Orthodox Art

Can we idolize our understanding of God?

Imagine an artist who, when so overwhelmed with the mysterious and inconceivable nature and love of God, paints a picture to represent his feelings. He pours a cascade of love, fear, and reverence onto the canvas and in the divine attempt to express his relation to God he stumbles upon a deep unutterable sense of truth. The painting thus takes on a deep significance for the artist. He returns to it day after day to meditate on the images and colors as they point to something beyond the painting itself. The art comes to represent God in this way. Eventually, the man ceases to pray through the painting and begins to pray to it. In his mind, the painting no longer represents God as an icon pointing to something beyond it, but rather the painting defines God. The man’s understanding of God becomes locked within the frame of that painting and he worships the God that the painting displays rather than the real, incomprehensible God that lies beyond anything the painting could ever accurately express.

Imagine a theologian…