An unfinished icon of Saint Seraphim of Sarov. Photo by Fr. Theophan

BY FATHER THEOPHAN MACKEY
St. Job of Pochaiv Orthodox Church
Los Alamos

When the weather turns cold, and the water in the slop bucket starts freezing over, I turn my creative attention to iconography, which I can produce in the warmth and comfort of the house.

We’re still a few months away from that this year, but one of my half-finished icons is staring at me from the shelf in the dining room where I keep them. I find myself yearning for the cold weather and the excuse to begin again and finally finish it.

Iconography, the depiction of Jesus Christ, the events of his earthly life, and his saints, is an ancient aspect of the Christian Church. In my on-line wanderings I just ran across an icon of the Theotokos (Mary the mother of God) and Jesus which survives from the year 609AD. Many, if not most, icons from that time and before were destroyed in the 700s during the rule of the iconoclasts. But there still exists evidence of the widespread use of icons early in the history of the Church.

We do not know who painted most icons. There are a few famous iconographers, such as Saint Andrei Rublev, but most of them worked in purposeful anonymity. Icons are not signed. If we know the artist, it is usually from inductive detective work and matching style, materials, and time periods.

In a real way, iconography is the opposite of art. Not in that it doesn’t portray real things, but that it is not about the artist or his/her ability or ego. For the most part, iconographers copy the sketches of icons done before them. Only masters strike out on their own, with the blessing of their spiritual father and/or a bishop, to create new compositions. And even then, the icons are supposed to speak of and truly represent the spiritual reality of the subject, the prototype. It harkens back to the words of Saint John the Baptist, “He (Christ) must increase, but I must decrease.”

The icon is the spiritual reality of saints departed this world, but alive in Christ. They are separated from us physically, but as close to us as Jesus Christ is, because they are forever with him. Saint Paul mentions them in his letter to the Hebrew church, “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (lit. μαρτύρων, martyrs)…” And Saint John writes of the prayers of the saints offered in the eschaton (contemporary and eternal) before the heavenly throne of God in Revelation.

We do not worship the icons; we venerate and respect them as we do many things. Many people venerate the American Flag, antique photos of loved ones, or the actual book that is the Bible (not just the message it contains). They treat these objects with dignity, respect, and care as well they should.

But worship is reserved for God alone. That is why the iconographer must disappear into his/her work. It must be about God and not about the hand that God created, merely offering creation back to Him.

Soon, I will heed the call of the icon and finish it. The icon of Saint Seraphim of Sarov (Los Alamos’ sister city) will be completed and I’ll donate it to our county.