There were and are a huge number of crosses in the world: the ancient Egyptian Ankh, Celtic cross, solar, Latin, Orthodox, Byzantine, Armenian (“blooming”), St. Andrew’s and other crosses - these are all geometric symbols used in different eras to express different meanings. Most crosses are somehow connected with Christianity.
In the Christian tradition, the veneration of the cross originates from the legend of the martyrdom of Jesus Christ. Execution by crucifixion existed before Christ - this is how robbers were usually crucified - however, in Christianity, the cross takes on the meaning not only of an instrument of execution, but of the salvation of Christians through the death of Jesus.
Varieties of Christian crosses
In the early Christian Eastern Church, about 16 types of crosses were common. Each of the crosses is revered by the church, and, as the priests say, a cross of any shape is as holy as the tree on which Jesus was crucified.
The most common types of crosses:
- Six-pointed Orthodox cross
- Eight-pointed Orthodox
- Four-pointed Latin (or Catholic)
What is the difference between these crosses?
Virgin Mary and saints
The main news that the Bible brought to the world was the news of One God. The pagans could remember the Creator of the world, but preferred to deal not with Him, but with numerous deities, each of which was in charge of a specific area of life: this one should be prayed for a harvest, that one - for a military victory, and that one - in the case of a dental problem. pain. It was to such a world that the words of the first commandment were addressed: I am the Lord your God... You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:2-3). But what do we see among the Orthodox - polytheism again? Do they pray not only to God, but also to the saints, especially the Virgin Mary? Do they ask them for help, as if forgetting about the Creator?
Let's listen: how and what do the Orthodox saints ask for? Do they say to them: “So-and-so, as master over the harvest or the toothache, endowed me with your gifts”? No, they turn to them with the words: “pray to God for us.” All Christians, and not only them, from time to time ask others for prayer support, because they understand: it is difficult for a person to stand before God alone, he needs the help of fellow believers, their consonant prayer has enormous power. It is this kind of help and support that Orthodox Christians ask their older brothers and sisters, who have already completed their journey in life and are standing before the Lord. These people in their lives showed how much their prayer can do, how willingly they come to the aid of others - so should we really neglect their support?
After all, we believe that with God everyone is alive. It is no coincidence that even in the Old Testament, the Lord, addressing people, called Himself “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” - the first saints of His Church. He could say about Himself: “I am the Eternal, I am the Creator of heaven and earth” - and much, much more. But He chose to talk about Himself in connection with the saints, in whose lives the idea of the One God was revealed. Knowing that there is a Creator is good, but it means little to you personally. But to know that there is One who entered into an alliance with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and He invites you to enter into this alliance, to join them, is a completely different matter. And in this matter, the support of those who entered this union before you will simply be necessary.
But it is worth mentioning separately about the Mother of God, because She is not only asked for prayers, but is also constantly exalted in church hymns, practically placed in second place after Christ. But She's just a person!
These disputes did not arise yesterday; they are almost as old as Christianity. One of the Byzantine emperors actively opposed the veneration of the Mother of God. One day he gave his associates the following example: he showed them a wallet with gold and asked if it was worth a lot. “Of course, it’s expensive,” the courtiers answered. Then he poured gold coins out of it and asked the same question again. “It’s worth nothing now,” they replied. “So Mary,” he admonished them, “while she carried Christ in her womb, was worthy of veneration, but now she is no different from other women.”
Isn't it different? The Gospel does not agree with this. It is enough to read the first chapter of Luke to see: the Archangel Gabriel respectfully talked with Mary, and the mother of John the Baptist, Elizabeth, called Her “blessed among women.” But this is not enough - Mary herself, having received the Holy Spirit, realized that this veneration would remain with her forever: He looked upon the humility of His servant, for from now on all generations will bless me; The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name (Luke 1:48-49). Actually, it is in this form that Her veneration still exists among the Orthodox - with almost the same words they exalt the Virgin of Nazareth even now.
There is another very important point here: by glorifying the Mother of God, Orthodox Christians testify to the greatness of man. Yes, Christ was also born as a simple man, but at the same time He did not cease to be God, and in this he differs from all of us. But Mary was a simple girl, which means that Her righteousness and purity can be, at least in theory, accessible to each of us. Finally, Christ lived his earthly life as a man. He survived and experienced everything that can befall a person here, but He did not live in a woman’s body, He did not have a family, His own children. Mary experienced everything and even went through the terrible loss of her Son - and therefore at some moments in life we can turn to Her for help and support: She survived this... To refuse such intercession would mean not only to impoverish ourselves, but also to directly reject what was said words in the Bible.
Six-pointed cross
This is a cross with one horizontal crossbar and a lower inclined one.
This form of the cross exists in Orthodoxy along with the eight-pointed one, being, in fact, its simplified form. The lower crossbar of the six-pointed cross symbolizes the footrest, a detail that took place in reality.
The cross on which Christ was crucified was four-pointed. Another crossbar at the feet was attached to the cross before placing the cross in a vertical position, after the crucifixion, when the place on the cross where the feet of the crucified person were located became obvious.
The inclination of the lower crossbar has the symbolic meaning of “the measure of righteousness.” The higher part of the crossbar is located on the right side. At the right hand of Christ, according to legend, a repentant and therefore justified thief was crucified. On the left side, where the crossbar faces down, a robber was crucified, who by blaspheming Jesus further aggravated his situation. In a broad sense, this crossbar is interpreted as a symbol of a person’s state of mind.
Eyes, arms and legs
But before turning to the Orthodox, let's look at all Christians in general. Are there many people among them with gouged out eyes and severed arms and legs? Few, and they did not make themselves disabled. But Christ clearly demands in the Gospel: if you are offended by an eye, hand or foot, you need to get rid of this part of the body, because it is better for you to enter into life maimed than to go into hell with two hands, into the unquenchable fire (Mark 9:43- 48). If we take these words literally, there is only one conclusion left: look at something obscene - gouge out your eye; If you go where you don't belong, cut off your leg immediately. Of course, this happens more than once in every person’s life, and there is literally no way to fulfill it. So we should think about what is the meaning behind these bright and memorable words, what does Christ want to teach us? Apparently, the fact that in the fight against sin one should not feel sorry for oneself, and on the path to God one cannot do without self-restraints, sometimes very painful and unpleasant.
It is obvious to everyone that there are many places in the Bible that cannot be accepted as a direct guide to action in all cases of life - after all, the Bible is not a fire safety instruction that must be followed in the appropriate situation without thought or hesitation. No, rather, it builds for a person certain basic values and priorities, which can be embodied in different ways in his everyday life, and here he has to decide a lot for himself. After all, God expects from us not blind fanaticism, but reasonable and meaningful obedience.
It is from these positions that we will try to understand how the practice of the Orthodox Church is consistent with biblical teaching.
Eight-pointed cross
The eight-pointed cross is a more complete form of the Orthodox cross.
The upper crossbar, which distinguishes the cross from the six-pointed one, symbolizes the tablet with the inscription (title), which was nailed to the cross also after the crucifixion, by order of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect of Judea. Partly in mockery, partly to indicate the “guilt” of the crucified man, the tablet read in three languages: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” (I.N.C.I.).
Thus, the meaning of the six-pointed and eight-pointed crosses is the same, but the eight-pointed cross is more rich in symbolic content.
Relics, icons
Okay, but why then are saints not only asked for prayer, but also their dead bodies (relics) and even images are venerated? After all, it is clearly said: You shall not make for yourself an idol or any image of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water below the earth; You shall not worship them or serve them... (Exodus 20:4-5). It is said, but also explained: Hold firmly in your souls that you did not see any image on the day that the Lord spoke to you, lest you become corrupt and make for yourself graven images, images of any idol representing a man or a woman (Leo 4:15-16).
About the perishability and incorruptibility of relics. Historian and theologian Timothy Katnis tells the story.
But relics, dead bodies that should be buried and left alone? By the way, we find the first example of miraculous relics in the Bible: the deceased, who was accidentally placed on the bones of the prophet Elisha, suddenly came to life! (2 Kings 13:21) Even in the Old Testament, where any touching of a corpse or grave made a person ritually unclean, it was extremely important for people to be buried in their own ancestral tomb. There were cases when the body of a deceased prophet was specially placed in such a tomb, with a will to bury themselves next to him (1 Kings 13:29-32). If you revered a person during his life, if you hope to see him after death, you cannot be indifferent to his grave. And modern society, which so diligently hides death, perhaps needs another reminder that we all have to cross this threshold, and something else is important: with what we approach it.
Of course, it is true that an icon or relics, or any other material object (a cross, blessed water, prosphora) can become a real idol, an object of worship, which supposedly heals a person in itself. This already clearly violates the biblical commandment - but Orthodoxy also considers this approach magical and unequivocally condemns it.
However, the Church is also called upon to sanctify and transform this world, therefore it will never go into the “region of pure spirit”, abandon rituals, consecrated objects - that is, the material world. No, it accepts and transforms a person in his integrity, with soul and body, as evidenced by the veneration of relics and icons. And reverence here is different from worship, which belongs only to God.
Eight-pointed cross-Golgotha
The most complete type of Orthodox cross is the Golgotha cross. This symbol contains many details that reflect the meaning of Orthodox doctrine.
The eight-pointed cross stands on a symbolic image of Mount Golgotha, on which, as it is written in the Gospel, the crucifixion of Christ took place. To the left and right of the mountain are the letter signatures of G.G. (Mount Golgotha) and M.L. R.B. (Place of Execution Crucified Byst or, according to another version, Place of Execution Paradise Byst - according to legend, at the site of the execution of Christ there was once Paradise and the forefather of humanity, Adam, was buried here).
Under the mountain there is a skull and bones - this is a symbolic image of the remains of Adam. Christ “washed” his bones with his blood, saving humanity from original sin. The bones are arranged in the order in which the hands are folded during communion or burial, and the letters G.A. located near the skull indicate the words Head of Adam.
To the left and right of the cross are depicted the instruments of Christ’s execution: on the left is a spear, on the right is a sponge with the corresponding letter signatures (K. and G.). According to the Gospel, a warrior brought a sponge on a cane, soaked in vinegar, to Christ’s lips, and another warrior pierced his ribs with a spear.
Behind the cross there is usually a circle - this is the crown of thorns of Christ.
On the sides of the cross of Golgotha there are inscriptions: Isa. Xs. (short form of Jesus Christ), King of Glory, and Ni Ka (meaning Conqueror).
As you can see, the Golgotha cross is the most complete form of the Orthodox Christian cross in terms of symbolic content.
What the Bible really says about icons
Protestants call an icon an idol, and the veneration of icons - idolatry. In their criticism of Orthodox icon veneration, they see similarities with paganism as external, and not in essence.
In order to understand what the second commandment warns against, we need to find out: what is an idol and does it differ in any way from an icon? Even with the most superficial analysis, we will find a number of fundamental differences and even polar contradictions between the icon and the idol. What is idolatry? It is not difficult to agree with the following definition: idolatry is the worship as a god of someone or something instead of the true God, using cult images of any kind.
Cult images can be very different in their material and appearance. A departure from God is not any shape, size, color, material, etc., but the fact that it is worshiped instead of God or on an equal basis with God. To accuse the Orthodox of idolatry, one must stubbornly ignore two fundamental provisions of the Orthodox Church: 1) we worship the One God, the Creator of heaven and earth, revealed to us in the Trinity; 2) we do not consider icons or any other products of human hands to be gods or equal to God. And anyone who agrees with the definition of idolatry proposed above has no right to accuse Orthodoxy of this sin.
An idol is a lie (Jer. 51:17), a fiction of man (Acts 17:29). In the religious wanderings of the pagans, which often affected the Jews, a number of fictional mythical characters arose, deified by the pagan peoples. Not completely freed from pagan habits, the Jews demanded that a golden calf be poured out for them, similar to the bull Apis, which they saw in Memphis. Why was this treason? “They turned their hearts to Egypt... and sacrificed to the idol” (Acts 7:39;41), explains the first martyr Stephen. They did not offer prayers to God, but to an idol, and the sacrifice was addressed to him. As the psalmist bitterly notes: “They exchanged their glory for the image of an ox eating grass. They forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt” (Ps. 105:20-21). Idolatry for the Jews was not just a change in the attributes of worshiping God, it was always a change in the very object of worship. Paganism deified the products themselves, and idols were considered gods, and not at all their images. According to the prophets, the pagans said to the tree: “You are my father” and to the stone: “You gave birth to me”... where are the gods that you made for yourself? (Jer. 2:27,28; Isa. 48:5; 44:9-20), My people question their tree... they have departed from their God (Hos. 4:12), etc. If idols really were only images for the pagans, then these, like many others, the denunciations and reproaches of the prophets would be groundless. They would be more slanderous than accusatory. The Lord, the knower of the heart, knowing the thoughts of idolaters, says that they “question the tree,” and not God before the tree, as, for example, Moses did before the ark.
Orthodox Christians, looking at an icon, do not turn to it, and it is not the wood and paints that are the object of our worship, but the Person depicted on the icon. Painting an image arises from the desire to get closer to the Prototype. And vice versa, the creation of an idol does not come from striving for God, but from His oblivion.
What makes a piece of wood an idol? Her deification. It pushes God Himself into the background or completely replaces Him. The Lord commands Moses: “Make yourself a copper serpent and display it on a banner, and if the serpent bites any person, the one who is bitten will look at him and live” (Num. 21:8). In this example we see an image that serves to save a person. And only when the Jews began to bow to him much later as a deity, calling him Nehushtan, the copper serpent was destroyed by the pious king Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4). He was destroyed not because he was revered, but because he became deified. Consequently, the second commandment does not prohibit any image, but only that which is deified, replacing God, i.e. idol. A different understanding of the second commandment makes the Bible contradictory.
The nature of this prohibition is related to the question of the one true God. This is the protection of monotheism from all possible impurities and substitutions. And, of course, the Orthodox absolutely agree that these prohibitions warn against idolatry and are ethically valid and real in both the Old and New Testaments.
However, Protestants include too much in this prohibition. They say: all Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testaments condemns the veneration of icons. By this general name they understand all types of images.
But did the Jews really have no images? Moreover, there were sacred images of a purely religious nature. The Lord said: “Do not make for yourself... images of any creeping thing that crawls on the earth” (Deut. 4:8). And He commands: “Make yourself a brass serpent” (Num. 21:8). Animals cannot be depicted, but in a vision Ezekiel was shown a heavenly temple, replete with carvings of cherubim with human and lion faces (Ezek. 41:17-18). The Lord forbids depicting birds, but from Him comes the command to cast cherubim with wings, to make Cherubim on the ark (Ex. 25:8;22), on the walls of the tabernacle (26:1;31), in the inner part of the temple (1 Kings 6, 27), on the doors of the temple (v. 25), on the walls of the temple (2 Chron. 3:7), in the Holy of Holies and on the curtain (10:14). These commands indicate, first of all, the possibility of depicting the spiritual created world through the means of art. It is important to note that in order to make all the accessories of the tabernacle, including the icons of the cherubim, God filled the craftsman, Bezaleel, with His Spirit (Ex. 31:1-11). This was not just decoration of the temple, but religious images, consecrated by God according to His own command: “Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it, and consecrate it and all its utensils, and it will be holy” (Ex. 40, 9). Thus, religious images were established for the Jews by the very God who forbade the deification of anything. This is also evidenced by their place in the cult of Israel. Cherubim served as an image of the presence of the glory of the Lord, the ark - an image of the presence of God. Referring to Num. 10:33-36 let's say more - it was the image of God Himself.
None of the prophets reproach the Jews for the sacred images that were in the temple. They forbade making images of “other gods.” Is the image of Christ the image of an idol? If we take into account that, unlike the pagans, we are indifferent to the material from which the icons are made, then in order to continue accusing us of idolatry, it will be necessary to say that we are not the One to whom we should bow. But even the narrowest mind would not dare to assert this.
We must learn to distinguish the sacred from the unholy and the unclean from the pure (Lev. 10:10). And this applies to all aspects of theology and life. There is the tabernacle of David (Acts 15:16) and the tabernacle of Molech (7:43), the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons, the table of the Lord and the table of demons (1 Cor. 10:21). The pagans are deceived when they depict Baal, Astarte, Moloch, Artemis, Perun, etc. They did not exist. They are also mistaken when they deify earthly kings and national heroes. “There is no God besides me” (Isaiah 44:6) says the Lord.
We need to look deeper. The essence of things, their purpose. In the Holy Scriptures, God, angels, man, and virtues and vices are depicted through words, and since everything said about them is true and aims to glorify the name of God, we accept Scripture with all our hearts and souls, for it tells us about great providence God and the mysteries of human salvation. Isn’t that what icons are talking about, conveying meanings with other symbols? By accepting the Bible, we reject the writings of heretics as containing lies, despite their outward similarity. This is how one should reason about sacred images.
Protestants reproach the Orthodox for the fact that, referring to the fact of the Incarnation, they underestimate the prohibitions of the Old Testament. The Lord's incarnation in no way made it permissible to worship false gods or deities. The second commandment was not abolished by the incarnation of the Son of God. The Incarnation made the unimaginable God depictable according to His humanity. There is no point in providing evidence about the possibility of depicting Christ, angels and other spiritual realities. All Protestants depict Christ, the Mother of God, etc. in their magazines, books and posters. The strange thing is that at the same time they prove the impossibility of depicting Christ in any form.
It is possible and necessary to portray Christ. An icon is the same sacred words, clothed in colors, a visual image of what the prophets and apostles preached. The question is, is it permissible to use images during prayer and to show signs of respect in front of the image? Is worship performed before His image acceptable to God?
Protestants base their polemics against icon veneration on the erroneous assumption: idolatry is the worship of the true God using any images.
First, this formulation is not supported by a single passage of Scripture. All the passages cited by them speak of the worship of pagan gods.
Secondly, all the righteous of the Old and New Testaments fall under this ill-conceived definition. Worship the Lord your God (Matthew 4:10), but in the Bible there are many examples of respectful worship of that which is not God in the name of God Himself. So David sings: I worship before Your holy temple (Ps. 137:2). I will worship Your holy temple (Ps. 5:8). I lift up my hands to Your holy temple (Ps. 27:2). Let us go to His habitation, let us worship at the footstool of His feet (Ps. 131:7). Joshua fell on his face before the ark (Joshua 7:6). The Apostle Paul went to Jerusalem to worship (Acts 24:11) and prayed in the temple into a frenzy (22:17). Jacob... bowed down on the top of his staff (Heb. 11:21). So, did they all sin? No. This was worship of the Almighty before the image speaking about Him! As Solomon truly expressed it in his prayer for the temple: when they (the Israelites) feel distress in their hearts and stretch out their hands to this temple, You will hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, and have mercy (1 Kings 8:38-39) .
Protestants stumbled over the word “worship.” By confusing the two forms of worship, they cast a shadow on the saints of the Old Testament, indirectly accusing them of idolatry. “Worship” as religious self-dedication and trust must be distinguished from “bow” as a physical expression of respect. Otherwise, in order to prohibit bowing in front of icons, one will have to recognize all pious Jews as idolaters.
What was the ark for Israel? He was the object of worship of the true God, the image of God, the image of His gracious presence. “When the ark was taken up on its journey, Moses said: Arise, O Lord, and Your enemies will scatter, and those who hate You will flee from Your face! And when the ark stopped, He said: Return, Lord, to the thousands and thousands of Israel” (Num. 10:35-36). Thinking in a Protestant way, it is impossible not to accuse Moses of idolatry, because he speaks of the Ark of the Covenant as a living person. How should we react to the fact that David galloped with all his might before the Lord (2 Sam. 6:14), i.e. before the ark? In addition, before the ark they brought burnt offerings (1 Kings 3:15), sang (Ps. 137:1-2), burned incense (Exodus 40:26-27), and lit lamps (37:17; 23). It would not be amiss to note that on the ark there were two hammered gold cherubs. The ark was separated by a curtain, on which cherubim were also embroidered (2 Chron. 3:14). The altar stood in front of this veil (Ex. 40:5). Thus, incense was offered in the presence of sacred images. Outwardly, the Israelis are the same pagans. But if you look closely, it is not difficult to see that the performance of all these religious actions with the direct participation of material objects did not at all prevent them from truly worshiping the Creator; on the contrary, it contributed to this. Likewise, censing in front of icons is addressed not to the icons themselves, but to those whose images they show us.
Protestants object that God Himself commanded the creation of the above-described images, and icons are not directly sanctioned by Him, and therefore have no right to exist. But, firstly, in the New Testament there is no sanction for any religious images, but Protestants widely use them. Secondly, God commanded the creation of these images not without reason and purpose, but, first of all, to establish the correct way of worshiping God. Consequently, He sanctioned not just a list of permissible images, but the benefits of their use. Third, the above worship is not prescribed by the Old Testament, but Scripture repeatedly testifies to it as an expression of godliness.
The VII Ecumenical Council determined that sacred images should be everywhere - so that people would remember the Savior more often and call on Him in prayer more often. An icon provokes the birth of prayer in the soul of a believer, and the more images there are that awaken our prayer, the better.
Why did people in the Old Testament turn to Jerusalem and the temple when praying? (1 Kings 8.48; Dan. 6.10). The prayer before the image is addressed to the Prototype and is accepted by Him. It is this movement of the soul directed towards God that makes the image an icon. That is why the Ark of the Covenant was given respectful worship because its presence directed the heart to God and gave rise to prayer. So the icon serves us to give birth to the same feelings.
No one will deny that, even looking at the stars or the beauty of nature, one can glorify the Creator. How numerous are Your works, O Lord! You did everything wisely! (Ps. 103:24). This means that, looking at earthly things, you can sing about Heavenly things! And this visible guide to the Invisible God becomes “an abomination before the face of God” only when people worship the stars and elements instead of God, who created them.
So, we have come to the main question of icon veneration: is veneration accepted before the image by the Prototype Himself, i.e. is there a connection between them? A mother kissing a photograph of her beloved son does not cause disgust among Protestants. After all, she is not pouring out her feelings to photographic paper, but to her son. And the traditional Orthodox formula about the mental ascent from the image to the Prototype in this case is understandable and accepted by Protestants unconditionally.
What does a portrait have in common with the person depicted in it? Same personality. Looking at the portrait, we say: “This is Ivan Ivanovich” and, looking at Ivan Ivanovich himself, we say the same thing. They are not at all united by shape, substance, color, volume, weight or even external data. They are united by identity. They have the same name. And a name is an indicator not of nature, but of personality.
The Bible is also a collection of images taught to us through words. And Protestants are wise enough not to wrap their pies in pages from the Bible. In this case, they recognize the connection between images and prototypes, although even if you look at the Bible (book) the way Protestants look at an icon, then it is nothing more than ordinary paper and paints. Yes, the icon is written in symbols and is incomprehensible to Protestants, but the Bible is written in the same way. And if it is written in symbols incomprehensible to us (in a language incomprehensible to us), then this does not cease to be the Word of God. Likewise, an icon is an image of God, regardless of whether everyone understands this.
If any of the Protestants becomes offended by the fact that someone contemptuously spat on his photograph, he will violate his own conviction in the absolute separation of the image from the prototype, because the insult was inflicted on the paper, the paints, but not on the person depicted on it. And the fact that the spitting person said your name at the same time doesn’t apply to you either, he didn’t spit on you!
Protestants believe that Orthodox Christians idolize icons, serve akathists and prayer services to icons, and worship icons. We do not idolize icons, and therefore we do not serve akathists and prayer services to them, and we do not worship them, but God. The definition: “service and worship of icons” implies a complete lack of connection between the image and the prototype.
And if the Protestants are right and it really doesn’t exist, then the worship of the Ark of the Covenant is nothing more than the worship of the box and the above-mentioned blunders about insulting the image are normal. However, the Word of God says otherwise. God does not shy away from His images. He acts and even works miracles through man-made objects that symbolize Himself.
The ancients, looking at the prototype of the trampling of Satan (the copper serpent), saved themselves from death, and we, prayerfully looking at the image of the Trampled One, are idolaters?! Illogical. Regarding the brass serpent, Protestants object that God then acted through an image because the Israelites had little faith in the invisible. But then we will have to recognize Moses as having little faith. God told him this: I will reveal myself to you and speak to you... in the middle of two cherubim (Ex. 25:22), that is, also through a visible image. It turns out that any Protestant has faith in the invisible stronger than the faith of Moses and David!
Anyone who has read the Old Testament knows about the miracles from the ark. Let us at least remember the fall of the idols in the temple of Dagon (1 Samuel 5:1-12) or the crossing of the Jordan, as once through the Red Sea (Joshua 3:5), the encircling of the ark around Jericho (Joshua 6:5-7) and etc. And how many miracles and healings from icons does Christian history know, from the first centuries to the present day. But for Protestants, miracles from icons are a “sad delusion.” Why do Protestants, like atheists, need to prove that the Church did not “attribute miracles and healings” from icons, but that they actually happen in reality?
We see a reverent attitude towards the image of Christ among the Protestants themselves. Baptists, honoring bread and wine in the rite of breaking bread as symbols, or otherwise: images, signs, of the Body and Blood of Christ, are very sensitive to these symbols. They do not crumble the bread and, eating with wine, mentally ascend to Golgotha or the Last Supper. Thus, the hand-made image of Christ elevates the Baptist to the Prototype. Why do other types of hand-made images evoke directly opposite feelings among Baptists? Shouldn't they reverence the image of Christ in the same way as the image of His atoning sacrifice? Why is the image of the Body and Blood holy, but the image of Christ Himself an idol?
Worship, even a gesture, before an image is so connected with the worship of the Prototype that in the era of iconoclasm, Christians sacrificed their lives, refusing to trample on icons. And the other side: for a Christian it is better to give up his body to be tortured than to worship the image of a false god. It was not the wood and decoration that were so unacceptable (or loved) by the martyrs, but the prototypes that were hidden behind them. The images of false gods belong to the father of lies (John 8:44). The image of the true God (1 John 5:20) is an accessory to the Truth.
We do not blame Baptists for portraying Christ, where necessary, both in His earthly humiliation and in His heavenly glory. It’s only strange to hear from them that this is “impossible” and “unreasonable.” Of course, it is photographically impossible to depict Christ in glory, Who dwells in the unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16), but no one sets such a task for themselves. And Baptist artists also paint the image of the risen Christ.
An Orthodox icon aims to depict a person, not external data. Therefore, the accusation that the image on the icon is not similar to the prototype seems absurd to us. The icon does not try to depict either the appearance of the Savior, or, especially, His Divinity. The Orthodox canonical icon places all the emphasis on the Person Who both reveals and preaches. That Person Who is recognizable because he is described in the Bible. And if we ask the question about the reality of the image in the icon, then the answer will be: yes, the image depicted on the canonical icon is true because it corresponds to the image of the Savior, which was taught (depicted) by the apostles through Scripture.
Protestant magazines and posters gravitate towards sensual, photographic images. There is the same difference in the iconography of Orthodox and Catholic. The latter is also keen on sensuality and embellishment. Often Protestants, not being able to distinguish an Orthodox icon from a Catholic one, criticize the Orthodox one, meaning Catholic.
Speaking about the possibility or impossibility of depicting Christ, it should be noted that the mystery of the Incarnation is incomprehensible. And therefore indescribable neither in words nor in colors. What could be partly described in words was described by the apostles, and what could be partly described in paints was written on icons. And therefore, whoever denies the partial depiction of the Incarnation with paints (and the icon of the Mother of God with the eternal Child in her arms expresses precisely this dogma), must also deny the verbal description of the great pious mystery (1 Tim. 3:16), for the word also depicts it very figuratively and superficially.
Orthodox prayer before an image is a prayer addressed to the prototype. The icon does not entertain the eye during prayer. On the contrary, it helps spiritual concentration by blocking the flow of diverse external visual sensations. Therefore, Orthodox Christians do not need to squint their eyes during prayer, as Baptists do. A visible image destroys imagination and fantasies, which also interfere with sober prayer. The dispassion of the Orthodox icon is intended to emphasize the spiritual depth and purity of the person depicted. It creates that prayerful mood that turns our inner eyes to heaven. Standing before the icon of the Savior, the Orthodox prayer book in spirit stands before the Lord Himself. The image does not interfere with prayer, but collects it, raising the spirit and mind not to the image, but to the Image.
An icon, like a word, is one of the means of knowing God, one of the ways of ascent to Him. Therefore, the Orthodox church image (icon) is not limited to only an illustrative function, but also serves for prayerful worship and communication with the Archetype. We raise our minds to the personality, and not to its image. Whether you paint an icon to remind you of the invisible and unimaginable God, you are not creating an idol for yourself. If you imagine God and think that He is like your imagination, you set up an idol for yourself - this is the meaning of the Old Testament prohibition.
Four-pointed cross
The four-pointed cross is one of the most ancient variants of Christian symbolism. The cross of the Armenian Church, in which Christianity was recognized as the state religion for the first time in the world at the beginning of the 4th century AD, was and remains four-pointed.
In addition, crosses not only on ancient, but also on the most famous Orthodox cathedrals have a four-pointed shape. For example, at the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir, the Transfiguration Cathedral in Pereslavl, and the Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in St. Petersburg.
You can also find crosses with a crescent. The crescent on the cross, according to different versions, symbolizes the anchor (the Church as a place of salvation), the Eucharistic Chalice, the cradle of Christ or the baptismal font.
However, if in Orthodox churches the four-pointed form of the cross is not often found, then in the Catholic Church only one version of the cross is used - the four-pointed one, otherwise called the Latin cross.
The Church That Wrote the Bible
One Orthodox priest in the USA told the following story. A preacher approached him on the street and said, “Would you like me to tell you about the Church, which is based on the Bible?” To this the priest replied: “Do you want me to tell you about the Church that wrote the Bible?” His answer may seem cocky and arrogant, but if you think about it, it pretty accurately reflects how the Orthodox Church sees itself. This does not mean, of course, that it completely equates the apostolic community with what we call Orthodoxy today. No, the apostles did not wear miters, did not have icons, did not serve holy water prayers, and this is clear to everyone. But the Orthodox insist: they are a direct and immediate continuation of this community. Our Church arose not because someone once read the Bible and decided that now he needed to establish such and such an organization on such and such principles, but because in due time the Lord called Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob, and at each new stage the Divine Revelation was supplemented and expanded, then written down - and so the Bible arose within this Church, God's chosen people. Today it continues in Orthodoxy.
Formation of a canon of veneration of icons and relics. Narrated by historian and theologian Timothy Katnis.
Tradition is precisely this living connection of eras, and not at all a certain sum of customs and habits that can change from century to century and from people to people. The Holy Scripture, that is, the Bible, is the central and main part of this Tradition, with which everything else must be checked.
And yet, why then do many things among the Orthodox “not according to the Bible”? Why don't they give up what is not explicitly stated in the Bible?
Before we start talking about this, let's try to more precisely define what exactly we mean. Firstly, in the Orthodox Church, as it exists on earth, there have always been and will be many distortions and violations of the ideal of Orthodoxy - no one hides this. Coming to the Church, a person does not cease to be imperfect and often commits actions that contradict the teachings of this very Church. But such distortions are refuted and rejected by the Orthodox themselves. So, we won’t talk about this now.
There is another type of discrepancy - when some customs appear in modern church or even secular life that are not in the Bible, but do not contradict it. Thus, some, although very few Christians, do not consider it possible to celebrate birthdays, since the only birthday mentioned in the Bible is a celebration in honor of King Herod, on which the head of John the Baptist was cut off. Of course, we shouldn’t have fun like Herod - but does this mean that we have no right to celebrate the birthdays of people dear to us? In my opinion, it doesn't mean anything. After all, a lot of things in our lives are also not found in the Bible, but it would be stupid to demand that Christians give up these signs of modern life, as well as customs and habits that are not directly confirmed in the Bible, but do not contradict it in any way. They arose later, under different conditions, because life never stands still. Therefore, the simplicity and unpretentiousness of the apostolic prayer gradually turned into the pomp of Byzantine rites - just as light Mediterranean tunics were replaced in our climate by heavy winter coats.
In short, we will not consider such discrepancies now either. Let's talk about the third type of inconsistency: when something in modern Orthodox practice directly contradicts, as it seems, the commands of the Bible. And critics name a lot of such moments: Orthodox Christians pray not only to God, but also to dead people, worship their bodies and images, call their mentors fathers, and also... However, that’s enough for a start - let’s at least deal with this.
