The “Worship” of Images, Relics, and of Saints
The Position of the Orthodox Eastern Church: Part II.iii
The Rev. Dr. Hall would next have me define the precise meaning of worship paid to images, relics, and saints. It is universally known that the Eastern Church strictly adheres to the Seven Ecumenical Councils, no more nor less. My reverend brother is aware, as many learned historians and theologians are, of the acts and canons of the Second Council of Nice, A.D. 787, of the clear cut decisions of the same, of the force and beauty of the Greek language, and of the fact that this Council convened for the purpose of defending the Church against the Iconoclasts. It is also known that the Eastern Church has not deviated from the pious recommendation of this Seventh Ecumenical Council to honor and pay reverence to pictures of holy persons and sacred things, to saints and authentic relics. Notwithstanding Dr. Hall’s sincere and praiseworthy endeavor to show that the Anglican Church accepts, or is ready to accept, the Seventh Council, the fact that Rev. J. M. Neale, Rev. Sir W. Palmer, Dr. James Chrystal, and many other authors, agree in the opinion that the Seventh was and should be rejected, furthermore, notwithstanding the fact that this same Council was and ever will be a bulwark against idolatry, I am obliged to submit to the question and must be grateful to Dr. Hall for his noble intention to allow the Eastern Church a hearing, while apparently—for the time being—his own ground becomes precarious.
In the first place, we do not worship material images, nor saints, for the Orthodox Eastern Church forbids to worship, i.e., to adore (latreia) such. On the other hand the Church enjoins us to honor and to reverence (proskinesis) pictures (icona) of the Lord in the flesh, His holy Mother, the Saints, sacred things and relics.1
Since A.D. 842 the Eastern Church annually on the first Sunday in the great Lent celebrates the triumph of Orthodoxy and the restoration of sacred pictures. The troparion for this Sunday is to be sung at evensong, day-dawn, and also during the Divine Liturgy, and is this: “To Thy most pure Icon we bow down, O Blessed One, praying for forgiveness of our sins, Christ our God; for, of Thine own will, Thou didst condescend to ascend the cross in flesh, and thereby to deliver thy creatures from the yoke of the enemy. Therefore we thankfully cry unto Thee, Thou hast filled all things with joy, O our Savior, Thou who camest to save the world.”
It should be generally known that in the Eastern Church there exist certain public Offices for the reception into Communion of the non-Orthodox. The book of Offices for joining unto the Orthodox Church, published by the Most Holy Synod of the Russian Church, St. Petersburg, 1895, is a most interesting book. Here I give the book’s table of contents:
1—Office for receiving those coming to the Orthodox Church from the Roman-Latin confession of faith.
2—Office for receiving those coming to the Orthodox Church from the Armenian confession of faith.
3—Office for receiving those coming to the Orthodox Church from the Lutheran confession of faith.
4—Office for receiving those coming to the Orthodox Church from the confession of faith of the Reformed.
5—Office for receiving those coming to the Orthodox Church from the Jewish faith.
6—Office for receiving those coming to the Orthodox Church from the Mahometan.
7—Office for receiving those coming to the Orthodox Church from Paganism.
8—Office for anointing with chrism those coming to the Orthodox faith and joining the Catholic Church.
On page 33 of this book, in the Office for receiving those coming to the Orthodox Church from the confession of faith of the Reformed we read the following questions:
1. “Dost thou believe that the prayers of saints are effectual with God for our salvation, and that their relics, which have been glorified by incorruptibility and miracles, are worthy of honor? (The person joining the Eastern Church answers:—’I believe and confess.’)
2. “Dost thou promise that the honor given to the sacred images, which are accepted in the Orthodox Church, thou wilt honor according to her doctrine (razum-mind), in tending to honor the prototype, or such whom they represent? (Answer:—‘I promise to honor as it is commanded in the Orthodox Church.’)”
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See Canon IX., etc., Seventh Ecumenical Council