Скачать или смотреть TRUTH about ORTHODOX icons , painted images of God, Jesus, Mary and the saints

First painted image of Virgin Mary and baby Jesus belongs to the Apostle Luke, discovered in Jerusalem in the 5th

century.

---- icon , word origin from greek meaning : image, portrait . -----

ICONS represent images , face of Jesus, God and saints.

God made Jesus like His own self icon, God became material, flesh and bones

Exodus 26 vers 1 ; and 26 vers 31 (when God commands to Moises to build a tent for God)

an icon represents Jesus, virgin Mary, saints , biblical events ...
an icon keeps the memory of holy things and people and it lead us to imitate and do the same as them

orthodox christians they pray to God in presence of icons, but THEY DON'T PRAY TO THE ICONS.

There are icons who performed miracles? some icons painted by the hands of saints performed miracles for those who were

in sickness.

Orthodox christians respect the icons of Jesus and the saints and treat icons as a holy thing.
Like a patriot kisses and respects the flag of his country, he doesn't love the material, the print but he loves what

that flag represents : his home country. that's how icons are.

In the bible Deuteronom 4:16 is for jews WHO DIDN'T SEEN GOD AT THAT TIME and they are warned so that they never worship

any idol.
And for us christians 1 John 1:1-3 we saw God through Jesus and we can picture Him now. He showed His face to us .

Constantine V , Byzantine Emperor from year 741 to 775 ,lead a war against the christians, burning and loothing churches

everywhere for the reason that churches had icons and images of God and saints on the walls. He ordered that those icons

to be replaced with his own image instead.
In the 9th century he was disinterred, and his remains were thrown into the sea !

Like Saint John of Damascus said :

" In former times God, who is without form or body, could never be depicted. But now when God is seen in the flesh

conversing with men, I make an image of the God whom I see. I do not worship matter; I worship the Creator of matter who

became matter for my sake, who willed to take His abode in matter; who worked out my salvation through matter. Never will

I cease honoring the matter which wrought my salvation!

...Just as words edify the ear, so also the image stimulates the eye. What the book is to the literate, the image

is to the illiterate. Just as words speak to the ear, so the image speaks to the sight; it brings us understanding. For

this reason God ordered the ark to be constructed of wood which would not decay, and to be gilded outside and in, and for

the tablets to be placed inside, with Aaron's staff and the golden urn containing the manna, in order to provide a

remembrance of the past, and an image of the future.

Who can say that these were not images, heralds sounding from far off? ...Obviously they were not adored for their

own sake, but through them the people were led to remember the wonders of old and to worship God, the worker of wonders.

They were images serving as memorials; they were not divine, but led to the remembrance of divine power.



Some would say: Make an image of Christ and of His Mother, the Theotokos, and let that be enough. What foolishness!

Your own impious words prove that you utterly despise the saints. If you make an image of Christ, and not of the saints,

it is evident that you do not forbid images, but refuse to honor the saints. You make images of Christ as one who is

glorified, yet you deprive the saints of their rightful glory, and call truth falsehood. The Lord says, I will glorify

those who glorify Me (1 Sam. 2:30)....The Scripture calls the saints gods, when it says, God has taken His place in the

divine council; in the midst of the gods He holds judgment (Ps. 82:1). "


!!! Jews who crucified Jesus and they are against any form and kind of icons , they used them in the ancient city DURA

EUROPOS , where graves and tunnels walls are painted with images from the Old Testament and one image with Jesus speaking

to the crowds !!!
Icons in the Holy Scripture : Exodus : 25:18 , 26:1 and 26:31 ; 2 Kings 6:2 (David). 1 Kings 6:29 and 1 kings 6:32. 1

kings 7:36