Icon

Definition and Meaning

The word icon comes from the Greek eikōn (εἰκών), meaning "image." It refers to a sacred image (a picture of a holy figure) of Christ, the Virgin Mary, the saints, or events in Scripture, painted according to established conventions on a wooden panel or similar surface. Icons are used chiefly by the Orthodox Church in public worship and personal devotion.

The Orthodox Church describes the icon as a "window to heaven." Veneration, it teaches, is directed not to the image itself but to the person the image represents. The Orthodox Church distinguishes between worship (latreia), which is offered to God alone, and the veneration (proskynesis) shown to icons. In Korean, the term seonghwa ("sacred painting") often refers to religious art in general, so the sacred images of the Orthodox tradition are frequently called by the distinct term ikon.

Biblical and Historical Background

The debate over icons begins with the interpretation of Scripture. Opponents cite the commandment in the Ten Commandments forbidding the making of images or bowing down before them (Exodus 20:4-5). Defenders point to the following:

• The account in which God commanded that figures of cherubim (angels) be made upon the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:18-20)
• Colossians 1:15-17, which calls Christ "the image of the invisible God"
• The argument that because the invisible God became visible by becoming man in the Incarnation, Christ may be depicted

In the eighth and ninth centuries, the Byzantine Empire was divided by the so-called Iconoclastic Controversy over the use of sacred images. John of Damascus and others defended icons, and in 787 the Second Council of Nicaea affirmed the veneration of images. The controversy ended in 843 with the restoration of the veneration of icons, an event the Orthodox Church commemorates on the first Sunday of Great Lent. The Catholic Church also accepts this council and uses statues and sacred paintings.

During the Reformation, Protestants themselves were divided on the question.

• The Reformed tradition, including John Calvin, removed images from places of worship, holding that they posed a danger of leading to idolatry. The Heidelberg Catechism likewise teaches that images should not be placed in churches.
• Martin Luther regarded the question of images as nonessential to the faith; he opposed the forcible destruction of images and was inclined to permit their use for instruction.

Practice in Korean Churches

Orthodox Church: In Korean Orthodox churches, icons are placed throughout the church and on the icon screen (iconostasis) in front of the altar. The faithful show veneration by making the sign of the cross before the icons or kissing them.

Catholic Church: Catholic churches commonly display statues and sacred paintings, and some also use icons.

Presbyterian and other Reformed traditions: Most Presbyterian churches do not place icons or statues of persons in their sanctuaries, and many hang only a plain cross above the pulpit. Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Pentecostal churches generally follow similar practice.

Anglican and Lutheran churches: The Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea tend to make relatively broad use of crucifixes (crosses bearing the figure of Jesus), sacred paintings, mosaics, and similar works.

Recent controversy: In recent years some Protestants have begun using icons in contemplative prayer and spiritual formation. A representative example is meditating while gazing on Andrei Rublev's Trinity icon. Some pastors and theologians in the Reformed tradition are concerned that this practice violates the Ten Commandments' prohibition of images and could lead to a drift toward Roman Catholicism. Those who use icons maintain that the icon is not an object of worship but merely an aid to meditation.