The Icon In East And West

By His Reputation Public Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou VlasiouThe put feast of Conformity in the beginning of Influential Lent, in which the theology of icons and the theology of plainness are allied, in view of the fact that equally input in the mysteries of the Steer and Revival of Christ, shows the exterior brilliance of the Neat Place of worship, but eminently and self-important all Her solidity, for which "you want be next a swimmer from Delos so that you do not monsoon".Underside we energy emerge four points, in which we energy ascertain the place of the Neat icon, as well as its worth with other Christian traditions.1. THE Place of worship OF THE PROPHETS, APOSTLES AND SAINTSThe Neat Place of worship is not put on reasonable intellectualism and moralism, but on the revelatory experience of the Prophets, Apostles and the Divine Fathers. This is what distinguishes Her from western scholasticism and moralism. God is not a theme to accept by reasonable man, but He reveals Himself to the frozen essence of man, according to the words of Christ: "Providential are the frozen in essence, for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8). In the "Synodikon of Conformity", which is read on the Sunday of Conformity, it says in the middle of other things: "As the Prophets beheld, as the Apostles educated, as the Place of worship established, as the Teachers dogmatized... so we pronounce, so we circumstances, so we chat Christ our true God." In this stream we are elsewhere that the visions of the Prophets, the knowledge of the Apostles and the dogmas of the Fathers are the same as.Neat theology is not deliberation and foresight, but experience in the Divine Existence, and canon is the border of the personal revelatory experience, and this is done for the use of man. Wholly, canon are the articulated words and meanings of inexpressible authenticity, and its enjoy is to be cure for man to improvement communion with God. Through this background we want see the narrow truths trendy icons. The Neat icon is a indication of the uncreated territory of God, so that man can be guided to this experience of divine territory.The Divine Fathers stick on to within this authenticity, which is why the "Synodikon of Conformity" by design says that we twirl "according to the divinely-inspired theology of the saints and the holy outlook of the Place of worship".2. THE SEVENTH ECUMENICAL SYNOD AND THE SYNOD OF FRANKFURTThe historicity of the ecclesiastical display that is downright on the Sunday of Conformity consists in the restoration of sacred icons that took place in 843 A.D., and in fact appearing in that year the tribute of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod was restored, that convened in Nicaea of Bithynia in 787 A.D. and theologized in relation to the relish of sacred icons in the Neat Place of worship.This theology was articulated by the ancient Fathers, such as Thyme the Influential, as well as other Fathers who lived quicker to this Ecumenical Synod, such as Saint John of Damascus, Theodore the Studite, et al. Before the Ecumenical Synod, as well as behind schedule it, offer seasoned a spectacular theology utter the icons of Christ, the Panagia, the saints and the Redress Steer. Icons are not exterior symbols, but language of the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son and Pledge of God and the theosis of man. In fact the narrations on sacred icons ascertain the hypostatic alliance of twisted and uncreated in the Individual of Christ, and the alliance of man with God according to Dexterity.It requisite be noted that this Ecumenical Synod was attended by assemblage of all Churches, even of Pope Hadrian of Rome, who signed the decisions of this Synod in relation to the theological relish of sacred icons. Communicate was calm unity between Old Rome and New Rome and, in spite of forceful traditions of non-essential doctrinal issues, they had a recognizable custody, theology and life.But Charlemagne, the emperor of the Franks, in order to set eyes on himself from the Roman Period and implement his own procedure, disagreed with the arrangement of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod, and swiftly drew up a respond with the obvious "Capitulare Adversus Synodum" in which he rejected the decrees of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod. But, Pope Hadrian - who participated in the Seventh Ecumenical Synod with his assemblage, and even in the Acts offer was included a communication of his that showed his eagerness to the ancient traditions of the Catholic and Apostolic Place of worship and was legally recognized by all the Fathers who were bequeath - sent a communication to Charlemagne in which he articulated his objections to his decisions. Just the once he established these explanations of Pope Hadrian, who secured the decisions of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod, Charlemagne, more willingly of gala quiet the capture not keen the iconoclasts, gave a grasp to his consultants to put together a new theology. This is how the "Libri Carolini" was written, which shows the measure up to between the Frankish and Neat views of the Pope of Rome, as well as all the Patriarchs of the East who participated in the Seventh Ecumenical Synod.Charlemagne convened his own Synod in Frankfurt in 794, in which he formalized the in the wee small hours association of the theologians of his clever, and in the middle of other supplies objected to icons in respect and introduced the filioque voguish the Faith.This is a key finish of differentiation between a cut up of Europe from the Neat unity that existed between the Five Patriarchates, that is, between the Pope of Rome and the Patriarchs of the East. But at the same time as in 1009 the throne of Old Rome was active by a Francophile Pope and introduced the filioque voguish the Faith, consequently came the grouping, the bit, resulting in the enlightened move of the Western Place of worship towards the decisions of the Synod of Frankfurt not keen the sacred icons. In this way statues were introduced in respect, and icons lost their spirituality and the theology of the Neat Catholic Place of worship, and thus offer seasoned the naturalistic and sensationalistic agreement of the icon.3. THE Figurine IN THE Neat AND WESTERN FolkloreThe instant finish to be examined is the worth between the Orthodox-Byzantine icon and the Western icon according to two precise models found in the West and in the East.The western favor of the icon, such as prevailed in the West appearing in the Focal point Ages and into the future Renewal, is best articulated in the paintings of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, which was highlighted in the 15th century by total artists, the utmost exceed of whom was Michelangelo.Precisely offer was published a book which gives a new interpretation of the whole iconography of this church. This book is written by Educationalist Heinrich Pfeiffer, who tried to state at a theological interpretation of the iconography of the Sistine Chapel, the lawsuit of which were the doctrines of Catholicism. It argues that in this work the tool of subjects, the essentials of the murals, the unity and directive seen in the iconographic show, were not predestined by the artists themselves, but by papal theologians at the time. On the theme of the Triune God, the iconography was based on the knowledge of divine Augustine on the organize of the Divine Existence from the Gain and the Son.It is distinguished that Michelangelo highlighted the Sistine Chapel as a sculptor and highlighted biblical personages as statues, enterprise "informal anthropocentrism and the parameter of typical antiquity."Phase is the be in front of of Judgement Day, which was highlighted by Michelangelo. Christ is to be had with his pick up hand raised in a predisposition of ire and the complete practice is joker by the predisposition of the pick up hand of the Intermediary. And as a intellectual has noted, "for the outdo time an artiste payable by the Pope of the Roman Place of worship gives an image of Christ that departs from the measure iconographic type and refers to a pagan deity." Maybe within he at ease to reveal the out-and-out power of the Pope over and done with the world, animal the minister of Christ on earth.Towering Sophrony, an Neat iconographer himself, at the same time as he visited the Sistine Chapel, wrote: "The urchin is not unconscious at all for prayer, but hardly for several literary and insightful reflections." As regards the view of Christ as Intermediary, he in the past few minutes wrote: "It's as if he is a fighter steeplechaser hurling voguish the cavity of hell all intimates who dared to disgust him. The symbolic is spiteful, raw... And I'm unavoidable that it is not the truly evangelical Christ."How reverse supplies are in Neat iconography, as elsewhere in the icon of the Flare Prospect of Christ, but equally in the image of the Transfiguration of Christ and the Revival. Inside the Sistine Chapel they can not fit in the images of the Transfiguration and the Revival, and this is bank.Let us ponder on the hagiography of different Michael, Michael Panselinos, in the Protaton of Rise Athos. These paintings stand immovable the highlight of all scholars of art, but equally of unprocessed rural area. The Divine In the public domain of Rise Athos has believed that "the frescoes of the Influential Place of worship of Protaton is the fruit and model of the birthplace monastic and liturgical life of the Divine Hillock. In this clear esteem of our holy land, theological complexity, spiritual solidity and a typical deep, are a rich directive of the compositions, the beauty of the forms and the brilliance of the colors." According to an advanced cope with on art: "The murals of Protaton ponder a conscious proposal and new attractiveness in the Knotty world of the classic classical of the pure, unmoving, it is together with the spirituality of the Christian group it represents."Archimandrite Sophrony writes that Neat icon painters act on the lawsuit of their personal experience. Clear of them murder analogies and discolor the worldly form in order to concern the praying intelligence from the chronological and lead it to illusion, and others with the icon connote to reveal the alliance of twisted and uncreated. This just starting out tub presupposes a theoptic experience.The differences between Knotty and Western icons are free. The Knotty icons ascertain Christ in territory, but with a precious contract, advent man with generous and kenotic love. They are images of love, find irresistible, leniency. At the exceptionally time, Neat icons ponder the inwardness of man, the alliance of uncreated and twisted, the transfiguration of man from the uncreated Creative which entered voguish worldly years and issues out of the put up voguish all manufacture. It surrounds the man who sees this with leniency, find irresistible and love. At the exceptionally time the cheerful Creative issues out of Christ and sanctifies the whole manufacture.Antithetically, offer can be observed in the pious icons of the Western Renewal the anthropocentric worldview of ancient Greek mores, the word of man in himself, the parameter of logic, power and vision, and the call of traditional morality in that the art has an anti-metaphysical leaving nothing to the imagination air. In the West offer is twisted a pliable icon based on humanistic experience and knowledge, which translates voguish a form that signals a reform of custody in worldly powers and his colorless future. Western pious art which is naturalistic and humanistic is the humanization of law and has worldly passions in its sacred scenes.4. THE TWO Images OF THE Brand new ConceptionBanner all this in intelligence we can come into being the production to our modern group, whether eastern or western, and see the two images of our innovative world, which do not go up against from the two kinds of images that we proven previously.The outdo is rationalistic and sensual, based on the out-and-out self-determination of box, the infer and the passions, which are characterized as vision and tenderness. The parameter of box leads man to dead ends, and sensationalism, with vision and tenderness, creates misfortune. Whatever thing today rests on a conclusion image, charmed by its exterior brilliance and ignoring the solidity. This image is matching to the western sensationalistic image that supports the self-satisfaction of the infer and vision.The other image is the interior secret world, that aims towards the unrevealed arm of man, and refers to the run down of the essence, where the ambiance of the essence develope towards God and rural area, but the misfortune of the experience of tenderness and hell are offer equally.The worth between these two images are characterized allegorically between the face-person and the face-mask. The face-person has ontology and solidity, in view of the fact that the face-mask hardly has conclusion and hides the face-person. Honestly, today rural area without stopping use masks, either in view of the fact that they do not stand the theological meaning of the face-person or in view of the fact that they connote to face their face-person. But group equally is a group of masks, a pane, which is liked in its scarce brilliance but not in the run down of the essence, the face-person. The face-person has room and love, the conceal has scarce brilliance and beauty which obscures the face-person and wreaks misfortune. For this box maybe man wishes to break the windows of the shops, on a investigate towards room, but does not find its real use.Existential philosophy and existential psychology try to withstand the inner misfortune of man, his tenderness, with the existential vacuum, the injure of tenderness, which is positioned at the bottom of the exterior beauty of the face-mask. Period art tries to perfect example this solidity of the world and man. Period sociology is strange in locating the worth between wealth and require, in essence tiresome to obtain the little known that covers outgoing misfortune. Methodological studies are discovering the misfortune of man above the axis, even at the same time as the spectacle lights are off. This work is firstly done by Divine Fathers, who kind the hell of worldly misfortune, to lucid the honorable of drive and recovery.The restoration of the holy icons, which is downright on the Sunday of Conformity, refers to the actual restoration of the image of the Gain who is the Pledge, and the restoration of the actual image of man who are the saints. This explanation that the face-person of God want be restored, Who loves man overtly and touchingly, and the conceal of the not real gods want be split, which lead to lack of room and spite. Above and beyond, this explanation that man equally want be restored, having been twisted according to the image and evenness of God, and self-sacrificing love and self-sacrificing room want take and the conceal of artificiality and falsehood want be lowered.In our time, in which we sample the words of the individualist existentialist Sartre: "Hell is other rural area", we want sample aloud the words of Saint Seraphim of Sarov: "Christ is risen, my joy". The other is not our hell, but our joy, and God is not a feudal lord who requires obedience methodical with manufacture, but the sappy Bridegroom of our essence. And the Place of worship is not a medieval community, but the brilliantly lit celebratory study of territory. Let us diversion the sensationalistic image to the Byzantine-Romaic image, from the conceal of artificiality to the face-person of truth, that we may find and wisdom the true feast of Conformity.Source: "Ekklesiastiki Paremvasi", , February 2010. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.