Sacred Art

Icons: Windows Into Heaven

Iconography is not just beautiful sacred works of art; it is the theology of the Church depicted pictorially. It was practiced from the dawn of Christianity, as evidenced by the familiar images lining the ceilings and walls inside ancient catacombs underneath the streets of Rome, and within caves atop the mountains of Cappadocia. For the earliest Christians celebrating the Divine Liturgy inside these hallowed places, the sacred artwork recounted familiar Bible stories. Two millenia later, visitors there can still look up and around to find the earliest pictorial representations of the Good Shepherd, with Jesus holding a lamb over His shoulders, or the parable of the prodigal son showing the forgiving father embracing his repentant son. These visitors will also spot the familiar fish symbol and Noah’s ark.

The icons of Christ testify that the Eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among men, declaring as the Apostle John wrote in 1 John 1:1-2: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—”. Christ was not an idea- He is a Person. The Bible says that “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation...” (Colossians 1:15) The Greek word for “image” in this verse is the same word for “icon”, as Christ is the perfect representation of God the Father. The icons of Christ testify to the world that God became man. Around Christ’s head is an aura or halo, an almost universal symbol of holiness. But Christ’s halo is not the same as the halos shown around other saints, nor even in the angels of this icon. Inside of Christ’s halo is the Cross – upon the three arms are the Greek letters ώ Ό Ν (omega, omicron, nu) which literally means “the being” or more precisely “He who is”. This is a reference to Christ’s divinity. The Old Testament reveals “He who is” was the name God revealed to Moses (Ex. 3:14 – in the Septuagint text this is ἐγώ εἰμί ὁ ὢν: “I am He Who is”). The Revelation of St. John uses the phrase: “Who is (ὁ ὢν), Who was, and Who is coming” throughout to refer to Jesus Christ. These revelations of Jesus Christ’s eternal nature are preserved in Christ’s Halo.

Jesus is shown in icons wearing a red robe covered in a blue cloak. The red symbolizes divinity, whilst the blue symbolizes humanity. Thus Jesus Christ is by nature divine, yet is fully clothed in humanity. The blue cloak is distinct from the red, as Christ’s humanity and divinity are distinct and not “inter-mingled”. Yet the blue cloak is also girded firmly around His waist, showing the Son of God to have taken on human nature forevermore.

Iconography in the Orthodox Church necessitates the blessing of the priest or bishop, because the pictorial representation must accurately capture the theology of the Church. The practice of iconography involves prayer and fasting - it is a spiritual encounter. Master iconographer Theodoros Papadopoulos says: “Iconography is a religious act. The artist's mission is to translate the images he presents into spirit in order to touch the souls of the believers with his work.” The faithful are drawn to a state of prayerful contemplation as they gaze at these holy icons of light. The light reflected in our icons represents the uncreated light of God’s glory that enlightens His spiritual sons and daughters. This is why we call them windows into heaven. Icons of saints surrounding the interior of our church temples constantly remind us that “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…” (Hebrews 12:1)

It is the Church’s teaching that the honor or veneration given to the image on the icon spiritually passes on to its prototype, who is the person depicted on the icon. God honors the faithful’s veneration of His beloved, and graces both the recipient as well as the venerator. Throughout the ages, great miracles have been witnessed through certain icons, including numerous witnessed accounts of myrrh streaming from them. The Holy Iveron icon of Hawaii is one such modern-day example witnessed on a grand scale worldwide.

Although icons welcome the faithful to enter into a peaceful and worshipful state, they are not the object of worship. They are venerated and kissed, because as holy objects they represent an aspect of God’s glory, but worship is reserved for God alone. In Exodus, God clearly forbids the making of graven images, because they distorted God’s divine nature, reducing Him to a creature. God’s divine nature cannot be painted, but His humanity, which was clearly visible to all who saw Christ and touched Him, can be pictorially represented as proof that He was fully man. According to our sacred tradition, Luke the Evangelist and Physician, was the first to paint icons of Christ. In Exodus 25:19, God commands the children of Israel to make cherubs of gold and place them at opposite ends of the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant. These golden images were an accurate representation of the heavenly throne which is surrounded by cherubim, a special class of angelic powers.

Unbeknownst to most, icons are everywhere in the life of the Church. Holy Scripture says we’re made in God’s image, and that our bodies are holy temples where the Spirit dwells. The Church is an icon of the heavenly Jerusalem. Christ is portrayed as the spotless Lamb and as the Lion of Judah. He is also the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, and the Door to eternal life. The Bible is an icon of the Word of God - the letters contained within are symbols containing God’s spiritual truth. The Holy Spirit appeared as a dove when Jesus was baptized on the Jordan river, and as tongues of fire on the Day of Pentecost. The Book of Revelation is replete with iconographic imagery representing many important spiritual realities. Sacred iconography, therefore, brings us closer to understanding God’s Truth and worshipping Him alone.