www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology The spirituality of icons 101

Hi Anhelyna,

This is an interesting observation.. of course technically Mary did not conceive until *after* the Annunciation. Perhaps an exception is made for biblical scenes..

God bless,

Karen

Dear Karen,

Actually, as Anhelyna states, there is no icon of the Mother of God where she is portrayed alone.

Annunciation icons, like that of Great Ustiug in Russia, often portray Christ in her womb.

Otherwise, we know that Christ is with her, as in the Annunciation icon of St Seraphim of Sarov "of Tender Feeling."

Even the more Western image of Our Lady of Grace (of the Miraculous Medal) where the Virgin Mary is portrayed as the "Woman clothed with the Sun" as in the Apocalypse, it is Christ Himself Whose glory is what clothes her.

She always leads us to her Son, Jesus Christ. To venerate her is to venerate her Son. To find her is to find Christ and the gift of Eternal Life.

Alex

Dear Saintclare74,

Thanks for bringing up the meaning and origin of icons.

Here is the "Christ the Bridegroom" icon.

http://www.bridgebuilding.com/narr/tcb.html

I use it to prepare for confession.

Paul

Well said, Alex. Because she is only to be venerated BECAUSE of her son, never in her own rite. :-)

Hi Paromer,

Thanks! I can see why someone would use it to prepare for confession... it's like the sinner being welcomed back by Christ. Which is of course what the holy mystery of reconciliation is.

Slava Isusu Christu!

Um, that lovely icon is by Robert Lenz, the iconographer I mentioned earlier who has done many heretical icons. This one IS beautiful but doesn't it bother you that he does "icons" that blatantly contradict Church teaching?

Nope.

Good is good. Check out the Donatist heresy in the early church. Basically a unworthy priest can offer a valid Eucharist. It is not dependent on the person. It depends on God.

Paul

Yes but a heretical priest with heretical intention offers an invalid sacrament. I don't think the two are identical, though, and elsewhere have made the point that if the icon itself is not heretical that the blessing of the Church covers a multitude of sins. But why would you do anything to encourage someone who also makes heretical images? And promotes a heterodox agenda? I find it scandalous that one would patronize such a person...

Hi St. Clare,

Thank you very much for the references to books on the subject of icons....I plan to look into those...as to having an icon, are they really expensive? I don't know if it counts as an icon but I have a nice "St. Francis" cross....

What do you think would be a good "first icon" for someone who is used to Western religious images. Is there an icon similar in any way to the Sacred Heart image....

Thanks again!

There are plenty of post schism Russian icons that are based on Western prototypes. Many such 'icons' should be culturally accessible for Westerners, but aren't really the best introduction to Eastern Christian thought as they don't really express it and are not a product of the Byzantine Christian Tradition.

Happily, if someone is familiar with Romanesque, Mozarabic religious art etc., there is much within the Cypriot and Balkan traditions that is little different to the art of the medieval west. Equally, paintings from Coptic monasteries such as St Anthony's are often very like the icons of medieval europe.

Having said all of this, western Christians seem so familiar and comfortable with icons these days that few people feel them to be exotic and oriental.

I would greatly recommend a copy of a good medieval Russian icon of the Holy Face. The spiritual depths of this icon are limitless, as are those of the Mother of God of the Sign. Again, I would say make sure it is a copy of an icon that is part of Holy Tradition and is within the iconographic canon. If I were to have only two icons in the world, it would be these!

Spasi Khristos -
Mark, monk and sinner.

Dear Daniel,

Can you give ANY reason for your ill-informed contention that Robert Lentz, a Greek-Catholic in good standing, writes "heretical icons?"

How, where, when and why?

Alex

Dear Unity in Christ,

Actually, my avatar icon is the icon of "Christ the Merciful" and is, in fact, an Eastern form of the Sacred Heart of the Lover of Mankind.

On my icon, Christ is actually, some have said by way of interpretation, pointing to His Wounded Side or Heart and His Gospel book is decorated with some hearts.

Alex

I would think that Lentz's "icon" of Harvey Milk, the homosexual activist who was shot to death many years ago, would qualify, as would his "icon" of Gandhi, who while a good man was neither a Christian nor a saint. His images of Christ as an Indian shaman violate in letter and spirit the iconographical canon on depicting Christ in non-historical, symbolic forms.And in case you haven't noticed, Martin Luther King has not been canonized by the Church, nor is he likely to be.

Thank you Fr. Mark both for the advice on particular icon selections,and for giving me a little more perspective on how to select an icon.

I am interested in learning how I can determine whether an icon is part of Holy Tradition and within the iconographic canon.

Also, where can a person order the icons you mentioned? Must they be blessed before use?

Thank you!

Unity in Christ

+ + +
gtJC!

dear Saintclaire and Deacon El,

Thank you (and all the others) for the great stuff in these posts.

toodles & God bless, sUSAn