The Theology of the Icon in the Orthodox Church

The Theology of the Icon in the Orthodox Church

Α + Β volume

The Orthodox Church has preserved intact a tremendous wealth both in the realm of liturgical life and patristic thought, as well as in the realm of ecclesiastical art. We know that the veneration of icons occupies a very important place, and this is because the icon is not simply a representation, a decoration, or even an illustration of the Holy Scriptures. It is something more: it is equal to the evangelical message, a liturgical vessel that fully participates in the liturgical life. This explains the importance the Church attaches to representation, not to any depiction, but to the specific depiction that was shaped over the course of its history, during its struggle against idolatry and heresies, in the icon that cost the blood of a large number of martyrs and confessors during the Iconoclastic period: the Orthodox icon.
In the icon, the Church sees not only a form of Orthodox teaching, but the universal expression of Orthodoxy itself. Therefore, we cannot understand or explain ecclesiastical art outside the Church and its life. The icon, a sacred representation, is an expression of the Church’s Tradition, equal to both written and oral tradition. The veneration of the icons of Christ, the Virgin, the angels, and the saints is a doctrine of the Christian faith that was formulated at the Seventh Ecumenical Council. It stems from the fundamental doctrine of the Church: the confession of the incarnation of God. The icon of the God-Man is the testimony of His true incarnation, not a fanciful one. Isn’t it true that the icon is often called “visual theology”? The Church expresses this also in its liturgy. The stichera and the hymns of various feast days of different icons, such as for example the Feast of the Holy Mandylion (August 16), and particularly the service of the Sunday of Orthodoxy, reveal the meaning of the icon in all its depth. One can thus understand how its content and significance constitute a theological study akin to the study of the Holy Scriptures.

Dimensions: 14×21 cm

Author: Leonida Ouspensky

Editions: ARMOS

Pages: 706, Language: Greek