“Why does the Church attribute such a great importance to the icon? The icon is not just a simple image, nor a decoration, nor even an illustration of Holy Scripture. It is something greater. It is an object of worship and an integral part of the liturgy. The Church sees in its holy image not simply one of the aspects of Orthodox teaching, but the expression of Orthodoxy in its totality, the expression of Orthodoxy as such. The icon is one of the manifestations of the holy Tradition of the Church, similar to the written and oral traditions. ...[T]he ‘icon,’ according to the teaching of the Church, corresponds entirely to the ‘word’ of Scripture.” —“Introduction”
CONTENTS
Introduction 1 The Symbolism of the Church 2 Origins of the Christian Image 3 The First Icons of Christ and the Virgin 4 The Art of the First Centuries 5 Sacred Art in the Constantinian Epoch 6 The Quinisext Council: Its Teachings on the Sacred Image 7 The Pre-Iconoclastic Period 8 The Iconoclastic Period: A Synopsis 9 The Teaching of the Iconoclasts and the Orthodox Response 10 The Meaning and Content of the Icon
Item Number: BKV796 Publication data: Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1992 Format: softcover Number of pages: 194 Dimensions (l × w × h): 22.8 cm × 15.2 cm × 1.2 cm Additional information: black-and-white illustrations ISBN: 978‒0‒88141‒122-5
