Ввдение

Icons are an integral part of the Orthodox Christian faith. They are virtually
omnipresent in the Orthodox Christian’s daily life. However, not all icons are the
same: icons can be painted without understanding, by people who are not steeped in
the Orthodox iconographic tradition.
The problem with these icons, sometimes called uncanonical icons, is made
worse in recent times because of technology. Now, regardless of talent, religious
affiliation, or belief, all can become an iconographer if you have an internet access
and the time to take a one-week online course on icon painting These same people
could end up teaching others and painting icons, some of which might end up in our
churches to be venerated
While this problem would seem like a trivial thing to your average Orthodox
believer, after all, these uncanonical icons still portray holy people and or holy
events. However, the Chuch saw it as a serious problem that she held synods to
correct them, and saints even risked their lives in order remove them from public
view.
In 1682, during the feast of the Vladimir icon of the Mother of God and saints
Constantine and Helena, a procession from Vyazma Cathedral to St. John the Baptist
monastery was made, according to local custom. Saint Pitirim Tambovsky noticed
in the procession that a much venerated icon of saint Arkady Vyazemsky, was
written strangely.
Saint Pitirim, himself well versed in the iconographic tradition, was moved by
the zeal for worthy veneration of the saints of God and took the icon. He hid the icon
fin order to avoid its usage in church. His action caused discontent among those who
venerated the icon that in Vyazma an unprising against him began. When the
malcontents had succeeded in exciting a considerable number of people against Saint
Pitirim, they crowd surrounded him, demanding the return of the icon. He barely
managed to escape from the hands of the ignorant crowd. Despite this, he continued
to hide the icon until such a time that the Patriarch Joachim, seeing that this icon was
indeed not worthy of veneration, approved of saint Pitirim’s actions1.
Now here we could ask: what did saint Pitirim see in the said icon of Saint
Arkady that made him do what he did? Why did he deem it so important to take this
icon and hide it from public view despite knowing that it could mean risking his own
safety?
This paper is going to look into the history and development of the
iconographic tradition of the orthodox church.

1
(https://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life6801.htm) Святитель Питирим Тамбовский, чудотворец
День памяти: 28 июля
 1. On the necessity of creating canonical guidelines in creating icons
a. The development of Christian iconography
The word «icon comes from the greek word «εἰκών» which means «image»
of any kind. Since the early centuries of Christianity however, the word «icon» is
normally used to refer to images with a religious content, meaning and use2.
Orthodox tradition holds that the production of Christian images dates back to the
very early days of Christianity and that it has been a continuous tradition since then.
According church tradition, during the time of Christ, the first icon was made.
For instance, tradition states that King Abgar of Edessa sent a letter to Christ at
Jerusalem, asking Him to come and heal him of an illness. One source of tradition
states that a man made a portrait of Christ which was sent to the king 3. Another
source, which is widely accepted today, states that the image sent to the king was an
image that miraculously appeared on a towel when Christ pressed the cloth to his
wet face. Image then healed the king form his illness so in thanksgiving, the image
is treasured and kept his city until it was transferred to Constantinople45. According
to another tradition, the Evangelist Luke was the first iconographer and painted an
icon of the Mother of God while she was still living in Jerusalem which later on
became the prototype of many miracle working icons of the Mother of God6.
Vision gives a person almost 80% of the information that he knows about the
world. This is why the early Christians saw it fit to use imagery in teaching and
assimilating the Gospel7. However, the development of the pictorial language of
Christian sacred images was formed in stages over the centuries and received its
complete expression in the rules and settings of the icon-painting canon that we have
at the present time. At first, the church made use of elements from the form of art
available to them, both pagan and Jewish. They used these elements to reflected a
new Christian understanding of reality.

2
http://www.pravenc.ru/text/389040.html
3
Phillips, George. The doctrine of Addai , the Apostle. London, Trübner & Co. 1876. C.5
4
https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Serafim_Slobodskoj/the-law-of-god-book-1/#0_14
5
Л. Успенский. Богословие иконы в Православной Церкви.
Переславль: Издательство братства
во имя святого князя Александра Невского, 1997. Cc.33-35
6
Еремина ТС. Мир иконописецевю Москва ТЕРРА-Книжный клуб 2005. С. 72
7
С. В. Алексеев «Зримая истина» СПб Ладанб Троицкая щкола 2006 С. 34
 Early Christians tried using art to convey not only that which is visible with
bodily eyes, but also that which is invisible, that is, the spiritual content of the image.
They employed symbols and stories from both the sacred scriptures and pagan
mythologies in order to bring people, both Jews and gentiles, to the knowledge of
the truth. For instance, early church writers employed the pagan mythological
character Orpheus as a symbol of Christ. Saint Clement of Alexandria writes, «…as
Orpheus tamed wild animals with his lyre, enchanted mountains and trees, so Christ
attracts people through His divine word and conquers the elements»8.
In time, attempts to create their own artistic language, different from the
surrounding pagan and Jewish. The image is reduced to a minimum of detail with a
maximum of expressiveness. Early Christian painters began abandon realism and
preferred a more abstract form in order to better express spiritual truth clearly and
precisely. They began to bring their works to the highest simplicity, the depth of
which is accessible only to the spiritual eye. Cleansing his art from everything
individual; he remained anonymous and all his efforts focused on transmitting
Tradition. All these features lead us directly to the classical form of the Orthodox
icon9.
b. The icon as a result of Orthodox Christology
In the tradition of the Orthodox church, doctrine and worship are inseparable.
In worship, the fullness of theological thought is found and realized, bringing
mankind closer to God. This is why the term Orthodoxy is understood by many not
as right opinion, but as right doxology, right worship10. And in worship, icons play
an important role; after all, an icon is not an element of decoration but a liturgical
object. Just like liturgical texts, icons correspond to the meaning and content of the
Scriptures and are not reduced solely to letters or illustrations of the inspired
narrative, but revealing its deep spiritual meaning. The icon is closely bound up with
dogma and is unthinkable outside its dogmatic context. Through artistic means, the

8
Л. Успенский. Богословие иконы в Православной Церкви.
Переславль: Издательство братства
во имя святого князя Александра Невского, 1997. C.59
9
Л. Успенский. Богословие иконы в Православной Церкви.
Переславль: Издательство братства
во имя святого князя Александра Невского, 1997. C.72
10
http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/liturgics/scouteris_icons.html
icon communicates the essential doctrines of Christianity, the Incarnation, salvation
and human deification11.
The fact that we can make icons is a gift of the Incarnation; because God took
on human form, he is now visible and can be depicted in imagery12. Before this, the
law of the old covenant forbids the making of any imagery. The first commandment
of the Mosaic ten commandments reads, «Не делай себе кумира и никакого
изображения того, что на небе вверху, и что на земле внизу, и что в воде ниже
земли; не поклоняйся им и не служи им, ибо Я Господь, Бог твой, Бог
ревнитель, наказывающий детей за вину отцов до третьего и четвертого,
ненавидящих Меня…» ( Ис. 20:4-5). Any image of the invisible God would be the
fruit of human imagination and falsehood towards God; worshiping an image would
be tantamount to worshiping a creation instead of the Creator13.
The Gospels, however, reveals a God Who became man, made visible to
human beings; a God who took on flesh and dwelled among us. St. John of
Damascus, one of the important defenders of the Icons during a period when the use
of icons was being questioned, said, «В древности, Бог, бестелесный и не
имеющий вида, никогда не изображался. Теперь же, когда Бог явился во плоти
и жил среди людей, мы изображаем видимого Бога... Я видел человеческий
образ Бога, и спасена душа моя. Созерцаю образ Божий, как видел Иаков, и
иначе: ибо он очами ума видел невещественный прообраз будущего, а я
созерцаю напоминание о Виденном во плоти14.
Christ delivers men from idolatry not in a negative way, by abolishing any
image, but positively, by revealing himself, who is the true image of God the Father
(2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15; John 14:9)15. According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, «Сын - в
Отце, как красота образа содержится в форме первообраза... Отец в Сыне, как
красота-первообраз пребывает в своем образе»16.

11
https://mospat.ru/en/2011/02/06/news35783/#_ftn12
12
http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/liturgics/scouteris_icons.html
13
https://mospat.ru/en/2011/02/06/news35783/
14
Мейендорф И, прот. Введение в святоотеческое богословие. Минск,: Лучи Софии, 2007.
C.331
15
P. Evdokimov, L' Orthodoxie. Neuchatel 1965, с.218.
16
Nicene and post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church. Oxford : Parker, 1891. Series2 volume5
c. 94
 In his divinity, Chirst is the consubstantial image of the Father and in his
humanity is the image of God. In his humanity he reveals the image of the authentic
man, the image and likeness of God that was lost by the first man. Saint Irenaeus of
Lyons states, «In Christ is realised a second creation of man; the hidden and obscured
image of God was repainted. Before the incarnation it was said that man was created
in the image of God, but then it was still impossible to show it, because the Word,
in the image of which man was created, was still invisible ... But the Word, having
become flesh, restored both the image and the likeness, because Itself became the
one who was created in His image. The Word deeply imprinted this likeness, making
man similar - through the visible Word - to the invisible Father»17.
Icons show the single person of Christ, the incarnate word, according to His
deified flesh, because this personal flesh of God, testifying that He fully realized the
God-likeness in man, accepting as the New Adam in His Divine Hypostasis the
human nature of the first Adam, whole and illustrated according to the flesh18. In the
union of both divine and human natures in Christ, man now has the opportunity to
partake in divinity (2 Peter 1:4), that is, to achieve theosis. According to St.
Athanasius the Great: «The Word gives us the beginnings of the gifts of the Holy
Spirit so that we can become sons of God in the image of the Son of God» 19.Icons
now serves as a way for us to have a glimpse of the Kingdom of God, a vision the
Word of God in human form, of humanity deified in the saints, of matter transfigured
by the power of the Spirit.
c. The icon as a means to safeguard theology
As we have seen, icons and the theology of the church are highly intertwined.
Archimandrite Zenon said, that the church preaches not only with words but also
with images20. Icons are a product of the correct understanding of the Christian faith
and in turn plays an important role in transmitting that faith to those who would see
it. The icons served as tools of edification for the illiterate faithful during most of
Church history. Thus, icons are words in painting; they refer to the history of

17
The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Buffalo: The Christian Literature Publishing Company, 1887. C.554
18
http://www.pravenc.ru/text/389040.html
19
Nicene and post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church. New York:The Christian Literature
Co,1892. Series2 volume4 CC.42-43
20
Зинон (Теодор)архим. Беседы Иконописца. М.: Издание журнала «Наше наследие», 2013.
С.22
salvation and to its manifestation in concrete persons. Icons are «a visible gospel, as
a testimony to the great things given to man by God the incarnate Logos»21.
Icons therefore must be able to transmit this teaching and in order to do so,
the Church must create rules that would guide in the production of icons. It may
seem surprising that an icon can be unorthodox. But consider for a moment: an image
represents something - or it misrepresents something, or perhaps it represents a mere
fiction. An image can mislead and it can lie - or it can be inadequate. It is for this
reason that the Church throughout the years have established rules or canons in order
to regulate the production of icons.22.
Development of the canons of iconography
"Canon" κανών is a Greek word, it means: "rule", "measure", in a narrow sense
- it is a building tool, a plumb line. on which check verticality of walls; in wide-the
established sample on which check something again created. The canons of
iconography were created over a long period time, not only by icon painters
themselves, but also by theologians and the Fathers of the Church. For example,
Blessed Augustine in his essay "On the Trinity" makes it clear that in his time some
artists depicted Christ arbitrarily, in their own imagination, as is often the case now.
Some images seduced believers with their refined sensuality, which did not fit in
with the idea of the holiness of the depicted person23. Thus, it can be said that the
whole Church participated in the development of canonical iconographic rules.
The canons of iconography developed during a time when the Church is
defining theological boundaries and defending herself from heresies. Imbedded in
these rules, those not related to the technique of execution or style but to the theology
of the image, were the arguments given by the defenders of the truth in the struggle
of the Church against numerous heresies. Arguments, of course, in lines and colors24.
One of the earliest recorded instance of a canon written regarding iconography
occurred in 691, on the Council in Trullo convened in Constantinople to complete

21
Scouteris C. Never as Gods: Icons and Their Veneration, Sobornost, 6 (1984), cc. 6–18.
www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org.
22
Zenon 26
23
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church. Buffalo: The Christian Literature Co.,
1887. series 1 volumeCc.118-119
24
Алексеев С. В. «Зримая истина» СПб Ладанб Троицкая щкола 2006ю Cc.34-35
the work of the 5th and 6th Ecumenical Councils. The 100 th canon of the council
forbids the creation of any imagery that, «attract the eye and corrupt the mind, and
incite it to the enkindling of base pleasures». This written by the fathers as a way of
ensuring that imagery seen by Christians teach truth, wisdom and other virtues,
«because the bodily senses easily bring their own impressions into the soul».
The 82nd canon of the same council forbids the creation of depictions of Christ
as a lamb. The fathers states that despite it being common in the past to depict Christ
as a lamb, it is necessary for Christ to be depicted in His in human form, «for His
incarnation was genuine and complete», and that Christians should see «... the depths
of the humiliation of the Word of God, and that we may recall to our memory his
conversation in the flesh, his passion and salutary death, and his redemption which
was wrought for the whole world»25.
The most defining council when it comes to iconography in general is the 7 th
ecumenical council, also known as the 2nd council of Nicea, held in the year 787.
This Ecumenical Council met to address the heresy of iconoclasm. Iconoclasts, from
the greek word «εἰκονοκλάστης» meaning «breaker of icons», have existed and
continues to exist in many different forms throughout Church history. However,
what they have in common is a desire for the removal of sacred imagery in churches
and in homes on the basis of the Old testament prohibition on the creation of
images26. This council specifically addresses the iconoclastic period that started
during the reign of the byzantine emperor Leo III.
The main issue in the debate about icon veneration at 7th ecumenical council
was the question of whether it is possible to portray God: how an Infinite Being be
«described» in a known size, in a certain form, colors, etc. Opponents of icon
veneration spoke of the impossibility of such an image precisely for these reasons.
As we already know, the teachings of the Church and the justification of religious
imagery of Christ were expressed by the Trullo Council even before the start of
iconoclastic period during the reign of Emperor Leo III.

25
Nicene and post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church. Oxford: James Parker and Company,
1900. Series2 volume14C.401
26
Л. Успенский. Богословие иконы в Православной Церкви. Переславль:
Издательство братства во имя святого князя Александра Невского, 1997. C. 129
 As stated earlier, the very fact of the existence of the icon is based on the
embodiment of the second Person of the Holy Trinity, then and vice versa - the
reality of the embodiment is confirmed and proved by the icon. In other words, the
icon is a guarantee of truth, and not the phantom of incarnation. Those who denied
the portrayal of Christ, obviously went against the fact that He was the God-man,
and not only God: that He truly, and not imaginary, accepted human flesh.
Therefore, when we look at the proceedings of the 7th Ecumenical Council, it
speaks of the impossibility of creating an image of God the Father. The council
argues that the Christ, is can be depicted in imagery because of the fact that he was
incarnate. It thus makes sense that the Father, who was not incarnate, invisible and
inconceivable, cannot in any way be depicted in religious art27.
On a latter, more local synod called «Большой Московский собор», that met
in the year 1666, The same point was raised regarding the portrayal of God the Father
in icons. This synod forbade iconographers from depicting God the father in icons
called «the Lord of hosts» and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, both of which
can be found in icons called «the New Testament Trinity». This was done because
these representations are deeply misleading since God the Father and the Holy Spirit
are invisible and does not have a certain bodily appearance. The Holy Spirit was
allowed to be depicted in the form of a dove when depicting the Baptism of Christ
because that is how He revealed Himself in this specific scene in the Gospel. In
general, it was noted that it is possible to depict on the icons of God only “in
appearances” described in the Sacred. Scripture and Church Tradition28.
An earlier synod called «Стоглавый cобор», held in the year 1551, had a
great impact on the iconographic tradition of the Russian church. The synod
discussed the rules regarding church art, on particular and specific issues of
iconography, others relate to the very foundations and principles of iconography, as
well as iconographer. The synod demanded not only for the production of higher
quality icons, made according to canons, but also for iconographers to have
exceptional spiritual and moral qualities.

27
Л. Успенский. Богословие иконы в Православной Церкви. Переславль:
Издательство братства во имя святого князя Александра Невского, 1997. Cc.137-138
28
http://www.pravenc.ru/text/149721.html
 The synod decreed that an icon must be according to ancient models, «по
образу, и по подобию, и по существу, смотря на образы древних живописцев
и знаменовати с добрых образцов»29. Way back, in the 9th century, Saint
Theodore the Studite writes, «Живописцы списывают иконы не с дурных
изображений, а с прекрасных и отмеченных древностью»30.
Starting with this synod, we see the appearance of manuals of icon paintings
and exemplary icons. The content of these scripts was developed not by church
authority, but by iconographers themselves. L. Ousepensky writes, «These are
collections of drawings, schematic samples, or materials that icon painters used at
different times. These schemes are not related to the artistry of the work, they do
not prescribe anything, but only give samples, that is, a schematic description of
the saint or event, and thereby facilitate the work of the artist, protecting him from
a historically incorrect idea of a particular person and, ultimately, from distorting
the memory and tradition of the Church31».
The canon is still expanding and widening today just as it did centuries. The
Church, after all, is not a museum of all that is ancient, but a living, vibrant
Church. So too is our iconography: new saints are being canonized all the time,
and new iconography is being created all the time to express the truth of the faith.
New icons are being created for ancient saints for whom images did not previously
exist. Such icons are «invented» by iconographers, by analogy with existing icons
of saints who have experienced a similar spiritual path, or had a similar lifestyle.32.
The difference between icons and paintings
In Orthodoxy, an icon is always the representation of a religious subject, but
not every representation of a religious subject is an icon. An icon is not simply the
representation of a religious subject, but rather is a representation with a religious
meaning. An ordinary painting serves as a means for an artist to communicate with
the viewer of his artwork about his thoughts, his ideas and experiences, which can
be both purely individual and express characteristic social attitudes. The icon on the

29
Л. Успенский. Богословие иконы в Православной Церкви. Переславль:
Издательство братства во имя святого князя Александра Невского, 1997. C 345
30
Л. Успенский. Богословие иконы в Православной Церкви. Переславль:
Издательство братства во имя святого князя Александра Невского, 1997. C. 347
31
Л. Успенский. Богословие иконы в Православной Церкви. Переславль:
Издательство братства во имя свято го князя Александра Невского, 1997. C. 346
32
Ирина Горбунова-Ломакс. Икона. Правда и вымыслы.
other hand is a means by which the church communicates eternal truth, a means of
communicating with God and His saints33.
Unlike ordinary paintings where the image is created by the artist’s creative
imagination and is a medium of immortalizing his own worldview as a means for an
artist to communicate with the viewer of his artwork about his thoughts, his ideas
and experiences, which can be both purely individual and express characteristic
social attitudes, icon is the revelation of God expressed in the language of lines and
colors, which is given both to the whole Church and to the individual. The Orthodox
Church never allowed the writing of icons according to the imagination of the artist
or from a living model, as this would mean a conscious and complete separation
from her teachings. The worldview of the icon painter is the worldview of the
Church. The icon is timeless; it is a reflection of eternity in our temporal world. The
icon is not a portrayal of the exact likeness of the saint depicted, but rather a
prototype, a vision of humanity glorified in Christ. And, since we do not see this
humanity in the physical reality of the present age, we only guess, so the icon can
serve only as its symbolic depiction34.
Most paintings show scenes of an ongoing process or action. The characters
painted in it are dynamic, engaged in the thing that they are depicted doing. Icons on
the other hand shows not so much a process as a result, not so much a way as a
destination point, not so much a movement towards a goal but as a goal in itself. In
an icon we see someone who does not struggle with the passions but has overcome
them, who does not seek the Heavenly Kingdom but has already reached it. In this
sense, the icon is not dynamic but static. The principal character of an icon is never
depicted in movement: he or she is either standing or sitting. Only secondary
characters are shown in motion, such as the Magi in the icon of the Nativity of Christ,
or heroes of highly populated compositions, these being only illustrative in nature35.
An example of these difference can be found in the depictions of the famous
scene in Christ’s life called «Моление о чаше». Looking at one of the many famous
paintings of this scene, we see will see the artist’s emotional grief over Christ's
suffering on the cross, anger at His persecutors. This painting can be beautiful, even

33
С. В. Алексеев «Зримая истина» СПб Ладанб Троицкая щкола 2006 С48
34
С. В. Алексеев «Зримая истина» СПб Ладанб Троицкая щкола 2006 с. 47
35
https://mospat.ru/en/2011/02/06/news35783/#_ftn17
ingenious, it can excite our heart towards feeling pity and love. The icon of the same
scene, however, is impassive. The thoughts and feelings of the icon painter remain
outside its framework, and his talent serves one main purpose, communication with
God and the transformation of the human soul.
We can also take as an example the angels found in many paintings. Angels,
as a matter of fact, have no bodies, and most artists of the Renaissance, give them a
female figure, while emphasizing gender. The case is not so in orthodox icon. When
we see a canonical icon of the Mother of God, we perceive in it, first of all, not a
woman, not a body, but a face. The person depicted on the icon, of course, is a
woman, the Theotokos. But what is typical of the body is not emphasized in the icon.
An artist, pursuing a particular goal in the painting, seeks to depict on it as much as
possible «life», ie human passions. The icon, on the contrary, is completely alien to
this passion. Thus, we see in the paintings an earthly pretty young woman
representing an angel, however in the icons one sees the Theotokos, who, despite
being corporeal, is holy and glorified above the ranks of the incorporeal angels. This
elevates the very earthy, fleshly substance of the person depicted into something
higher, the image and likeness of God36.
An icon therefore is not a mere portrait of the Jesus as a human, but of God
become man. This is what distinguishes the icon from the usual religious art which
represents Christ «humanized». The famous icon painter L. Ouspensky writes, «The
Church has ‘eyes to see’ just as it has ‘ears to hear’. Therefore, she hears the word
of God in the Gospel written in human words. She also sees Christ with the eyes of
unshakable faith in His divinity. This is why she presents Him on an icon not as an
ordinary man but as the God-Man in His glory even at the moment of His utter
dereliction»37. It is for this reason that the Orthodox Church never portrays Christ in
her icons simply as a human being suffering physically and mentally or the
Theotokos as a pretty woman with a child, as in western religious painting.
According to Archimandrite Zenon, a modern iconographer, the icon is «the

36
https://foma.ru/chem-ikona-otlichaetsya-ot-kartinyi.html
37
Л. Успенский. Богословие иконы в Православной Церкви. Переславль:
Издательство братства во имя святого князя Александра Невского, 1997. cc 173-174.
appearance of a transformed and deified creature, that same transformed humankind
which Christ revealed in his person»38.

The iconographic canon is the outline, or pattern, or scheme of a subject that

is theologically well-founded. In other words, which persons and objects need to
be included in the presentation, how do they inter-relate, and what clothing and
postures should they have.
One best way of knowing the canonicity of an icon is to know the story of
the person or scene depicted in it.

It is known that in his youth the Saint covered his real and very high virtues
with external foolishness, but the inept iconographer depicted only the external
foolishness of Arkady, giving the Saint the most insane appearance.

38
Архимандрит Зинон. Беседы иконописца. С. 19.
 Список литературы и источников
Там же. С.

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