Session 15 - Holy Tradition Part 2 (Church Architecture, Interior of Church, Iconography)

During the last session, we talked about what Holy Tradition is ,  that which is passed down to us from Christ and the Apostles until now. And we discussed three of seven aspects of Holy Tradition,  The Bible, The decisions of the Ecumenical Councils and the writings of the Church Fathers and saints. Today we will talk about two additional aspects, church Architecture and Iconography.

Church Architecture

Everything we do in the Church has a reason – and the reason is usually to reveal a truth about Christ and/or the nature of the Church and the Kingdom of Heaven.  So it goes almost without saying that the architecture of the Church reveals to us the glory of the Church of Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven.  In terms of the architecture of the Church,  an Orthodox  church may be in any of four forms,  The form of a cross,  a circle,   a rectangle and an octagon. The symbolism of the cross is obvious as it expresses the nature of the Christian life,  the circle represents eternity – and  the truth that the Church  will continue for eternity,  the rectangle reminds us that the Church is an ark of salvation, that keeps of safe in the stormy seas of life , and the octagon, signifies a star, for the Church, like a star, guides a man through the darkness of sin which encompasses him.  Orthodox Churches are supposed to face the east,  as this is where the sun rises,  we face the light, and we know from Scripture, at the Second coming  Christ will come from the east.   At one’s baptism we turn to the west and renounce Satan, and turn to the east and confess our faith in Christ.

Interior of  an Orthodox Church

The interior of an Orthodox church is divided into several parts. One enters the church through the Porch where, in ancient times, the Weepers (Penitents forbidden to enter the church proper) stood. From the Porch one entered the Vestibule (Narthex) in ancient times  this was a large place, where the Catechumens received instruction while preparing for Baptism, and also where  those who were unable to partake of  Holy Communion because of canonical impediments stood. Today the beginning of the Baptismal service takes place here as does in some traditions, the betrothal or engagement portion of the wedding ceremony.  The narthex symbolizes the world.

The main body of the church is the Nave, separated from the Sanctuary (Altar) by an Icon screen with doors, called the Iconostasis (Icon stand). The walls of the Nave are usually decorated with Icons and frescoes or paintings, before many of which are hanging lit lamps (lampadas). On each side, near the front, are usually found portable Icons called Banners which are fastened to staffs. These are carried in processions on special holy days in like manner to the ancient military banners of victory, which they imitate.  The Nave of the Church represents the church militant, the church on earth.

At the extreme Eastern end of the church is found the Altar (or Sanctuary), with two small rooms the Sacristy and the Vestry at either side, separated from the Nave by the Iconostasis. The Iconostasis is placed near the edge of the platform upon which stands the Altar and the part of the platform which projects out into the Nave is called the Soleas (an elevated place) where the Communicants come to receive Holy Communion and where the Celebrants come out for public prayers, sermons, etc. The Sanctuary represents the holy of holies, and is the image of paradise, the kingdom of heaven and the Church Triumphant.  We know from the Book of Revelation that in the Kingdom of heaven there will be a golden altar with 7 lamps burning on it

Iconography

One of the first things that strikes a visitor to an Orthodox church is the prominent place assigned to the Holy Icons. An icon is a pictorial replication and a spiritual representation of a saint, biblical scene or historical religious event. The word is derived from the Greek “eikon,” which means to resemble. The icon seeks to reveal the divine through visible and familiar content. In this sense, the icon has been called “a meeting between heaven and earth”. For through them we receive a vision of the spiritual world. The stylized character of the icon shows man and nature restored to their original beauty as reflections of the celestial glory. Icons have played a role in Christianity since the days of the Apostles. St. Luke has traditionally been known as the first iconographer. An art form that has resisted change, modern icons have evolved very little. Today they still bear a strong resemblance to icons of the Byzantine period.

About the First Icon of  The Christian Church – The Image of Our Lord Not Made by Hands.

One of the earliest Icons witnessed to by Church Tradition, is the Icon of the Savior Not-Made-By-Hands. According to Tradition, during the time of the earthly ministry of the Savior, Abgar ruled in the Syrian city of Edessa. He was afflicted with leprosy over his whole body. At this time report of the great miracles performed by the Lord extended throughout Syria (Matt. 4:24) and as far as Arabia. Although not having seen the Lord, Abgar believed in Him as the Son of God and wrote a letter requesting Him to come and heal him. With this letter he sent to Palestine his court-painter Ananias, entrusting him to paint an image of the Divine Teacher.

Ananias went to Jerusalem and saw the Lord surrounded by people. He was not able to go to Him because of the great throng of people listening to His preaching; so he stood on a huge rock and attempted to produce a painting of the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, unable, however, to succeed. The Savior Himself called him by name and gave  Abgar a beautiful letter in which,' having glorified the faith of the ruler, He promised to send His disciple in order to heal him from the leprosy and instruct him in salvation.

After this, the Lord called for water and a towel. He wiped His face, rubbing with the towel, and on it was impressed His Divine Image. The towel and the letter the Savior sent with Ananias to Edessa. With thanksgiving Abgar received the sacred object and received healing, but a small portion, only a trace, remained of the terrible disease on his face until the arrival of the promised Disciple of the Lord.

The Apostle of the 70, Thaddeus, came to them and preached the Gospel, baptizing the believing Abgar and all living in Edessa. Having written on the Image Not-Made-By-Hands the words, Christ-God, everyone trusting in Thee will not be put to shame, Abgar adorned it and placed it in a niche over the city gates.

For many years the inhabitants preserved a pious custom of venerating the Image Not-Made-By-Hands whenever passing through the gates. But a great-grandson of Abgar, ruling Edessa, fell into idolatry and resolved to take the Image away from the city walls. In a vision, the Lord ordered the Bishop of Edessa to conceal His Image. The Bishop, coming at night with his clergy, lit before the Image a lampada and then blocked up the niche with clay tablets and bricks.

Many years passed by and the inhabitants forgot about the Holy Object. But then, when in 545 the Persian King Chroses I besieged Edessa, the position of the city seemed hopeless. But the Most-Holy Sovereign Lady manifested Herself to Bishop Evlavios and commanded him to get from the enclosed niche the Image with which to save the city from the adversaries. Dismantling the niche, the Bishop found the Holy Image; before it burned the lampada and on the clay tablets, with which the niche had been enclosed, was a similar image. After preceding with the Cross and the Image Not-Made-By-Hands around the walls of the city, the Persian army miraculously departed.

In 630, Edessa was seized by the Arabs; but they did not impede veneration of the Image Not-Made-By-Hands, glory of which extended out into all the East. In 944 the Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus (912-59) requested that the Image be redeemed from the Emir the ruler of the city of Edessa and brought to the Capital of the Orthodox. With great honor the Image of the Savior Not-Made-By-Hands and the letter which He wrote to Abgar, were brought by the clergy to Constantinople. On Aug. 16 the Image of the Savior was placed in the Pharos Church of the Most-Holy Theotokos.

Concerning the subsequent fate of the Image Not-Made-By-Hands, there exists several traditions. According to one, it was carried away by Crusaders during the time of their dominion over Constantinople (1204-61), but the ship on which the Holy Objects had been taken, sank in the Sea of Marmora. According to another, the Image Not-Made-By-Hands was taken about 1362 to Genoa, where it was presented to and preserved in a monastery dedicated to the Apostle Bartholomew.

In the time of the iconoclastic heresy, the defenders of icon-veneration, shedding their blood for the Holy Icons, sang the Troparion to the Image Not-Made-By-Hands. The Image (the Holy Face) was put up as an emblem of the Russian armies, defending them from the enemy; and in the Russian Orthodox Church there is a pious custom that before entering a church, the faithful read together the prayers and the Troparion to the Image Not-Made-By-Hands. The Feast of this Icon is celebrated on Aug. 16, during the Afterfeast period of the Feast of the Dormition, and is popularly called the Third Feast-of-the-Savior in August.   From These Truths We Hold

The veneration of the icon should not be misinterpreted as being made to the physical picture itself. These gestures pass over from the icon to the person depicted, thus the honor which is given to the icon passes over to the “prototype”, the person himself. As we venerate the icons, we are reminded of the high spiritual values and virtues of the holy ones depicted, and are encouraged to pursue those same values and virtues ourselves. In Orthodox tradition, icons are not intended to be realistic paintings of people and events, but rather are symbolic interpretations of the great spiritual qualities of the saints - such as sacrifice, humility, devotion, faith and love. Every element and detail in the icon, from color choice to hand position to the placement and size of secondary figures, has symbolic meaning based upon the Scriptures, the writings of the Fathers, and other theological sources. Thus the Holy Icons are one more piece of that which the Church calls Holy Tradition. They are truly the Gospel message in line, form and color.

Holy Tradition witnesses that the Orthodox Church had a clear understanding of the importance of Icons right from the beginning. It is understood that we do not worship icons but rather venerate them, understanding that by kissing them or showing reverence to them we are demonstrating our respect and devotion to the person or persons or holy day depicted.