Understanding Holy Icons (ቅዱሳት ሥዕላት): A Perspective from the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church- Part II

 

Holy icons hold profound significance within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, serving not as idols but as sacred representations that deepen the spiritual life of believers. In Part II of this essay, we expand upon the role of icons by differentiating holy icons from unclean (ርኩሳን ሥዕላት) and secular images (ዓለማዊያን ሥዕላት), exploring how each impacts faith and practice.

The first part of this essay explored the significance of holy icons (ቅዱሳት ሥዕላት) in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, addressing key questions such as: Are holy icons idols? Do EOTC members worship icons? Does the Bible permit their use? This part will examine this topic further.

Icons can be classified into holy icons, unclean icons, and secular icons. While the first part of this essay covered the general concept of holy icons, this section will highlight unclean and secular icons.

According to the Bible, unclean icons are those depicted in forms that oppose God's work of salvation and instead glorify the evil works of Satan. Even today, icons, symbols, and writings used by idolaters (ጣኦት አምላኪዎች) fall into this category. The Bible describes several unclean icons, such as the golden calf and animal images worshiped by the Israelites (Exodus 32:1-10), the golden figure Nebuchadnezzar set up in Babylon (Daniel 3:1), and the image of Ashtaroth (አስታሮት), a deity worshiped by the Canaanites (Judges 2:13). These unclean icons are referred to as idols (Deuteronomy 7:25; 1 Kings 12:28-30; Daniel 11:31; 12:11; Matthew 24:15-18).

Secular icons, on the other hand, are images without spiritual significance. They encompass all visible, representational images not intended for worship.

God commanded Moses to depict the cherubim (ኪሩቤል/መላእክት) on the curtains (መጋረጃዎች) (Exodus 26:1). If holy icons were considered idols, those who argue that icons are idols are implying God instructed Moses to create idols? Praise be to Him; God, who forbids idol worship, would never command such a thing. Furthermore, if there were no distinction between idols and holy icons, why did Moses react with anger when the Israelites worshiped an idol and destroy it? His actions demonstrated his respect for God's will through the cherubim icon (የኪሩቤል ሥዕል) while opposing the idols. Moses recognized that holy icons please God, whereas idols are sinful and grieve God.

God forbids idols because they lead people away from Him, encouraging worship of the idols themselves. In contrast, holy icons serve to direct worship towards God. The Bible illustrates this when God speaks to Moses amid the cherubims, indicating that holy icons are vessels of God’s spirit through which He hears our prayers. “በዚያም ከአንተ ጋር እገናኛለሁ፤ የእስራኤልንም ልጆች ታዝዝ ዘንድ የምሰጥህን ነገር ሁሉ፥ በምስክሩ ታቦት ላይ ባለው በሁለት ኪሩቤል መካከል፥ በስርየት መክደኛውም ላይ ሆኜ እነጋገርሃለሁ።” (Exodus 25:22)

When we honor the holy icons and offer prostration of respect ( የጸጋ/ የአክብሮት ስግደት), we are ultimately honoring the individuals they represent. Disrespecting the icons of the saints is equivalent to disrespecting the saints themselves and, by extension, the Lord, as holy icons include those of Christ. Disrespecting the Lord is a serious sin. As believers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, we hold our Lord Jesus Christ, who has brought us from death to life, in the highest regard. The psalmist David warns those who speak contemptuously (በንቀት) against the saints: "በድፍረትና በትዕቢት በመናቅም በጻድቅ ላይ የሚናገሩ የሽንገላ ከንፈሮች ድዳ ይሁኑ።" (Psalm 31:18).

Recently, I watched a video where someone claimed that the icon of the Holy Trinity is an idol, arguing that no one has seen the Holy Trinity. However, the foundation for the icon of the Holy Trinity is the incarnation (ስጋዌ/ ሰው መሆን) of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who is invisible, took on visible human form in Jesus Christ (John 1:14). Moreover, Genesis 1:26 states, “እግዚአብሔርም አለ፦ ሰውን በመልካችን እንደ ምሳሌአችን እንፍጠር.” Since God became visible in Christ and humanity is made in God's image and likeness, it is permissible to represent Him in icons. This is because holy icons are symbolic representations that convey the essence of divine truth rather than exact images, helping believers reflect on spiritual realities rather than physical likeness.

In the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church tradition, the Trinity is depicted as three Old Men based on Daniel 7:9, which states, “ዙፋኖችም እስኪዘረጉ ድረስ አየሁ፥ በዘመናት የሸመገለውም ተቀመጠ፤ ልብሱም እንደ በረዶ ነጭ፥ የራሱም ጠጕር እንደ ጥሩ ጥጥ ነበረ፤ ዙፋኑም የእሳት ነበልባል ነበረ፥ መንኰራኵሮቹም የሚነድድ እሳት ነበሩ.” Additionally, Daniel 7:13 states, “በሌሊት ራእይ አየሁ፤ እነሆም፥ የሰው ልጅ የሚመስል ከሰማይ ደመናት ጋር መጣ በዘመናት ወደ ሸመገለውም ደረሰ፤ ወደ ፊቱም አቀረቡት.” These verses, together with the doctrine of the Trinity, illustrate the concept of one God in three persons. In the EOTC, this understanding is reflected in the depiction of the Holy Trinity as three Old Men.

The tradition of depicting icons varies among different churches that use holy icons. While some churches may choose not to depict the icon of the Holy Trinity or God, others do. Furthermore, the manner in which icons are portrayed differs from church to church. This variation is rooted in holy tradition rather than doctrine. Unlike doctrine, which consists of the unchangeable teachings of the Church, holy tradition (ቅዱስ ትውፊት) can evolve and be adapted among different churches.

In conclusion, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church honors icons as sacred symbols that elevate worship and focus devotion on God. This essay demonstrates that, unlike idols, icons are deeply respected for their role in spiritual life, drawing believers closer to the divine. While tradition around iconography varies across churches, it is unified in purpose: to reflect faith and worship God.