Orthodox icons, history Automatic translate

In the Orthodox Christian Church, icons are visual representations of God, saints, or various scenes from the Bible. The word "icon" comes from the Greek word "eikona". In fact, they can be traced back to the early days of the church.

Iconography began on the day when Jesus Christ pressed a cloth to his face and imprinted His divine-human image on it. According to legend, Evangelist Luke painted the image of the Mother of God and icons of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and, possibly, others that have not survived to this day.

There are modern and ancient icons. The most valuable historical examples appear at antique auctions. Under no circumstances should the icon be thrown away, but it can be given as a gift, taken to a church, or donated to an icon purchase so that a new owner can be found for it.

Icons are a combination of painting and those symbols and works of art that replaced icons during religious persecution. An icon is not just a portrait, it should remind people of the spiritual aspect of the person depicted on it. An icon is an image that leads us to a holy person pleasing to God, or lifts us to heaven, or evokes a feeling of repentance, encouragement, prayer, a feeling that we need to worship this image. The value of an icon lies in the fact that when we approach it, we want to pray in front of it with reverence. If an image evokes this feeling, that’s a good sign.

By remembering the saints and their struggles, the icon does not simply represent the saint as he appeared on earth. No, the icon depicts his inner spiritual struggle, depicts how he achieved what is now considered an angel on earth, a heavenly holy man. This is how the Mother of God and Jesus Christ are depicted. Icons should depict that transcendent holiness that permeated the saints.

In the Orthodox Church it is customary to venerate icons. Upon entering, people first light a candle and then pause to pay respect to any icons that are located in front of the church entrance. Please note that “honor” is not the same as “worship.” To honor something is to pay tribute, and we pay tribute not to the image itself, but to what it represents.

Another important function of icons is to focus one’s mind on God during church services. When we sit quietly in church, it is all too easy for our minds to become distracted by extraneous things, such as what we will be making for dinner, household chores, and errands we have to do in the coming week. Instead of daydreaming, looking at icons during church reminds parishioners of where they are. The next time you go to church and find it difficult to concentrate, look at the icons. This will help you focus on your church service rather than your life outside of church.