SCRIPTURE IN ART FORM

[epostle]

Objectors: produce a verse that forbids Scripture in art form before posting. Thank you.

WHY ICONOGRAPHS LOOK SO WIERD
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Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct from artistic style. The word iconography comes from the Greek εἰκών and γράφειν. Wiki.

Meaning of Colour in Religious Iconography

Gold is reserved for Christ and symbolizes divinity. Traditional Icons
are gilded with gold leaf. The gold shines through on the halos and other parts
of the Icon. The gold symbolizes the eternal uncreated light of God and his
heavenly kingdom.

White is used to show heavenly purity and divinity. Icons of the
resurrection will often show Christ in white robes pulling Adam and Eve from the
depths. White is also used to depict swaddling clothes of babies, the shrouds of
the dead and the robes of angels.

Purple was the Byzantine symbol of royalty. It is used in icons to
represent Christ's Kingdom

Red is used in icons to represent humanity and the saving nature of the
resurrection. It is the color of blood and thereby signifies life on
earth.

Blue signifies the heavens and the kingdom of God not on this earth.
Byzantine icons of Mary show her with red outer garments and blue ones on the
inside. This signifies her original human nature (the red) and her heavenly
nature (the blue). In Eastern iconography Mary was depicted in red or brown to
depict her as a physical (grounded) being but the earliest icons depict her in
blue. It could have depended on the availability of pigment. Lapis Lazuli was
ground to create the blue colour and was a very expensive
stone.

Clothing: Icons of Christ will show him with Blue outer clothing and red inner
clothing. Christ's inner garment is red and symbolizes his humanity. His outer
garments are blue and symbolize his true divinity. In addition to blue, red and
green are also reserved for Christ and Virgin Mary.

Green is the color of the living earth and has been used to portray
youth, hope and where life begins. This contrasts to brown which is meant to
show our fallen nature on earth and that we will all eventually become
dust.

Black is used in Iconography to portray evil and death. Demons and
satanic beings are portrayed in black. However, several religious orders use
black vestments and in this case black is used as part of the traditional dress
of the order.

The colors of white, gray, blue, green, and light shades of red are used
for other holy persons.

You may look at the colors of a road map differently.

 

[Harvest 1874]

Nothing wrong with illustrations, I use them all the time in my studies to help others in understanding. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[Willie T]

That was interesting. But, what has always captured my attention is how emaciated and freakishly all of them are depicted. Even strong, tanned carpenters, fishermen and tentmakers are depicted as pale, frail and excessively effeminate scarecrows. What is with that?

Even the picture of, I assume, Christ, above this post is deliberately painted with the shoulders of a woman.

 

[epostle]

That was interesting. But, what has always captured my attention is how emaciated and freakishly all of them are depicted. Even strong, tanned carpenters, fishermen and tentmakers are depicted as pale, frail and excessively effeminate scarecrows. What is with that?

Even the picture of, I assume, Christ, above this post is deliberately painted with the shoulders of a woman.

Just about every spot on an icon has biblical connotations. They may look like effeminate scare crows to us because the painter has a different world view in a different time and place than we are accustomed to. I am not an expert in iconography but I know that there is much prayer and fasting that goes with the strokes of the brush. Long noses and big eyes are symbolic of something, but I don't know what it means yet. I recently found this modern icon that appears to have been made in Photoshop. How many bible verses can you associate with it?

​

 

[Willie T]

This is my favorite depiction of Jesus, and it baffles me why we try to make Him so "ethereal" looking.
https://laymansbible.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/god-has-a-sense-of-humor-jesus-laughing.jpg

 

[epostle]

This is my favorite depiction of Jesus, and it baffles me why we try to make Him so "ethereal" looking.
https://laymansbible.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/god-has-a-sense-of-humor-jesus-laughing.jpg

I suppose it's because there were no cameras in the 1st century. I like the depiction too. But I don't think it's Jesus. Jesus never held a net. Some say Peter owned 2 boats, the one he is standing on, and the one in the background. That one must be anchored because there is no one in it and it is pointed against the waves. Perhaps it's Simon bar Jonah and he is happy to have such a special Passenger. Good art invokes something. People stare at art in museums to capture whatever it is the artist was trying to portray.

 

[epostle]

Icons have been often described as a method of teaching about theology, Christ’s life and His Saints to the illiterate. In centuries past – and it seems for most of human history – the majority of people could not read or write and so Christian churches were decorated with Biblical images and Saints for their edification. I was always a bit wary of this description of icons because, on top of most icons having written descriptions on them anyway, very few iconographic images can be read “cold”. A fairly deep knowledge of the Bible and the lives of the Saints is needed before icons can be easily identified as depicting such-and-such a story or showing a particular Saint. At best, they are a reminder of the person it depicts, but not really a teaching method. The Gospels and the lives of Saints were primarily learned by hearing them, usually in church.

 

[epostle]

REVELATION 12:7-9

There are millions of depictions of St. Michael. I like this one because it's full of life and power. If you look carefully at almost any art of St. M., his sword or spear never penetrates satan, because satan cannot be killed. St. M.'s job is to throw him out of heaven, he gets his head crushed at Calvary, gets locked up, but doesn't die. St. M is the patron saint of soldiers and police officers.​

 

[amadeus]

Icons have been often described as a method of teaching about theology, Christ’s life and His Saints to the illiterate. In centuries past – and it seems for most of human history – the majority of people could not read or write and so Christian churches were decorated with Biblical images and Saints for their edification. I was always a bit wary of this description of icons because, on top of most icons having written descriptions on them anyway, very few iconographic images can be read “cold”. A fairly deep knowledge of the Bible and the lives of the Saints is needed before icons can be easily identified as depicting such-and-such a story or showing a particular Saint. At best, they are a reminder of the person it depicts, but not really a teaching method. The Gospels and the lives of Saints were primarily learned by hearing them, usually in church.

The person, who cannot read but listens to a teacher who connects his words [scripture for example] with pictures to which he points as he speaks, may well come to identify similar or identical pictures with the lessons taught. Children do the same thing both before and after they learn to read for themselves. From when I was a young Catholic I still have an images in my mind of some of the lessons the nuns taught us while displaying prepared pictures or even large hand drawn pictures as teaching aids.

 

[Willie T]

REVELATION 12:7-9

There are millions of depictions of St. Michael. I like this one because it's full of life and power. If you look carefully at almost any art of St. M., his sword or spear never penetrates satan, because satan cannot be killed. St. M.'s job is to throw him out of heaven, he gets his head crushed at Calvary, gets locked up, but doesn't die. St. M is the patron saint of soldiers and police officers.​

This is what I mean. Why on earth is a created servant, an angel, shown as a prime example of a healthy male human being, and the Apostles and Jesus get the poor depiction of sickly men with effeminate traits? It's not like those old artists didn't know what a real man looked like.

 

[djstav]

Jesus was not beautiful

 

[Willie T]

Well, that modern depiction is far more attractive than the pitiful things the icon painters turned out. Icons, frankly, should be an embarrassment to the church.

 

[epostle]

Well, that modern depiction is far more attractive than the pitiful things the icon painters turned out. Icons, frankly, should be an embarrassment to the church.

I didn't even scratch the surface. Iconography is a university credit. I didn't post much about it because it is a foreign historical art form. The originals are kept on display in churches, not in museums, and not on the cover of the Rolling Stone.

The iconoclasts had support from both inside and outside the Church. Outside the Church, there may have been influence from Jewish and Muslim ideas, and it is important to note that just prior to the iconoclast outbreak Muslim Caliph Yezid ordered the removal of all icons with his territory. Inside the Church there had always existed a "puritan" outlook which saw all images as latent idolatry.

Largely through the work of St. John of Damascus (c. 676-749)... he addressed the charges of the iconoclasts thus:
Concerning the charge of idolatry: Icons are not idols but symbols, therefore when an Orthodox venerates an icon, he is not guilty of idolatry. He is not worshipping the symbol, but merely venerating it. Such veneration is not directed toward wood, or paint or stone, but towards the person depicted. Therefore relative honor is shown to material objects, but worship is due to God alone.

We do not make obeisance to the nature of wood, but we revere and do obeisance to Him who was crucified on the Cross... When the two beams of the Cross are joined together I adore the figure because of Christ who was crucified on the Cross, but if the beams are separated, I throw them away and burn them. —St. John of Damascus

Seventh Ecumenical Council - OrthodoxWiki
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This is what I mean. Why on earth is a created servant, an angel, shown as a prime example of a healthy male human being, and the Apostles and Jesus get the poor depiction of sickly men with effeminate traits? It's not like those old artists didn't know what a real man looked like.

It's Scripture coming off a paint brush. You can't expect icons to look like photographs. It's a matter of taste. There is no rule that says we must like them. They are devotional aids, and too spooky for my living room.

The Shroud of Turin has been called " An Icon of Holy Saturday". It doesn't matter if it is the authentic burial cloth of Christ, or if it was made in China in 1952. It's an icon. The Shroud of Turin (I am free to accept it or reject it) is not the property of the church in Turin, and not the property of the Vatican...it belongs to humanity.

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[epostle]

Ark of the Old Covenant Ark of the New Covenant

Word in Stone >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Word Made Flesh
Jar of Manna >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Bread of Life
Rod of Aaron >>>>>>>>>>>>>> High Priest​

 

[epostle]

Archaeologists and art restorers using new laser technology have discovered what they believe are the oldest paintings of the faces of Jesus Christ’s Apostles. The images in a branch of the catacombs of St Tecla near St Paul’s Basilica, just outside the walls of ancient Rome, were painted at the end of the 4th century or the start of the 5th century.
Roman archaeologists find oldest images of Apostles in a catacomb

 

[epostle]

 

[Frank Lee]

Memes of middle ages.