Doesn’t the 2nd commandment fo
rbid physical icons?
Judging by the presence of sculpted angels over the Ark of the Covenant and in the Holy of Holies of the First Temple, it stands to reason that the prohibition wasn't absolute.
After the Incarnation, God became flesh and therefore, representable on icons and with Him, all the moments of the Gospel and all His saints. As long as we see icons as windows into heaven and not as idols carrying some sort of inherent power in themselves, we don't violate the 2nd Commandment.
-Theo
No.
I think of icons the way I think of important pictures of those who are dear to me, as being a very special way to honor the dear ones. Same with the icons, the icons honor the holy ones of Heaven.
Yes,very much so.
We are not to pray to,pray in front of,kneel in front of or venerate icons,lest it lead to idolatry.
It does not matter if they are not being prayed to.
No more than it forbids having pictures of your loved ones.
Exodus 25 is filled with instructions regarding the construction of icons for the Temple. These instructions appeared after the ten commandments were presented, and essential in telling the story of Jesus, Mary and the disciples for hundreds of years to a largely illiterate audience that pre-dated the printing press.