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November 24, 2004
A lovely reminder
The Monk has received a lovely gift from a friend in Romania, one that will grace the wall of his study for years to come. It is an Orthodox Church Icon. These are very special indeed, and much more than just a decoration. By tradition you cannot buy one for yourself; it must be bought as a gift to someone else, usually someone who has made a mark on your life, or a very good friend. My Romanian friend has done me a great honour by giving me this.
The Virgin and Christ as shown in this reproduction of a beautiful Byzantine Icon. The Christ is depicted as a miniature adult, not as a child.
The Icon depicts the Virgin and Child and is a copy of a Byzantine Icon, notable for the disproportion of the figures and the heads. This is the hallmark of the Byzantine style. A further remarkable feature is that the Christ is not depicted as an infant, but as an adult in miniature. This reflects the belief that, even as an infant, Christ was fully God and fully man. The Christ figure is also always shown teaching, as here, with a scroll in his hand, and Mary is always shown "pointing" the way to her son, the Son of God and the Word (Logos) made flesh.
The background is gold leaf; unfortunately this does not come up in the scanned image shown here, and it is a thing of real beauty. But it is also much more than simply a beautiful item to hang on a wall; it should also be used as a meditation focus and as a focus for the eyes during prayer or thought about faith or the Almighty. It must never be mistaken for an idol, since it is not. It is a pictorial expression of a much deeper theological understanding of God and His relationship with humanity and the world we inhabit.
The gold apart, the colours shown in this scanned image are fairly close. It is a beautiful thing - but, much more importantly, it is the gift itself which says so much about the friendship it represents. I shall look upon this in future as I prepare my sermons, outline my intercessions, and contemplate my Creator, and give thanks for all my friends and for the artists who create these. Such a gift can never be equalled and can never be fully repaid.
Posted by The Gray Monk at November 24, 2004 11:01 AM
Comments
You know that a frienship, a real one is more important than everything. Even when you are in love, your companion has to be your friend first.
Such gifts demonstrate the power of understanding. The mark you've made in my life is forever. I'm are not talking here about love. I'm talking about something else. And you know what.
Keep this gift in your heart.
Adriana
Posted by: Adriana at November 25, 2004 11:00 AM