Monday, November 30, 2020

Consecration Prayers of Icons and Images in the Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox Traditions

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)

 

Again, such a dogma/practice is not "innocent"--if it is false (and I argue it is), any faith tradition that teaches such is guilty of idolatry and preaching a doctrine that is without a shred of support from the earliest centuries of Christianity. On this, see the articles in the link above as well as this presentation I put on youtube:


A Case Against the Veneration of Images