^this. Don't understand the appeal of trying to show what Jesus looked like. Any manmade representation we come up with is by definition taking away from His holiness and perfection
I agree that icons of angels and God Himself violates the 2nd Commandment.
Orthodox Christians make a distinction between veneration and worship which is something to consider, although I think having icons in a prayer corner in your home or at church is a slippery slope, especially when you start involving saints, angels, and Mary. Catholics fell off the bandwagon with that, obviously.
Where I have not made my mind up yet, and admittedly enjoy the art and historically accurate representation, is about depictions in art of Christ Himself.
We make movies, books, display the cross, and regularly depict Christ when He was of this earth. Is storytelling and rememberance of Christ "worshipping an idol"? I'm not yet convinced this is a violation of the 2nd Commandment.
Useful snippet from #Grok on the Orthodox rebuke of this view -
Because Christ is the "image (eikon) of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15), Orthodox Christians argue that depicting His human form in icons is not only permissible but theologically necessary to affirm the reality of the Incarnation. Icons of Christ are seen as bearing witness to God’s self-revelation in human form, not as creating a forbidden "likeness" of the divine essence, which remains incomprehensible.
Orthodox Christians make a distinction between veneration and worship which is something to consider, although I think having icons in a prayer corner in your home or at church is a slippery slope, especially when you start involving saints, angels, and Mary. Catholics fell off the bandwagon with that, obviously.
Where I have not made my mind up yet, and admittedly enjoy the art and historically accurate representation, is about depictions in art of Christ Himself.
We make movies, books, display the cross, and regularly depict Christ when He was of this earth. Is storytelling and rememberance of Christ "worshipping an idol"? I'm not yet convinced this is a violation of the 2nd Commandment.
Useful snippet from #Grok on the Orthodox rebuke of this view -
Because Christ is the "image (eikon) of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15), Orthodox Christians argue that depicting His human form in icons is not only permissible but theologically necessary to affirm the reality of the Incarnation. Icons of Christ are seen as bearing witness to God’s self-revelation in human form, not as creating a forbidden "likeness" of the divine essence, which remains incomprehensible.
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