Icons of Jesus Christ: idols or shrines

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Many people who are not too versed in theology will say with confidence that the Orthodox Church differs from other Christian churches in that there are many icons here. This is partly correct, only the Orthodox Church has preserved the tradition of icon veneration, while other denominations have lost it. The fact that the tradition originally existed is confirmed by ancient traditions.

For example, the origin of the icon of Jesus Christ, which is now called the "Savior Not Made by Hands", is known. An image not made by hands means not made by human hands. It is believed that this image appeared when Jesus dried himself with a towel, which he then handed over to the king of the Hagar land. This king believed in Christ in absentia and asked to be healed. Christ did not go on such a journey, but he gave the towel with which he wiped himself (in Church Slavonic - “ubrus”) to the servants who came and ordered them to take it to the king for healing. On this towel, the image stood out quite distinctly. The peculiarity of this image is that only the face is visible: shoulders and arms, which are usually depicted on icons, are absent here.

The second icon wasimage of the Mother of God, made by one of the evangelists.

Disputes about the necessity and justification of icons have been going on for many centuries. What is an icon? Why are they prayed to, worshiped by them? Is it appropriate? Or is this another modern form of idolatry? Are the icons of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God so important, or can you do without them?

Strange as it may seem, you can do without any difficulty. You can pray without icons, without the image of the cross, and anywhere. The absence of icons does not prevent us from crying out to God. Icons are only images dear to the heart, reminders. As if the mother's son left or died, and she put his photo on the shelf. No one would find this strange, would they? And if a mother talked to her boy, it would not seem surprising. No one would have suspected this woman of being attached to a piece of paper. So the icon of the Lord Jesus Christ is not at all an object of worship. No one prays for an icon, all prayers are addressed only to God, and icons are only reminders of Him. If someone prays specifically to the icon, then this is exclusively their personal delusion, the Orthodox Church does not teach this.

Why then are the icons of Jesus Christ so revered? The answer is simple: reverence for God himself is expressed in reverence for His images. All people keep photos of their loved ones in an album or frame them and hang them on the wall. Whereas we can easily throw away a newspaper with photographs of strangers. The veneration of icons is of a similar nature.

Icons of Jesus Christ are usually placed in the main place of the familyicon corner and any church iconostasis. At least that's the way it's supposed to be by the rules. In some churches there is a special icon of Jesus Christ, the value of which is even higher than that of an ordinary icon. This is a miraculous image. Miracles are, of course, performed by God. But people remember how they prayed before for a solution to the problem, and they go to pray here again. Canonically, this is meaningless, but it can be considered a good folk tradition.

Icons are revered in Orthodoxy, but they are not idols, but a reminder of heaven and its saints.