› ›

The image of Jesus- where does it come from?

HezekielHezekiel
edited December 1969 in Coptic Orthodox Church
Hi,

Does anyone know where the depicition of Jesus in icons comes from? How do we know what Jesus looked like or how did the Image of Jesus we have today develop? As far as I know,the holy Apostles did not leave any drawings of the Lord.Thanks for any info!

Comments

  • HolmesHolmes
    + Irini nem ehmot,

    Wikipedia article on Icons.

    Icons depict spiritual truths, and not actual physical depictions in the way a portrait does. As for the more artistic portrayals of Christ (i.e. not icons), they are at the discretion of the artist. We don't know what Christ actually looked like nor is it important.
  • ForeverYoursForeverYours
    the shroud of Christ is where we have the solid proof.

    remmeber when i think mary magdalene or one of the other women gave him a towel to wipe his face. and the blood from his face made a figure of a man.

    scientists say that the man on the shroud shows the features of a man who was crucified, signifying that it was Jesus.
  • HolmesHolmes
    + Irini nem ehmot,

    The shroud should not be taken as authoritative as to what Christ looked like. There is insufficient evidence that it is even Christ's.

    The second thing you bring up is the veil of Veronica. Regarding that, here is an interesting wikipedia article: Acheiropoieta

    We do not know who was buried in the shroud. As such, we really shouldn't put much stock on what Christ looked like based on it. The Church does not put much emphasis on the actual depiction of Christ, the Apostles, the Theotokos or the Saints because what they look like is not important. How they lived their lives is what matters. This is what is often depicted in icons.

    A great article about icons: Spirituality of Icons
  • HezekielHezekiel
    [quote author=Κηφᾶς link=topic=11651.msg139796#msg139796 date=1308344860]
    + Irini nem ehmot,

    Wikipedia article on Icons.

    Icons depict spiritual truths, and not actual physical depictions in the way a portrait does. As for the more artistic portrayals of Christ (i.e. not icons), they are at the discretion of the artist. We don't know what Christ actually looked like nor is it important.


    Thanks for the link. I was not aware, that  we really do not know what Christ looked like.

    But why do you think a physical depiction is not important to humans that are spritually weak? Does it mean you would honor an icon of Jesus that shows him with a sword and turban? When it comes to the icon of the Theotokos with baby Jesus, at least we can refer to the Traditions of St Luke as the first painter with the help of St Mary.That way, we can not honor a different icon of the Blessed Mother and her Son that does not correspond with St Luke's.
  • HolmesHolmes
    + Irini nem ehmot,

    If you will permit me, I will answer your question with a two questions of my own: why do you feel it is important to physically depict Christ as He actually looked? How will that affect one's spiritual life for the better?
  • HezekielHezekiel
    Thanks for all your comments.Answering a question with another question does not always result in good reply, but if you ask me personally, I am actually happy with the image of Jesus we have.The image of Jesus we have is the real image of Jesus for me and will remain so. When I pray, I sometimes feel I am dialoguing with the image in the picture in much the same way I would do  with my grandfathers photograph. To answer my own question from the last post, I would not honor an icon of Jesus that shows him holding Ak-47 ,wearing an Islamic turban ala Bin Laden.

    If I were to tell someone who is not very strong in the faith or a recent convert to venerate an icon that does not depict the image of the real Jesus, then I think that person would be faced with a serious crisis of faith.I believe that the existance of physical holy objects for blessings are a tremendous help in our spritual journey and they may become less meaningful only when we reach a higher level of spritualism.

    If you dont mind me asking again, would you venerate an icon of Jesus that is quite different than the ones you know? For example would you change the face of Jesus into your own image and leave the rest as is and venerate it?
  • HolmesHolmes
    + Irini nem ehmot,

    Again, the purpose of an icon is not to depict the actual physical characteristics of an individual the way a painting of a portrait or a picture does. The purpose of an icon is to convey spiritual truths and are windows into Heaven. As such, there are certain rules in painting an icon and what is and is not considered an icon. So, it is as you say, icons do not depict the image of the 'real' Jesus in so much as by 'real' you mean, His actual physical characteristics. If you notice in Coptic icons, the faces are all virtually identical. The shape of the eyes, the nose, the mouth, all are identical. Why? Because the saints are all icons of Christ. That is a spiritual truth conveyed by the icon. The goal of Christianity is to become Christ-like and, as such, in Coptic iconography, the faces or all the saints and of Christ are the same.
Sign In or Register to comment.