Do not make any image or worship. Biblical texts about images

“You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth; You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth [generation] of those who hate Me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments” (Exodus 20 :4–6).

How does this commandment reveal the character of our God? For sin, He punishes those who hate Him to the fourth generation, but He grants His mercy to those who love Him to a thousand generations! In mathematical terms, this means that the Lord has mercy and forgives people 250 times more than He punishes. Have you seen any parents on earth who show as much patience and mercy towards their children? Truly, our Heavenly Father is a loving and merciful God.

What does “God is jealous” mean? Zealot means one who does not allow compromises. God loves His creation so much that He cannot remain indifferent when we betray Him, when we create gods for ourselves who are not gods, and also if we honor the products of human hands and bow before them, or give the product of our hands the status of holiness and reverence. In the Bible we see the Lord's instruction to those who make images of gods and worship them: “Who do you liken God to? And what likeness will you find to Him? The artist casts the idol, and the gilder covers it with gold and attaches silver chains. But whoever is poor for such an offering chooses wood that does not rot, and seeks out a skilled artist to make an idol that will stand firm” (Isaiah 40:18-20). And further: “Those who make idols are all worthless, and those who desire them most do not bring any benefit, and they are witnesses of this to themselves. They do not see and do not understand, and therefore they will be put to shame. Who made a god and cast an idol that brings no benefit? All those participating in this will be ashamed, for artists themselves are human; let them all gather and stand; they will be afraid, and all will be put to shame” (Isaiah 44:9–11).

So, the second commandment of the Law of God forbids making images for the purpose of worship. This applies to images of both Jesus Christ and other personalities.

In the Holy Scriptures you will find a warning from Jesus Christ: “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” And “In vain do they worship Me, teaching doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:3, 9). Holy Scripture nowhere teaches to make images of any person in order to worship him; This is a human commandment. The Bible also teaches us not to base our faith on what people say because it may be wrong. “It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in man” (Psalm 118:8); “God is faithful, but every man is a liar” (Romans 3:4).

There is a legend that the Apostle Luke created the first icons. Anyone who reads the Bible understands that this statement has no serious basis, because in the letters of the apostles we read that it is impossible to make images for worship - even images of a person: “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man...” (Romans 1:22, 23).

Some Christians make a distinction between veneration and worship and say that images are not worshiped, but venerated. But, at the same time, veneration is performed with kneeling, bowing, kissing, incense and candles. The Apostle John was given a vision: “I, John, have seen and heard this. When I heard and saw, I fell at the feet of the Angel showing me this to worship [him]; but he said to me: see that you do not do this; For I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and with them who keep the words of this book; Worship God” (Revelation 22:8, 9). This example shows that even angels should not be worshiped; worship should be given only to the living God.

Just as each country has its own laws by which people live, so the spiritual life of a Christian is determined by the laws that God gave on the pages of His Word. People are mistaken if they believe that the commandments have been abolished or can be changed. We can call ourselves Christians if we not only believe in Christ, but also act as He teaches us. If we add to the teachings of Christ something that is not there, then we live not according to the Word of God, but according to traditions and human teachings.

Friends, let everyone decide for themselves which teaching to follow in their lives.

Prepared by Victor Bakhtin

Analysis of biblical texts about images is directly related to understanding the possibility of such a phenomenon in the Church as an icon. In the Bible the Greek word itself “εἰκών” is rare in the Bible. In the book of Revelation, the expression “image of the beast” is applied to the Antichrist. This gives rise to critics of icon veneration, primarily from among neo-Protestants, who make the primitive conclusion that since this word is applied to the Antichrist, then the concept itself is discredited. In Matthew, in the words of Christ: “Whose image is this?”— Mf. 22.20. Let's try to understand, using biblical examples, how the image and its place in sacred events are really understood in the world of the Bible.

The icon itself has accompanied the existence of the Church almost from the very beginning. Recent archaeological discoveries convincingly show that Christians used images of sacred events in the earliest era. For example, in the buried city of Pompeii and Herculaneum, where there were wall paintings of biblical scenes and images of the cross. Finding traces of the Christian presence in Herculaneum is all the more interesting because, as is known (Acts 28:13), ap. Paul preached in Puteoli, 10 km from Pompeii. From the opposite edge of the Roman Empire - the Dura-Europos catacombs in Mesopotamia - other frescoes of catacomb Christians (by the way, with the image of the Virgin Mary) have reached us from the 2nd century.

The icon entered the Church naturally, without special theological and doctrinal regulations. Byzantine scholar Andrei Grabar specifically noted the fact that with every decade from the 2nd to the 6th centuries the number of monuments of early Christian art that have reached us increases, but at the same time, Christian writing says almost nothing about this. This suggests that the images were so natural that they did not require special apology or consideration.

And only when the imperial power made iconoclasm its policy, church reason gave a systematic explanation for icon veneration.

Images in the Old Testament.

Because Critics of the veneration of sacred images refer primarily to the books of the Old Testament, then it is appropriate to turn there. Let's start with the place where “all images” are prohibited.

“Keep it firmly in your souls that you did not see any image in the day that the Lord spoke to you on Mount Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you become corrupt and make for yourselves graven images, images of any idol representing a man or a woman, images of some livestock that is on the earth, images of some winged bird that flies under the heavens, images of some reptile crawling on the ground<…>Take heed lest you forget the covenant of the Lord<…>and not to make for yourself any graven image representing anything”—Deut. 4, 15-18,23.

Does this mean that God prohibits images in general and sacred images in particular?

Further we can see that God himself commands to pour out the copper serpent (Num. 21: 8-9), although it was said “any creeping thing”, animals cannot be depicted - and suddenly Ezekiel sees a heavenly temple, in which there are carved images of cherubim with human and lion faces (Ezek. 41, 17-19). You cannot depict birds - and the command comes from God to pour out cherubs with wings, that is, in bird form - (4).

Ref. 25:18-20 And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold: of hammered work thou shalt make them at both ends of the mercy seat; make one cherub on one side, and another cherub on the other side; make cherubs protruding from the lid on both edges of it; And the cherubim will have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces will be toward each other: the faces of the cherubim will be toward the mercy seat.
“And thou shalt make the tabernacle of ten curtains of fine woven linen, and of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and cherubim thou shalt make them with cunning work” - Ex. 26, 1.
The same was true during the construction of the Temple of Jerusalem: “And on all the walls of the temple all around he made carved images of cherubim and palm trees and blossoming flowers, inside and outside” - 1 Kings. 6, 29.
“For the entrance to the davir, I made doors from olive wood, with pentagonal jambs.

On the two halves of the doors of olive wood he carved cherubs and palm trees and blossoming flowers and overlaid them with gold; covered both the cherubim and the palm trees with gold” - 1 Kings 6:31,32. Further the same in 3 Kings. 6, 34-35; 1 Kings 6, 31-32.

The prophet Ezekiel saw in visions a temple in which there were images of cherubs: “cherubs and palm trees were made: a palm tree between two cherubs, and each cherub had two faces. On one side, a human face is facing the palm tree, and on the other side, a lion’s face is facing the palm tree; This is done all around the temple. Cherubim and palm trees were made from the floor to the top of the doors, and also along the wall of the temple” - Ezek. 41, 18-20. And 2 Par. 9:15-20.

It is characteristic that King Solomon, when building his house, used images of lions, but there were no cherubs in his house, they were only in the temple. This tells us that cherubs were not ordinary decorations and could only be found in places of worship.

Now let's look at the properties of these images.

Sacredness and miraculousness.

To create the image of the cherubim, God filled Bezaleel with His Spirit Ex. 31:1-11), and then commanded through Moses: “Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it, and sanctify it and all its utensils, and it will be holy” (Ex. 40:9).

Among the accessories of the tabernacle were undoubtedly cherubim, which means the consecration of these images.

The holiness of the images of cherubim is also visible through the fact that God acted through the images “I will reveal myself to you in the midst of two cherubim” - Ex. 25, 22.

Even touching the altar was a source of sanctification: “Seven days you shall cleanse the altar and sanctify it, and the altar will be greatly holy: everything that touches the altar will be sanctified” - Ex. 29:37.

Grace in images:

“And the glory of the God of Israel descended from the Cherubim on which it was to the threshold of the house. And He called a man dressed in linen, who had a scribe’s instrument at his belt” - Ezek. 9, 3.
“And the glory of the Lord rose from the Cherubim to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with clouds, and the courtyard was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord” - Ezek. 10, 4.

Miracles through holy images.

Scripture speaks quite definitely about this. For example: “And Moses made a copper serpent and put it on a banner, and when the serpent bit the man, he looked at the copper serpent and remained alive” (Num. 21:9). This is clearly a miraculous effect through an image.

The miraculous property was also manifested in the ark with cherubs. In the history of the crossing of the Jordan, when the water parted under the feet of the priests (see Joshua 3:15) or in the case of the ark being carried around the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6:5-7), after which they collapsed to the ground.

Also the curse due to neglect of the sanctity of the ark: “And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacho, Uzzah stretched out his hand to the ark of God [to hold it] and took hold of it, for the oxen tilted it. But the Lord was angry with Uzzah, and God struck him there for his insolence, and he died there by the ark of God” - 2 Sam. 6:6-7.
Finding a sacred object brought a blessing: “And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Abeddar the Githite three months, and the Lord blessed Abeddar and all his house” - 2 Sam. 6, 11.

Help in prayer.

“Lift up your hands to the sanctuary, and bless the Lord” - Ps. 133, 2.
“The voice of the Lord loosens the burden of the deer and strips the forests bare; and in His temple everything proclaims His glory” - Ps. 28, 9.
“Hear the voice of my prayers when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands to Your holy temple” - Ps. 27, 2.
“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 presence! And when the ark stopped, he said: Return, O Lord, to thousands and ten thousand ten thousand” - Numbers 10, 35-36.

Moreover, it should be said that in front of the images in the temple, quite cult actions were performed: lamps and lamps were lit, incense was performed.

Veneration of images.

“And I, according to the abundance of Your mercy, will enter Your house, I will worship Your holy temple in Your fear” - Ps. 5, 8.
“I worship before Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your mercy and for Your truth, for You have magnified Your word above every name of Yours” - Ps. 137, 2.
“Jesus tore his clothes and fell with his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord and lay there until evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they sprinkled dust on their heads” - Joshua. 7, 6.

“The worship that the people of the Old Testament provided was directed to “Maleah Jehovah” - the Angel-Son, who “is the image of the invisible God” (2 Cor. 4:4). Was the worship given to the image accepted by the Father? “Abraham saw not the nature of God, but the image of God, and fell and bowed down,” explains the Rev. John of Damascus" - (2).

The fact that such worship was accepted by God and served to enter into the covenant with Abraham speaks to the possibility of worshiping God through an image.

It is also important to mention the significant difference between worship and service. This is evident in the words of Christ: “Then Jesus saith unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him alone shalt thou serve”—Matthew 4:10.

Here only about serving “one” is said; this is not said about worship, which indirectly indicates the possibility of worshiping with images those objects that God himself consecrated.

Was the creation of sacred images condemned in Scripture?

Veneration of sacred images is possible, as we saw above. The biblical prophets never reproached the chosen people for the creation and veneration of sacred images. This would even contradict the commands of God, according to which sacred objects and images were created. All accusatory words concerned images of “other gods”. Therefore, there is no reason to attribute these denunciations to sacred images of the biblical religion itself. Is it possible to say that the “cup of the Lord” and the “cup of demons” are one and the same?

Conclusion about sacred images.

In the New Testament, except for the stories about the beast in the book of the apocalypse, there is no mention of images and sacred objects with rare exceptions. For example, the words of Christ: “What is greater: the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?” — Mf. 23, 16-19, confirming the Old Testament sanctification of the altar.

But if there is no command to paint icons or make other images, does this mean that images are prohibited? It would be strange to reason like this, or, more precisely, one can reason like this only tendentiously starting from the already existing doctrine of negation. The absence of a command does not mean a prohibition.

There is no command to write the New Testament, but it appeared and became Christian Scripture. Also and much more.

Moreover, the New Testament does not aim to provide exhaustive instructions or a set of canonical norms for all occasions and for all ages. He speaks of the good news that God became flesh for the salvation of all men.

Work on the course “History and Theory of Christian Art”.

Answering questions about icons using the Bible

Hello! In answer to your question about “icons,” we prayed about it, and considered it necessary to first sanctify the question of how the worship and veneration of icons arose, and then show the Scriptures that the Lord tells us on this matter.

How did the veneration of icons in the church arise?

Zhuravlev S.

(Archbishop of the Reformed Orthodox Church)

How did the veneration of icons in the church arise? Indeed, in the Bible, the Word of God, it is directly and categorically prohibited in the Second Commandment of the Creator: “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. Do not worship them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.” ( Ex.20:4,5; Deut.5:6-10). Prophet Isaiah writes: “Is there a God besides Me? There is no other stronghold, I don’t know any. Those who make idols are all worthless, and those who desire them most do not bring any benefit, and they are witnesses of this to themselves. They do not see and do not understand, and therefore they will be put to shame. Who made a god and cast an idol that brings no benefit? All those participating in this will be put to shame, for even artists themselves are human; let them all gather and stand; they will be afraid, and everyone will be ashamed...

The carpenter [having chosen a tree], draws a line along it, makes an outline on it with a pointed tool, then trims it with a chisel and rounds it, and makes out of it the image of a beautiful-looking person to put in the house. He cuts down cedars for himself, takes pine and oak, which he chooses from among the trees in the forest, plants ash, and the rain grows it. And this serves as fuel for a person, and he uses part of this to keep him warm, and makes a fire, and bakes bread. And from the same he makes a god, and worships him, makes an idol, and prostrates himself before him. He burns part of the wood in the fire, with the other part he cooks meat for food, fries the roast and eats to his fill, and also warms himself and says: “Okay, I’m warmed up; I felt the fire." And from the remnants of that he makes a god, his idol, worships him, prostrates himself before him and prays to him, and says: “Save me, for you are my god.” They neither know nor understand: He closed their eyes so that they would not see, and their hearts so that they would not understand. And he will not take this to his heart, and he does not have enough knowledge and sense to say: “I burned half of it in the fire and baked bread on its coals, fried the meat and ate it; and from the remnant of it shall I make an abomination? Shall I worship a piece of wood? He chases dust; his deceived heart has led him astray, and he cannot free his soul and say: “Is there not deceit in my right hand?” (Isa.44:8-20)

Both the Old and New Testaments, all Scripture says unequivocally that the worship of images (in Greek: “iconos”) is a terrible sin against God. He Himself says: “I am the Lord, this is My name, and I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images” (in this case, icons and statues as idols) ( Isa.42:8). After all, “the spirit that lives in us loves to the point of jealousy.” ( James 4:5) For the first two hundred to three hundred years of its existence, Christianity was clean of all icons and statues. At the turn of the 3rd-4th centuries, the sects of ancient heretics “Gnostic Christians” in the east began to use some picturesque images.

Saint Irenaeus of Lyons (202) wrote that the heretics - Gnostics are “Carpocratians”, i.e. followers of the third century false teacher Carpocrates, images of Jesus were already appearing. Along with portraits of Jesus, these heretics used, exhibiting at their services, portraits and busts of Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle and other pagan thinkers. The Gnostics not only began to depict Jesus, but also to invent all sorts of ridiculous legends, which later formed the basis of the superstitious religious traditions of the Orthodox Catholic Church. For example, those same Carpocrats taught that Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator of Judea, was the first to paint a portrait of Jesus. Subsequently, these heretics said that supposedly the first “icon painter” was the Apostle and Evangelist Luke?!?

“There is also a legend about the king of Edessa Abgar, as if Christ sent him a towel with a “miraculous” imprint of his face and as if icon painters then painted icons from this imprint. This is also a rather unlikely version, since in this case, obviously, all the painted icons, having a common “ancestor” - the imprint on Abgar’s towel, would show us more or less similar images of Christ. But, as already mentioned, the images of Christ on the icons are very, very different, which indicates that they were invented and fantasized. In ancient church writers, for example, in such an authoritative one as Eusebius of Caesarea, we can indeed find the so-called “Epistle of Abgar” and Christ’s response letter to Abgar. But, interestingly, there is not a word about this towel or so-called. "image not made by hands."

In the “Epistle of Abgar,” the king of Edessa offers Jesus Christ his hospitality and asks to heal him of his illness. In response, Jesus promises to send his disciple to him, who will fulfill this request. Not a word about the towel with the imprint. If in fact this student brought a towel with the imprint of Christ’s face, then why is such an important event from a church point of view not mentioned by such a scrupulous church historian as Eusebius of Caesarea? Most likely, because at the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 4th centuries, when he lived, there were simply no icons, and therefore there was no problem of icon worship.

“Icons appeared later, in the 5th century, perhaps precisely because someone invented a legend that Christ gave Abgar a towel with the imprint of His face, and artists painting the Christ they imagined began to claim that their paintings were these are copies of the same print.” (D. Praveen)

In the second half of the 4th century, some Christian bishops, under the influence of Gnosticism, began to take a condescending attitude towards this innovation, as a good means of attracting pagans to Christianity. Many philosophers had previously brought forward atheism as the main accusation against Christians, because they had absolutely no images to worship. Any religion of the Roman Empire knew this, but the first Christians were true Orthodox, because... worshiped the Almighty Lord God “in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) Orthodoxy means correctly praising God! This is exactly the meaning that the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius put into this word, who uttered it for the first time at the end of the 4th century.

In 300-306, a council of clergy from churches from different regions of the Roman Empire was held in Elvira, and at it it was unequivocally decided that henceforth there would be no painting or icons in churches. After all, newly converted pagans often began to worship icons little by little. The Byzantine historian Eusebius (IV century), Epiphanius of Cyprus (V century) and many other fathers of the early church also categorically opposed images of Jesus appearing in the east and, especially, the worship of these icons.

M.E. Posnov, professor of Church History at the Kyiv Theological Academy, writes in his work “History of the Christian Church” that a letter from the church historian, St. Eusebius “to Empress Constance, sister of Constantine the Great, widow of Emperor Licinius, has been preserved. It shows that Constance asked Eusebius to send her an icon of the Savior. Eusebius finds her desire reprehensible: “since you wrote about some supposed icon of Christ and wanted me to send you such an icon, then what kind of icon do you mean, which you call Christ’s? Is it true and unchangeable and contains within itself the essence of the Divinity, or does it represent His nature, Which He assumed for our sake, putting on flesh, as if with the clothing of a slave? Who is able to depict with dead and soulless colors and shadows the One who emits radiance and emits brilliant rays, the brilliance of His glory and dignity? ... Even His chosen disciples could not look at Him on the mountain. Of course, you are looking for an icon depicting Him in the form of a servant and in the flesh that He put on for our sake; but we are taught that it (the flesh) is also dissolved in the glory of the Divine, and mortal things are swallowed up in life.”

But the Byzantine emperors gradually introduced painting into churches. For what? Politicians did not need biblical, living Christianity, but a state dead, controlled religious-mafia, corrupt structure led by slave owners - bishops and puppet reigning, but not ruling patriarchs. This system of ritual Christianity is often called Caesaropapism. This is a system of relationships between church and state, when the church turns from the Bride of Jesus into the prostitute of various political structures, emperors, kings, general secretaries, dictators and presidents. It doesn’t matter who stood on top: the church - the harlot “disgraced her beauty and spread out her legs for everyone who passed by, and multiplied her fornications” (Ezek. 16:25)

From the 4th to the 8th centuries, theological disputes did not stop in both the east and the west about whether icons were needed in the church or not, although for almost all of these 500 years both opinions were considered acceptable. Some churches had painting, but many, especially in the West, clearly rejected it. In the 6th century, an ardent supporter of icons was Leontius, Bishop of Naples, who believed that even the veneration of icons was permissible for the sake of those whose images were on them. But Saint Philoxenus, Bishop of Hierapolis, categorically opposed this heresy, who even ordered the destruction of those paintings and sculptures that were in some churches subordinate to him.

At the end of the 6th and beginning of the 7th century, St. Gregory I the Great Pope also advocated the use of icons, condemning the actions of Serenus, Bishop of Marseille, who destroyed all the icons in Marseille. Pope Gregory stated that "icons are the Bible for the illiterate" and they are acceptable as illustrations, but not required in churches.

In the 7th and 8th centuries, the controversy over icons reached its climax, mainly due to the spread of the religion of Islam.

This issue has become a matter of political importance. The main accusation of Islamic theologians against Eastern Christians was the accusation of the sin of icon veneration - idolatry. By the eighth century, the monks began to spread new traditions, developing the legends and false teachings of the Gnostics of the third century. John of Damascus, the former first vizier of the Damascus caliph Abdulmelech, wrote a lot in defense of icon veneration and he referred to the absurd tradition that Jesus Himself was the first to make His icon. This is the legend “about the miraculous image.”

Allegedly, Jesus dipped His face in the cloth and gave it to the artists... In the West, this legend is told differently. Allegedly, “Saint Veronica” gave Jesus a towel to wipe his face when He walked to Golgotha, carrying the cross to the place of execution and His icon, “an image not made by hands” was imprinted on it...

By the way, it was John of Damascus, later even canonized by the Orthodox Church, who composed the chant with SIX notes!?! The seventh note "B" was anathema in the Orthodox East for almost a thousand years, beginning in the eighth century. Only the All-Russian Emperor Peter I brought the note “B” from the West and ordered to sing in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Kyiv churches and monasteries on SEVEN notes. Before this, those people who sang six notes were burned at the stake by Orthodox monks. Now almost only Orthodox Old Believers sing on six notes.

Even at that distant time, monks acted as the authors and continuers of many heresies. This happened mainly due to the fact that they began to neglect the Word of God - the Bible and began to be guided in their lives and teachings by all kinds of dreams and visions, writings and traditions of the ancient Gnostics and philosophers.

Orthodox theologians and bishops gathered specifically to discuss this problem at the VII Ecumenical Council in 754 in Constantinople (modern Istanbul) with the permission of the holy and blessed Emperor Constantine V and Pope Zechariah. To resolve the dispute, it was decided to turn exclusively to the authority of Holy Scripture - the Bible! Orthodox bishops and patriarchs at the Council stated that “icon worship was introduced by Satan in order to distract people from the worship of the True God.” (I canon of the VII Ecumenical Council)

The truth of God's Word triumphed, but, unfortunately, not for long. Having dealt with her son, the legal heir to the throne Constantine VI, Irina became the empress, who is still revered as a saint by many Orthodox Christians, and in many churches and monasteries in Ukraine there are images of her, they light candles and pray to her, but few people know that she was for a woman. In cruelty, fornication, and deceit, she surpassed many Byzantine rulers of those centuries. At her court, gays and lesbians enjoyed special honor. The "holy" empress herself was overthrown by the finance minister Nikephoros and died in exile on the island of Lesbos in 803. Subsequently, the word “lesbianism” came from the name of this island. It was Irina who in 787 convened a new “VII Ecumenical” Council in Nicaea, declaring that the canonical VII Ecumenical Council of 754 was supposedly false. She declared that icon veneration is a dogma of faith.

“What was characteristic of the struggle between iconoclasts and iconoclasts was that on the side of the former there were, as a rule, the higher clergy, the intelligentsia and, in general, more educated people who knew the Scriptures; while on the side of the latter, the illiterate crowd, the lower clergy and monasticism usually acted - that is, people who purely nominally consider themselves Christians, but in fact are not. Purely politically, the icon worshipers won this fight; at that “second Nicene” Council they were the majority. They, let’s say, turned out to be “Bolsheviks” at this council. And if we consider the criterion of truth not the opinion of God (which on any issue can always be learned from the Bible), but the opinion of the majority of those present at any meeting (congress, council, etc.), then why do we scold the Bolshevik communists ? Yes, the heresy of icon veneration won in the Byzantine church. But, since Christianity in Byzantium was the state religion, this heresy eventually spread unhindered and made a significant contribution to leading people away from the true biblical God, which, in turn, subsequently led to the political death of the Byzantine Empire as a state. Any state perishes when the number of errors, heresies and erroneous opinions in the heads of its citizens becomes too great and begins to exceed a certain “critical” value. We would venture to assume that the victorious heresy of icon veneration became the drop that “killed” Byzantium, wrote D. Pravin. “For every tree is known by its fruit.” (Luke 6:44)

The work of the “holy” Empress Irina was completed in the 9th century by the no less “holy” Empress Theodora, executing over 100 thousand people who refused to venerate icons in 842 and ordering it to be celebrated as the holiday of the “Triumph of Orthodoxy.” (March 11, 843)

On this day (it is celebrated on the first Sunday of Great Lent), according to the church charter, clergy are obliged to sing anathemas - curses addressed to everyone who does not worship icons, relics, the Virgin Mary, angels, etc., that is, addressed to all true Orthodox Christians , evangelical Christians who honor God.

The Reformed Orthodox Church, of which I am the archbishop and primate, has abandoned the practice of proclaiming any curses on the Day of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, declaring this holiday the DAY OF GOD'S TRUE ORTHODOXY! Orthodoxy in Spirit and Truth! The time has come for all of us, Orthodox Christians, to repent of the sin of icon worship and to remove all idols from our hearts and from our churches!

Of course, everyone has the right to decide this issue for themselves, but I, as an Orthodox bishop, believe that some pictorial images are acceptable, not as objects of worship, but to illustrate Biblical subjects. Images of Golgotha, Jesus with the Samaritan woman, with Nicodemus, with the disciples, together with Biblical texts, can be used in churches to decorate the halls where services are held, but it is important, first of all, to teach people correctly, biblically.

“I visited various houses of prayer of Evangelical Christians in Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and in some of them I also saw Biblical images, but I was pleased to see that people treat them correctly, without worshiping or kissing them. Because in these churches the Bible is read, people come not with candles, but with the Word of the Living God, and therefore neither man nor the devil will deceive them. Jesus said: “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). It is precisely because of ignorance of the Bible, as well as because of the lack of personal knowledge of God and His power, that various kinds of errors occur. We need to go back to the Bible..."

If this is not enough, then we quote Bible verses where the Lord himself forbids worship any creation , create it and serve it. Romans chapter 1 the apostle Paul wrote:

16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for [it] is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, [then] to the Greek.

17 In it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written: The righteous shall live by faith.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

19 For what can be known about God is obvious to them, because God has shown it to them.

20 For His invisible things, His eternal power and Godhead, have been visible from the creation of the world through the consideration of creatures, so that they are without answer.

21 But how, having known God, they did not glorify Him as God and did not give thanks, but became futile in their speculations, and their foolish hearts were darkened;

22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,

23 And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed creatures, and creeping things, -

24 Then God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, so that they defiled their own bodies.

25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever, amen.

26 Therefore God gave them over to shameful passions: their women exchanged natural uses for unnatural ones;

27 Likewise, men also, abandoning the natural use of the female sex, were inflamed with lust for one another, men committing shame on men and receiving in themselves the due recompense for their error.

28 And since they did not care to have God in their minds, God gave them over to a depraved mind - to do lewd things,

29 so that they are filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, malice, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil spirits,

30 slanderers, slanderers, haters of God, oppressors, self-praisers, proud, devising evil, disobedient to their parents,

31 foolish, treacherous, unloving, implacable, unmerciful.

32 They know the righteous [judgment] of God, that those who do such [deeds] are worthy of death; however, they not only do [them], but also approve of those who do them.

“Icons” refers to a class of special images, namely religious paintings, which were revered by members of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Some of these paintings represent Christ, while others represent the Trinity, Mary, “saints” or “angels”. Both Catholics and Orthodox theologians justify the veneration of icons as an act that confirms a person's devotion to the Heavenly representative. “The icon,” states the Russian theologian Sergei Bulgakov, “remains only an object and never becomes an idol.” However, at the same time, the Orthodox Church teaches that an icon can provide Blessings to those who pray in front of it, provided that the icon is “consecrated” by the church. “The ritual of blessing an icon,” says Bulgakov in his book. The Orthodox Church (Orthodox Church) - establishes a connection between the image and its prototype, between what the icon represents and Whom it represents. Through veneration of the icon, a person supposedly has the opportunity to meet Christ. The same applies to the icons of the Mother of God and Saints; one could say that their badges prolong their life here below.” In addition, many icons of Mary are believed to have miraculous powers. “Although she remains in the sky,” says Bulgakov, “she still lives with us in our world, suffers from suffering and cries with tears. There are no verses in the Bible that support this.

CHRIST JESUS, He intercedes for us before the throne of God.. There are three testifying in heaven: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” and all three are One! No one else has the right to word or deed, even the elders (written in Revelation) throw away their crowns and worship only the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! No one in heaven intercedes for us except Jesus Christ himself!!! Epistle to the Romans by St. Ap. Paul chapter 8 "4. Who is judging? Christ Jesus died, but also rose again: He is also at the right hand of God, and He intercedes for us. 35. Who will separate us from the love of God: tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or the sword ... "

Icons or idols

Exodus 20:4 says "לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה־לְךָ פֶסֶל ׀ וְכָל־תְּמוּנָה אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׁמַיִם ׀ מִמַּעַל וַאֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ מִתַָּחַת וַאֲשֶׁר בַּמַּיִם ׀ מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ ׃

וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם מְאֹד לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם כִּי לֹא רְאִיתֶם כָּל־תְּמוּנָה בְּיֹום דִּבֶּר יְהוָה אֲלֵיכֶם בְּחֹרֵב מִתֹּוךְ הָאֵ לֹא־תִשְׁתַּחְוֶה לָהֶם וְלֹא תָעָבְדֵם כִּי אָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבֹת עַל־בָּנִים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל־

רִבֵּעִים לְשֹׂנְאָי"

And parallel to Deuteronomy 4:15 "פֶּן־תַּשְׁחִתוּן וַעֲשִׂיתֶם לָכֶם פֶּסֶל תְּמוּנַת כָּל־סָמֶל תַּבְנִית זָכָר אֹו נְקֵבָה"

In Hebrew the highlighted word is " pesel " means not just an "image", but also the very concept of an "idol". In other words, these passages prohibit the creation (produce, make, draw) of images for worship, veneration and service to them. "For God does not require the service of human hands, as if in need of something..."

Let's look at the Scriptures Acts of the Apostles, chapter 17:

22 And Paul stood among the Areopagus and said: Athenians! I can see from everything that you seem to be especially devout.

23 For as I passed through and examined your holy places, I also found an altar on which was written “to the unknown God.” This, which you honor without knowing, I preach to you.

24 God, who created the world and all that is in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made with hands

25 and does not require the service of human hands, [as if] having need of anything, Himself giving to all things life and breath and all things.

26 From one blood He made the whole race of mankind to dwell upon all the face of the earth, having appointed predetermined times and limits for their habitation,

27 so that they may seek God, lest they sense Him and find Him, although He is not far from each of us:

28 For in Him we live and move and have our being, just as some of your poets said, “We are His generation.”

29 So we, being the race of God, should not think that the Divinity is like gold, or silver, or stone, which received an image from the art and imagination of man.

30 So, leaving the times of ignorance, God now commands people everywhere to repent,

31 For He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed, having given proof to all by raising Him from the dead.

32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, but others said, “We will hear from you about this at another time.”

If you are seriously interested in the question, carefully study the following passages from the Bible:

Exodus 20:3-6 “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth; You shall not worship them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

Exodus 34:17 “Do not make cast gods for yourself.”

Leviticus 19:4 “Do not turn to idols and do not make cast gods for yourself. I am the Lord your God."

Leviticus 26:1 “You shall not make for yourselves idols or graven images, nor shall you set up pillars for yourself, nor shall you place stones with images in your land to bow down to them, for I am the Lord your God.”

Deuteronomy 4:15-19, 23,24 “Keep firmly in your souls that you did not see any image in the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you become corrupt and make for yourselves graven images, images of any idol representing a man or a woman, images any livestock that is on the earth, an image of any winged bird that flies under the heavens, an image of any [reptile] crawling on the earth, an image of any fish that is in the waters below the earth; and lest, when you look up to heaven and see the sun, the moon, and the stars [and] all the host of heaven, you are deceived and worship them and serve them, since the Lord your God has allocated them to all the nations under the whole heaven. Take heed that you do not forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which He made with you, and that you do not make for yourselves graven images representing anything, as the Lord your God commanded you; For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

Deuteronomy 7:5 “But do this to them: destroy their altars, break in pieces their pillars, cut down their groves, and burn their images with fire.”

Deuteronomy 16:22 “You shall not set up a pillar (statue) for yourself, which the Lord your God hates.”

Psalm 113:10-16 “Why should the pagans say: “Where is their God”? Our God is in heaven; does whatever he wants. And their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have lips, but they do not speak; They have eyes, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; They have nostrils, but they do not smell; They have hands, but they cannot touch; They have legs, but they don’t walk; and they do not utter a voice with their throat. Let those who make them and all who trust in them be like them.”

Isaiah 41:29 “Behold, they are all nothing, their works are insignificant; the wind and emptiness are their idols.”

Isaiah 42:17 “Then those who trust in idols, saying to graven images, “You are our gods,” will turn back and be covered with great shame.”

Isaiah 44:9-20 “Those who make idols are all worthless, and those who desire them most do not bring any benefit, and they are witnesses of this to themselves. They do not see and do not understand, and therefore they will be put to shame. Who made a god and cast an idol that brings no benefit? All those participating in this will be ashamed, for artists themselves are human; let them all gather and stand; they will be afraid, and all will be put to shame. The blacksmith makes an ax out of iron and works on coals, hammers it and works on it with his strong hand until he becomes hungry and powerless, does not drink water and is exhausted. The carpenter [having chosen a tree], draws a line along it, makes an outline on it with a pointed tool, then trims it with a chisel and rounds it, and makes out of it the image of a handsome man to place in the house. He cuts down cedars for himself, takes pine and oak, which he chooses from among the trees in the forest, plants ash, and the rain brings it back. And this serves as fuel for a person, and he uses [part of] this to keep him warm, and makes a fire, and bakes bread. And from the same he makes a god, and worships him, makes an idol, and prostrates himself before him. He burns part of the wood in the fire, with the other part he cooks meat for food, roasts the roast and eats to his fill, and also warms himself and says: “Okay, I’m warm; I felt the fire.” And from the remnants of that he makes a god, his idol, worships him, prostrates himself before him and prays to him, and says: “Save me, for you are my god.” They neither know nor understand: He closed their eyes so that they would not see, [and] their hearts so that they would not understand. And he will not take this to his heart, and he does not have enough knowledge and sense to say: “I burned half of it in the fire and baked bread on its coals, fried the meat and ate it; and from the rest of it, will I make an abomination? should I worship a piece of wood? He chases dust; a deceived heart has led him astray, and he cannot free his soul and say: “Is there not deceit in my right hand?”

Acts 17:29-30 “So we, being the race of God, should not think that the Divinity is like gold, or silver, or stone, which received its image from the art and invention of man. So, leaving behind the times of ignorance, God now commands people everywhere to repent.”

Romans 1:23-25 “And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things; then God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, so that they defiled their own bodies. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever, amen.”

1 Corinthians 8:4-7 “So, regarding the consumption of food sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but the One. For although there are so-called gods, either in heaven or on earth, since there are many gods and many lords, we have one God the Father, from whom are all things, and we are for Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things , and we are by Him. But not everyone has [such] knowledge: some to this day, with a conscience that [recognizes] idols, eat [things sacrificed to idols] as sacrifices to idols, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.”

1 Corinthians 10:14 “Therefore, my beloved, flee idolatry.”

1 John 5:21 "Children! keep yourself from idols. Amen".

Revelation 9:20 “The rest of the people who did not die from these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons and idols of gold, silver, copper, stone and wood, which they could neither see, nor hear, nor walk.”

Ezekiel 7:20-26 “And in their red outfits they turned him into pride, and made from him images of their vile idols; therefore I will make him unclean to them; And I will give it into the hands of strangers as a spoil, and to the wicked of the land as a spoil, and they will defile it. And I will hide My face from them, and they will defile My hidden things; and robbers will come there and defile it. Make a chain, for this land is filled with bloody atrocities, and the city is full of violence. I will bring the wickedest of the nations, and they will take possession of their houses. And I will put an end to the arrogance of the mighty, and their holy things will be desecrated. Destruction is coming; they will seek peace and will not find it. Trouble will follow trouble and message after message; and they will ask the prophet for a vision, and there will be no teaching from the priest or advice from the elders.”

Ezekiel 30:13 “Thus says the Lord God: I will destroy the idols and destroy the false gods in Memphis, and there will be no more ruler from the land of Egypt, and I will bring fear to the land of Egypt.”

Daniel 3:15-18 “From now on, if you are ready, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, the flute, the harp, the harp, the harp, the symphony, and all kinds of musical instruments, fall down and worship the image that I have made; If you do not worship, then at that very hour you will be thrown into a fiery furnace, and then what God will deliver you from my hand? And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, There is no need for us to answer you to this. Our God, whom we serve, is able to save us from the fiery furnace, and will deliver us from your hand, O king. If this does not happen, then let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden image that you have erected.”

Micah 1:7 “All her idols will be broken and all her fornicating gifts will be burned with fire, and all her idols will be destroyed, for she made them out of fornicating gifts, and they will be converted into fornicating gifts.”

1 Thessalonians 1:9,10 “For they themselves tell about us, what kind of entrance we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols, [to] serve the living and true God and look for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath."

1 Peter 4:3,4 “For it is enough that in the past time of your life you acted according to the will of the pagans, indulging in uncleanness, lusts (sodomy, bestiality, thoughts), drunkenness, excess in food and drink and absurd idolatry; why they are surprised that you do not participate in the same debauchery with them, and they slander you.”

John 4:21-24 “Jesus said to her: Believe Me, that the time is coming when you will worship the Father, neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You do not know what you bow down to, but we know what we bow down to, for salvation comes from the Jews. But the time will come and has already come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is looking for such worshipers for Himself. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

John 8:31-36 "Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed in Him: If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. They answered him: we are Abraham’s seed and have never been slaves to anyone; How then do You say: You will be made free? Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.” But the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

God bless you. In His light we see light!!!

Priest's answer:

Dear Oksana! In your question, you touched on several different topics that are the subject of Orthodox-Protestant polemics, so I will answer them in order.

1. “Why do people in church pray to icons and saints, if the Bible says that you only need to pray to one God: do not make yourself an idol or an idol?”

To more fully sanctify the essence of Orthodox icon veneration, we will divide the answer into several points:

A. Definition of icon and idol.

B. Does the Bible allow sacred images?

Q. Is prayer possible in the presence of an icon?

G. Is it permissible to venerate icons?

D. Does God accept the worship offered to Him through the icon?

A. Regarding the definition of an idol (false image) and its difference from an icon (true sacred image), the Apostle Paul writes about idols: “An idol is nothing in the world” (1 Cor. 8:4). That is, an idol is an image that does not have a prototype. For example: there is a statue of Artemis of Ephesus, Zeus and other pagan gods, but do Artemis or Zeus really exist in this world? - Of course not. An icon, unlike an idol, is an image that has its own prototype. For example: there is an icon of Jesus Christ. Christ is a real Person, like the Son of God - He is co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit. As a Man, after His Resurrection, He ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father (i.e., His human nature is glorified). There is an icon of the Mother of God, and the Mother of God herself as a person really exists, now being in the kingdom of heaven. So, by definition, it is not correct to identify icons and pagan idols. Pagans honor demons in their idols, while Orthodox Christians honor God and saints in their icons.

B. The Bible certainly allows for depictions of spiritual reality. God, who gave the commandment to Moses: “You shall not make for yourself an idol or any image...” (Ex. 20:4), immediately commands: “And you shall make of gold two cherubim...” (Ex. 25.18), which were on the lid of the ark. covenant. And God promised Moses: “There I will reveal myself to you and speak to you above the mercy seat,between two cherubswhich are above the ark of the testimony” (Ex. 25:22). The same cherubim were embroidered on the curtain that separated the holy place - the saints from the sanctuary, in the tabernacle of Moses (Ex. 26:1). In Solomon's temple there were even more of these images: “And he made(Solomon)in the oracle were two cherubim made of olive wood, ten cubits high (1 Kings 6:23). “And on all the walls of the temple aroundmade carvings of cherubsand palm trees and blossoming flowers, within and without” (1 Kings 6:29). Although the second commandment, indeed, for the time being, forbade the depiction of God the Creator, for God, in the Old Testament period, did not appear to the Jewish people sensually, and therefore could not be depicted, but only spoke through the prophets.

C. The righteous of the Old Testament prayed in the presence of sacred images: “And I, according to the abundance of Thy mercy, will enter Thy house,I will worship Your holy templein Your fear” (Ps. 5:8). The Prophet David, as we see, allowed himself to pray in the temple in the presence of images of cherubim. The Gospel of Luke ends with these words: “Andstayed (apostles ) always in the temple, glorifying and blessing God. Amen" (Luke 24:53). This means that in the temple they too prayed to God, again, in the presence of sacred images.

D. The veneration of material shrines, including the first sacred images, took place in both the Old and New Testaments. Returning, for example, to Psalm 5, we see that David worshiped the temple. If he worshiped the temple of God, then he also worshiped the sacred images located in the temple. Also, the prophet David “played and danced” in front of the ark of the covenant, while calling it “Lord,” that is, a symbolic icon of God: “I will play and dance before the Lord!” (2 Kings 6, 21 – 22). For disrespectfully touching the ark of the covenant, God killed many of the inhabitants of Bethshemesh: “And He (God) struck down the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, because they looked into the ark of the Lord, and killed fifty thousand and seventy of the people” (1 Samuel 4:5). The Apostle Paul once arrived at the Jerusalem Temple to worship: “You can know that it was not more than twelve days since I came to Jerusalemfor worship"(Acts 24:11). At the same time, he worshiped in the temple (Acts 21:26).

D. To summarize the above, we can conclude that God accepts the worship offered to Him through sacred images. On what basis? – Based on the fact that in Jesus Christ, God became Man. In several letters of the Apostle Paul, Jesus is called “the image of the invisible God” (2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15), literally “image”, in the Greek text it sounds like “icon”. Does God the Father accept the worship offered by believers through Jesus Christ? - Yes, he accepts. Christians worship the invisible Father through the Incarnate Son. This means that we worship the Prototype through His Image. This is the basic principle of Orthodox icon veneration.

A few more additions to the topic raised.

Are there no direct indications in the New Testament about the making of icons of Christ? But there are no orderswrite down words of Christ, readwords of Christ. The commandment: “Do not make yourself an idol...”, which prohibited images of the Divine in the era of the Old Testament, was abolished by the very fact of the Incarnation: if “no one has ever seen God,” but “the Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father,He revealed"(John 1:18), having become an icon of the Father, visibly revealed His character, intentions, Love, what prevents us now, when God has become Man, from testifying to this through icons depicting His coming in the flesh? Let then the Protestants, who accuse the Orthodox of idolatry, stop producing children's Bibles with illustrations of the Savior of the world!

Protestants are tempted by “worshipping icons instead of God.” But, firstly, we Orthodox don’t worship icons, butwe honor them. Secondly, we worship, not instead of God, but through icons - God. Regarding the first thesis, the Bible distinguishes between two types of worship: God-worship, designated by the term “latr”Anda", and reverent worship - "praskAndnesis." The first is possible only in relation to God: “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone (lit. latrAnda) (Matt. 4:10). The second is in relation to objects reminiscent of God: “And I, according to the abundance of Your mercy, will enter Your house and worship (praskAndnesis) to Your holy temple in Your fear” (Ps. 5:8). Regarding the second thesis, the Holy Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council formulated the basic principle of icon veneration: the honor given to the image (icon) goes to the Archetype. This principle is unshakable in everyday life: the public burning of a photograph of the president, or the national flag of the country, will be regarded as an insult to the president himself and the state, although only a photograph and a piece of material were burned, and not a person. In the religious sphere, we Orthodox Christians do not honor the substance in the icon: wood, paint, paper, but we give honor to the Person depicted on it. With both mind and heart, from the visible image, we ascend to the Prototype.

How do we see the usefulness of icons?

1. Icon - reminds of God. It is a call to prayer.

2. Icon - teaches the truths of faith through an image, just as the Bible teaches through letters.

3. Icon - helps to concentrate in prayer: from the visible image to lift your mind and heart to the Prototype. Although, it is not forbidden to pray without icons.

4. Icon - kindles love for God in the same way as a photograph of a person close to us in relation to this person.

5. Icon – is an expression of the Christian faith in the Incarnation.

6. Finally, icon veneration is a way of glorifying God in the visual arts, just as we do in church singing, and so on.

2 “Why do people, instead of praying to God, turn to dead people?”

Here, as I understand it, you mean the church practice of prayers to departed saints. The answer is simple. The Apostle James in his Council Epistle writes: “Pray for each otherto heal:The fervent prayer of the righteous can accomplish much"(James 5:16) Jesus Christ Himself instructs: "For,where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). But the prayer of Christians for each other, according to the teachings of Orthodoxy, is not limited only to members of the earthly Church. This prayerful communion also includes members of the Heavenly, or Triumphant, Church: the saints. How do we know this? – From the words of Christ: “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:32). “God has united the things in heaven and on earth under the head of Christ” (Eph. 1:10). This means that the Savior unites the earthly and heavenly Church in Himself, and there is no impassable gulf between their inhabitants, and the saints who have passed into eternity are alive before God. The Apostle Paul writes: “Love never fails” (1 Cor 13:8), which means that the saints who have achieved salvation are not indifferent to the fate of their brothers living on earth, for they continue to love them. Finally, from the Revelation of St. John the Theologian, we know that the saints - representatives of the Heavenly Church, together with the angels, pray for those living on earth: “And another Angel came and stood before the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him,so that he, with the prayers of all saintsHe laid it on the golden altar, which was before the throne.And the smoke of incense ascended with the prayers of the saints from the hand of an Angel before God"(Rev. 8.3 – 4). In a strict understanding, we Orthodox pray only to God, but we include in the circle of our co-prayers to Him, and the saints. Protestants do the same, but for some reason the circle of their co-prayers is limited only to living members of the community, although God, about the power of the prayer of the righteous, says: “And it came to pass after the Lord had spoken those words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “Wrath burns.” Mine is against you and your two friends because you have not spoken as truly about Me as My servant Job. So take for yourself seven bulls and seven rams, andgo to my servant Joband sacrifice for yourself;and My servant Job will pray for you, for only his face will I acceptlest we should reject you because you have spoken less truly about Me than My servant Job” (Job 42:7-8). So the Orthodox Christians ask the deceased saints to pray to God with them. Is this a sin? If so, then let the Protestants not ask their fellow believers to pray for their needs. After all, such a petition is already a prayer of a creature, besides the Creator! If, however, Protestants admitbiblicalpractice of praying for each other, then let the Orthodox not be accused of calling upon deceased saints for help.

For a more detailed acquaintance with these issues, I recommend reading the book by Deacon Andrei Kuraev: “For Protestants about Orthodoxy”http://predanie.ru/kuraev-andrey-protodiakon/protestantam-o-pravoslavii/ , as well as the book by priest Sergei Kobzyr: “Why I can’t remain a Baptist, and a Protestant in general”

To the question, where in the Bible is it written about the worship of icons? why are they worshiped? given by the author Elizabeth the best answer is You cannot venerate icons. Only God should be praised and worshiped.

Answer from 22 answers[guru]

Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: where in the Bible is it written about the worship of icons? why are they worshiped?

Answer from Mansion[guru]
They worship G-d, and icons are only a means for concentrating thoughts and will. Icons are not worshiped, but bowed towards them. This is not in the Bible, because it is an established custom.

Answer from Suck through[guru]
There is no such thing, the icon itself helps you concentrate in prayer, reminds you that all your deeds are visible to the Lord, it is like a portrait. Do you have a photo of your mother and it wouldn’t occur to you to throw it away, or make a cup holder out of it? Why? It's just an ordinary piece of paper. The icon contains images of saints, the Mother of God, and the Savior. We worship not the icons themselves, but God.

Answer from Tamara Shelyagovskaya[guru]
Icons appeared after the crucifixion and ascension of Christ. It is believed that the first icon was painted by the Apostle Luke. The image of the Virgin Mary on the board of the table at which the Holy Family ate. The icon of the “Savior Not Made by Hands” is believed to have appeared during the life of Christ: A woman gave Jesus a handkerchief to wipe his sweaty face. The image of Christ is imprinted on the scarf. Should I believe this?...

Answer from Neuropathologist[guru]
“Keep it firmly in your souls that you did not see any image on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you become corrupt and make for yourselves graven images of any idol representing a man or a woman.” Deut. 4:15-16).
The prohibition is quite understandable - we didn’t see it, so we don’t depict it. But - “No one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has revealed” (John 1:18).
God the Son became incarnate and became describable according to His humanity. Icon veneration is a consequence of the Incarnation.
And He knew that they would begin to worship idols, that is, to place specific objects in HIM’s place.
Holy icons are something else.
They worship not the image, but THE ONE who is depicted.
...Worship the Lord God and serve Him alone...
Holy people...
There is an expression: God is marvelous in His Saints. .
God works in holy people. .
We honor them and worship God... The Holy Spirit...in them. .
Exodus ch. 32
1When the people saw that Moses did not come down from the mountain for a long time, they gathered to Aaron and said to him: Arise and make us a god who will go before us, for we do not know with this man, with Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt. what happened.
2And Aaron said to them, Take out the gold earrings that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.
3And all the people took the gold earrings out of their ears and brought them to Aaron.
4 He took them out of their hands, and made a molten calf out of them, and dressed it with a chisel. And they said, Behold your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!
5 When Aaron saw this, he set up an altar before it, and Aaron proclaimed, saying, “Tomorrow is a feast of the Lord.”
6The next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings: and the people sat down to eat and drink, and afterward they stood up to play.
7And the Lord said to Moses, Hasten to come down [from here], for your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have become corrupt; 8Soon they turned aside from the way that I commanded them: they made themselves a molten calf and worshiped it, and offered sacrifices to it and said, “Behold your God, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”
You see... what exactly they did and what they thought...
From. Ch. 8
7 And he brought me to the entrance of the courtyard, and I looked, and behold, there was a well in the wall.
8 And he said to me: Son of man! dig through the wall; and I dug through the wall, and there was some kind of door.
9 And he said to me, “Come in and see the disgusting abominations that they are doing here.”
10 And I entered, and saw, and behold, all kinds of images of creeping things and unclean animals, and all kinds of idols of the house of Israel, written on the walls all around.
11 And seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel stood before them, and Jezeniah the son of Shaphan was among them; and each one has his own censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense rises upward.
12 And he said to me, Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each one in his painted room? for they say: “The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken this land.”
That is, they STOPPED BELIEVING THAT GOD IS THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF EVERYTHING. .
And secretly, in the darkness, thinking that God did not see them, they began to worship and ask the created idols for help in their affairs..

Answer from Natalie[guru]
What's the difference. There is no difference anyway. All religions and traditions and rituals are the work of human minds and hands.
And if a person finds peace of mind after praying to the icon, then this is probably good for the person.
This is a kind of psychological magic, the same as any prayer. Priests, priests, mullahs, shamans are all from the same breed and all serve the same purpose - psychological influence on a person.

Answer from Life[guru]
If possible, please provide a verse)))) where it is written that one cannot worship GOD through HIS image and honor His saints))))
From the New Testament, please, are you asking Christians?)
And in the Old Testament, God forbade worshiping every creature of His, on earth and in heaven, and not making an idol out of them (raising them to the rank of God Himself).
Christians worship ONLY God, and the saints HONOR Him. And no one replaces God with saints! And they do not worship wood and paints, but the Prototype! Feel the difference...
The Orthodox Church is 2000 years old and you need to trust Her experience, which leads from the apostles, and not the judgments of different sects.

Answer from Optimist.[guru]
It's dark!! ! They pray and worship God. Didn't you know? But the Bible says well about false prophets. Open -2 Pet: 2:1-3
Also tell me that the Bible does not write about ordination to the priesthood (Exodus: 29:2-9), it does not write about confession (Numbers: 5:6-8), or about the cross (1 Cor 1:18-19). And about worship of other Gods (Deut: 6:13-15, and about idols and other gods Lev: 1-4 ... "honor the Sabbaths and honor My sanctuary..") we know, but we live according to the New Testament, and he given by God. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus (Phil: 4:21) So we greet. An icon is a window into the spiritual world, not a god or idol. Why do you have a photo on your avatar? Take it away, otherwise it turns out that you are breaking the commandments given by God.

Answer from Anna[guru]
The Bible is also an icon. She simply conveys the image of the Creator not with colors, but with words. Any sermon offers some image of God, some idea of ​​God, so that a person turns his heart’s gaze to the Creator himself. But the icon does the same. The Seventh Ecumenical Council, which established the veneration of icons, clearly said: looking at the image with our eyes, we ascend with our minds to the prototype. Moreover, the Old Testament is an icon of the New Testament - “an image of the present time” (Heb. 9.9), “a shadow of good things to come” (10.1). The events of Sacred history are iconic.
The first icon painter was God himself. His Son is “the image of His hypostasis” (Heb. 1:3).
God created man as his image in the world (in the Greek translation - as an icon).

Answer from Victoria[guru]
Who told you that icons are worshiped????

Idolatry on Wikipedia
Look at the Wikipedia article about Idolatry