This is the last in a six-part series. Part 1, Part2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 The Role of the Icon in the Movement Toward Unity What role then can the icon play in the Ecumenical Movement? Will it be an instrument leading to the healing of schisms or a sign of division? […]
This is post 3 of 12 in the series “An Icon of the Kingdom of God” This is the third part of an ongoing serial. (Part 1, Part 2) Panel icons and wall frescoes play very different roles in our liturgical experience. Panel icons are personal and engaging. They convey a vibrant life and reality, […]
This is post 5 of 5 in the series “The Icon: Sign of Unity or Division?” ( Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4) The Renaissance of the Canonical Icon Since the end of the 19th century, starting in Russia, the Orthodox Church in all its zones began to experience a rediscovery of its own […]
This is post 2 of 2 in the series “A ‘Small Entrance’ into Orthodox Christian Sacred Music” The Fathers of the Church teach that, before the Fall, Adam was like an angel. In his being, Adam was to be the bridge between the visible and the invisible creations — containing elements of both within himself […]
We often hear it said that traditional Orthodox liturgical arts are reviving. But how far advanced is this revival, how mature is it, and what in fact are we reviving? In this article I would like to stimulate discussion by briefly considering three related subjects: indigenous iconography, maturity, and features of a healthy climate that […]
This is post 4 of 5 in the series “The Icon: Sign of Unity or Division?” (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) What Is It a Sign of? Among Western Christians, there is a very clear interest in icons. Following Orthodox Christians themselves, certain Catholics and Protestants have rediscovered canonical icons, that is, Christian images […]
This is post 1 of 2 in the series “The Creation of a Christian Culture” “Christianity has a great calling, which many do not ever realize. This purpose can be defined as the creation of a Christian culture.” – Ivan Ilyin Of all the great callings that Christians are reminded of on a daily basis, […]
This is post 3 of 5 in the series “The Icon: Sign of Unity or Division?” (read Part 1 and Part 2) Some Other Points The Silence of the New Testament To support their theological arguments, the iconoclasts said that the silence of the New Testament on the question of Christian images supports their rejection […]
This is post 2 of 5 in the series “The Icon: Sign of Unity or Division?” (Continued from here) “The honor [or insult] given to an image rebounds onto the person represented.” This well-known sentence comes from a work of St. Basil the Great On the Holy Spirit 18, 45 where he talks about the relation between […]
This is post 1 of 5 in the series “The Icon: Sign of Unity or Division?” When we think about ecumenism and the problems that keep Christian Churches from healing the schisms between them, we rarely think about Christian art: neither as a bone of contention nor as a point of unity. Historically, during the […]