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Muslim here , Ive been always fascinated by Christian especially Eastern Orthodox iconography not only as an artist but as human being as a whole, i have so much love and respect for Christianity ✝️🩷 much love
I traveled to a monastery near me, and purchased an icon, the depiction of Christ Our Savior, at the Hagia Sofia. It is my favorite thing I have in my room. I definitely want to continue to purchase more icons, they are beautiful!!
All of your 'what about's will be answered in special icon FAQ at the end of this series (and who knows when we'll get to that). :-) I will also make an errata episode in the case there's a need (and there will be one. Finally, I will reupload Quran Illustrated video tomorrow, so do not get overexcited.
I believe the Unites will eventually take over the Roman Communion entirely, out numbering the compromised Latins, after which your bishops can more reasonably negotiate reunification. Afterwards, the Western Rite Orthodox can take back Rome and burn Bugnini’s innovations.
Thank you for helping a searching soul, who was raised in a Protestant land, understand the Beautiful truth about Icons. Thank you my sibling in Christ. Blessing
I just want to thank you because your channel was a focal point in my looking to convert. I have a meeting with my local Priest this Wednesday to talk about starting catechumen. Thank you for being a positive voice in the Orthodox community. You truly add so much beauty to a very niche part of youtube. God Bless you!
hahahaha yes, a (kind of) former Muslim here 😅 I was taught about that since childhood. Up only then when I read and understood what Holy Icons and statues mean. I am eagerly waiting to be able to have one at my home.
I really appreciate your teachings on all subjects. You always leave me w a deeper understanding of your faith. As someone "who left Rome", I do respect the Ikons for their teaching, reflection & of course, beauty.
Thank you for the short lesson, very interesting and informative. As payment a small language lesson from someone to whom English is a second language as well. Subsequent is pronounced with the q making a harder, basically k sound. You know because English. And we're the ones with confusing languages.
Great video, this is a subject that I always wanted to learn more about. Do you have any books to recommend that go into more detail explaining the symbolisms?
As a Methodist I understand what you mean. Although I am a Protestant I am very traditional in my worship and lifestyle, and I try to explain to my brothers and sisters who are Protestant the meaning of the icons and their significance. Even though it can be a bit difficult I have made some progress!
@@StarWolfAL Good on you! Methodism happens to be my favourite Protestant group, aside from Anglicanism. I very much agree with Methodism's profuse rejections of Calvinist heresy. Also, I think you guys have some of the best vestments of all the Protestants, even better than the "orthodox" Lutherans.
When I venerated my first icon of Christ at my church my eyes locked onto the eyes of Christ, I was taken aback as I felt, for a fraction of a second, the weight of my sins and unworthiness. A sobering feeling to say the least.
Thanks for these videos. I was looking for a way to learn more about Orthodox Christianity when I found your videos. Coming from a Roman Catholic background I disliked the way Catholics ignored the history of Eastern Christianity in talking about the early Church. Thank you for widening my horizons and understanding of such incredibly rich Christian history.
Thank you for your first video about this very important topic! Now I understand elements in the Icon of the Pantocrator. Thanks a lot! Greetings from Honduras
Nice. Can I ask you a short question? I got as a present a wonderful icon of the Pantocrator. It’s the most beautiful icon I have ever seen, beautifully painted with a real golden background, and I would like to have the Theotokos of Vladimir from the same iconograph... but it has been done by a catholic nun. Can I have it blessed by an orthodox priest?
I love the first drawing be a thing like an icon with the inscription: "the fat reader". We, sub deacons and readers, are equally not in shape. Greetings from Bulgaria!
Now I'm keen to ask you for a couple of videos about particular inscriptions on the icons and how to read those greek and slavonic letters. But yeah... Looks like we, the youtube folks, can't do anything without a clear instruction from our favorite bloggers... Thanks for your work! Can't wait to listen to your next podcast!
As someone new to Orthodoxy and starting catechism soon, I was looking at icons online and saw icons that depicted the Father as an old man. Im glad that this is only a western thing because of course the Father is not human or an old man. Nor can he be depicted.
Bro, I need to ask you an urgent question about this before I start painting the icons for our Church. Where is your source that icons should NOT contain saints or angels wearing black? Thank you.
You are likely not going to find 'sources' for pretty much anything in Orthodox iconography. It never simply got jotted down. Simply pay attention to icons - you will never see someone painted black. Strictly used for tombs, caves and demons.
Actually Jesus Christ and Mother of God texts can also be written in other language, for example Icons painted in Georgia Orthodox Church have it in Georgian language (in one of the three alphabets of Georgian language)
Statuary can be a problem. I like beatiful statuary. The staues on the main altar of Notre Dame de Paris are lovely. However ..... (unlike flat stained glass and icons that also do not resemble an actual person) 1.) Some statuary is just awful! Good ...... statuary is very expensive. Those BVM statues (that look like a stone/ plaster) phallus are disgusting! 2.) Staues can be a stumbling block for ...... ill-formed, and low-information people. It can also a stumbling block for non-Catholics. Judaism and Islam are particularly opposed to icons and statuary. So, if one is dealing with either of them -- Be aware.
Thank you for this! As a Westerner its great to finally know how to read Eastern Icons! Do you think you could do a "walkthrough" video on an icon? Like what is involved etc. Sorry if you have done this before but I've always been curious by icons but lack the skill to make them sadly.
I doubt I will make such a video because I would have to edit a video, which would be extremely problematic - video editing software is extremely expensive, what RUclips offers is insufficient for a video of that kind and I can't paint an icon in one go :-) I will describe the process with photos, most probably :-)
First of all... you do not have to. Orthodox approach them as they enter the temple, coming to the central one and then to the other ones as desired. If unsure how, stand on a side and observe other people how they do it. No rush.... you can do it at the end of the service if not before. There are no written rules but there is commonly accepted way of kissing icons - icons with Lord present we kiss His foot if depicted, if not hand. Saints, angels we kiss their hand. Kissing on a cheek is considered too personal but no harm even if you do.
InstruMental Perhaps the Holy Spirit should ONLY be depicted as a floating Halo, no appearance of a creature at all. As for God the Father, it always pains me to see an icon or fresco depicting His ‘face’. Michelangelo started that trend in the West. Some years after his death, some wimpy cardinals had the nude biblical characters covered over with modesty pentimento. What they SHOULD have covered was The Father’s face with a flame of Glory, left the rest alone. I see it all too often at Novis Ordo parishes and it always gives me the creeps.
Regarding the translation of “Ο ων” it can only mean, ‘He who is’. This is just because the article doesn’t indicate a personal pronoun (rather, one that just is the masculine nominative article in singular). Also, the active element in the phrase “ων” is something that can only mean ‘who is’ considering the context (that it’s referring to a someone). In addition to this, for ‘I am’ it translates back to “εγώ ειμί” which is also within the passage where “Ο ων” is used (also that it is in the area where Christ says “Εγώ ειμί λέγω ειμί” so I understand the misinterpretation (it’s understandable)). Furthermore, a very frustrating part to be careful about in using Greek letters/words in iconography is that they use Greek calligraphy. This can be frustrating since for the “ΜΡ ΘΟΥ” the last letter is in fact two letters, a diphthong (the ‘ου’ (the “oo” sound)), and this is often confused with the ‘ν’ (n) and ‘υ’ (E) letters. It also doesn’t help if the iconographer doesn’t make it as clear as possible to avoid any mistakes.
(Far as I know) Pantocrator (Παντοκράτωρ) means "Ruler of Everything", a title of Christ, written alongside the image of Christ in the dome of a church. Often associated with this icon: images.app.goo.gl/wfSKCmWpHXCNWuKX6
Literal translation of Pantocrator is "He Who (Up)Holds Everything," "All-bearer." It indicates Christ as the ruler of all circumstances of our life, but also as the sustainer of Creation. :-)
Yup, seen those. Wouldn't work in Serbian. An iconographer I know painted an icon with I AM in Serbian - our mutual friend joked that he used Arial Narrow font so it would fit within the cross :D
Good thought I 'm not a big fan of academic art because it, But I think the Gothic stuff www.museunacional.cat/en/who-who-identification-saints-gothic-period-0 is in par.
@@BibleIllustrated Fair enough. I understand. I was mistaken because the throne image is most often used in icons of Christ, either with or without the Panagia, but I was mistaken nonetheless. Anyway, this is a good video. God bless.
Ugh, I have such a huge dislike of that fresco. Artistically, it is beautiful, but there's literally nothing on Christ that indicates Him as such - not even wounds, just a scratch where lance would should be.
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Muslim here , Ive been always fascinated by Christian especially Eastern Orthodox iconography not only as an artist but as human being as a whole, i have so much love and respect for Christianity ✝️🩷 much love
I traveled to a monastery near me, and purchased an icon, the depiction of Christ Our Savior, at the Hagia Sofia. It is my favorite thing I have in my room. I definitely want to continue to purchase more icons, they are beautiful!!
Oh yes, that icon is absolutely stunning!
0:23 a wild Jonathan Pageau appeared :P
Thank you for the video and may God rest Fr. Dimitri's soul.
Thank you so much! And glad that Jonathan's face was recognizable!
@@BibleIllustrated who is Dmitry
@@retep1221 my late spiritual father :)
Laughed out loud at the JP reference!! Thank you brother, and well done!
All of your 'what about's will be answered in special icon FAQ at the end of this series (and who knows when we'll get to that). :-) I will also make an errata episode in the case there's a need (and there will be one.
Finally, I will reupload Quran Illustrated video tomorrow, so do not get overexcited.
As a new Eastern Catholic this is really helpful. Thank you so much.
Glad you liked it! :-)
I believe the Unites will eventually take over the Roman Communion entirely, out numbering the compromised Latins, after which your bishops can more reasonably negotiate reunification. Afterwards, the Western Rite Orthodox can take back Rome and burn Bugnini’s innovations.
Thank you for helping a searching soul, who was raised in a Protestant land, understand the Beautiful truth about Icons. Thank you my sibling in Christ. Blessing
God bless you my brother.
Love from another Bojan 🤣🤣.
Great Job .
Bog te Blagoslovio ☦
Hvala ti mnogo Bojane! :-) Tek ce da bude klipova i klipova!
I've been trying to do research on the different elements of icons for ages and I'm so glad I found these videos, they're a great help
I just want to thank you because your channel was a focal point in my looking to convert. I have a meeting with my local Priest this Wednesday to talk about starting catechumen. Thank you for being a positive voice in the Orthodox community. You truly add so much beauty to a very niche part of youtube. God Bless you!
0:42 any Jews, Muslims, and Protestants in the room start looking at each other nervously.
hahahaha yes, a (kind of) former Muslim here 😅 I was taught about that since childhood. Up only then when I read and understood what Holy Icons and statues mean. I am eagerly waiting to be able to have one at my home.
I really appreciate your teachings on all subjects. You always leave me w a deeper understanding of your faith. As someone "who left Rome", I do respect the Ikons for their teaching, reflection & of course, beauty.
They are quite something! I think it is mostly due to lots of layers :-D
Thank you for the short lesson, very interesting and informative.
As payment a small language lesson from someone to whom English is a second language as well. Subsequent is pronounced with the q making a harder, basically k sound. You know because English. And we're the ones with confusing languages.
Oh thank you! :-) Will have it in qmind! :-D
The cruciform halo of the Pantokar for us byzantines catholics has 2 layers of red representing the 2 natures of Jesus.
You mean the two lines around the halo?
Great video, this is a subject that I always wanted to learn more about. Do you have any books to recommend that go into more detail explaining the symbolisms?
I don't know a book to recommend, but I pinned the comment in the case some subscriber can help >/
Pavel Florensky's "Iconostasis"
Wow!!! This is so good! Thank you for sharing this! I’m a fan.
Just found your channel and am so excited to learn more about this beautiful art.
I really wanted to go to your Icon Masterclass
You just did B-)
0:33 - 0:41 My annoying Protestant siblings in a nutshell
As a Methodist I understand what you mean. Although I am a Protestant I am very traditional in my worship and lifestyle, and I try to explain to my brothers and sisters who are Protestant the meaning of the icons and their significance. Even though it can be a bit difficult I have made some progress!
Just any Calvinist-based Protestant :-D
@@StarWolfAL Good on you! Methodism happens to be my favourite Protestant group, aside from Anglicanism. I very much agree with Methodism's profuse rejections of Calvinist heresy. Also, I think you guys have some of the best vestments of all the Protestants, even better than the "orthodox" Lutherans.
Would be nice to get a defense of the icons since prots tend to get confused about those points mentioned quite often
When I venerated my first icon of Christ at my church my eyes locked onto the eyes of Christ, I was taken aback as I felt, for a fraction of a second, the weight of my sins and unworthiness. A sobering feeling to say the least.
Thanks for these videos. I was looking for a way to learn more about Orthodox Christianity when I found your videos. Coming from a Roman Catholic background I disliked the way Catholics ignored the history of Eastern Christianity in talking about the early Church. Thank you for widening my horizons and understanding of such incredibly rich Christian history.
Please pray for the faithful departed🕯🪦🥀
Thank you for your first video about this very important topic! Now I understand elements in the Icon of the Pantocrator.
Thanks a lot!
Greetings from Honduras
Glad you liked it so much!
Praise Jesus! In Jesus Name I pray! Amen ❤️🙏📖
Nice. Can I ask you a short question? I got as a present a wonderful icon of the Pantocrator. It’s the most beautiful icon I have ever seen, beautifully painted with a real golden background, and I would like to have the Theotokos of Vladimir from the same iconograph... but it has been done by a catholic nun. Can I have it blessed by an orthodox priest?
In short, no, you don't need to get the icon blessed. I will explain more in Bible Illustrated Hands video and notify you here. :-)
Bible Illustrated wonderful, thanks
Bible Illustrated actually, well yes, but will the priest bless the icon if I ask him to?
@@thedisintegrador Yup, he will :-)
Bible Illustrated that’s great news :)
I love the first drawing be a thing like an icon with the inscription: "the fat reader". We, sub deacons and readers, are equally not in shape.
Greetings from Bulgaria!
Now I'm keen to ask you for a couple of videos about particular inscriptions on the icons and how to read those greek and slavonic letters. But yeah... Looks like we, the youtube folks, can't do anything without a clear instruction from our favorite bloggers...
Thanks for your work! Can't wait to listen to your next podcast!
Next episode is on Monday! :-)
Amazing video. Very insightful! Just the background runescape 2003 music makes the whole scenery seem a bit weird? haha
Will change music soonish ;-)
It all makes more sense now.
Glad it does! :-)
As someone new to Orthodoxy and starting catechism soon, I was looking at icons online and saw icons that depicted the Father as an old man. Im glad that this is only a western thing because of course the Father is not human or an old man. Nor can he be depicted.
Best Masterclass ever😀
I try B-)
Bro, I need to ask you an urgent question about this before I start painting the icons for our Church.
Where is your source that icons should NOT contain saints or angels wearing black? Thank you.
You are likely not going to find 'sources' for pretty much anything in Orthodox iconography. It never simply got jotted down. Simply pay attention to icons - you will never see someone painted black. Strictly used for tombs, caves and demons.
Actually Jesus Christ and Mother of God texts can also be written in other language, for example Icons painted in Georgia Orthodox Church have it in Georgian language (in one of the three alphabets of Georgian language)
Bojan, what's the name of the type of script icon painters use?
so excited for this
Me too :D
So I have icons of the great feasts with black backgrounds is that ok?
Pretty good. I’m a fan of statuary myself. I’d like to see an equivalent tradition on statues.
A lot of these wouldn't work for statues :D
Statuary can be a problem.
I like beatiful statuary. The staues
on the main altar of Notre Dame
de Paris are lovely. However .....
(unlike flat stained glass and
icons that also do not resemble
an actual person)
1.) Some statuary is just awful! Good
...... statuary is very expensive. Those
BVM statues (that look like a stone/
plaster) phallus are disgusting!
2.) Staues can be a stumbling block for
...... ill-formed, and low-information
people. It can also a stumbling block
for non-Catholics. Judaism and Islam
are particularly opposed to icons and
statuary. So, if one is dealing with either
of them -- Be aware.
I love this! ❤ ThanX 4 sharing!
Thank you for this! As a Westerner its great to finally know how to read Eastern Icons! Do you think you could do a "walkthrough" video on an icon? Like what is involved etc. Sorry if you have done this before but I've always been curious by icons but lack the skill to make them sadly.
I doubt I will make such a video because I would have to edit a video, which would be extremely problematic - video editing software is extremely expensive, what RUclips offers is insufficient for a video of that kind and I can't paint an icon in one go :-) I will describe the process with photos, most probably :-)
Thank you .could you explain why and how to approach the icons when entering a church.
First of all... you do not have to. Orthodox approach them as they enter the temple, coming to the central one and then to the other ones as desired. If unsure how, stand on a side and observe other people how they do it. No rush.... you can do it at the end of the service if not before. There are no written rules but there is commonly accepted way of kissing icons - icons with Lord present we kiss His foot if depicted, if not hand. Saints, angels we kiss their hand. Kissing on a cheek is considered too personal but no harm even if you do.
Yesssss
Can we make 0:43 a meme? Please
What doe letters AIM mean in halo?
Why is it canonical to depict Holy Spirit but not to depict Father? Is it because Spirit manifested himself as a dove?
Vasilije Gocev but Holy Spirit is not a Dove. It’s just a way He manifested himself. We can not “see” holy spirit like that.
Yup, precisely because of that. :-)
InstruMental
Perhaps the Holy Spirit should ONLY be depicted as a floating Halo, no appearance of a creature at all. As for God the Father, it always pains me to see an icon or fresco depicting His ‘face’. Michelangelo started that trend in the West. Some years after his death, some wimpy cardinals had the nude biblical characters covered over with modesty pentimento. What they SHOULD have covered was The Father’s face with a flame of Glory, left the rest alone. I see it all too often at Novis Ordo parishes and it always gives me the creeps.
Amazing series! Congrats.
Glad you liked it! :-)
Regarding the translation of “Ο ων” it can only mean, ‘He who is’. This is just because the article doesn’t indicate a personal pronoun (rather, one that just is the masculine nominative article in singular). Also, the active element in the phrase “ων” is something that can only mean ‘who is’ considering the context (that it’s referring to a someone). In addition to this, for ‘I am’ it translates back to “εγώ ειμί” which is also within the passage where “Ο ων” is used (also that it is in the area where Christ says “Εγώ ειμί λέγω ειμί” so I understand the misinterpretation (it’s understandable)).
Furthermore, a very frustrating part to be careful about in using Greek letters/words in iconography is that they use Greek calligraphy. This can be frustrating since for the “ΜΡ ΘΟΥ” the last letter is in fact two letters, a diphthong (the ‘ου’ (the “oo” sound)), and this is often confused with the ‘ν’ (n) and ‘υ’ (E) letters. It also doesn’t help if the iconographer doesn’t make it as clear as possible to avoid any mistakes.
I hope somebody comes by and sees this. I paint. Can I paint my own icons if they are as exact as the original?
Quick question, what is Pantocrator?
(Far as I know) Pantocrator (Παντοκράτωρ) means "Ruler of Everything", a title of Christ, written alongside the image of Christ in the dome of a church.
Often associated with this icon:
images.app.goo.gl/wfSKCmWpHXCNWuKX6
Literal translation of Pantocrator is "He Who (Up)Holds Everything," "All-bearer." It indicates Christ as the ruler of all circumstances of our life, but also as the sustainer of Creation. :-)
Thank you for the introduction to iconography, Bible Illustrated! #InChrist
Glad you liked it!
Wonderful!
Glad you liked it, Greg! :-)
Question, is there anyway of canonically depicting God the Father?
Daniel 7:14-16
More please!
i mean in Georgian icons the Jesus Christ and Theotokos inscriptians and Georgian, and we dont use ΟΩΝ too often
Interesting to know! :-)
So, can I make an icon using only my trusty black markers?
Icons are supposed to be permanent - paper and cardboard generally don't qualify ;-)
Excellant!
Can you make the difference of christians and catholic??? Because I always go to christians and catholic church my religion is combined
By saying "christians" do you mean protestants?
Catholics are Christians, not really sure what you mean? :-)
wow, so you really are an ecumenist ?
I had to brag about this on here i have starter and will attend one of many in Serbians Bogoslovija's
Hope you do well! :-D
Reading Icons 2 when?
August 29, but it will most probably get delayed, like all my videos :-)
@@BibleIllustrated haha I'm sure it will be worth the wait. Thank you
The I AM halo is often in English in America.
Yup, seen those. Wouldn't work in Serbian. An iconographer I know painted an icon with I AM in Serbian - our mutual friend joked that he used Arial Narrow font so it would fit within the cross :D
Do you know johnathan pageau?
I have him on my FB friends list, but that's about it, I'm a subscriber :-)
Very well put. :-)
Yaaay Bojan!
Yaaaay acemantura! :-D
Does no one remember the nehushtan
Good job 👏 👏👏
Thank you! :-)
Realistic looking icons are not forbidden in the OC. They are actually not at all rare either.
I love icons. They're almost better than their western counterparts.
Again, what I say at the end: for icons, spiritual reality is more important than physical/historical reality, and that is why you enjoy them more :-)
Good thought I 'm not a big fan of academic art because it, But I think the Gothic stuff www.museunacional.cat/en/who-who-identification-saints-gothic-period-0 is in par.
I like both.
As an orthodox catechumen I thank you for this serie it will help me read better the icons at my church
Many more to come! :-D
I saw an icon of God the Father in a Greek Church. It was the oddest thing.
Not really. They're relatively common.
In hinduism, we also have halos
Yes, I think they spread to both Hinduism and Christianity from Greeks.
You right bro i am a HINDU Christian. I want to be a exorcist when I grow up.
0:15 Why did you depict yourself sitting on the throne of God? 😱 Even though it's obviously meant as a joke, it's somewhat scandalous. 😳
God bless.
It isn't the throne of God, it's just a throne. Saints are often depicted in a sitting position. :-)
@@BibleIllustrated Fair enough. I understand. I was mistaken because the throne image is most often used in icons of Christ, either with or without the Panagia, but I was mistaken nonetheless. Anyway, this is a good video. God bless.
Otherwise, a good video as per usual.
Wow 2CV
Just another preson in crowd?
Tell it to the face of The Last Judgment (by Michelangelo)
Or any of Theophilia's icons
www.deviantart.com/theophilia
Ugh, I have such a huge dislike of that fresco.
Artistically, it is beautiful, but there's literally nothing on Christ that indicates Him as such - not even wounds, just a scratch where lance would should be.
@@BibleIllustrated oh boy how i wish i could answer with image
Nice🤔🇬🇪👏😂👌🏼☝️🤡👇🌎
icon by theophilia i see a man of culture
Przemysław Jerzy Ryszard Pawlak indeed good sr
Than👾🏤🎥☑️🈳s
Bible Illustrated toche
I miss Simeon the new straw man 😔
God blessings and love. I love you art work please pray for me.
Thank you so much, Rich. And will do! :-)
In short, icons are memes then 🤔 🤔
Icons with an inscription are always sanctified. :-)
Дебильный чтец* - its really hilarious
Actually, it is дебели чтец (fat reader) :-D
@@BibleIllustrated ow, now im get it
hahaha
😂😅
First :D
Indeed you are! :-)
Making icons is a sin idolatry.
Quick, notify God so He'd know.
So drawing something= idolatry??🤣☠️