Can icons representing the Father be venerated?

[jdigrande]

The issue is the proposition that the Father can be depicted or circumscribed as a Father in human form.

First of all Christ depicted Him in words as "Our Father."

Second there are many ikons with the blessing hand of the Father depicted in the right upper corner and no one has protested against this to my knowledge.

Third- the Holy Spirit was circumscribed as a Dove in ikons of the Baptism of Christ.The Holy Spirit is also depicted as flames above the heads of the Apostles at Pentecost.

The Father as Ancient of Days has also been depicted in words in the Bible.

The Council of 1666 was redefined by ROCOR and St. Philaret in 1974 as having "never existed" due to the decisions related to the Old Rite and the persecution of St. Nikon by Tsar Alexi Romanov. I think it is also denied because of the canons on ikonography.

[Cyprian]

Would anyone like to track this down? I would like definitive confirmation that Elder Ephraim wrote this.

Επιστολαί Γέροντος Εφραίμ, Holy Monastery of St. Anthony, Arizona, 2010 ed., p. 89):

«Μὴ δέχεσθε εἰκόνας τῆς Λατινικῆς Ἁγίας Τριάδος, ὅπου ὁ Πατὴρ ἀπεικονίζεται ὡς γέρων ἀνὴρ μετὰ τῆς περιστεράς τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐσταυρωμένου. Τοῦτο εἶναι εἰδωλολατρία καὶ παλαιὰ πλάνη τῶν Λατίνων, ἥτις ἀνθρωποποιεῖ τὸ ἀπερινόητον τῆς Θεότητος. Η Ὀρθόδοξος Ἐκκλησία μὴ εἰκονίζει τὸν Πατέρα, ἀλλὰ μόνον τὴν Ἀνάληψιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἢ τὴν Φιλοξενία τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ὡς τύπον τῆς Τριάδος. Ἐὰν εἰσέλθῃ τοιαύτη εἰκὼν εἰς τὸν ναόν, ἡ χάρις ἀπελαύνεται, καὶ δαιμονικαὶ δυνάμεις εἰ σάγονται.»

"Do not accept images of the Latin Holy Trinity, where the Father is depicted as an old man with the dove of the Holy Spirit and the Son crucified. This is idolatry and an ancient error of the Latins, which anthropomorphizes the incomprehensible nature of the Godhead. The Orthodox Church does not depict the Father, but only the Ascension of the Lord or the Hospitality of Abraham as a type of the Trinity. If such an icon enters the temple, grace is driven away, and demonic forces are summoned.

[aszurkus]

Would anyone like to track this down? I would like definitive confirmation that Elder Ephraim wrote this.

Επιστολαί Γέροντος Εφραίμ, Holy Monastery of St. Anthony, Arizona, 2010 ed., p. 89):

«Μὴ δέχεσθε εἰκόνας τῆς Λατινικῆς Ἁγίας Τριάδος, ὅπου ὁ Πατὴρ ἀπεικονίζεται ὡς γέρων ἀνὴρ μετὰ τῆς περιστεράς τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐσταυρωμένου. Τοῦτο εἶναι εἰδωλολατρία καὶ παλαιὰ πλάνη τῶν Λατίνων, ἥτις ἀνθρωποποιεῖ τὸ ἀπερινόητον τῆς Θεότητος. Η Ὀρθόδοξος Ἐκκλησία μὴ εἰκονίζει τὸν Πατέρα, ἀλλὰ μόνον τὴν Ἀνάληψιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἢ τὴν Φιλοξενία τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ὡς τύπον τῆς Τριάδος. Ἐὰν εἰσέλθῃ τοιαύτη εἰκὼν εἰς τὸν ναόν, ἡ χάρις ἀπελαύνεται, καὶ δαιμονικαὶ δυνάμεις εἰ σάγονται.»

"Do not accept images of the Latin Holy Trinity, where the Father is depicted as an old man with the dove of the Holy Spirit and the Son crucified. This is idolatry and an ancient error of the Latins, which anthropomorphizes the incomprehensible nature of the Godhead. The Orthodox Church does not depict the Father, but only the Ascension of the Lord or the Hospitality of Abraham as a type of the Trinity. If such an icon enters the temple, grace is driven away, and demonic forces are summoned.

I doubt it’s genuine. That would be ironic, given that there is an icon depicting the Father in the Catholicon of Saint Anthony’s Monastery.