The Orthodox religion has a variety of differences that make it remarkable when compared to other denominations of Christianity. One distinction of the Orthodox church to account for this is the emphasis on iconography. Iconography is a collection of illustrations or portraits known to aid in prayer and worship. In the Orthodox church, an icon is a sacred image, a window into heaven. The English word icon is derived from the Greek word “Eikona”, meaning image (Egly, 2017). Icons also play a significant role in serving prayers.
When an Orthodox Christian goes to pray, they use all their senses. For instance, the sense of smell is utilized as incense floats through the air; a result of burning of candles, which portrays their prayers ascending into heaven. Additionally, when a bell is rung during the call to worship and at other key times in the liturgy, the sense of hearing is invoked. The priest is at the altar, sometimes accompanied by deacons to chant prayers and hymns, acknowledging the heavenly hosts of saints and angels whose worship we are entering. During the liturgy, it is acceptable for parishioners to walk throughout the church, light candles and venerate icons (Egly, 2017). The icons in the church add to the feeling of being closer to God. Icons depict silence; there are no actions displayed in the paintings, no open mouths. The icons invite Christians into contemplation, prayer and silence (Ware, 1979).
When looking at icons, a tremendous amount of imagery is involved. The following colors are used to form icons that promote a strong sense of symbolism. Blue reveals heaven and mystery. Green represents youth, fertility and the Earth’s vegetation. Red, the color of blood, suggests life, viability and beauty. White symbolizes purity, the divine world and innocence. Lastly, purple reveals wealth, power and authority (Egly, 2017). With this, icons hold meaning to the believer and are not meant in any way to take away from the devotion of prayer to God. The lighting proceeds from the character portrayed in the icon and there are never shadows in the icons. In other words, darkness is absent in these illustrations due to the formidable influence that illumination has in the religious world. The icons hold a reminder of a larger reality. It reminds people that they have stepped out of one world and into the holy world. It reminds believers that though they struggle on a daily-basis, they should remain faithful to their beliefs and God.
There is a stillness and a peace about the figures that can aid in clearing one’s mind and devoting attention to God. They also help focus prayers and help dispel the distracting images that flit through the minds of the faithful. This is another reason that icons are not painted realistically; they are meant to draw people not to themselves, but beyond the images to the heavenly reality that they depict. The Orthodox believe that surrounding themselves with icons help them to acknowledge the constant presence of Christ and the saints in their lives. When Christians join in worship, they join the heavenly throng and begin participating in that worship. For that reason, the walls and the ceilings of the church are decorated with icons of Christ, Mary the Virgin, saints and angels.
We cannot see God the Father or God the Holy Spirit, but because Christians believe that Christ, the Son of God, chose to take on human flesh, we can see Him. This provides justification for iconographers to portray Jesus using wood and paint. Orthodox iconographers can also paint His mother and other disciples who have gone to heaven. A legend passed down for nearly 2000 years describes the first icon. At the time when Christ was traveling to Jerusalem where He went through trial and crucifixion, King Abgar of Edessa called for Jesus because he fell ill. Christ could not go to the King, so instead He sent a linen cloth on which He had dried his face. The King’s illness was healed when he received the cloth. This first icon, not made by human hands, began a tradition of portraying Christ and the saints in pictorial fiction (Benz, 1963).
The entire town of Edessa treasured this first icon of His face imprinted on a cloth. It was widely acknowledged throughout the East and was still written about in the eighth century (Ouspensky, 1978). Since it has been a tradition, no iconographer following this would change the style of how icons are made. This means that they can employ their own personal style in paintings while still following the tradition of past iconography without changing essential parts such as the shape of Christ’s face. St. Luke is accredited with painting the first icons of Christ and Mary the blessed virgin (Egly, 2017). This holds tradition to this religion, which is popular along any denomination. Any repeated acts that are done, that are sometimes done without knowing the reason, shows repeatability and tradition that is held in a church.
Tradition also holds in the preparation of creating icons. Iconographers must follow a strict discipline of fasting and prayer in completing an icon. He must quiet his spirit and submit to God. The icon he creates must not be signed nor shall he receive an applause for his work. The icon must inspire worship. Painting the icon is not using one’s imagination, but instead the icon must be painted following the prescribed regimen and style that has been passed down through centuries. Everything from the facial expressions to the colors and shadows is predetermined (Egly, 2017). This again shows the importance of tradition in this religion. One can also notice that the paintings are not very life-like: they are painted in 2-D structure; by painting them slightly abstract it is easy to remember that they are not literal.
It is also important to note that iconography is not that same as idolatry. The Orthodox do not worship icons, but rather see them as a supplement to their prayers. They do not pray to the icons but instead pray near them and know they are a symbol of God’s presence. In Christian history, from the instruction of God, Moses had images of cherubim embroidered into the curtains of the tabernacle and statues of the same cast for the Ark of the Covenant (Andresen, 2014). It is also important to remember that many Christians were illiterate and could only look at icons to aid in their prayers as they had a teacher to read aloud the liturgy to the people and there were not many copies of the Scriptures because there was no printing press at this point in history. Even today there are many Christians who are unable to read. Icons teach the stories of the Scripture and the lives of the saints, along with the stories of salvation and invite Christians to be a part of that history.
It is also popular for the Orthodox to keep icons in their home. This comes with many meanings: often the icons are bought from the churches where they have been blessed and brought into the homes. It is also common for the priest to come and bless the home and the icons for holidays such as Saint days. Having icons in ones’ home holds a purpose of having a corner in the home to worship. Some Orthodox keep icons in various places in their homes such as bedrooms, kitchens or entrances and most commonly on walls that face towards the East. The East is preferred because it is the direction of the sunrise. Sunrise is depicted as an “icon in nature” of the resurrection. Also, Orthodox teaching holds that when Christ returns for the Second Coming, he will appear in the East (St. John of Damascus, Book IV, chapter 12). Prayer is important to the Orthodox because it brings them closer to God and having a place in their home where they feel this connection is important in concentrating on prayer.
In conclusion, it is easy to see why icons are important in the Orthodox religion. They are not only something that is used in a sense of tradition, but they also helps believers feel closer to God. Knowing the origin of iconography can deepen one’s understanding of the Orthodox religion. Iconography is not the number one thing that separates the Orthodox from other denominations but it is, in fact, an important one. It is a sort of window that shines light onto other distinctions of this religion such as worship, belief and connecting pieces of history to core beliefs.