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Icon or Idol?

The Crucifixion Icon and The Golden Calf Idol
Are Icons idols? The question has been the center of debate in Orthodox Churches since the inclusion of images in worship during the Third and Fourth Centuries. What makes an image an idol? In the Old Testament the Lord God forbid making, "graven images of birds, fish, or of things of Heaven and the things of the Earth." (Exodus 20:4). The Lord tells Moses that "thou shalt not make for thyself an graven image (idol)." (Deuteronomy 5:8) Meanwhile at the base of Mount Sinai the Israelites are making the golden calf god (pictured above). This scene is dramatized in Cecile B. DeMille's epic, The Ten Commandments. It is from the First and Second Commandments of God that idols are condemned and it is those commandments that certain Christians use to condemn the use of icons in Churches.

So the question must be posed, what differentiates an icon from an idol? How are they different? They both are an image. They often are made of gold or have gold fasten to them in pigment of tempera. Icons differ from idols in one respect, their veneration. An icon is not meant to be the object of worship, but a tool and symbol to help the devout center their worship on the Living God. An idol by contrast is the god, it is bowed down to like the calf as a deity. Orthodox believers are often accused of idolatry. The accusations emerge when Orthodox are seen bowing before a crucifix or wall of icons (Iconostasis). The interpretation is that this is worship of the images, but in actuality it is honoring those that the symbols and art pieces represent. The priest bows before the cross because he is revering Jesus Christ and His deed upon the cross: Salvation!

Icons are in the Bible, they are ordered by God to be erected. The Brass Serpent (Numbers 21:8), that is raised in the Wilderness by Moses was an icon. Those who looked upon the serpent were healed (this is where we get the modern medical symbol today). Then again, the Almighty orders the fashioning and making of the ultimate icon in the Old Testament, The Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 31). It says the Ark was made of solid gold and upon the top of the Ark were two Cherubim angels of gold. Within the Ark was contained the Law (tablets), Manna, and the Rod of Aaron. All of which in of themselves could be considered icons.

The focus of an icon is remembrance. The reason Aaron's Staff was preserved was to remember the miracles the Lord God had done for the Israelites. It drew one who could have seen it to the sovereignty and glory of God. That is the purpose of icons today. Icons of saints like Peter and Paul or James and John are to be admired because those men are admirable! They are venerated because those mighty fathers of the faith paved the way for the Gospel, the Word Made Flesh, Jesus Christ himself. Images of Jesus in Crucifix Form or Icon are to direct our minds to Him and what He did. The only way an icon becomes an idol is if you believe that crucifix is a god in of itself and can do miracles and even protect you (talisman).

Inevitably, Christians break into two groups: The Iconoclasts, who will not have anything to do with icons or images in the Church (even in extreme cases destroying icons) and the Iconists who erect crosses and other icons of the faith to encourage devotion. I personally like icons because there is nothing wrong with images of Jesus Christ or the Cross.  But I would encourage education about icons and how they are not idols. The naïve could easily misinterpret icons for idols and use them as they do in India as idols. Education is paramount if icons are going to be used in Christian circles.

We should not be ashamed of the symbols of the faith. I frankly find Churches that look like warehouses and offices with no iconography of any kind to look too worldly. I prefer to enter a Catholic or Greek Orthodox Church with all the symbols of the Cross, Christ, and the saints. There is great beauty in icons and we should not fear them. If you are an iconoclast and find that such images make you stumble, please do not take offense. Each believer must live according to their convictions. If you cannot handle icons because they remind you of only idols, then you have not the grace to use them and it would be a sin if you used them (Romans 14:23). As for those who use icons or symbols of the faith, do not let anyone condemn you as idolaters. Explain to the ignorant why the images encourage your faith and help you focus on the Lord in prayer and praise.

More Food for Thought:

Icon
I-kan or i-kon
noun
1. a painting of Jesus Christ or a holy figure, typically in the traditional style on wood, venerated and used as an aid in devotion by the Byzantine and other Eastern Churches.
2. a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol of something. Example: The Cross is symbol that represents Jesus' death for mankind's sins and the marker that points toward salvation in Christ.

Website on Orthodox views of icons:

http://www.orthodoxanswers.org/answer/24/

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