Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Annual Meeting of the
Evangelical Theological Society along with
its sister organization, the
Evangelical
Philosophical Society. These gatherings are a highlight for me, as I get to
see old friends and hear academics present on a wide variety of cutting edge
research into issues of Christian theology and philosophy.
The very first
paper I attended was delivered by
Dr. Fred Sanders, a systematic theologian from Biola University, who gave a
very interesting talk entitled "Icons and the Gospel: Ancient Images & Modern
Evangelicals." The use of icons in the church will immediately bring Roman
Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy to mind, but Sanders noted that the study of
iconography can be of great benefit, even to those in the Protestant tradition.
Sanders began his paper by briefly stating some things iconography cannot
do. Icons are not divine revelation and cannot be used authoritatively, as
scripture can. Iconography doesn't somehow facilitate a connection between the
viewer and a divine presence. In fact, we are warned more often in the
scriptures to NOT rely on images as a way of facilitating our connection to God.
With that being said, here are three points that Sanders offered where a study
of Christian iconography can benefit the body of Christ.
1. Learn Its Content
One thing I've learned in my study of apologetics is that there is nothing
new under the sun. Arguments that many atheists today offer have not only been
answered previously, but they have been answered some 1600 years ago! Church
fathers like Augustine, Tertullian, and Origen all provided great apologetics
and theological insight to problems with which we still struggle. That's why
reading the Church fathers is important; you don't need to reinvent the wheel,
but simply understand their insights.
Similarly, icons are simply visual
representations—not of Biblical stories, but of theological insights applied to
those stories. In an illiterate culture, they provided an important teaching
tool and way of remembering important doctrine. Of icons, Sanders said, "The
actual content of this tradition is a rich source of theological commentary on
the gospels, and it is profitable for instruction." He went on to demonstrate
how typology in Christian iconography is most commonly used and gave several
examples of different biblical stories that tied together in a common
theological understanding., such as Jesus' entombment flanked by Joseph's
brothers throwing him in a well and Jonah being tossed to the great fish.
2. Understand The Development of
Theological Ideas
Just as the cartoons that are produced in the Op-Ed pages of a newspaper
summarize a particular issue or viewpoint in our culture, so the images produced
by the early church provide a very detailed and informative glimpse into the
understanding and development of theological thought in Christian history.
Sanders noted that early art in the Church was much like Roman pagan art, but as
Christian theology became more robust, the accompanying art became distinct and
unique. Sanders said that the "new tradition created a totally new system" of
artwork and techniques.
3. Study Its Rules
Lastly, the wealth of imagery we have in the form of Christian iconography
and the fact that they serve as an additional set of commentaries on the
Scripture can help us today in seeing insights that we may have forgotten. The
principles followed by those artists can also protect us from making certain
theological mistakes, too. While Sanders didn't delve too deeply into this third
point, it intrigues me and I would like to dig deeper into how those that
commissioned the works gave guidance to the artists to make sure their houses of
worship weren't adorned with very expensive heresy!
To hear Sanders' paper in
its entirety, along with the accompanying images, you may purchase the audio
here, and view the
presentation slides
here.
