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I, as most Protestants I know, was raised to believe that the icons in Orthodox churches were idols, and I was never taught the historical purpose and use of this form of “visual theology.” And yet, their beauty and mystery always intrigued me.
Over the last ten years I have come to be interested in the icons of the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches. The placid and sometimes stern features of Christ and the saints, and the gilded depictions of Biblical scenes have increasingly attracted those of us who are searching for ways to fill our lives with sacred objects. And I am not alone in my curiosity. One can find copies of icons in nearly every Christian bookstore, and books about icons are numerous. As I have studied icons and incorporated them into my prayer life, I have come to see them not as idols, but as fingers pointing to God, which is what they are created to be.
I want to give you some scriptures that speak about icons: Colossians 1:15: “Christ is the image of the invisible God;” Hebrews 1:3: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being;” Genesis 1:26: “Let us make man in our image;” and Jesus himself said, “If you have seen me you have seen the Father.”
When we look at an icon, we are seeing an image of some attribute of God, either as Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. We are seeing an image of holiness in the depiction of the saints. We are seeing an image of Christ’s love for us in scenes from His life. We are looking at some aspect of the mystery of God. And, as we experience the waiting of Advent, we wait for God to reveal Himself through the icon. But first, let’s start with some definitions. An icon is not an image on a computer screen. An icon is not a movie star or sports figure. An icon is not a popular restaurant. An icon is an image of Christ, the Saints, angels, important Biblical events, parables, or events in the history of the Church. Icon means “image,” as in the name Veronica, which means “true image.” Icons are visual scripture. Their history is long, from the early days of the church, and they were originally used as teaching tools for a generally illiterate society, in the same way that medieval stained glass was used for teaching.
Those who pray with icons are seeking the face of God, and what better way to do that than by gazing at icons, reading icons, and listening to icons. Although icons are most commonly found as religious images in art, they are also present in scripture and in sacred music. Best-selling author Madeline L’Engle has a very broad definition of icons. She says they can be anything that draws our thoughts to God. This could be wonderful sharing times with family and friends, experiences of the power and beauty of nature, even a mundane task done with reverence. Have you ever just sat with a friend and felt holiness around you? Or sensed God’s presence in the woods or at the beach? Of course you have. These times have been icons for you. I believe that music can certainly perform this function, and the word of God has always been used this way.
I want to start with icons in art, as these are the most obvious and familiar forms of icons, and I want to respond to some questions that Protestant Christians often ask.
Do people pray to icons? The answer is, and should be, no. Christians pray with icons, in the presence of icons, but not to icons. Christians are very mindful of God’s command, “Thou shall have no other gods before me” or “Make unto thyself no graven image,” And it’s hard to forget the Israelites’ problem with the golden calf, isn’t it?
Do icons work miracles? There is a statue of Jesus I have seen in Cochabamba, Bolivia. This statue weeps blood, and it has been certified by the Vatican and by secular laboratory studies as authentic. People pray at this statue for healings, and healings occur. This statue can be said to work a healing in the same way that Peter’s shadow worked a healing, or the way a handkerchief that had touched Paul healed someone: Acts 5:15 “As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.” God can be said to have worked a miracle through these things. There are scripture references to immaterial things bringing healing in the Old Testament as well. Not only was the Temple altar holy, but anything touching it became holy as well: Exodus 29:37 “For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy.” Numbers 21:9 “ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.”
Do Christians worship icons? No, or at least, they shouldn’t. What they should do is venerate them, much the same way as anything in the church is venerated. We treat the crucifies, altar linens, communion vessels, and Bibles with respect and honor because of what they represent. They symbolize the divine for us. A few years ago I was in London, at the Maria Andipa Icon Gallery, and while I was in the shop, three Greek Orthodox priests came in. They were glorious, with their long beards and black vestments. They immediately asked Maria Andipa where “the icon” was, and she pointed them to a corner of the room where a small icon of the face of Christ was framed, and placed in a plexiglass box. They fell on their faces before the icon. It had started weeping myrrh, and word had gotten out. These priests stayed a long time, praying and visiting with Maria. But, after they had venerated the icon, they turned their backs on it as if it were any other object in the room.
What about the 2nd commandment, Exodus 20: 4-5 “ You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them”? Father Dean Whiteford of the Orthodox Information Center says that, if we take this as a reference to images of any kind, then clearly the cherubim carved throughout the Temple violated this command. The Jews were told not to make an image of God, as He is Spirit. Yet, there are plenty of icons in OT scripture: on the ark, the curtains of the tabernacle, the veil of the holy of holies, in the sanctuary, and on its walls and doors and furnishings. But, the Jews were very careful about this commandment. Surely they did not consider the carvings in the Temple to be blasphemy. If we limit this command to idols, objects that themselves are worshiped, then there is no problem. If the term Image means all images, then temples, churches, and all religious art of any kind, maybe even all art, is a violation of this commandment. To be an idol, the object must be worshiped.
Protestants have historically objected to icons on the grounds that they encourage idolatry. But most Protestants accept these images without even thinking about them. Remember the Sunday school Christ in your classroom, the one with the lamb at His feet? How about stained glass windows with saints and angels? These are icons. And isn’t the cross itself an icon, an image of a Biblical event and something that points us to God? So, if we can see icons as visual theology and images of holy things, to be venerated but not adored, we can try and understand their usage and importance, and even use them ourselves in worship.
All right, what do we do with an icon? And what does it do for us? I don’t know about you, but I sometimes have a very short attention span and am easily distracted. I welcome anything that will help me stay focused on the task at hand, whether the task is cooking, writing a letter, helping a child on a project, or praying. Of course, it is in praying that I am most easily distracted. All I have to do is close my eyes and shut my mouth, and a myriad of images and thoughts invade my quiet space.
Contemplative prayer is intended to lead us into deeper communion with God and help keep us there. Icons are perfect for this. They present us with an image of something spiritual, and serve as a constant reminder of spiritual things. Every time we wander away, we can always be brought back by a glance up at a holy face. It is like repeatedly looking at a photo of a beloved child or parent. Every time you look at the photo, you “contemplate” that person, and remember them and love them all over again.
On first looking at icons, one notices that they are rather primitive in their artistic style, with un-life-like exaggerated features. The same visual representation is repeated in every newly painted icon, relating it to icons of hundreds of years ago. Tradition is everything in iconography. Icons are different from other religious art because the iconographer intentionally retreats as an artist to emerge as a spiritualist. The spiritual message is what is important in the icon, not the artistic expression. An iconographer living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has painted an icon of Oscar Romero, the El Salvadorian Bishop who was martyred a few years ago. Even though this icon is new, it bears a striking resemblance to icons that are hundreds of years old. The icon is a prayer in itself, which is what all icons are for those who paint them.
How do we pray with an icon? Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, wrote a classic book called Spiritual Exercises. In it, he has his monks meditate on scenes from Christ’s life as a way to enter into Christ’s passion. The icon is a way to experience this passion and sacrifice and love. Just gazing into Christ’s face or his wounds, being brought into scenes from Christ’s life or the lives of saints can lead us deeper into confession and compassion, and upward into thanksgiving.
The second form of iconography I want to explore is music-not musicians as icons, as you may have heard, but music. Many of us listen to contemporary Christian music. The words of some of the songs, and the powerful, sometimes lovely tunes, often bring tears of repentance or joy to our eyes. These songs remind me of God’s love, Christ’s sacrifice, and the power of the Holy Spirit for transformation. Music with a holy message can bring us closer to God. Anyone who has ever spent any time listening to Bach’s music can understand why Bach himself said that God wrote this music. It is often said that Bach’s music is proof of God’s existence. But Bach is not the only composer whose music is this uplifting. Mozart’s religious music, Palestrina, Gregorian Chant, Hildegard of Bingen...all of this music is very effective in removing us from this world and bringing us before God in a sacred place. The music is an icon because it points us to God.
Finally, I want to mention icons in scripture, especially the Psalms. The Psalms have been used in worship services and in contemplative prayer since they were written. They were a key part of the Jewish worship service, and occupy the same place in Christian liturgical churches. Of course, all scripture can be prayed with, but the Psalms are particularly good for this because of their lack of story telling or teaching. They are so much about God and His relationship with humanity. They point directly to Him.
The first thing one notices about the Psalms is their real mix of themes...praise, repentance, vengeance seeking. How does all this become an icon, an image of God? Well, it has long been argued that the Psalms have a deeper, hidden meaning, a mystical sense known to the Author, who is God, and revealed to the reader during prayer. The contemplative seeks the mind and truth of God, God’s theology, and he seeks it in God’s word. Just a simple reading of Psalm 23 gives a good example of this “hidden” meaning. Surely, the psalmist is not talking about a real pasture and that he is a real sheep. It is figurative language. This spiritual understanding leads us to a mystical awareness of God within us. It reveals His nature.
I hope you now have a new appreciation for and understanding of icons, and that you have found some new tools for contemplation of God through words, music, and images. There is no right or wrong way to use these tools. Separately, together...it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that you escape the concerns of this life during your prayer time, and really focus on God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. The icons of holy words, holy images, and uplifting music all create an atmosphere conducive to pointing us to God and bringing us into His Divine Presence.
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