When Icons Bring Life
How I profoundly changed my perspective on religious icons
Tonight, I attended Vespers prayers at my husband’s Greek Orthodox Church here in Prescott, Arizona. As I prayed, I glanced at all the beautiful iconography. It reminded me that I have been meaning to write about what changed my mind on iconography when I was first investigating Orthodoxy.
Back in the days of my evangelical — or rather, as His Grace Archbishop Angaelos described it, “post-Reformation” — life of many decades, I had a very different perspective on church aesthetics than I do now.
A simple church building, without any ornamentation except a cross, was all I found acceptable for the place where I could come to worship on Sundays. I had grown up Roman Catholic, but had left when I was about 13, calling the people I had encountered “hypocrites.” When I became a “born-again believer” at age 16, I quickly adopted the very strong stance against Catholicism and everything that came with it. Below is a bit of what my church experience looked like in those days, including my view from the sound booth where I would run slides and videos during worship services.
Yet, while researching my Ph.D. dissertation, I began visiting Orthodox churches, specifically Syriac Orthodox ones. They were different than the Greek Orthodox churches I had seen when visiting with my in-laws, usually for weddings or funerals. I had pushed those away, along with the Roman Catholic ones of my youth. Just basically idolatry in those places, you know. Oh boy, how little I understood….
The more I learned about Syriac Orthodoxy, the more beautiful the churches I entered became to me. As I learned about the importance of the Eucharist, I developed a profound appreciation for the beauty of the altars and all their furnishings. Many churches had either stained-glass windows or murals on the walls and, sometimes, the ceilings, depicting biblical stories or saints. At first, I thought the churches were not as ornate as the Greek Orthodox ones I had seen, but as I went along, I saw more beautifully decorated churches.
The iconography in Syriac Orthodox churches is different than in the Eastern Orthodox churches I had visited. The colors were more vibrant. The depictions of humans in them were more natural than those in the Byzantine style. What both share is the lack of statues, a feature that was always present in Roman Catholic churches.
It was only when I learned about the Department of Syriac Studies (DSS), led by His Eminence Mor Severios Roger Akhrass, that I realized how beautiful, in its own right, the iconography has been throughout the centuries in the Syriac tradition. On the DSS website, you can find listings of Syriac icons and manuscript illuminations of events in the liturgical calendar and of various saints. H. E. Mor Severios gave a wonderful presentation about the iconography of the Syriac Orthodox Church a few years ago.
As I read for my dissertation, I came across Christine Chaillot’s book, The Role of Images and the Veneration of Icons in the Oriental Orthodox Churches. She is a Swiss author and scholar specializing in the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches and the ecumenical dialogue between them. In another article, she writes, “The icons were used and venerated since the time of the early Church not only in the Churches of the Byzantine tradition but also in the Churches now called Oriental Orthodox or miaphysite (not monophysite), of the Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian and also Syrian Orthodox traditions.”1
She writes that in the Syriac Orthodox Church tradition, images, icons, paintings, and illuminations in the texts are referenced. It is important to understand that “there is no direct evidence that would allow us to accuse these non-Chalcedonians of being iconoclastic”2; rather, as she writes, “Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim of Aleppo says that the Syrian Orthodox did not participate in the iconoclast dispute and were not responsible for its outbreak.”3
Even the iconography itself will confirm how far removed the Syriac understanding of iconography was from the Byzantine style, which was caught up in the iconoclasm of the eighth century. It is very distinct in style from the depictions of the Eastern Orthodox churches.
Again, I have written a lot a bit about the differences I perceive. At my husband’s Greek Orthodox church, we recently studied a wonderful book by Dr. Eve Tibbs, called Seeing the Gospel: An Interpretive Guide to Orthodox Icons. It explores the intricacies of the elements in Eastern Orthodox iconography. I have to admit that, since studying this book, the riches of the theology hidden in the Church’s iconography are mind-blowing.
Tonight, as I sat in church, looking up at the icons, many of these learnings were brought back to mind, and I marveled at how the iconography helps me to focus in on my worship of God so much more than I ever experienced in my post-Reformation life (thanks again for that term, Your Grace Archbishop Angaelos).
My prayer is so much richer when my glances can rest on the faces of our Lord, His mother, the blessed Virgin Mary, and all the saints who surround us as we worship God. They are truly windows into heaven. I remember when I first came to my husband’s church, I told Father Jeffrey, the parish priest, that it might be a while before I could venerate icons. Fast-forward to today, and I kiss the icons with great joy as I say hello to these beloved faces upon entering the church.
My Syriac Orthodox church here in Arizona doesn’t have icons, except for a large depiction of St. George in the narthex. However, in all fairness, this is not our building (we rent), and I can only hope and pray that if and when the Lord provides for our own building, we will joyfully decorate it with beautiful iconography. I remember seeing the joy on His Eminence Mor Philoxenus Mattias Nayis’ face in Warburg at our monastery in Germany, when he showed me the beautiful recreations of ancient icons of our church that would soon decorate the walls.
A word to my Protestant readers: we do not worship these icons. We venerate them because they remind us of the great truth they depict: the love of God for His children. I am so grateful to worship God in environments that give glory to His beauty, much like the temple He Himself directed the Israelites to build.
The full article can be found here: https://www.academia.edu/111133186/THE_SYRIAN_ORTHODOX_CHURCH_AND_THE_USE_OF_IMAGES_By
Ibid, 31.
Ibid, 31.