23.
That We Should Depict the Things of God with Reverence and Piety and in
Accordance with the Received Custom
What other innovations have been
introduced by the Latins contrary to ecclesiastical tradition?
The holy and venerable icons were
piously handed down for the honor of the divine prototypes and the relative
worship of their holy images by the faithful, since they make the truth visible
through representations. For icons portray the Word who was incarnate for our
sakes, as well as the divine works that He accomplished for us: His Passion,
miracles, and mysteries. They also portray the all-holy form of His holy
ever-Virgin Mother, and of His saints, and all things whatsoever the Gospel
account and the rest of the divine Scriptures speak about. Icons portray these
things as with another kind of letters: teaching representationally, through
the application of pigments and other materials.
Yet the Latins innovate in all
these things, as we have said, and they often paint the sacred icons in another
style, contrary to what has been established by the Church. In place of images
and clothes and hair, they adorn their icons with human hair and real garments.
This, however, is not an icon of hair and clothes but the hair and clothes of
some random person, and thus it is not an icon and figure of the prototypes.
They also paint their icons and adorn them in a manner that is outside the
bounds of reverence, which actually contradicts what it means to be a holy
icon, as the canon of the Sixth Ecumenical Council prescribes. For it states
that one should not paint things that are not beneficial for the more simple;
and what is contrary to the order of the Church is not permitted. (See Canons
82 and 100 of the Quinisext Council) Nor do the Fathers accept this. What is
more, they also depict certain things in theatrical performances, contrary to
the divine ordinances. For they act out, as it were, the events of the
Annunciation of the Virgin Mother of God, and of the crucifixion of the Savior,
and all the rest, stationing men at the crossroads and in public squares
contrary to the order of the Church. One man plays the Virgin, and they call
this fellow ‘Mary.’ Another is called ‘angel’ and yet another ‘Ancient of
Days.’ On this one they affix white hairs to his chin, since they do not have
beards. For the Latins shave these off, like women and contrary to the
ordinances of nature. Therefore, they put on someone else’s beard, thereby
exposing the incongruity of their actions. For if the prophets saw that God is
represented with a beard, then certainly when we have a beard it brings honor
to our nature and is in accordance with God’s will. Thus those who shave act
contrary to the will of God and dishonour nature, especially priests and monks,
who are forbidden from indulging the flesh.
And they make the Ancient of Days
hold a dove (an actual bird) in place of the divine Spirit, once again exposing
the incongruity of their thinking thereby. For if they think that the Spirit is
‘also from the Son,’ they why do they not sit the Son beside the Ancient of
Days, so that they can both send forth the dove? Rather, they should send the
Son, too, to the fellow they call Mary. For it was not the Spirit who was
incarnate, even if He did overshadow the Virgin (Lk 1:35). Nevertheless, all
these things are absurd and alien to the tradition of the Church. Indeed, they
are an outrage against the mysteries and Christian piety.
And what about the things they
portray concerning the Crucifixion of Christ? Bringing in the blood of
irrational animals in the bowels of animals, in place of the Lord’s blood, they
make it appear to flow from the hands, feet, and side of some man who pretends
to be crucified. Who, then, is this crucified man? And what is this blood? Is
it the reality or is it an icon? If it is an icon, how is there a man and
blood? For a man is not an icon. And if the man and blood are the reality, it
is not an icon. And who, by the way, is this man? And what is that blood? One
must ask: whose is it! Is it the Savior’s or is it some common blood? Oh the
absurdity of it all! These things are contrary to the sacred icons and to the
Gospels—indeed, to the dread mysteries of Christ!
And from whence they did receive
these things? Which of the saints handed down such things to them? The truth is
that they themselves invented all of them. And they perform them at crossroads,
and in public squares, stationing actors there in contravention of all order.
They put on plays about the wondrous things that are beyond description, of
which it is not lawful to speak. They call a dove—a bird—the Holy Spirit. They
call out and respond with the details of the feast. The fictitious Mary
receives an irrational dove in place of the Spirit. Once again, as we have
already said, some man is crucified, and they call him Christ. The Crucifixion
is not real, and yet the blood of some animal is seen to flow, mocking the
blood shed by God.
But it was not in this way that
the Lord commanded us to commemorate the mysteries, but rather as He Himself
handed down. For in the latter He Himself is also operative, and consecrates
the mysteries. It is His body and bloody that are consecrated.
Are these things that they do not
fraught with error—exceedingly fraught? IF you wish, O man, to depict these
things and to teach them to other people, celebrate the Liturgy as the Lord
handed down. Compose writings. Paint icons with pigments, as it has been handed
down. For this is true representation, like the Scripture in books whose inner
grace is divine, since they, too, are holy things made visible. Yet the Latins,
having once gone astray, hasten to those things that must be avoided.
If, however, they should censure
us concerning the ritual of the furnace of the three youths, they will not come
away happy at all. For we do not light a furnace, but only candles with lights,
and we offer incense to God as is customary. And we depict an angel; we do not
send forth a man. We bring forward to sing only youths who are pure, as the
three youths were, to chant the Ode of the three youths according to tradition.
All youths who have been sealed with chrism and consecrated represent these
three youths. Among the clergy each represents his own rank. The primate
represents Christ, and the bishops represent the chief apostles, since they
also possess their grace. The priests in turn represent the Seventy, and the
deacons the Levites. The subdeacons and the remaining orders represent the
order of the prophets.
Seen from another angel, the
primate represents the incarnate God the Word. The priests represent the higher
orders of angels, and the deacons the lower orders of ministering powers. The
rest of the clergy represent the final orders together with the Orthodox laity.
All of these have their successive rank, as well as the grace that corresponds
to it. Therefore, it is not inappropriate for youths to portray the three
youths since it is also possible for them to possess their grace. To portray
the Lord in His crucifixion, however, to pretend at being slain, and to pour
out blood, is to perform something that is neither real nor in accordance with
divine tradition. Likewise, to portray the Mother of God, by means of a man or
a woman, and to have her receive a bird in place of the Spirit is exceedingly
inappropriate. And to portray the figures of the saints and adorn them with
someone else’s hair and clothes, contrary to piety, is not something that was
handed on by the Fathers. To put it simply, to perform the things of God on a
stage and in theatrical performances is not Orthodox, is not traditional, and
is not proper for Christians.
If, on the other hand, someone
should assert that those who carry these things out are priests, and that, in
this capacity, it is possible for them to depict the Lord and His Virgin
Mother, it should be known that it is not proper for them to do it in this way.
For priests represent the Lord in those things that are needful: in baptizing,
in liturgizing, in washing the feet of others, and everything else the Lord
spoke about, which He handed down to hierarchs and priests to perform. Likewise
the chanters and those who have been sealed in order to read represent the Lord
when they read and chant. There is no fictitious crucifixion and shedding of
blood, let alone the blood of an animal, unless someone should choose to really
shed his own blood in martyrdom, or undertake ascetical struggle in crucifying
the flesh with its passions and desires, as Paul says (Gal 5:24). He also said
that, The world is crucified to Me, and I to the world, admonishing
everyone to seek after this (Gal 6:14).
No one, however, is able to
replicate the Virgin Theotokos, neither in her purity nor in the way she
conceived the Lord by the Spirit and gave birth to Him in the flesh, for this
was absolutely unique and was accomplished to her alone. Yet one may imitate
her by living chastely and embracing virginity, thereby showing himself to be
worthy of receiving her grace to the extent that this is possible. In these
ways, then, it is desirable for everyone to replace the Mother of God, as much
as one can.
Yet if anyone says that all these
things are the same as the divine icons that are painted, their sentiments are
senseless. For what we see in a depiction is truly an icon: a painted icon of
Christ, the depiction of blood, the Mother of God in icon form, or an angel, an
apostle, a hierarch, a martyr, or the Spirit in the form of a dove. Everything
is an icon, since they are images and depictions of divine things, worthy of
veneration and reverence. Yet for people to act the things out is not
appropriate. (Symeon of Thessalonica, Dialogue in Christ Against All Heresies
23, in Against All Heresies [trans. Alexander Pino; Patristic Nectar
Publications, 2024], 82-86)
Here is the English and Greek of canons 82 and 100 of the
Quinisext council (692 AD) and the interpretation thereof in The Rudder:
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English |
Greek |
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CANON LXXXII In some of the paintings of the venerable icons, a lamb is inscribed
as being shown or pointed at by the Precursor’s finger, which was taken to be
a type of grace, suggesting beforehand through the law the true lamb to us
Christ our God. Therefore, eagerly embracing the old types and the shadows as
symbols of the truth and preindications handed down to the Church, we prefer
the grace, and accept it as the truth in fulfillment of the Law. Since,
therefore, that which is perfect even though it be but painted is imprinted
in the faces of all, the Lamb who taketh away the sin of the world Christ our
God, with respect to His human character, we decree that henceforth He shall
be inscribed even in the icons instead of the ancient lamb: through Him being
enabled to comprehend the reason for the humiliation of the God Logos, and in
memory of His life in the flesh and of His passion and of His soterial death
being led by the hand, as it were, and of the redemption of the world which
thence accrues. Interpretation Since some painters paint
Christ as a sheep and lamb, with the Forerunner pointing his finger at him
and saying, “Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world,”
therefore and on this account the present Canon commands that hereafter in the
future this shall not be done, but instead Christ Himself shall be painted a
full-grown man, with respect to His human character, in order that by means
of the human aspect we may be enabled to recall to memory His life in the
flesh and His passion and His death, and the salvation of the world resulting
therefrom. For, as regarding those old types of the Law, we honor and value
them, out of consideration for the fact that they prefigured the truth of the
Gospel and of grace, among which one was that of the lamb slaughtered on the
occasion of the Passover (or Easter), taken in the image of Christ, the true
Lamb which taketh away the sin of the world. But now that this truth and the
realities themselves have come, we prefer it and accept it rather than the
types. |
ΚΑΝΩΝ
ΠΒʹ
Ἔν τισι τῶν σεπτῶν εἰκόνων γραφαῖς, ἀμνὸς δακτύλῳ τοῦ Προδρόμου δεικνύμενος ἐγχαράττεται,
ὃς εἰς τύπον παρελήφθη τῆς χάριτος, τὸν ἀληθινὸν ἡμῖν διὰ νόμου προϋποφαίνων ἀμνὸν Χριστὸν τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν. Τοὺς οὖν παλαιοὺς τύπους, καὶ τὰς σκιὰς. ὡς τῆς ἀληθείας σύμβολά τε, καὶ προχαράγματα,
τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ παραδεδομένους κατασπαζόμενοι, τὴν χάριν προτιμῶμεν, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὡς πλήρωμα νόμου, ταύτην ὑποδεξάμενοι.
Ὡς ἂν οὖν τὸ τέλειον κᾂν ταῖς χρωματουργίαις, ἐν ταῖς ἁπάντων ὄψεσιν ὑπογράφηται, τὸν τοῦ αἴροντος τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου ἀμνοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, χαρακτῆρα, καὶ ἐν ταῖς εἰκόσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν, ἀντὶ τοῦ παλαιοῦ ἀμνοῦ, ἀναστηλοῦσθαι ὁρίζομεν. Διʼ αὐτοῦ τὸ τῆς ταπεινώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγου κατανοοῦντες, καὶ πρὸς μνήμην τῆς ἐν σαρκὶ πολιτείας, τοῦ τε πάθους αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῦ σωτηρίου θανάτου, χειραγωγούμενοι, καὶ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν γενομένης τῷ Κόσμῳ ἀπολυτρώσεως.
Ἑρμηνεία
Ἐπειδὴ μερικοὶ ζωγραφίζουσι, τὸν μὲν Χριστὸν, ὡς πρόβατον καὶ Ἀμνὸν, τὸν δὲ Πρόδρομον δεικνύοντα αὐτὸν μὲ τὸν δάκτυλόν του καὶ λέγοντα· «Ἴδε ὁ Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ Κόσμου.» [Ἰωάν. ά. 29.] Διὰ τοῦτο προστάζει ὁ παρὼν Κανὼν, τὸ τοιοῦτον εἰς τὸ ἐξῆς νὰ μὴ γίνεται, ἀλλὰ νὰ ζωγραφίζεται ὁ Χριστὸς, ὡς ἄνθρωπος τέλειος, κατὰ τὸν ἀνθρωπινον χαρακτῆρα. Ἴνα διὰ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου εἴδους ἐρχόμεθα εἰς ἐνθύμησιν τῆς ἐν σαρκὶ πολιτείας αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῦ πάθους καὶ τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ τῆς διὰ τούτων γενομένης σωτηρίας τοῦ Κόσμου. Διότι, τοὺς μὲν παλαιοὺς ἐκείνους τοῦ νόμου τύπους τιμῶμεν, καθʼ ὅ ἐπροεικόνιζαν τὴν ἄλήθειαν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου καὶ τῆς χάριτος, ἀπὸ τοὺς ὁποίους ἔνας ἦτο καὶ ὁ ἐν τῷ Πάσχᾳ σφαγιαζόμενος Ἀμνὸς, εἰς εἰκόνα Χριστοῦ παραλαμβανόμενος, τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Ἀμνοῦ, τοῦ αἴροντος τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ Κόσμου. Τώρα δὲ ὁποῦ ἦλθεν ἡ ἀλήθεια αὐτὴ καὶ τὰ πράγματα, μᾶλλον τῶν τύπων προτιμῶμεν αὐτὴν καὶ ὑποδεχόμεθα. |
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CANON C “Let thine eyes look aright, and keep thy heart with all diligence”
(Prov. 4:25 and 23), wisdom bids us.
For the sensation of the body can easily foist their influence upon the soul.
We therefore command that henceforth in no way whatever shall any pictures be
drawn, painted, or otherwise wrought, whether in frames or otherwise hung up,
that appeal to the eye fascinatingly, and corrupt the mind, and excite
inflammatory urgings to the enjoyment of shameful pleasures. If anyone should
attempt to do this, let him be excommunicated. (No interpretation of this
Canon is in the Greek edition.) Concord Inasmuch as some men were wont
to paint or draw on walls and boards lascivious pictures, such as women stark
naked or bathing or being kissed by men, and other such shameful scenes,
which deceive the eyes of beholders and excite the mind and heart to carnal
desires, therefore and on this account the present Canon commands that no
such pictures shall by any means whatsoever be painted or drawn or sketched.
If anyone should make any such pictures, let him be excommunicated, since all
the five senses of the body, and especially the first and royalest one, the
eyesight, is easily led to impress the pictures of those things which it sees
into the soul. That is why Solomon recommends that our eyes look aright at
things that are fine and good and beautiful, and that everyone of us keep his
mind and heart away from the shameful objects of the senses. |
ΚΑΝΩΝ
Ρʹ
«Οἱ ὁφθαλμοί σου ὁρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν, καὶ πάσῃ φυλακῇ τήρει σὴν καρδίαν,» [Παροιμ, δʹ. 23. 25.] ἡ σοφία διακελεύεται.
Ῥᾳδίως γὰρ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχὴν αἰ τοῦ σώματος αἰσθήσεις εἰσκρίνουσι. Τὰς οὖν τῂν ὅρασιν καταγοητευούσας γραφὰς, εἴτε ἑν πίναξιν, εἵτε ἄλλως πως ἀνατεθειμένας, καὶ τὸν νοῦν διαφθειρούσας,
καὶ κινούσας πρὸς τὰς τῶν αἰσχρῶν ἡδονῶν ὑπεκκαύσεις, οὑδαμῶς ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν οἱῳδήποτε τρόπῳ προστάσσομεν ἐγχαράττεσθαι, εἱ δέ τις τοῦτο πράττειν ἐπιχειρήσοι, ἀφοριζέσθω.
Συμφωνία
Ἐπειδὴ μερικοὶ ἐζωγράφιζον εἰς τοίχους καὶ σανίδας ζωγραφίας τινὰς ἀσέμνους, οἶον, γυναῖκας γυμνὰς, ἢ λουομένας, ἢ ὑπὸ ἀνδρῶν φιλουμένας, καὶ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα αἰσχρὰ, τὰ ὁποῖα ἀπατῶσι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῶν ὁρώντων, καὶ κινοῦσι τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὴν καρδίαν πρὸς ἐπιθυμίας σαρκικὰς, διὰ τοῦτο προστάζει ὁ παρὼν κανὼν, αἱ τοιαῦται εἰκόνες μὲ κᾀνένα τρόπον νὰ μὴ ζωγραφίζωνται, εἰ δέ τις ἤθελε τἁς ζωγραφίσῃ, νὰ ἀφορίζεται, ἐπειδὴ ὅλαι αἱ πέντε αἰσθήσεις τοῦ σώματος, καὶ μάλιστα ἡ πρώτη καὶ βασιλικωτάτη ὅρασις μὲ εὐκολίαν ἐμβάζει τὰς εἰκόνας ἐκείνων ὁποῦ βλέπει μέσα εἰς τὴν ψυχήν. Διʼ ὃ καὶ ὁ Σολομὼν συμβουλεύει νὰ βλέπουσιν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τοῦ καθʼ ἑνὸς ὀρθὰ καὶ καλὰ πράγματα, καὶ καθʼ ἔνας νὰ φυλάττῃ μὲ κάθε φύλαξιν τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὴν καρδίαν του ἀπὸ τὰ αἰσχρὰ ἀντικείμενα τῶν αἰσθήσεων. |
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