassing honour that you feel for the saints when by means of their icons the intellect is raised up to them. It was in this spirit that Moses made icons of the Cherubim within the Holy of Holies (cf. Ex 25.18). The Holy of Holies itself was an image of things supercelestial (cf. Ex 25.40; Heb 8.5), while the Holy place was an image of the entire world. Moses called these things holy, not glorifying what is created, but through it glorifying God the Creator of the world. You must not, then, deify the icons of Christ and of the saints, but through them you should venerate Him who originally created us in His own image, and who subsequently consented in His ineffable compassion to assume the human image and to be circumscribed by it.
You should venerate not only the icon of Christ, but also the similitude of His cross. For the cross is Christ's great sign and trophy of victory over the devil and all his hostile hosts; for this reason they tremble and flee when they see the figuration of the cross. This figure, even prior to the crucifixion, was greatly glorified by the prophets and wrought great wonders; and when He who was hung upon it, our Lord Jesus Christ, comes again to judge the living and the dead, this His great and terrible sign will precede Him, full of power and glory (cf. Mt 24.30). So glorify the cross now, so that you may boldly look upon it then and be glorified with it. And you should venerate icons of the saints, for the saints have been crucified with the Lord; and you should make the sign of the cross upon your person before doing so, bringing to mind their communion in the sufferings of Christ. In the same way you should venerate their holy shrines and any relic of their bones; for God's grace is not sundered from these things, even as the divinity was not sundered from Christ's venerable body at the time of His life-quickening death. By doing this and by glorifying those who glorified God --for through their actions they showed themselves to be perfect in their love for God-- you too will be glorified together with them by God, and with David you will chant: 'I have held Thy friends in high honour, O Lord' (Ps 139.17 LXX).
Constantine Cavarnos: Introduction to Guide to Byzantine Iconography
...Just as words edify the ear, so also the image stimulates the eye. What the book is to the literate, the image is to the illiterate. Just as words speak to the ear, so the image speaks to the sight; it brings us understanding. For this reason God ordered the ark to be constructed of wood which would not decay, and to be gilded outside and in, and for the tablets to be placed inside, with Aaron's staff and the golden urn containing the manna, in order to provide a remembrance of the past, and an image of the future.
Who can say that these were not images, heralds sounding from far off? ...Obviously they were not adored for their own sake, but through them the people were led to remember the wonders of old and to worship God, the worker of wonders. They were images serving as memorials; they were not divine, but led to the remembrance of divine power. St. John of Damascus: On the Holy Images
A wise physician does not prescribe the same kind of medicine for all, or for the same patient at all times, but according to his condition. He distinguishes the place, the kind of sickness, the time and the age of the patient..." God, being "an excellent physician of souls," acts in the same manner. He forbade the making and veneration of images "to those who were spiritually in an infantile state and were suffering from the disease of idolatry, even considering the idols to be gods and worshipping them as gods, abandoning the worship of God and offering to creation the glory due to God." St. John of Damascus, quoted in Cavarnos, Guide to Byzantine Iconography
Byzantine iconography is a sacred art. It is an art that is spiritual in essence and aims. It has seven functions:
(1) To enhance the beauty of a church with a beauty that has the impress of holiness.
(2) To instruct us in matters pertaining to the Orthodox Christian faith.
(3) To remind us of this teaching.
(4) To lift us up to the prototypes, to the holy personages whom the icons depict.
(5) To arouse us to imitate the virtues of these personages.
(6) To help transform us, to sanctify us.
(7) To serve as a means of worshipping God and venerating His saints.
Bishop Theodosius, Extracts from the Acts of the 7th Ecumenical Council
For if the people go forth with lights and incense to meet the images of the Emperors when they are sent to cites or rural districts, they honor surely not the tablet covered over with wax, but the Emperor himself. How much more it is necessary that in the churches of Christ our God, the image of God our Saviour and of His spotless Mother and of all the holy and blessed fathers and ascetics should be painted. Even as also St. Basil says: 'Writers and painters set forth the great deeds of war; the one by word, the other by their pencils; and each stirs many to courage. How much pains have you ever taken that you might find one of the Saints who was willing to be your importunate intercessor to the Lord?'
St. John of Damascus: On the Holy Images
If you speak of pagan abuses, these abuses do not make our veneration of images loathsome. Blame the pagans, who made images into gods! Just because the pagans used them in a foul way, that is no reason to object to our pious practice. Sorcerers and magicians use incantations and the Church prays over catechumens; the former conjure up demons while the Church calls upon God to exorcise the demons. Pagans make images of demons which they address as gods, but we make images of God incarnate, and of His servants and friends, and with them we drive away the demonic hosts....If the Scripture says, The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men's hands (Ps. 135:15), it is not forbidden to bow before inanimate things, or the handiwork of men, but only before those images which are the devil's work.
Lorenzo Scupoli (Unseen Warfare: Chapter 23)
In former times God, who is without form or body, could never be depicted. But now when God is seen in the flesh conversing with men, I make an image of the God whom I see. I do not worship matter; I worship the Creator of matter who became matter for my sake, who willed to take His abode in matter; who worked out my salvation through matter. Never will I cease honoring the matter which wrought my salvation! I honor it, but not as God. How could God be born out of things which have no existence in themselves? God's body is God because it is joined to His person by a union which shall never pass away. The divine nature remains the same; the flesh created in time is quickened by a reason endowed soul. Because of this I salute all remaining matter with reverence, because God has filled it with His grace and power. Through it my salvation has come to me. Was not the thrice-happy and thrice blessed wood of the Cross matter? What of the life bearing rock, the holy and life-giving tomb, the fountain of our resurrection, was it not matter? Is not the ink in the most holy Gospel-book matter? Is not the life-giving altar made of matter? From it we receive the bread of life! Are not gold and silver matter? From them we make crosses, patens, chalices! And over and above all these things, is not the Body and Blood of our Lord matter? Either do away with the honor and veneration these things deserve, or accept the tradition of the Church and the veneration of images... Let the icons of the saints bring to your mind how many intercessors you have always praying for you before God, and how many allies fighting for you in your unceasing battles. Having themselves courageously fought the enemies throughout their lives and overcome them, they have revealed and shown you the art of waging war. If, with their help, you are alert in fighting your battles, you will, like them, be crowned with victory in the eternal glory of heaven.
St. John of Damascus, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith
Often, doubtless, when we have not the Lord's passion in mind and see the image of Christ's crucifixion, His saving passion is brought back to remembrance, and we fall down and worship not the material but that which is imaged: just as we do not worship the material of which the Gospels are made, nor the material of the Cross, but that which these typify. For wherein does the cross, that typifies the Lord, differ from a cross that does not do so? It is just the same also in the case of the Mother of the Lord. For the honor which we give to her is referred to Him Who was made of her incarnate. And similarly also the brave acts of holy men stir us up to be brave and to emulate and imitate their valor and to glorify God. For as we said, the honor that is given to the best of fellow-servants is a proof of good-will towards our common Lady, and the honor rendered to the image passes over to the prototype. But this is an unwritten tradition, just as is also the worshipping towards the East and the worship of the Cross, and very many other similar things.
St. John of Damascus, On the Divine Images
Since the invisible One became visible by taking on flesh, you can fashion the image of Him whom you saw. Since He who has neither body, nor form, nor quantity, nor quality, who goes beyond all grandeur by the excellence of His nature, He, being of divine nature, took on the condition of a slave and reduced Himself to quantity and to quality by clothing Himself in human features. Therefore, paint on wood and present for contemplation Him who desired to become visible.
Some would say: Make an image of Christ and of His Mother, the Theotokos, and let that be enough. What foolishness! Your own impious words prove that you utterly despise the saints. If you make an image of Christ, and not of the saints, it is evident that you do not forbid images, but refuse to honor the saints. You make images of Christ as one who is glorified, yet you deprive the saints of their rightful glory, and call truth falsehood. The Lord says, I will glorify those who glorify Me (1 Sam. 2:30)....The Scripture calls the saints gods, when it says, God has taken His place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods He holds judgment (Ps. 82:1). St. Gregory interprets these words to mean that God takes His place in the assembly of the saints, determining the glory due to each. The saints during their earthly lives were filled with the Holy Spirit, and when they fulfill their course, His grace continues to abide with their spirits and with their bodies in the tombs, and also with their likenesses and holy images, not by the nature of these things, but by grace and power.
The holy Basil says: "Both painters of words and painters of pictures illustrate valor in battle; the former by the art of rhetoric; the latter by clever use of the brush, and both encourage everyone to be brave. A spoken account edifies the ear, while a silent picture induces imitation.
Things which have already taken place are remembered by means of images, whether for the purpose of inspiring wonder, or honor, or shame, or to encourage those who look upon them to practice good and avoid evil. These images are of two kinds: either they are words written in books, as when God had the law engraved on tablets and desired the lives of holy men to be recorded, or else they are material images, such as the jar of manna, or Aaron's staff, which were to be kept in the ark as a memorial. So when we record events and good deeds of the past, we use images ....
What more conspicuous proof do we need that images are the books of the illiterate, the never silent heralds of the honor due the saints, teaching without use of words those who gaze upon them, and sanctifying the sense of sight? Suppose I have few books, or little leisure for reading, but walk into the spiritual hospital--that is to say, a church -- with my soul choking from the prickles of thorny thoughts, and thus afflicted I see before me the brilliance of the icon. I am refreshed as if in a verdant meadow, and thus my soul is led to glorify God...
Constantine Cavarnos, Guide to Byzantine Iconography
Typically, only Christ, Moses, and Elias are shown with halos in icons that depict the Transfiguration. In some, the disciples, too, have halos. This, however, is not proper, for they are not yet at this stage Saints, persons filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, as is evinced plainly by the fact that they could not endure seeing the Divine light steadily, but were dazed and fell down to the ground. Moses and Elias, on the other hand, show themselves to have attained sainthood, because they could behold the Divine glory without being blinded by it and falling to the ground: they stand up on their feet in a peaceful, graceful and reverential attitude. What distinguishes stylistically the works of Byzantine iconography from those of classical art which also have these features [simplicity, clarity, measure, grace, symmetry] is above all the quality of `hieraticalness' - the spiritual solemnity, the sanctity which emanates from its figures. This is expressed not only by their halos, but also by their facial expression, their postures, their gestures, their garments. The hieratic manner in which they are depicted gives expression to the Christian virtues of purity, long-suffering, forgiveness, compassion, spiritual knowledge, and spiritual love.
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