I have written a great deal on the Catholic/Orthodox dogma of the veneration of images. For a listing of articles, see:
Answering
Fundamentalist Protestants and Roman Catholic/Eastern Orthodox on Images/Icons
The following are examples of prayers from
the Coptic and Ethiopian traditions with the purpose of consecrating
icons/images of saints, showing their belief that such images can be used by
God as instrumental means of grace/salvation/forgiveness of sins:
Coptic Prayer
TEXT
The bishop says:
Master, Lord God
Almighty, Father of our Lord our God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
[God who gave us from
the beginning a foreshadowing <of all things to come> by means of your
holy prophets: those who belonged to the Old Covenant foreshadowed those of the
New;]
You, who by the intermediary
of your servant Moses, have given us a law from the beginning (commanding) that
the figures of the cherubim and the seraphim, who covered the mercy-seat with
their wings should be placed in the tabernacle of the testimony.
You, who gave Wisdom
to Solomon by the Temple which he built for you in Jerusalem, and which you
have revealed to your elect, the apostles, by the Incarnation of your
Only-begotten Son (Monogenis) Jesus Christ, our Lord (ordering them) to
build your churches and monasteries in the name of your holy martyrs.
For (all) this we pray
and beseech you, friend of mankind: send your Holy Spirit upon this image of
the holy martyr (Name) that it may be an image of salvation, that all who
approach it in faith might obtain the grace of God for themselves, in view of
the forgiveness of their sins. For blessed and glorified is your most holy
Name Father, Son, and Holy Spirit life=giver and consubstantial with you, now
and forever.
[Take the chrism,
anoint (the icon) and say:
Blessed (be) the Lord
Jesus Christ, Son of God, (who) has sanctified (this icon) by his Holy Spirit.
Amen.] (Christine Chaillot, The Role of Images and the Veneration of Icons
in the Oriental Orthodox Churches: Syrian Orthodox, Armenian, Coptic and Ethiopian
Traditions [trans. Norman Russell; Studien zur Orientalischen
Kirchengeschichte 55; Zürich: Lit Verlag GmbH & Co. KG Wien, 2018], 118-19)
In a note for the phrase “that it may be
an image of salvation,” we read of an alternative translation which also
highlights the use of images as some form of instrumental means of grace/salvation(!):
‘That it may be
useful to salvation and perseverance’, according to R. Tuki, Pontificale
coptice et arabice, (Rome, 1762), vol. 2.53, quoted by S. Chauleur, Histoire
des coptes d’Égypte (Paris, 1960), 180. According to Zanetti’s notes 30 and
32, one also finds ‘image of [re]comfort’, to obtain ‘the grace and benevolence
of God, Friend of mankind’. (Ibid., 118-19 n. 198)
Ethiopian Prayer
TEXT
O Lord, Our God, You
who rule over all things, Father of Our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ. It
is you who gave us the Law through Moses, Your servant, at the beginning, that
he might represent images of cherubim above the altar (?)…
And You gave Wisdom
to Solomon that he might make a dwelling for you in Jerusalem.
And Your
Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, showed this to his beloved disciples because
he clothed himself in our flesh.
O You who love
mankind, you have ordained that a holy assembly should be gathered for you, and
that, in the name of the holy righteous and of the martyrs and of the holy
angels and of all the saints, their images should be placed there.
Now therefore, our
God, we beseech and implore that of your Goodness (You) send Your Holy Spirit
on these images of the righteous and of the martyrs and of the angels and of
all the saints, and especially on this image of Saint (Name), so that it may be
holy and blessed, and may be (the cause) which leads to worship and intercession
for supplication and veneration (prostration). May bt be useful and beneficial to
all who approach it with faith and may it serve for the forgiveness of sins and
for the supplications of all believers.
For blessed and holy
(is) Your Name and filled with glory, O Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and
for the ages of ages. Amen. (Ibid., 120, emphasis in bold added)
A Case Against the Veneration of Images
