February: Day 27: Teaching 2:
Venerable Prokopios of Decapolis
(Veneration of Holy Icons is Necessary and Useful)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
Venerable Prokopios of Decapolis
(Veneration of Holy Icons is Necessary and Useful)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
I. Venerable Prokopios, whose memory is today, was born in the region of Decapolis (which is why he is called "Decapolite", which in Greek means from the country of Decapolis), lying on the Sea of Galilee, which the Lord Jesus Christ once visited. Venerable Prokopios accepted monasticism in one monastery and struggled in fasting and prayer. When iconoclasm arose, the Saint courageously stood against the iconoclasts, defending the right and pious veneration of holy icons. For this, by order of Emperor Leo the Isaurian, he was taken and subjected to torture. He was cruelly beaten, scraped with iron claws and thrown into a dark and stinking dungeon, where he languished until the death of the iconoclast emperor. After that, Prokopios received freedom and lived again in the monastery, devoting himself to monastic exploits. He died in peace at the beginning of the 9th century.
II. Brethren! As in ancient times there were, so now there are people who, carried away by the spirit of falsely-called reason, rejected and reject the veneration of holy icons: therefore, on the day of remembrance of the sufferer for holy icons, Venerable Prokopios, I find it fitting to offer something to your love about holy icons in general, and about the salvific veneration of them for every Christian.
a) The veneration of holy icons has its basis in the very essence of man. Clothed in dust, in his present state, he can see the truth in no other way than in images and inscriptions. Carnal man can contemplate the spiritual world, the blessings to come, God Himself, and also His saints only in bodily or material images. How did the Old Testament Church look upon the blessings to come, promised to her? In shadows and divinations: the sun of righteousness Jesus Christ she saw from afar in the darkness. The children of the New Testament Church, although they were deemed worthy to see the God-man with bodily eyes, were deemed worthy to touch Him, according to the testimony of the beloved disciple; but this vision did not yet bring them that blessedness which will be revealed when they "see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). Such knowledge, as Saint Gregory the Theologian says, is impossible to have in this life, no matter how hard the mind tries to get out of the circle of the body. Since we cannot acquire knowledge of God without sensory inscriptions, then the Church of Christ also recognized the secret ritual appearances as an essential part of the New Testament temples, showing her children that they walk by faith, and not by sight. In the Old Testament tabernacle there were cherubim, overshadowing the ark of the Lord; then in the New Testament, the grace-filled ones are the icons of Christ the Savior, the Mother of God, angels, prophets, martyrs and all the saints. An example of this custom was initially shown by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who deigned to send an image of His divine face on a cloth to Abgar, the king of Edessa, as the history of the Church relates. The Evangelist Luke also left a monument to the work of his own hands - the painting of the icon of the Mother of God. The holy men of subsequent centuries certainly saw the necessity of using holy icons when, in the Church’s troubled times, they agreed to suffer for the veneration of them, until the God-wise Empress Irene and the Holy Patriarch Tarasios affirmed the truth of icon veneration at the Seventh Ecumenical Synod.
b) Guided by this divine decree of the Holy Church, you, Christians, can convince yourself of the soul-saving benefit of holy icons. Icons, like books, instruct us in the teaching and holy life of those whose faces they depict, as Saint Gregory the Great teaches. You look at the icon of the eternal Child, held in the arms of His Mother: learn the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, His incomprehensible kenosis for your blessedness. Before you stands the icon of Christ the Savior, crowned with thorns, pierced and crucified; read in this touching story the description of the eternal sacrifice, which the immortal Lamb, slain for you, brought. There the faces of the apostles appear to your eyes; remember their preaching, which conquered the whole world not by eloquence, but by the power of the cross. There the images of martyrs, confessors, saints and righteous people adorn the walls of the temple of God; learn from them patience, faith, chastity, love and humility. May the desire to lead a Christian life be implanted in your heart, to prefer eternal, heavenly blessings to earthly and perishable ones. For not only the gaze, but also the heart is edified by reverent gaze upon the holy icons.
There is no doubt that honoring an icon without imitating the virtues of the person depicted on it does not constitute an act of piety. From looking at the material we must turn to the internal and spiritual, that is, follow the example of the spiritual life of the saints of God. Saint Chrysostom, out of love for the Holy Apostle Paul, having His icon before him, imagined a living image of the teacher of the nations, revered him as an interpreter of the spirit of the apostolic writings, and the meaning that he revealed in them was truly the fruit of the inspirations of the same Holy Spirit by whom the Holy Apostle wrote.
c) But it is not enough, Christians, to look with the sensual eye at the holy icons; but it is necessary, according to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, to honor them reverently with veneration, kissing, lighting lamps, and censing incense. This honor to the holy icons does not in any way degrade the true spiritual worship of God. For we find clear examples in the Holy Scriptures which show that the veneration of objects signifying the presence of God is not contrary to His holiness. Thus the Patriarch Jacob calls the place where he saw God and His angels in a dream "the house of God" (Gen. 28:17), and sanctifies it with reverent worship. Thus the Prophet Daniel, being in Babylonian captivity, turns in his prayer in the direction where the Jerusalem temple was located (Dan. 6:10). The Psalmist affirms this idea, calling for veneration of the Ark of the Lord. "Exalt," he says, "the Lord our God, and worship at the footstool of His feet, for He is holy" (Psalm 17:5); and also: "Let us worship at the place where His feet stood" (Psalm 32:7); and again: "I will enter into Your house, I will worship toward Your holy temple in Your fear" (Psalm 5:8). And if the veneration of a material temple by the sons of the Old Testament Church was not contrary to true piety, then certainly our veneration of material icons is not contrary to piety, Christians, insofar as through it we render honor not to the substance, but to the Person represented.
III. So in simplicity of heart let us firmly and sincerely maintain the teaching of the Holy Orthodox Church on the proper honoring and veneration of holy icons, honoring them for the glory of God. Honor the holy icon, not for the sake of the icon. Honor not its substance, not its wood, not its copper, not its silver, not its gold, not its hand-painted art, but give honor to God and His saints, whom the icon represents, as friends, servants, and heirs of Christ. Venerate icons glorified by miracles, not as the origin of miracles, but as the instrument of Almighty God, through which He reveals His power, just as He revealed many healings to the believers of the early Church through the shadow of the Holy Apostle Peter and the cloth of the Holy Apostle Paul (Acts 5:15 and 19:12), and how it does not cease to this day to pour out spiritual gifts to those who venerate the miraculous icons. Venerate the heavenly images, trampling everything earthly and sensual, subduing the flesh to the spirit. Kiss the icons with your lips and heart; light lamps before them, offer incense and at the same time flames to the saints with love for God; offer them sincere prayer, imitate their righteous life in everything. This should be the spiritual, true veneration of icons, bringing down upon us heavenly blessings and gifts of healing. Amen.
II. Brethren! As in ancient times there were, so now there are people who, carried away by the spirit of falsely-called reason, rejected and reject the veneration of holy icons: therefore, on the day of remembrance of the sufferer for holy icons, Venerable Prokopios, I find it fitting to offer something to your love about holy icons in general, and about the salvific veneration of them for every Christian.
a) The veneration of holy icons has its basis in the very essence of man. Clothed in dust, in his present state, he can see the truth in no other way than in images and inscriptions. Carnal man can contemplate the spiritual world, the blessings to come, God Himself, and also His saints only in bodily or material images. How did the Old Testament Church look upon the blessings to come, promised to her? In shadows and divinations: the sun of righteousness Jesus Christ she saw from afar in the darkness. The children of the New Testament Church, although they were deemed worthy to see the God-man with bodily eyes, were deemed worthy to touch Him, according to the testimony of the beloved disciple; but this vision did not yet bring them that blessedness which will be revealed when they "see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). Such knowledge, as Saint Gregory the Theologian says, is impossible to have in this life, no matter how hard the mind tries to get out of the circle of the body. Since we cannot acquire knowledge of God without sensory inscriptions, then the Church of Christ also recognized the secret ritual appearances as an essential part of the New Testament temples, showing her children that they walk by faith, and not by sight. In the Old Testament tabernacle there were cherubim, overshadowing the ark of the Lord; then in the New Testament, the grace-filled ones are the icons of Christ the Savior, the Mother of God, angels, prophets, martyrs and all the saints. An example of this custom was initially shown by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who deigned to send an image of His divine face on a cloth to Abgar, the king of Edessa, as the history of the Church relates. The Evangelist Luke also left a monument to the work of his own hands - the painting of the icon of the Mother of God. The holy men of subsequent centuries certainly saw the necessity of using holy icons when, in the Church’s troubled times, they agreed to suffer for the veneration of them, until the God-wise Empress Irene and the Holy Patriarch Tarasios affirmed the truth of icon veneration at the Seventh Ecumenical Synod.
b) Guided by this divine decree of the Holy Church, you, Christians, can convince yourself of the soul-saving benefit of holy icons. Icons, like books, instruct us in the teaching and holy life of those whose faces they depict, as Saint Gregory the Great teaches. You look at the icon of the eternal Child, held in the arms of His Mother: learn the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, His incomprehensible kenosis for your blessedness. Before you stands the icon of Christ the Savior, crowned with thorns, pierced and crucified; read in this touching story the description of the eternal sacrifice, which the immortal Lamb, slain for you, brought. There the faces of the apostles appear to your eyes; remember their preaching, which conquered the whole world not by eloquence, but by the power of the cross. There the images of martyrs, confessors, saints and righteous people adorn the walls of the temple of God; learn from them patience, faith, chastity, love and humility. May the desire to lead a Christian life be implanted in your heart, to prefer eternal, heavenly blessings to earthly and perishable ones. For not only the gaze, but also the heart is edified by reverent gaze upon the holy icons.
There is no doubt that honoring an icon without imitating the virtues of the person depicted on it does not constitute an act of piety. From looking at the material we must turn to the internal and spiritual, that is, follow the example of the spiritual life of the saints of God. Saint Chrysostom, out of love for the Holy Apostle Paul, having His icon before him, imagined a living image of the teacher of the nations, revered him as an interpreter of the spirit of the apostolic writings, and the meaning that he revealed in them was truly the fruit of the inspirations of the same Holy Spirit by whom the Holy Apostle wrote.
c) But it is not enough, Christians, to look with the sensual eye at the holy icons; but it is necessary, according to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, to honor them reverently with veneration, kissing, lighting lamps, and censing incense. This honor to the holy icons does not in any way degrade the true spiritual worship of God. For we find clear examples in the Holy Scriptures which show that the veneration of objects signifying the presence of God is not contrary to His holiness. Thus the Patriarch Jacob calls the place where he saw God and His angels in a dream "the house of God" (Gen. 28:17), and sanctifies it with reverent worship. Thus the Prophet Daniel, being in Babylonian captivity, turns in his prayer in the direction where the Jerusalem temple was located (Dan. 6:10). The Psalmist affirms this idea, calling for veneration of the Ark of the Lord. "Exalt," he says, "the Lord our God, and worship at the footstool of His feet, for He is holy" (Psalm 17:5); and also: "Let us worship at the place where His feet stood" (Psalm 32:7); and again: "I will enter into Your house, I will worship toward Your holy temple in Your fear" (Psalm 5:8). And if the veneration of a material temple by the sons of the Old Testament Church was not contrary to true piety, then certainly our veneration of material icons is not contrary to piety, Christians, insofar as through it we render honor not to the substance, but to the Person represented.
III. So in simplicity of heart let us firmly and sincerely maintain the teaching of the Holy Orthodox Church on the proper honoring and veneration of holy icons, honoring them for the glory of God. Honor the holy icon, not for the sake of the icon. Honor not its substance, not its wood, not its copper, not its silver, not its gold, not its hand-painted art, but give honor to God and His saints, whom the icon represents, as friends, servants, and heirs of Christ. Venerate icons glorified by miracles, not as the origin of miracles, but as the instrument of Almighty God, through which He reveals His power, just as He revealed many healings to the believers of the early Church through the shadow of the Holy Apostle Peter and the cloth of the Holy Apostle Paul (Acts 5:15 and 19:12), and how it does not cease to this day to pour out spiritual gifts to those who venerate the miraculous icons. Venerate the heavenly images, trampling everything earthly and sensual, subduing the flesh to the spirit. Kiss the icons with your lips and heart; light lamps before them, offer incense and at the same time flames to the saints with love for God; offer them sincere prayer, imitate their righteous life in everything. This should be the spiritual, true veneration of icons, bringing down upon us heavenly blessings and gifts of healing. Amen.
Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
