Entering an Eastern church means finding yourself under the gaze of hundreds of serene, luminous eyes. These are the icons, radiant vessels of divine presence and windows through which heaven gazes upon earth. The word “icon” is derived from the Greek eikon, meaning “image” or “likeness.” In Christian theology, especially within the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic traditions, the icon transcends religious art, becoming a liturgical tool, theology written in colors, and a window through which heaven meets earth.
The icon in the church has acquired a special meaning, as explained by iconography researcher Father Athanasius Shahwan. It is the sacred image representing a Gospel event, a biblical event, or a holy figure, beginning with the Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, and extending to the prophets, apostles, and saints, in addition to Gospel events and miracles.
In Arabic, the term “icon” has been retained instead of translating it as “image,” giving it a distinct ecclesiastical character and distinguishing it from the ordinary meaning of “image.” Father Shahwan explains that the first presence of the concept of the icon is found in the Book of Genesis, when God said: “Let us make man in our image.” The words “our image” here carry the meaning of eikon. From this perspective, “one could say that the human himself is the first icon,” according to Father Shahwan. “In the Christian reading, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would later incarnate, is the complete image upon which man was created; that is, the human face, regardless of ethnicity or identity, bears this image. Therefore, when we look at the icon of Adam’s creation, for instance, we often find that Adam’s features resemble those of Christ, in a clear theological indication.”
The entire existence of the sacred icon is based on the fundamental doctrine of the Incarnation, namely the belief that God took on a material human body in Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, strict prohibitions against crafting carved images prevailed, as the divine essence was invisible and could not be contained or comprehended. However, the New Testament brought a transformation in this perception. As Saint Paul writes in his Letter to the Colossians, Christ is “the image [eikon] of the invisible God.”
Iconography researcher Father Athanasius Shahwan. (An-Nahar)
This theological defense was solidified during the fierce controversy over iconoclasm in the eighth and ninth centuries, when Byzantine emperors sought to destroy all sacred images. Saint John of Damascus (circa 676–749 AD), one of the most prominent defenders of icons, articulated this metaphysical transformation that preserved the iconographic tradition, saying: “I do not venerate matter, but I venerate the Creator of matter, who became matter for my sake and accepted to dwell in matter, and who achieved my salvation through matter.”
The Seventh Ecumenical Council, the Second Council of Nicaea, in 787 AD, officially established this distinction. The council decreed that icons deserve veneration based on honor and respect, expressed through bowing or kissing, while true worship and adoration are due only to God. The honor directed to the image is transferred directly to the original it represents.
The primary references are the Gospel and the Bible, in addition to the hagiographies and church tradition. The icon is not a work based on the free imagination of the artist, as in other forms of art, but stems from a clear faith-based reference.
Furthermore, in tradition, the person who paints or writes an icon is not regarded merely as an artist, but as someone entering a spiritual path. Thus, iconography was historically associated with monasteries and monks, where those working on icons prepared themselves through fasting, prayer, and other spiritual practices.
Traditionally, it is said that icons are “written” rather than “painted,” emphasizing their role as a textual doctrine visually embodied. What the Bible declares audibly to the ear, the icon silently announces to the eye. Every line, color, and geometric choice operates within a strict theological lexicon.
Renaissance Western art typically employs linear perspective, in which perpendicular lines recede toward a deep vanishing point within the painting, drawing the viewer inside as an observer. Icons, however, invert this spatial geometry. In reverse perspective, or inverted perspective, the lines converge in front of the icon, at the location where the believer stands. Thus, the viewer is not merely looking at the icon; rather, the icon opens outward, placing the human before the gaze of God.
Gold leaves symbolize the uncreated and eternal divine light, the light of the Kingdom of God where shadows do not exist. Colors hold extensive symbolism, and this symbolism developed throughout history. One reference for discussing these symbols is the writings attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite.
Father Athanasius Shahwan contemplating an icon of Archangel Michael. (An-Nahar)
Light red, for example, if close to the color of blood, symbolizes life and martyrdom. Scarlet or purple-red carries royal significance. Therefore, we may see it in the robes of Christ or the Mother of God.
Dark blue may indicate sublimity and heaven and is also associated with creation and humanity. Hence, a common interpretation of the colors of Christ’s and the Mother of God’s garments: Christ sometimes appears in a purple or red undergarment, over which is blue, indicating that He is God who took on human nature. The Mother of God, being human, may be depicted in blue inwardly and purple or red outwardly, indicating that she is enveloped in holiness and divine grace.
