The Icon In The Life Of The Church

Within the Eastern tradition of Christianity, the eikon, or religious image, has long held a place of honor. In the greater part of Western Christianity, however, discomfort with images in worship, both statues and panel icons, has been a relatively common current, particularly since the Reformation. In the Roman Catholic Church, after years of using religious statues, the Second Vatican Council’s call for “noble simplicity” in many cases led to a stripping of images that in some ways helped refocus attention on the eucharistic celebration itself but also led to a starkness that has left many Roman Catholics unsure of how to interact with the saints or with religious images at all. Today, Western interest in panel icons has been rising, yet we lack standards of quality or catechesis on what to do with them. This book makes the case that icons should have a role to play in the Western Church that goes beyond mere decoration. Citing theological and ecumenical reasons, Visel argues that, with regard to use of icons, the post–Vatican II Roman Catholic Church needs to give greater respect to the Eastern tradition. While Roman Catholics may never interact with icons in quite the same way that Eastern Christians do, we do need to come to terms with what icons are and how we should encounter them.

"In the Cathedral Church of Mary of the Assumption in Tbilisi, Georgia, in Eastern Europe, "the Word of Life" is proclaimed in the Liturgy, and also told through one hundred and thirty icons of scenes from the Bible, elegantly arranged along the Cathedral's side walls. For the faithful, these icons uncover the thread of love that can draw them to enter, through prayer, into contemplation of the image of the invisible God." "Thirty of these icons, which tell the story of the life of Jesus, are reproduced in this book together with the relevant biblical texts and a commentary written especially for the English language edition by Francis J. Moloney, SDB. Carefully chosen extracts from early Church Fathers shed further light on each of the events portrayed in the icons."--BOOK JACKET.

"In recent years there has been a sort of 'rediscovery' of icons by Western Christians. There is an increasing awareness that the icon is not merely a work of art, but is also an aspect of diving revelation and of our communing with God in the Church. Thus the icon cannot be separated from Orthodox belief, prayer or liturgical life. To fully understand the icon, one must comprehend its organic unity: artistic, spiritual, theological. Quenot's analysis of various icons and their theological elements enables the readers to appreciate the various aspects of the icon more fully. There are currently many books written about icons, discussing either their historical context, describing their spiritual attraction, or simply showing their aesthetic beauty. The Icon is, however, an exceptional book in many ways. Michel Quenot has sketched a brief yet highly descriptive history of iconography together with a discussion of the canons and laws which govern this ancient art form. Such "ground rules" guarantee a spiritual continuity and doctrinal unity that are valid beyond all national and cultural boundaries. Translated from the French and already published in eight languages, The Icon: Window on the Kingdom includes 33 color photos and 34 black and white illustrations. Among its many illustrations are included examples of works by modern iconographers, which show the icon to be a living and vital art form, bit outmoded or stagnant. The book also covers historical sources, theological and biblical foundations, iconographic themes, and the icon's role in the life of believers. It includes discussion of current discoveries and recent scholarship from catacomb art through Egyptian, Byzantine, Balkan, Russian and contemporary iconography."--

The Ecumenical Work of the Icon is an invitation to the students and faculties of Catholic seminaries to be a part of the tradition of the icon through the lens of ecumenis. With a view of ecumenism as lived in both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions, the visual theological language of the icon may be engaged more fully and respectfully, thus enriching the theological education and future ministry of those who learn and teach in a Catholic setting. In the third portion of the book, readers are offered multiple practical pedagogical examples of how to integrate teaching and learning about the icon into seminary courses and beyond, including writing assignments, oral presentations, and hands-on activities.

The aim of this book is to demonstrate the presence in the very ancient Eastern Churches of religious images of all kinds (icons, paintings, illuminations), including the representation of Christ, together with the veneration (not the adoration) of icons/images. Presented here are not only the iconographic but also the liturgical-and especially the Christological-dimensions of the icon on the basis of texts used by these four traditions down the centuries. In contrast to the Byzantine Orthodox world which, after a controversy on this subject, officially established the veneration of icons from the time of the Second Council of Nicaea (787) and in 843, these Churches did not experience Iconoclasm. Christine Chaillot is Swiss and Orthodox (Patriarchate of Constantinople). She has published several books on the Orthodox Churches and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. (Series: Studies on Oriental Orthodox Church History / Studien zur Orientalischen Kirchengeschichte, Vol. 55) [Subject: Religious Studies, Christian Studies, History, Iconography]

Enigma in Rus and Medieval Slavic Cultures is a thematic essay volume to investigate the history and function of enigma in Orthodox Slavic cultures with a special focus on the cultural history of Rus and Muscovy. Its seventeen case studies across disciplinary boundaries analyze Slavic biblical and patristic translations, liturgical commentaries, occult divinatory texts, and dream interpretations. Slavic riddles inscribed on walls and compilations of riddles in question-and-answer format are all subjects of this volume. Not only written, but also pictorial enigmas are examined, together with their relationships to texts suggesting novel methodologies for their deciphering. This kaleidoscopic survey of Enigma in Rus and Medieval Slavic Cultures by an international group of scholars demonstrates the historiographical challenges that medieval enigmatic thought poses for researchers and offers new approaches to the interpretation of medieval sources, both verbal and visual.