Why isn’t God the Father normally depicted in Orthodox iconography? Watch our video to learn more, including commentary from Saint John of Damascus. Icon used in the thumbnail for this video by Aidan Hart (https://aidanharticons.com).
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I have seen something..
Perfect.
LOVE! FANTASTIC! An excellent catechisis on iconography, the incarnation and why it is not proper to portray God the Father! (Another reason why we should never portray God the Father, especially in this modern “Holy Trinity” icons, is because it confuses those of other religions, such as the Jews and Moslems. They think we worship three separate gods, and they use this against us in their polemics against Christianity.)
We are just trying to embrace these icons out of love for them.❤
The Father is a Spirit our minds cannot perceive that, no don't do icons of God.. simply know him through Christ 🙏
1:31, St. John Damascus quote.
4:02 the Church believes that it is improper to depict the Father in iconography.
4:52, St.John of Damascus believed that icons are necessary.
6:31, making an image of the invisible God.
Physically, of course, He cannot be seen but spiritually He can.
Awesome video. God did tell Moses , i will cover u with my hand and u may see my back. sounds like he has a body
Well said! As a Catholic, I thank you for this …..I think God the Father was too often used as social control and not nearly enough as the Daddy Our Lord called Him. Blessings to all there.
But are not angels made not of flesh? Like the Father? They do not have earthly bodies like Christ but of matter incomprehensible by own mans understanding? Yet we depict them in our images.
To call a mere error of artistic and theological judgement, following the fashion of an era without blasphemous intention, a straight out 'sin' goes too far.
From that stance it's only a step away from another wave of 'Islamized' iconcoclasm.
The reasoning against iconography of the 'father' as an actual human fatherfigure is sound, but there's a reason why it took 1500 years to reach it.
But , who was seen .
Isn’t saying that the Father is too great to be seen belittles the Son as some lesser deity? I strongly disagree with that rationale. Who is the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7 of whom the Son of man was approaching? If it’s both the son what’s to then stop the modalist saying the father and the son is just God depicting himself in different modes at the same time if this is how Daniel 7 is explained?
as a Roman Catholic, i agree, it just feels so wrong to see images of God the Father.
Christ is the only icon of the Father. If we were divine ourselves, having been begotten from the Father's being, then we too could depict Him. But seeing how we're not divine we can only depict Christ who became like us in every way except in sin. The icon of the Father must forever remain single and one, that of Christ Himself.
What about depicting the Holy Spirit as a dove, is it okay to do?
Genesis 1: 26-27 "And, God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness", "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him".
Yes and we can choose to be Christ like, full of love, compassion, joy and happiness and in prayer, fasting some have been blessed by divine encounters by god etc
Amen !❤️
From Misión Cruz Hermitage in Somerset, Texas. Blessings
I enjoy this video so much thank you for the blessing and wisdom 🙏
If it is indeed sinful, why is there an image of the Father in Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral? It is in the center at the very top. I have been there many times.
St. John of Damascus' insight about the Incarnation and it's relation to iconography is wisdom for all to this day, even non-Orthodox. One has not fully contemplated the Incarnation if they're so adamant against images. For Christ is the Icon of God himself. I would say that Muslim and Jewish iconoclasts are at least consistent – their worldview revolves around an Unknown God, and they will continue crying out to the unknown, never the better for it. But Christians have no excuse for teaching an unknowable God. For the Logos became flesh and dwelt among us.
Ο Χριστός είπε.αυτος που έχει δει εμένα,έχει δει τον Πατέρα.
Thank you, so beautiful.
GOD BECOME MAN SO THAT GOD COULD BE SEEN ! STUDY THE TRUE ORTHODOX FAITH.
God cannot be seen because he's not a person! Just how childish is that?
He's the omnipresent void that exists everywhere. How can you paint "Nothingness"?
True idolatry is when we try to give a form to the formless and believe in it. It is okay to give a symbolic form. So that the mind can meditate on it. That's why Hindus and other religions worship deities. The images is only a tool. It has to be broken in the end.