- 2 months ago
2 Cor 5:11-12
11 Therefore, being conscious of fearing the Lord with respect and reverence, we seek to win people over [to persuade them]. But what sort of persons we are is plainly recognized and thoroughly understood by God, and I hope that it is plainly recognized and thoroughly understood also by your consciences (your inborn discernment).
12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but we are providing you with an occasion and incentive to be [rightfully] proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who pride themselves on surface appearances [on the virtues they only appear to have], although their heart is devoid of them.
11 Therefore, being conscious of fearing the Lord with respect and reverence, we seek to win people over [to persuade them]. But what sort of persons we are is plainly recognized and thoroughly understood by God, and I hope that it is plainly recognized and thoroughly understood also by your consciences (your inborn discernment).
12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but we are providing you with an occasion and incentive to be [rightfully] proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who pride themselves on surface appearances [on the virtues they only appear to have], although their heart is devoid of them.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:27The
00:29The title of this reflection today is called, Do Orthodox Christians Pray to or Worship
00:36Icons?
00:38But before I begin to share with you, I do want to say I am not a spokesman for the
00:44Orthodox
00:44Church, but I am merely one who has been totally surprised by the love of God for showing me
00:51these eye-opening and life-saving truths in my personal journey into the missing realities
00:58found in Orthodoxy, which were not part or found in my Protestant ears as a teacher and
01:05preacher for over 28 years.
01:08It has been truly a personal journey of conversion, one that has not been without struggle.
01:16And after more than 28 years of teaching, I have come to see that many of the doctrines
01:22and principles I once held within Protestantism left out vital elements of the historic Christian
01:30faith and truths that Orthodoxy has preserved, practiced, and safeguarded from the beginning.
01:36Please know that these reflections that I present are only what I call a snippet or a small piece
01:43of a large puzzle, so in presenting each piece of a small part of the principles or doctrines
01:51of the Orthodox faith, which are basically foundational since her beginning at Pentecost, 29 AD.
01:59I was one of many people who have never heard of the Orthodox Church.
02:04Her beginning and continuity go back as far as I just mentioned, Pentecost, 29 AD, and she
02:12is still alive and well even up until this present day.
02:16This truth was one of the main factors which was extremely monumental and outstanding in my
02:23personal decision and conversion to the Orthodox faith.
02:28Today, I want to share a subject in this reflection which troubles most Protestant denominations upon
02:36hearing, and it is about praying to icons within the Orthodox Church.
02:42This included me when I first heard about this tradition.
02:46I would recall scriptures which I thought negated this practice only to find out that they referenced
02:53something else.
02:55Icon is a transliterated Greek word meaning image.
02:59I learned and must say up front that Orthodox Christians honor and venerate icons, but they
03:07do not worship because worship is due to the Holy Trinity alone.
03:13The honor given to icons passes on to the one represented on the icon as a means of thanksgiving
03:21for that which God has done in that person's life.
03:25And I learned that icons of Christ and his saints depict the reality of the incarnation because
03:33the Son of God became man.
03:35And he can be imaged in iconography.
03:38Now, let me say, when I first saw icons found within the Orthodox churches or meeting places,
03:46I really never thought of the art or the image of the characters depicted on the material surface
03:53of the canvas or wood, any different from art forms by those who were considered master painters
04:01done by either the older or contemporary artists of their day when I was a Protestant.
04:08And possibly it is because I was reared as a cradle Catholic and also studied art as a student
04:15at the University of Montana.
04:17I appreciated it all as art.
04:20But now, however, being away from Catholicism for the major part of my life, I don't recall
04:26specifically as a Catholic growing up that we ever venerated or prayed to the stained glass,
04:33which is a form of art that surrounded the church's walls in the small church in eastern
04:39Montana in my hometown.
04:42In fact, I don't recall that we ever called anything in the church resembling art as an icon,
04:49which again comes from the Greek word called image.
04:53The stained glass walls around the walls of the church depicted the crucifixion journey of
04:59our Lord Jesus Christ as he went to the cross to be sacrificed on behalf of all men.
05:06And there was also a life-size statue in the altar area of the church of Jesus and Mary,
05:14the mother of God.
05:16People would kneel at the railing that separated the altar from the main church area and reverently
05:21offer up their prayers to these statues.
05:24So in saying all of this, even our family practice at home or in the church or the adoration
05:32of icons was not to my memory a part of my years in Catholicism as growing up a young girl
05:39as I departed from the faith around 26 years of age.
05:44So now the question we have and start with is, what is an icon?
05:50Well, an icon is defined as an image, usually two-dimensional, of Christ, the saints, angels,
05:59and important biblical events, parables, or events in the history of the church.
06:05The holy traditions of the church tell us that the first icon of Jesus Christ appeared in his lifetime.
06:15King Abar of Edessa, who reigned around A.D. 7 to A.D. 50, was ill with leprosy and sent
06:24his servant
06:24to the Savior with the request that he should come and heal him.
06:28Should Christ be unable to come, Abar asked the servant and artist to paint his portrait
06:35and bring it to him.
06:37Upon receiving the king's letter, Christ washed his face, wiped it on a clean cloth,
06:44upon which the image of his face appeared.
06:47This image of Christ, not created by hands, was kept for many centuries in Edessa.
06:53When Constantinople was attacked by the Crusaders in 1204, the image was in all probability lost,
07:03as there was no mention of its location after this time.
07:08There were other ancient images of Christ.
07:11There was a 4th century church historian named Eusebius of Caesarea,
07:16who lived A.D. 260 through 339 A.D.,
07:21who tells of the statue of Christ, which was erected by the woman with the issue of blood,
07:27whom he had healed.
07:29At the same time, Eusebius maintains that he saw portraits of Christ and the apostles,
07:36Peter and Paul, that were drawn in their lifetime.
07:39According to the tradition of the church,
07:42the first icon of Mary, the mother of God, was painted by Evangelist Luke.
07:49Eusebius never says he personally knew Peter or Paul,
07:53but instead he collected earlier writings about them,
07:57and quoted earlier historians,
07:59and reported traditions about their preaching and martyrdom,
08:04and recorded where their tombs were venerated in Rome.
08:07All of this is preserved in his ecclesiastical history.
08:12I have learned in my searching on this subject
08:16that the history of the Orthodox Church tells us
08:20that although icons have existed since ancient times,
08:25there were various oppositions that rose up against the veneration of icons.
08:30The climax of oppositions occurred in the 7th century
08:35in what was called the iconoclast heresy,
08:38and it was condemned at the 7th ecumenical council held in Nicaea in A.D. 787.
08:46It was here when the centuries-old use of icons was restored back to the church.
08:53There were 350 bishops who sat on this council
08:58and all wholeheartedly sanctioned the use of icons in the church.
09:03This council dogmatically defined the veneration of icons.
09:09It condemned iconoclasm as heresy.
09:12It restored icons in doctrine and law.
09:15However, these decisions were later overturned by imperial power in 814,
09:24not an ecumenical council.
09:26Then, in A.D. 843, a synod of Constantinople,
09:34which was a local synod convened by Empress Theodora
09:39and Patriarch Methodius I,
09:42who ended the second iconoclasm,
09:46reinstated the decisions of A.D. 787
09:50to restore the icons to churches
09:53and deposed or ousted the remaining iconoclastic bishops.
10:00And it was here, dear listener and followers,
10:02that the triumph of orthodoxy was established as the annual feast.
10:08The final permanent restoration of icons happened
10:12and is why now the Orthodox Church celebrates the triumph of orthodoxy
10:19on the first Sunday of Great Lent.
10:22You see, accusations made by the iconoclasts
10:27against the venerators of the icon
10:29was that of idolatry,
10:32iconoclasm means the deliberate rejection,
10:37destruction, or condemnation of religious images,
10:40icons, or sacred representations,
10:44usually for religious or political reasons.
10:47They based their arguments on Old Testament prohibitions
10:51depicting God, which said,
10:53You shall not make for yourselves any graven images
10:56or likeness of anything that is in heaven above
10:59or in the earth beneath
11:01or that that is in the water under the earth,
11:04and you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.
11:08For I am the Lord your God.
11:10I am a jealous God.
11:13Exodus chapter 20, verses 4 and 5.
11:17Dear listener and followers,
11:19it is clear that these words are directed at idols
11:22worshipped by pagan people at the time.
11:25And we see in further search in the book of Deuteronomy
11:28that it is made clear
11:30which idols these graven images speak about.
11:35Psalms chapter 97, verse 7 declares,
11:38Let all be put to shame who serve carved images,
11:43who boast of idols.
11:45Worship him, all you gods.
11:48Deuteronomy chapter 27, verse 15 states,
11:52Cursed is the one who makes carved idols
11:54or molded images an abomination to the Lord,
11:58the work of the hands of the craftsmen,
12:01and sets it up in secret.
12:02You see, graven images refers to household gods of idolaters.
12:09Every nation and city had its own gods
12:13and every family had its separate household god protector.
12:19Deuteronomy chapter 4, verses 16 through 19 declares,
12:24Lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image
12:28in the form of any figure,
12:29the likeness of male or female,
12:31the likeness of any animal that is on the earth,
12:34or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air,
12:37the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground,
12:40or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth.
12:43And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven,
12:46and when you see the sun, moon, and stars,
12:49and all the hosts of heaven,
12:50you feel driven to worship them and serve them.
12:54In this scripture, we see the one true God
12:58is invisible and cannot be portrayed.
13:01In Deuteronomy chapter 4, verses 11 through 15,
13:06we read that Moses spoke with God on Mount Sinai
13:09and was told he could not see God face to face.
13:12In verse 11, which declares,
13:15Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain,
13:18and the mountain burned with fire to the mist of heaven
13:21with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.
13:25And the Lord spoke to you out of the mist of the fire.
13:28You heard the sound of words, saw no form.
13:31You only heard a voice.
13:34The divine nature of God has no form.
13:39Only creatures have form in worship.
13:42Therefore, no form was to be made by Israel
13:45as representing God's essence.
13:48To worship any form that would supposedly depict God's nature
13:52would be idolatry.
13:55But the nations that surrounded Israel
13:57worshipped forms as though they were God.
14:01The Lord did instruct Israel
14:04to use certain forms to worship,
14:07but these forms, such as those in the tabernacle,
14:10were not objects of worship.
14:12They did not depict the divine nature in any sense.
14:16Rather, they were honored as holy
14:19because they foreshadowed the incarnation of Christ
14:23and the church.
14:25Let us always remember this, dear ones.
14:27In the same way, the church uses images or icons to worship.
14:32These do not depict the divine nature.
14:35They are not objects of worship.
14:38Rather, again, they speak of Christ's incarnation
14:41and angels and saints.
14:44The honor paid to these images
14:46passed to the ones that are honored.
14:50The Ten Commandments were written on stone tablets,
14:53but now the Holy Spirit writes the commandments
14:57on the tablets of our hearts,
14:59according to 2 Corinthians 3, verses 1-3,
15:03which declare,
15:05Do we begin again to commend ourselves?
15:08Or do we need, as some other,
15:10epistles of condemnation to you
15:12or letters of condemnation from you?
15:15You are our epistle written on our hearts,
15:20know and read by all men.
15:22Then, clearly you are an epistle of Christ,
15:25ministered by us,
15:27written not with ink,
15:28but by the Spirit of the living God,
15:30not on tablets of stone,
15:32but on tablets of flesh,
15:33that is, of the heart.
15:36You see,
15:38we previously read
15:39that Israel was not to worship forms in heaven,
15:43such as the sun, the moon, and the stars.
15:45The Lord assigned these to all nations under heaven
15:50for their well-being.
15:52And these things reveal the glory of God
15:55and His eternal power and Godhead.
15:58But the nations turned them into objects of worship,
16:02and therefore they fell away from the truth
16:05into all kinds of sin and corruption.
16:09Metropolitan Hilarion in his book
16:11called The Mystery of Faith
16:12tells us that,
16:15quote,
16:15any image of the invisible God
16:18would have been the product of human fantasy
16:21and a lie against God.
16:23Worship of this image
16:25would have been worship of the creature
16:27rather than the creator.
16:29And this does not mean, however,
16:31that there were no images whatsoever
16:33in the Old Testament worship.
16:35God tells Moses to build a tabernacle
16:38and decorate it with the gold and cherubim.
16:40And he goes on to say,
16:42many people have taught
16:44that the second commandment
16:46prohibits icons or images.
16:49However, if correct,
16:51all artistic representations of anything
16:54would be forbidden.
16:55As we have just read,
16:57the Lord Himself,
16:58in the same book of Exodus,
17:00commands Moses
17:01to make two golden cherubim angels
17:05of hammered work
17:06and to place them
17:07at the end of the mercy seat
17:09on the Ark of the Covenant
17:10in Exodus 25,
17:13verses 17 through 21.
17:16The Lord also stipulated
17:17that the ten curtains of the tabernacle
17:20be woven with images
17:22of the cherubim on them
17:23and also on the veil.
17:26Metropolitan Hilarion continues saying,
17:29And in the last example
17:32of the Old Testament,
17:33the most striking illustration
17:35of an image made at God's command
17:38is the bronze serpent
17:39that God ordered Moses to make
17:42and put on a pole
17:43in order to protect the Hebrews
17:45bitten by deadly snakes.
17:47Hundreds of years later,
17:49when the Israelites
17:49were offering incense
17:51to the same bronze serpents
17:53in a kind of idol worship,
17:56King Hezekiah,
17:57who did what was right
17:58in the sight of the Lord,
18:00had the serpent
18:01smashed into pieces.
18:03So, dear listener and followers,
18:06it is not the image itself
18:08which is faulty or prohibited,
18:10but rather it is the improper use.
18:13The prohibition
18:14in Exodus chapter 20, verse 4,
18:17is not against
18:18all artistic representation,
18:21but rather it is against
18:22the image,
18:23whether in human form or not,
18:25which is to be worshipped
18:27as gods of silver,
18:29gods of gold,
18:30which are spoken about
18:31in Exodus chapter 20, verse 23.
18:34The Lord knew
18:36that any such images
18:38would tempt the Hebrew people
18:40to depart from worshipping Him,
18:42the one true God.
18:43And God knows,
18:45even in our modern day,
18:46today,
18:47that there are plenty of gods
18:48that are worshipped
18:49and glorified
18:50over the one true God.
18:53The New Testament
18:54is the revelation
18:55of God
18:56who became man
18:58and who could be seen
18:59by the people.
19:01With the same instance
19:02of Moses
19:03who said that people
19:05on Sinai
19:06could not see God,
19:08the apostles
19:09emphasized
19:10that they did see Him.
19:12Indeed,
19:12they did see Him
19:13by saying
19:14in John chapter 1,
19:16verse 14,
19:16we have beheld
19:18His glory,
19:19the glory
19:20of the only Son
19:22from the Father.
19:23And further,
19:24they said
19:25in 1 John 1,
19:27that which was
19:28from the beginning
19:29we have heard,
19:30which we have seen
19:31with our eyes,
19:32which we have looked upon
19:33and touched
19:34with our hands
19:35concerning the word
19:36of life.
19:37Jesus Christ
19:39revealed
19:39the invisible God
19:41to the world,
19:42that is,
19:43made Him visible.
19:45John chapter 1,
19:47verse 18 declares,
19:48no one
19:49has ever seen God,
19:51the only Son
19:52who is in the bosom
19:53of the Father.
19:54He has made Him known.
19:57You see,
19:58dear listener
19:58and followers,
19:59that which is invisible
20:01cannot be depicted
20:02in images,
20:03while that which is visible
20:05can be depicted,
20:07as it is no longer
20:09the product of fantasy,
20:10but it is a reality.
20:13St. John of Damascus,
20:15who lived in
20:17A.D. 675
20:18through 749,
20:21suggests that
20:22the Old Testament
20:23prohibition
20:23against depicting
20:25the invisible God
20:26points towards
20:27the possibility
20:28of depicting Him
20:29when He becomes visible.
20:31He tells us,
20:33it is obvious
20:34that when you
20:35contemplate God
20:36becoming man,
20:37then you
20:38may depict Him
20:40clothed in human form.
20:42When the invisible one
20:44becomes visible
20:45to flesh,
20:46you may then
20:47draw His likeness,
20:48use every kind
20:50of drawing,
20:51word,
20:51or color.
20:53Now,
20:54before the invisible,
20:56the limitless
20:57Lord God
20:58of Israel
20:59became incarnate.
21:01It was impossible
21:02to make an image
21:03of Him.
21:04However,
21:05after God the Son
21:06assumed a visible
21:08and tangible body,
21:10it was natural
21:11and beneficial
21:12for the Church
21:13to create artistic
21:15representations of Him
21:17and also His Holy Mother Mary,
21:19known as a Theotopist,
21:21and also saints
21:22and angels
21:23from the earliest
21:24of time.
21:25According to the tradition
21:27of the Orthodox Church,
21:29St. Luke the Evangelist
21:31made at least
21:32three icons
21:33of Christ
21:33and His Mother.
21:34Every image
21:36or icon
21:37of Christ
21:38has significant
21:39theological content.
21:41It proclaims anew
21:43the incarnation
21:43of God
21:44who became flesh
21:46for our salvation
21:47as declared
21:48in John 1,
21:50verse 14,
21:51which tells us,
21:52And the Word
21:53became flesh
21:54and dwelt among us,
21:56and we beheld
21:57His glory
21:58as the glory
21:59as of the only begotten
22:02of the Father,
22:03full of grace
22:03and truth.
22:05You see,
22:07recognized icons
22:08of our Savior,
22:09which are prayerfully made,
22:12provide God's people
22:13with inspired,
22:15trustworthy representations
22:16of Him.
22:18And again,
22:19it is good for us
22:20to hear
22:20that it was
22:22in A.D. 843
22:24that the veneration
22:26of icons
22:27was permanently restored.
22:29Initially,
22:30when the iconoclast
22:31heresy condemned
22:33and even destroyed
22:34the idols,
22:35the Holy Fathers
22:37articulated
22:37the critical distinction
22:39between worship
22:40reserved for God alone
22:42and the veneration
22:43or honor
22:44and reverence
22:45given to icons.
22:47In addition to this,
22:48the Council agreed
22:50that the honor
22:51given to the image
22:52passes on
22:53to that
22:54which the image
22:55represents,
22:56and through icons,
22:59orthodox Christians
23:00are drawn closer
23:01to Christ.
23:02The defense
23:03of icons
23:05became a defense
23:06of belief
23:07in the incarnation
23:08of Christ
23:08because iconoclasm
23:10was one of the ways
23:12of denying
23:13the reality
23:13of the incarnation.
23:15For the Orthodox,
23:17the icon
23:18was not an idol
23:19taking place
23:20of the invisible God,
23:22but it is a symbol
23:24and a sign
23:25of his presence
23:26in the church.
23:27The fathers
23:28of the Seventh
23:29Ecumenical Council
23:30agreed
23:31with St. Basil
23:32the Great
23:33in saying,
23:34the honor rendered
23:35to the image
23:36passes on
23:37to the prototype.
23:39The council
23:40decree
23:41summarized
23:42the centuries
23:43old tradition
23:44of the veneration
23:45of icons
23:45and gave
23:47theological
23:47justification.
23:49The fathers
23:50of the Seventh
23:51Ecumenical Council
23:52insisted
23:53that the proskonesis,
23:56which is
23:56a Greek word
23:57meaning
23:58to bow
23:58to an icon
23:59that Christians
24:01do not worship
24:02wood and paint,
24:03but the person
24:03depicted
24:04that is Christ,
24:05the Holy Virgin
24:06and the saints
24:07are receiving
24:08honor and respect.
24:10So therefore,
24:12there is nothing
24:12in common
24:13between
24:13idolatry
24:15and the veneration
24:16of icons.
24:17The icon
24:18does not stand
24:20before us
24:21in a self-sufficient
24:22object of worship.
24:24It is not
24:25even placed
24:26between us
24:27and God.
24:28It was
24:29St. John
24:29of Damascus
24:30who lived
24:31in the eighth
24:32century
24:32and was
24:34the foundational
24:35defender
24:36of icons
24:37during the
24:38iconoclasm.
24:40He taught
24:40that icons
24:41mediate
24:42divine presence
24:43and connect
24:44the earthly
24:45and heavenly realms.
24:46Others have
24:47said that icons
24:48were like
24:48windows to
24:49heaven.
24:50And it was
24:51again stated
24:52at the
24:52Seventh
24:52Ecumenical Council
24:54in 787
24:55where it was
24:56affirmed that
24:57honor given
24:57to an icon
24:58passes to
25:00its prototype,
25:01reinforcing the
25:02idea of icons
25:04as conduits
25:05to the
25:05spiritual world.
25:06St. Gregory
25:08the diologist
25:09who lived
25:10in 590
25:12to 604
25:14AD
25:14spoke of
25:16icons being
25:17scripture
25:18to the
25:18illiterate
25:19and said
25:20quote,
25:21For what
25:21writing
25:22presents
25:22to readers
25:23this
25:24a picture
25:25presents
25:26to the
25:26unlearned
25:27who behold
25:28since
25:29in it
25:30even the
25:30ignorant
25:31see
25:31what they
25:32ought to
25:32follow.
25:33In it
25:34the
25:34illiterate
25:35read.
25:36Now there
25:37are those
25:37who might
25:38say that
25:39this practice
25:39is no longer
25:40necessary because
25:41we live in
25:42an enlightened
25:43time when
25:44most people
25:44can read
25:45and aren't
25:46illiterate.
25:47There are
25:48those who
25:48might say
25:49that this
25:50is no longer
25:51relevant in
25:52our sophisticated
25:53day and age
25:54and it must
25:55be known that
25:56there's a large
25:56part of our
25:57society today
25:58that are
25:59functionally
26:00illiterate
26:00and ignorant
26:02and besides
26:02of these
26:03we have the
26:04little children
26:05who cannot
26:05read.
26:06yet but
26:06they learn
26:07by visually
26:08seeing pictures
26:09and we
26:10used to
26:10say in
26:11art that
26:12a picture
26:12speaks a
26:13thousand
26:13words and
26:15this is even
26:16true for the
26:17most intellectually
26:18astute for the
26:19Holy Spirit
26:20alone enables
26:21the mind to
26:22move beyond
26:23its natural
26:24limits and to
26:24awaken the
26:25spiritual things
26:26of God.
26:28Icons lift
26:29our minds
26:30from the
26:30earthly things
26:31to the
26:31heavenly and
26:33Saint John of
26:34Damascus wrote
26:35we are led
26:36by the
26:36perceptible
26:37icons to
26:39the contemplation
26:40of the divine
26:40and spiritual
26:41and by keeping
26:42their memory
26:43before us
26:44through icons
26:45we are also
26:46inspired to
26:47imitate the
26:48holiness of
26:49those therein
26:50depicted.
26:52And Saint
26:53Gregory of
26:53Naseah who
26:55lived in
26:56330 to
26:57395 A.D.
26:59spoke of
27:00how he
27:01could not
27:01pass the
27:02icon of
27:02Abraham
27:03sacrificing
27:04Isaac
27:05without tears
27:06and commenting
27:08on this
27:09it was noted
27:10at the
27:10seventh
27:11ecumenical
27:12council
27:12if to
27:13such a
27:14doctor
27:14the picture
27:15was helpful
27:16and drew
27:17forth tears
27:18how much
27:19more in the
27:19case of the
27:20ignorant and
27:21simple will
27:21it bring
27:22compunction
27:22or repentance
27:23and benefit?
27:25So in
27:26summing up
27:27this question
27:28which is
27:29asked mainly
27:30by Protestants
27:31who greatly
27:32disapprove of
27:33this practice
27:34and that is
27:35do orthodox
27:37Christians
27:38worship icons?
27:40No dear
27:41listener and
27:41followers
27:42orthodox
27:43Christians do
27:44not worship
27:45icons in the
27:46sense that
27:47the word
27:47worship is
27:48commonly used
27:49in modern
27:50English language
27:51the older
27:53translations
27:54and in some
27:54of the more
27:55recent translations
27:56in which
27:57translators
27:58insist on
27:58using this
27:59word in
28:00the original
28:00sense
28:01one finds
28:02the word
28:02worship
28:03used to
28:04translate
28:04the Greek
28:05word
28:06proskinesis
28:07literally means
28:08to bow
28:10nevertheless
28:11one must
28:12understand that
28:13the older
28:13use of
28:14worship
28:14in English
28:15was much
28:16broader
28:17than it is
28:18used today
28:18and was
28:19often used
28:20to refer
28:20simply to
28:22the act
28:22of honoring
28:23venerating
28:24or reverencing
28:25orthodox
28:27Christians
28:27do venerate
28:29icons
28:29which is
28:30to say
28:31we pay
28:31them respect
28:32because they
28:33are holy
28:33objects
28:34we reverence
28:35what icons
28:36depict
28:37and what was
28:39stated before
28:39we do not
28:41venerate wood
28:42and paint
28:42but rather
28:43the persons
28:44depicted on
28:45the icons
28:46this was
28:48the conclusion
28:48of the
28:49seventh
28:50ecumenical
28:51council
28:51in 787
28:53AD
28:54and was
28:55decreed
28:55in its
28:56auras
28:56which is
28:57a binding
28:58decree
28:58or formal
28:59doctrinal
29:00statement
29:00when the
29:01veneration
29:02of icons
29:02was reinstated
29:03just think
29:05about that
29:06this is
29:07almost
29:071,239
29:10years ago
29:10that the
29:11veneration
29:12of icons
29:12was reinstated
29:13now looking
29:15at the
29:16history
29:16of the
29:16icons
29:17as was
29:18mentioned
29:18at the
29:19beginning
29:19of this
29:20reflection
29:20the holy
29:21traditions
29:22of the
29:22church
29:23tells us
29:24that the
29:24first icon
29:25of Jesus
29:26Christ
29:26appeared
29:27in his
29:27lifetime
29:28remember
29:29King
29:30Abar
29:31of Edessa
29:32who reigned
29:33around the
29:34first century
29:34was from
29:357 to
29:3650 AD
29:38he was
29:39ill with
29:39leprosy
29:40and sent
29:41his servant
29:41to the
29:42Savior
29:42with the
29:43request
29:43that he
29:43should come
29:44heal him
29:45remember
29:45that Jesus
29:46washed his
29:47face
29:48wiped it
29:48on a
29:49cloth
29:49a clean
29:50cloth
29:50upon which
29:51the image
29:52of his
29:52face
29:53appeared
29:53now this
29:54image of
29:55Christ
29:56was not
29:57created
29:57by hands
29:58it was
30:00kept for
30:00centuries
30:01in Edessa
30:01when
30:02Constantinople
30:03was attacked
30:04by the
30:04crusaders
30:05in 1204
30:07and the
30:08image was
30:09in all
30:09probability
30:10was lost
30:11as there
30:12was no
30:12mention of
30:13its location
30:14after this
30:14time
30:15so in
30:17all
30:17practicality
30:18we can
30:18say that
30:19Christ was
30:20the first
30:21creator
30:21of the
30:22first icon
30:23there was
30:24no icon
30:25before Christ
30:26Christ
30:27himself
30:27was the
30:29first icon
30:30and as
30:31Colossians
30:32chapter 1
30:33verse 15
30:33declares
30:34he is the
30:36image of
30:36the invisible
30:37God
30:38this is
30:39the first
30:40icon
30:40not made
30:42by hands
30:43accordingly
30:44to
30:45orthodox
30:46tradition
30:46this was
30:48the first
30:48miracle
30:49miraculous
30:50origin
30:51of an
30:51icon
30:51not made
30:52by hands
30:54this miracle
30:55was created
30:56in the first
30:56century
30:57from 1
30:58to 100
30:58AD
30:59and again
31:00was created
31:01by the
31:01creator
31:02when he
31:02pressed his
31:03face to
31:03the cloth
31:04leaving
31:04his image
31:05because God
31:07is invisible
31:08and without
31:08form
31:09no image
31:10of God
31:11could have
31:11existed
31:12before his
31:12incarnation
31:14therefore
31:15no true
31:16icon
31:17of the
31:18orthodox
31:19conclusion
31:19could exist
31:20before Christ
31:21took flesh
31:22and dear ones
31:23this is why
31:24the fathers
31:25say
31:25that before
31:26the incarnation
31:27God
31:29could not
31:29be portrayed
31:30or depicted
31:31also
31:33orthodox
31:34tradition
31:34holds
31:35that
31:35Saint
31:36Luke
31:36painted
31:37the first
31:37icon
31:38the
31:39Theotokos
31:40the mother
31:40of God
31:41he painted
31:42Christ
31:42and possibly
31:43several other
31:44saints
31:44and he's
31:45honored
31:45in Christian
31:46tradition
31:47as the
31:47first
31:48iconographer
31:48especially
31:49known for
31:50painting
31:50icons
31:51of Mary
31:51holding
31:52Christ
31:52this is
31:54believed
31:54to have
31:54happened
31:55in the
31:55first
31:55century
31:56AD
31:56during
31:57Luke's
31:58own
31:58lifetime
31:59the
32:00earliest
32:00surviving
32:02icon
32:02is the
32:03oldest
32:04one that
32:05still
32:05exists
32:06from
32:06today
32:06and
32:07comes
32:07from
32:08the
32:086th
32:08century
32:09which
32:09is
32:09around
32:10501
32:11to
32:11600
32:12AD
32:12and
32:13is
32:13preserved
32:14at
32:15Saint
32:15Catherine's
32:15Monastery
32:16Sinai
32:17which
32:17is
32:18called
32:18the
32:19famous
32:19Christ
32:20Pantocrator
32:21Icon
32:22these
32:23survived
32:24because
32:24the
32:24monastery
32:25was
32:26outside
32:26the
32:27main
32:27regions
32:27affected
32:28by the
32:28Byzantine
32:29iconoclasm
32:30which
32:31we learned
32:32happened
32:32in
32:33726
32:34to
32:34842
32:35AD
32:36now
32:37it's
32:38interesting
32:38to learn
32:39that
32:39some
32:40of the
32:40oldest
32:40icons
32:41that
32:42still
32:42physically
32:43exist
32:43today
32:44come
32:45from
32:45the
32:456th
32:45century
32:46they're
32:47preserved
32:47at
32:47Saint
32:47Catherine's
32:48Monastery
32:49on
32:49Mount
32:50Sinai
32:50created
32:51by the
32:52early
32:52Byzantine
32:53iconographers
32:54the
32:56earliest
32:56history
32:57documented
32:58Christian
32:58images
32:59that
32:59resemble
33:00later
33:00orthodox
33:01icons
33:02appear
33:02in the
33:033rd
33:03to
33:044th
33:04centuries
33:04from
33:05AD
33:06201
33:07to
33:08400
33:08and
33:09these
33:10are
33:10found
33:10in
33:10Roman
33:11catacombs
33:12and
33:12early
33:12Christian
33:13art
33:13they
33:14were
33:14created
33:15by
33:15early
33:15Christian
33:16communities
33:16through
33:17specific
33:18artists
33:19that are
33:19unknown
33:20I
33:21finish
33:21with
33:22this
33:22reflection
33:23dear
33:23listener
33:23and
33:24followers
33:24by
33:25sharing
33:25what
33:25a
33:26dear
33:26man
33:26who
33:26is
33:27a
33:27monk
33:27and
33:28whose
33:28name
33:28is
33:28Abbot
33:29Triffin
33:29and
33:30what
33:30he
33:30tells
33:31us
33:31regarding
33:31icons
33:32and
33:33he
33:33begins
33:34by
33:34saying
33:34when
33:35the
33:35saints
33:36whom
33:36orthodox
33:37Christians
33:37venerate
33:38are
33:38alive
33:39in
33:39Christ
33:39vigil
33:40lights
33:40are
33:41placed
33:41before
33:41the
33:42icons
33:42of
33:42the
33:43saints
33:43according
33:44to
33:44Saint
33:44Simeon
33:45the
33:45new
33:46theologian
33:46as
33:47a way
33:47of
33:48showing
33:48that
33:48without
33:48the
33:49light
33:49who
33:50is
33:50Christ
33:51the
33:52saints
33:52are
33:52nothing
33:53it
33:54is
33:54only
33:54as
33:54the
33:55light
33:55of
33:55Christ
33:55shines
33:56on
33:56them
33:56that
33:57they
33:57become
33:58alive
33:58and
33:58resplendent
33:59the
34:00saints
34:00show
34:01us
34:01what
34:01a
34:01glorious
34:02destiny
34:03we
34:03have
34:03in
34:03God
34:04and
34:04through
34:05the
34:05example
34:05of
34:05their
34:06lives
34:06point
34:06the
34:07way
34:07to
34:08our
34:08becoming
34:09partakers
34:09of
34:10their
34:10divine
34:10nature
34:11the
34:12saints
34:13as
34:13the
34:13cloud
34:13of
34:13witnesses
34:14in
34:14heaven
34:14are
34:15present
34:16in
34:16the
34:16divine
34:16services
34:17worshiping
34:18the
34:18holy
34:19trinity
34:19with
34:20us
34:20they
34:21as
34:21our
34:21friends
34:21intercede
34:22before
34:22the
34:23throne
34:23of
34:23God
34:23on
34:23our
34:24behalf
34:24having
34:25won
34:25the
34:26good
34:26fight
34:26and
34:27we
34:27are
34:27encouraged
34:28by
34:28the
34:29memory
34:29and
34:29example
34:30of
34:30their
34:30lives
34:31as
34:31we
34:31struggle
34:32on
34:32our
34:32own
34:32path
34:33and
34:34and
34:34has
34:34been
34:34said
34:34that
34:35there
34:35are
34:35two
34:35kinds
34:35of
34:36people
34:36in
34:36the
34:36world
34:37sinners
34:38who
34:38think
34:38they
34:38are
34:39saints
34:39and
34:40saints
34:40who
34:40know
34:40they
34:41are
34:41sinners
34:41a
34:42saint
34:43is
34:43a
34:43Christian
34:43who
34:44lets
34:44God's
34:45light
34:45shine
34:45through
34:46and
34:46whose
34:47life
34:47has
34:47been
34:47transformed
34:48by
34:48the
34:49power
34:49of
34:49the
34:49Holy
34:50Spirit
34:50Abbott
34:51Triffin
34:52goes
34:52on
34:52continuing
34:53to
34:53say
34:54we
34:54venerate
34:55the
34:55saints
34:56as
34:56we
34:56seek
34:57their
34:57intercession
34:58with
34:58God
34:58but
34:59we
34:59adore
34:59and
35:00worship
35:00only
35:00God
35:01in
35:01the
35:01Trinity
35:01the
35:02Father
35:02the
35:03Son
35:03and
35:03the
35:03Holy
35:04Spirit
35:04we
35:05venerate
35:05the
35:06images
35:06the
35:06icons
35:07as
35:07well
35:08as
35:08the
35:08relics
35:08of
35:09the
35:09saints
35:09and
35:09martyrs
35:10and
35:11yet
35:11according
35:11to
35:11the
35:12decisions
35:12of
35:12the
35:12canons
35:13of
35:13the
35:14seventh
35:14ecumenical
35:15council
35:15this
35:16veneration
35:17relates
35:17not
35:18to
35:18the
35:19icons
35:19as
35:19such
35:20but
35:20to
35:20their
35:20prototypes
35:21or
35:22to
35:22the
35:22persons
35:23whom
35:23they
35:23represent
35:24the
35:25interior
35:26walls
35:26of
35:27our
35:27temples
35:27are
35:28adorned
35:29with
35:29icons
35:29and
35:30frescoes
35:30of
35:31the
35:31saints
35:31as
35:31a
35:32reminder
35:32that
35:32we
35:33are
35:33surrounded
35:33by
35:34the
35:34cloud
35:35of
35:35witnesses
35:35the
35:36saints
35:36and
35:37that
35:37the
35:38church
35:38militant
35:39here
35:39on
35:39the
35:40earth
35:40is
35:40not
35:41separated
35:41from
35:42the
35:42church
35:42triumphant
35:43in
35:43heaven
35:43in
35:44Christ
35:45death
35:45does
35:46not
35:46divide
35:46us
35:47for
35:47the
35:47saints
35:48are
35:48not
35:48dead
35:49but
35:49alive
35:50in
35:50Jesus
35:50Christ
35:51glory
35:52to
35:52Jesus
35:52Christ
35:53who
35:54is
35:54glorified
35:54in
35:55his
35:55saints
35:55dear
35:57ones
35:57it
35:58is
35:58my
35:58hope
35:59and
35:59prayer
35:59that
36:00as
36:01you
36:01seriously
36:02reflect
36:03on
36:03this
36:04message
36:05today
36:05it
36:06will
36:07help
36:07you
36:07to
36:07see
36:08and
36:08understand
36:08that
36:09when
36:10we
36:10set
36:10aside
36:10the
36:11protestant
36:12assumptions
36:12that
36:13all
36:14sacred
36:14images
36:15are
36:15idols
36:16and
36:17we
36:17look
36:17closely
36:18and
36:18prayerfully
36:18at
36:19what
36:19scripture
36:20actually
36:20means
36:21by
36:21idolatry
36:22and
36:22engraven
36:23images
36:24the
36:24distinction
36:25becomes
36:26unmistakable
36:27and
36:27also
36:28worshiping
36:28idols
36:29and
36:29venerating
36:30idols
36:30are
36:31not
36:31the
36:31same
36:32and
36:32once
36:33that
36:33difference
36:34is
36:34clear
36:34the
36:35concerns
36:36about
36:36having
36:37other
36:37gods
36:38before
36:38us
36:39will
36:40naturally
36:40fall
36:41away
36:54go
36:54go
36:57and
36:57go
36:59to
36:59you