One of the first things a new visitor to an Orthodox church usually notices is the beautiful iconography. Visitors often have many questions about icons, such as their history and purpose and why they are venerated by Orthodox Christians. For those of us who may struggle answering these questions we offer several resources this week that may be of help. First is the following video from “Be the Bee” in which Steve Christoforou explains why Orthodox Christians venerate (as opposed to worship) icons and describes just where these visible reminders of God and His saints originated.
The House of God: Iconography
For a more in-depth discussion on Orthodox iconography, we offer this video from the Archdiocese’s “Discovering Orthodox Christianity” series. In it, Dr. Helen C. Evans and Dr. Anton C. Vrame discuss the history of Orthodox iconography and the different types of icon within the church.
The Sign of the Cross, Icons, Tradition
Finally, this video from the “Theoria” series presented by Frederica Mathewes-Green. In it she explains why Orthodox Christians kiss icons as well as how Orthodox Christians make the sign of the cross and the meaning behind it. She also shares a little from her own journey into the Orthodox Church and accepting its Traditions.