By the Late Anba Gregorios Watani Newspaper – July 1, 2007
Images and Icons in the Coptic Church and the Iconoclastic Controversy
The Orthodox Church not only allows, but obliges the installation of images and icons of all kinds—whether painted on walls, paper, leather, wood, or on gold or silver surfaces.
The Church may also permit relief images, whether the relief protrudes outward or inward. Therefore, the Church allows the installation of all types of images and icons, regardless of the surface—be it a wall, paper, wood, leather, or otherwise. It also permits relief images, as long as the relief does not transform the image into a full statue, but remains a partial or symbolic relief—portraying the image of Christ in His glory, the Virgin Mary, and the saints, whom the Church seeks to highlight as models before the faithful.
The Orthodox Church permits and even commands the installation of images, considering them extremely important and beneficial to believers. Although the Church does not allow statues, it views the creation of images and icons as spiritually valuable. Hence, it not only permits but also commands their installation.
Even within the Church’s liturgical structure, the iconostasis—the barrier separating the most sacred part of the church, the sanctuary, from the other parts such as the nave where the congregation stands—must be adorned with icons of Christ in His glory and the saints. These icons are intended to inspire the Christian during prayer, to stir devotion, to affect the soul, to remind one of theological truths, to focus the mind on virtue, and to highlight salvific and gospel-centered meanings that the Church preaches.
Thus, in our ecclesiastical understanding, images are calls—they speak. They carry a message to the human soul each time a person gazes upon them. The image communicates a meaning through the eyes, conveying concepts that the person reflects upon, remembers, accepts in their varied forms, and integrates into their spiritual life. While standing in church, these images help awaken reflections on salvation, Gospel truths, and virtuous examples—such as the Virgin Mary and the saints depicted before the faithful.
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Images Were Present Before the Believers Since Antiquity
The Church has understood from early on that the Apostle Paul’s words, “Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified” (Galatians 3:1), indicate that displaying images before the faithful was a practice established from the very beginning of Christianity—or rather, from the moment of the Incarnation.
(I must add that I am hesitant to use the phrase “beginning of Christianity” because Christianity did not begin with the Incarnation. Christianity began with Adam. It is incorrect to say that Christianity began with Christ. That is a sociological or historical perspective—an external, superficial division by historians, who categorize religions into stages: pre-Mosaic, Mosaic, and Christian, starting from Christ’s incarnation. This division is shallow, merely for academic or sociological purposes.)
But in our faith and doctrine, it is wrong to assume that Christianity began with the Incarnation, because Christ Himself said, “I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” Christ did not claim to bring a new religion, but rather to complete the old. He connected His teaching with the earliest times—even to Adam. When He spoke about marriage, He said, “From the beginning it was not so” (Matthew 19:8), thus referring back to Adam.
There is no real separation between “Judaism” and “Christianity” as established by social scientists or historians for academic categorization. I emphasize this to clarify the truth.
However, what is commonly referred to as the “Christian era,” starting from the Incarnation, represents the fully developed and refined form of Christian teaching—after Christ corrected the misinterpretations of God’s commandments that the Old Testament priests had introduced.
Historians and archaeologists confirm that from the beginning of this era, images were placed before Christians. Paul’s phrase, “Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was portrayed as crucified” reflects what was actually done from the earliest apostolic times—namely, that the crucified Christ was always depicted before the eyes of believers as a reminder of salvation.
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The Iconoclastic Controversy
Even today, we see in our churches—and in churches around the world, both Orthodox and non-Orthodox—the image of the crucified Christ placed before the faithful. Both Orthodox and Catholics display the image of Christ on the cross.
Even the Protestants, who at one time claimed to oppose the display of images, were eventually compelled to do so. They began erecting crosses on their worship buildings after realizing that the cross is the symbol of Christianity. It serves to mark religious sites for prayer and to distinguish them from ordinary buildings. This shift occurred after their intense campaign against images in the late 19th century, especially in places like Assiut, Egypt, where Protestants waged a fierce war against images—committing acts such as burning icons and images in Coptic churches. These events even escalated into physical altercations.
As we’ve said, Paul’s statement “Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was portrayed as crucified” refers to an ancient tradition, dating back to the apostolic age, when depictions of the crucified Christ were consistently placed before believers to remind them of salvation.
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Images in Early Christian Archaeology
When we look at early Christian archaeological sites, we find clear evidence of the use of images. In the Roman catacombs—underground burial sites used by early Christians—and in other Christian areas around the world, ancient drawings are visible. Visitors to these sites today can see murals on the walls, even in the cells where Christians were imprisoned or in their burial places.
Thus, the concept of images is ancient. The wisdom behind displaying images is that they attract attention and act as an “ABC” for the illiterate. Just as a book conveys spiritual truths through letters, so too can someone who cannot read grasp the intended meanings through images.
What are images? They are lines, but behind those lines are meanings. Just as one reads words in a book and forms a mental image of a historical event—such as the life of Christ or the saints—so too do images on walls or paper represent those same historical and spiritual truths in a different form. As there is a written language, there is also a visual one. This is where art plays its role in serving religion.
Likewise, music is another form of expression. A piece of music can deliver a message—one of reverence, sorrow, or joy—and move the listener emotionally. Thus, music is also an art form and a means of communication, though it differs from writing.
Preaching, speech, and conversation are another form. Though the message is the same, it is delivered through audible words. In writing, it is conveyed through written characters. In imagery, it is conveyed through painted forms. As written letters carry meaning, so do images—often even more powerfully than words.
For the visual image frequently affects the soul far more profoundly than written words do.
