For all of our Protestant friends out there, we want you to know the facts about Biblical artwork. Perhaps you haven’t gotten the answers you wished for from the Orthodox theologians. Well then, this will be your place to find the case for Biblical artwork. It was also Biblical to venerate relics, but this article doesn’t go much into that aspect. This is a first effort in history by the canonical Orthodox Church of the Culdees to defend the artwork in churches.
Finally Protestants now have an answer from the Orthodox, in a published work on why churches must use good artwork. This has come as first disclosed from the Orthodox Church of the Culdees.
Please note, several others have described the early American pilgrims as “Neo Culdees” for their ethnic and religious background, as coming to America for reasons of religious integrity. For the first 400 years, nearly every University and church in America (not connected to any state church) still used our
Orthodoxe Engelse Liturgie (BCP). Daarom blijft het de verantwoordelijkheid van de orthodoxe Culdees om hen terug te begeleiden naar re-integratie.
Archaeologists discovered images in a Jewish synagogue and Christian church in the Syrian town of Dura Europos dating back to circa 250. Even earlier evidence are the images found in the catacombs that have been dated to the late 100s to the early 200s. The significance of these images lies in the fact that Christians across the Roman Empire were comfortable with images in their places of worship prior the Emperor Constantine’s acceptance of Christianity in 313. In other words, the presence of images in Christian churches cannot be attributed to new converts importing pagan practices as Protestant iconoclasts have alleged.
An ironic witness to the cultic use of images in the early Church is the outspoken curmudgeon, Tertullian (155 to 220). In his treatise On Modesty, Tertullian complained about the image of the Good Shepherd on the communion chalice:
“. . . to which, perchance, that Shepherd, will play the patron whom you depict upon your (sacramental) chalice.” (ANF Vol. 4 p. 85; emphasis added; NewAdvent).
Biblical References On Artwork For Churches
·
Cherubijnen are commanded to be carved into the Sanctuaries, not only directly where the priests would minister, but also in the outside and various vessels used for the service. Many cherubims and surrounding artwork are decked throughout the temples of YAHWEH in the Bible (i.e. Moses’, Solomon’s and Ezekiel’s temples) with most cunning artwork depicted on the veil in
Exodus 26:1 and 36:8. In
1Kings 6:23-29 they’re carved into all the walls of the house round about with cherubims, palm trees and open flowers, both within and without. With larger depictions and more decorations in
2Chronicles 3. In
Ezekiel 41:18-20 it says they were also depicted
“through all the house round about”.
· Cunning artwork of “gold, silver, brass precious stones, and in carving of wood”
Exodus 31:3-5: “And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.”
Exodus 35:35: “Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.”
Note: It repeats that these were devised “as commanded” and “as shown to Moses”, each time these artists are mentioned.
· Beautification of the Temple Ezra 7:27 (The King of Persia said spare no expense in restoring all that was commanded in the building of the Temple of God, with all it’s decoration (see vs 23).
·
Houten gesneden kunstwerk is mentioned as being perpetually in all the various congregations / synagogues everywhere as described in
Psalms 74:3-9, and says in verse 6 “however”(strongs 6256), the wicked have sought to burn it down. Such cunning artwork decorations carved in wood was attributed to the righteous congregations and all the synagogues, which were burned.
We read in
Exodus 31 how God filled men with His Spirit to devise “cunning works” in wood carvings for the decorations of His sanctuary.
·
The “holy habitations” are places of worship that are apart from the Temple itself. Such places are mentioned in
Exodus 15:13,
Ps 77:20,
Ps 78:54 as places for His people to assemble. These were no doubt decorated richly, as previously stated in
Psalms 74:3-9, the extravagant artwork of wood etc. Except the altars themselves had to not be made of any gold or silver, but of unhewn stone, as in
Exodus 20:25. So it would make sense that more wooden and other artwork would be implemented in such altars that were set up within holy habitations abroad. Each area had to have an altar for the regular services, thanks offerings, sacrifices, praise and worship, see
Deuteronomy 12:5-7.
We know that both Moses and Solomon also had such artwork first carved with the most cunning wood artwork. It says God filled certain men with His Spirit to “devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in the carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.” Much of that wooden artwork for the national Temple and Tabernacle was overlaid with gold. Later this full golden version was also re-created in the “beautified Sanctuary” in
Ezra 7:27.
As even during the time of the restored Temple, all the synagogues had artwork as well.
We may get an idea from
Luke 21:5 where it tells us how the exterior of the Temple was richly decorated: “And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts…”
·
Afbeeldingen van de heiligen in het heiligdom as the
“Most finest gold stones of the sanctuary” which are called
“holy sons of Zion” and repeats
“finest gold” that has become
“esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter” en
“are poured out in every street.” Lamentations 4:1-2
·
Make “Ensigns of our Fathers house” or Coats of Arms and other commanded Biblical symbols we are to assemble under, as used for civil buildings, and for genealogical purposes in
Numbers 2:2.
· Outdoors Iconography of Cherubim is depicted on ten carts and ten lavers
1Kings 7:29, 36. These particular lavers were made of brass and were used for washing burnt offerings. Priests only bathed in the sea.
· Cherubim are associated with places His presence was manifested Psalms 80:1;
99:1. As David said He would always remain in the Temple, it may be that He brought depictions of the cherubim wherever he went. No doubt, this is one of the inspirations for decorating our “prayer closet”.
·
His Majestic Ornament (probably the cross) has been mis-used by the wicked
Ezekiel 7:27. (Note, the Cross is very ancient as Yahshua was
“slain from the foundation of the world” as it says in
Revelation 13:8 en
1Peter 1:20 as our sacrificial Lamb. The Hebrew Passover lambs were always placed on a beam that looked like the cross. A dozen more reasons for decorating with, or wearing a cross can also be found.)
·
Graven standbeeld kunstwerk van kruisen was used for remembering He is raised up as a serpent on a Cross, as our healer in
Numbers 21:8. We must lift up the cross ensign for Israel, just as it was necessary for Moses to lift up the serpent on a rod.
John 3:14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:”
·
HET KRUIS. Dat teken waren we verzegeld is het Tau- of T-kruissymbool, which was used at all Hebrew Baptisms “And YAHWEH said unto him(the cherub at the altar), Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark (tav) upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” (
Ezekiel 9:4)
Er bestaat dus geen twijfel over
de cherubijnen (of serafijnen) zullen kruisen begeleiden, as the Seraphim did in their first Biblical appearance. The cross symbol reminds of Christ’s victory on the Cross (the primary aspect of the gospel) and the sealing His redeemed for their victory over evil.
Revelation 5:9 it says these cherubim(now morphed to higher seraphim) are the redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and that there are hundreds of thousands of them
“in the throne, on the throne and around the throne”. Therefore these depictions of cherubim are of those who are Saints. The main 4 cherubim are also called Matthew, Mark, Luke and John manifestations of Christ in their gospels. The cherubim of glory, winged symbols of Lion, Ox, Man and Eagle. These manifestations of Christ will be evident in the lives of His literal body, the Saintly church members.
In de oudheid, vóór de tv, hadden ze alleen iconen, en dus werden iconen anders gebruikt om ze te animeren met lichten / kaarsen, enz., Maar niet met aanbidding. Ze zouden ze ook versieren enz. Zoals gevonden bijbels was geboden, zoals te vinden in dit artikel. Versier niet alleen, maar praat over hun glorieuze werken… en schilder het voor sommigen die niet konden lezen, en noem het edelstenen in Zijn tempel, zoals bevolen is.
Tv kijken zou veel godslasterlijker zijn als je de normen toepast van degenen die tegen iconen zijn. Mensen die tv kijken, worden veel emotioneler en toch is het geen aanbidding, dus we veroordelen onze vrienden niet die alle geboden willen onderhouden. We zouden allemaal moeten praten over de glorieuze werken van de rest van de kerk die voor ons plaatsvonden. Verval niet in valse stigma's.
Onze Engelse liturgie is voornamelijk te vinden in het Book of Common Prayer. Daarin worden geen iconen vermeld, maar er is altijd tijd om de grote getuigen en inspiraties te herinneren van degenen die voor ons waren.
The Pictish Stones of Scotland (and those of Ireland) are great examples of churches following this Biblical principle of engraving sanctuaries with cherubim artwork and “lifting up crosses” the same way Moses lifted up the serpent rod.
Were Images Widespread in the Early Church?
I hope it’s clear that from BC times it was already common to use all sorts of imagery artwork in synagogues as fully compliant within the most strict Old Testament guidelines.
We know that after the 4th Century images were used nearly everywhere in the church. However, some want to say that this never was part of the original church.
In the 4th Century St Gregory of Nyssa laid out the practice quite well. He demonstrates that skilled artists depict the martyrs on the walls of the sanctuary, glorifying the temple with resplendent beauty:
“Should a person come to a place similar to our assembly today where the memory of the just and the rest of the saints is present, first consider this house’s great dignity to which souls are lead. God’s temple is brightly adorned with magnificence and is embellished with decorations, pictures of animals which masons have fashioned with delicate silver figures. It exhibits afbeeldingen of flowers made in the likeness of the martyr’s virtues, his struggles, sufferings, the various savage actions of tyrants, assaults, that fiery furnace, the athlete’s blessed consummation and the human form of Christ presiding over all these events. They are like a book skillfully interpreting by means of colors which express the martyr’s struggles and glorify the temple with resplendent beauty. The pictures located on the walls are eloquent by their silence and offer significant testimony; the pavement on which people tread is combined with small stones and is significant to mention in itself.These spectacles strike the senses and delight the eye by drawing us near to [the martyr’s tomb] which we believe to be both a sanctification and blessing. If anyone takes dust from the martyr’s resting place, it is a gift and a deserving treasure. Should a person have both the good fortune and permission to touch the relics, this experience is a highly valued prize and seems like a dream both to those who were cured and whose wish was fulfilled. The body appears as if it were alive and healthy: the eyes, mouth, ears, as well as the other senses are a cause for pouring out tears of reverence and emotion. In this way one implores the martyr who intercedes on our behalf and is an attendant of God for imparting those favors and blessings which people seek.” (Sanidopoulos, text in English with emphasis added; cf. Pelikan p. 106; see also Migne’s Patrologia Graeca 46:737-740, text in Latin and Greek; and Cavarnos’ text in Greek).
The above style of decorating the sanctuary with images of the Saints was already prevalent in the Synagogues of BC times, as we read in Lamentation 4:1-2:
“Most finest gold stones of the sanctuary” which are called “holy sons of Zion” and repeats “finest gold” that has become “esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter” en “are poured out in every street.”
The “touching the relic” and getting cured, In
2 Kings 13:20-21 the bones of Elisha raised a dead soldier back to life. As being of the canon of Holy Scripture, such practices of gathering dirt from Martyrs graves, or viewing images of them (in a non-dishonoring way) as they were when alive, is a sanctioned practice of the church.
Such rightful thoughts on the Saints when remembering them, or honoring them (their memory / example etc) as the most beautiful stones of the sanctuary, is yet for another study.
Luke 21:5 tells us how the Temple was richly decorated: “And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts…”
Not only Scripture, also archeology is rife with numerous examples of Christians using images before the 5th Century:
Archaeologists discovered images in a Jewish synagogue and Christian church in the Syrian town of Dura Europos dating back to circa 250. Even earlier evidence are the images found in the catacombs that have been dated to the late 100s to the early 200s. The significance of these images lies in the fact that Christians across the Roman Empire were comfortable with images in their places of worship prior the Emperor Constantine’s acceptance of Christianity in 313. In other words, the presence of images in Christian churches cannot be attributed to new converts importing pagan practices as Protestant iconoclasts have alleged.
An ironic witness to the cultic use of images in the early Church is the outspoken curmudgeon, Tertullian (155 to 220). In his treatise On Modesty, Tertullian complained about the image of the Good Shepherd on the communion chalice:
“. . . to which, perchance, that Shepherd, will play the patron whom you depict upon your (sacramental) chalice.” (ANF Vol. 4 p. 85; emphasis added; NewAdvent).
Early Christian Images
Murals within the 250 AD Christian Synagogue Duro Europos (town was recorded as destroyed at that time and closed off till the last Century)
6th century Mosaic pavement in a Christian Synagogue/Church, at Beit Alpha, Israel.
Such Infinity bands, or Celtic Knotwork, were from Israel. Such cunning artwork was done also for their masters as slaves in Egypt (the 12 Months, ensigns of the 12 Tribes, 12 Gemstones, 12 fruits, for the New Jerusalem City, one day, as per the Holy Christian and Hebrew Bible).Notice the Celtic Knotwork. The above was put together at the climax period of the most well known Saints of the Celtic Orthodox Church. The greatest writing of cunning knotwork was then being devised in the British Isles, as these had intercourse with the holy land. It’s a part of history that the 6th Century Saint David of Wales was consecrated by the Bishop of Jerusalem.
5th Century Galilean Synagogue/Church 
5th Century Galilean Synagogue/Church as shown on PATTERNSOFEVIDENCE.COM:
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English 
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