MEET THE DOG-MAN
Icons are a peculiarity of EO. EO believers pray in front of them and venerate them.
It is said that an EO icon is ''a pictorial expression and confirmation of spiritual reality.''
Bulgakov, a famed EO theologian, says: ''As we already know, for iconicity [i.e. authenticity] of icons, a priestly pronouncement is necessary, which is its consecration… The depicted character, as such, reflects the prototype and is sanctified by it. ''1)
Archimandrite Rafail Karelin says that ''... the task put before the icon is to transmit the inner character, while simultaneously preserving the accuracy of persons and events. ''2)
Other sources tell us that in order for artists to paint icons a special preparation is needed. It consists of prayer, fasting and receiving a priestly blessing. Karelin says that in the past ''icon painters prepared for their job as priests would for their service of the Liturgy''. 3)
This, then, is no laughing matter. Let's look at a couple of icons, which, as consecrated, are supposed to show us Heavenly realities here on Earth.
It is said that an EO icon is ''a pictorial expression and confirmation of spiritual reality.''
Bulgakov, a famed EO theologian, says: ''As we already know, for iconicity [i.e. authenticity] of icons, a priestly pronouncement is necessary, which is its consecration… The depicted character, as such, reflects the prototype and is sanctified by it. ''1)
Archimandrite Rafail Karelin says that ''... the task put before the icon is to transmit the inner character, while simultaneously preserving the accuracy of persons and events. ''2)
Other sources tell us that in order for artists to paint icons a special preparation is needed. It consists of prayer, fasting and receiving a priestly blessing. Karelin says that in the past ''icon painters prepared for their job as priests would for their service of the Liturgy''. 3)
This, then, is no laughing matter. Let's look at a couple of icons, which, as consecrated, are supposed to show us Heavenly realities here on Earth.
Meet St. Christopher
When encountering this saint’s icons for the first time, even the most faithful EO believers rub their eyes to make sure they are not imagining things. This saint is sometimes shown with a dog’s head, and sometimes with a donkey’s head. According to the story, the head should be that of a dog, but despite the "spiritual preparation" in fasting and prayer, some artists painted him a little differently, so that in some versions of the image he looks more like a mentally challenged donkey (as in the picture at the top of this page).
How did this come about, you may wonder? We have two types of explanations: the EO one(s) and the type that is a little closer to reality.
I found several EO accounts attempting to explain this, and according to one of the stories, this saint was so handsome that he could not stop women from making advances at him and tempting him. He, then, prayed to God to help him with this problem. God's solution was to give him a dog's head, and the women immediately ceased to try to romance him. Other stories that circulate include him belonging to a race of dog-headed people, and speaking the dog-headed language (see picture below).
These are interesting stories, but here's another, more realistic, explanation. If you look for St. Christopher among the Roman Catholic saints you will not find him portrayed in this fashion. Since this saint’s canonization predates the Orthodox – Catholic split, we wonder why there is a difference?
How did this come about, you may wonder? We have two types of explanations: the EO one(s) and the type that is a little closer to reality.
I found several EO accounts attempting to explain this, and according to one of the stories, this saint was so handsome that he could not stop women from making advances at him and tempting him. He, then, prayed to God to help him with this problem. God's solution was to give him a dog's head, and the women immediately ceased to try to romance him. Other stories that circulate include him belonging to a race of dog-headed people, and speaking the dog-headed language (see picture below).
These are interesting stories, but here's another, more realistic, explanation. If you look for St. Christopher among the Roman Catholic saints you will not find him portrayed in this fashion. Since this saint’s canonization predates the Orthodox – Catholic split, we wonder why there is a difference?
The most likely answer is: due to an error in translation. The main story of this saint came into the Greek world from Latin. In the story, this saint is described as a mighty warrior, and a man whose appearance frightened entire armies. He was nicknamed Cananeus, meaning a man from the land of Canaan, referencing his ethnic background. The person translating this into Greek probably misread his nickname as canineus (deriving from the Latin canis, meaning dog), and likely thought it to be a part of his frightening appearance on the battlefield. Thus this saint, through no fault of his own, took the appearance of a fairy-tale character.
Now, since this depiction was consecrated on icons, according to the EO teaching we already saw, that depiction confirms the heavenly reality, and, as previously stated by Archimandrite Karelin, these icons preserve accuracy of persons and events.
As there is no act of "deconsecration" (at least not that I'm aware of), and no EO authority has ever corrected this error, St. Christopher is stuck looking like something that came out of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
His depiction as such was not a "marginal" occurrence as some might think, as we encounter these icons and frescoes in every traditional Eastern Orthodox area. Also, these images have been made for about 1500 years now (some still make them), meaning that there had to have been quite a few bishops who approved of these, either actively by consecrating them, or silently, by not correcting them.
One reader expressed doubt in the genuineness of these images. This person requested I provide the specific locations where these icons can be found. In response to that I started the collection below. I will add more icons as I locate them. Unfortunately, I was not able to (at this time) confirm the current location of some of the icons. I will, however, update the list as the information becomes available. It's also worth mentioning is that in my research I came across a Russian webpage that sells legitimate icons, and they offer one dog-headed icon of St. Christopher (see http://www.bylinatour.ru/bylina/tema/82/).
Now, since this depiction was consecrated on icons, according to the EO teaching we already saw, that depiction confirms the heavenly reality, and, as previously stated by Archimandrite Karelin, these icons preserve accuracy of persons and events.
As there is no act of "deconsecration" (at least not that I'm aware of), and no EO authority has ever corrected this error, St. Christopher is stuck looking like something that came out of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
His depiction as such was not a "marginal" occurrence as some might think, as we encounter these icons and frescoes in every traditional Eastern Orthodox area. Also, these images have been made for about 1500 years now (some still make them), meaning that there had to have been quite a few bishops who approved of these, either actively by consecrating them, or silently, by not correcting them.
One reader expressed doubt in the genuineness of these images. This person requested I provide the specific locations where these icons can be found. In response to that I started the collection below. I will add more icons as I locate them. Unfortunately, I was not able to (at this time) confirm the current location of some of the icons. I will, however, update the list as the information becomes available. It's also worth mentioning is that in my research I came across a Russian webpage that sells legitimate icons, and they offer one dog-headed icon of St. Christopher (see http://www.bylinatour.ru/bylina/tema/82/).
Let's check out another fascinating icon used in Eastern Orthodoxy.
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