1

Man is not created for this worldly life.  First and foremost he was created to be God’s servant.  The icon is man’s contribution to this divine purpose. 

2

To trade in icons is just as absurd as to trade in church services: absurd.  One cannot possess an icon; one may only share in one. 

3

Aesthetics has many think volumes on icons.  Yet very little is actually revealed about the icon itself.

4

What is theology?  The intellectual will answer: "fairy tales".  The scientist will say: “science".  The wise man will reply: “revelation”.  But the simple mind will say:  “It is the Kingdom of God” and it is manifested in the icon”. 

5

All art, interpretive as well as educational, is ancient and developed from rituals and man’s desire to decorate himself.  The  I c o n  is alive and survives through the liturgy.    

6

Woman understands the  I c o n  better, because she recognizes also the beauty of religious faith.

7

The  I c o n  is the visible form of God’s invisible love, the visible form of invisible grace, the visible substance of HIS invisible spirit.

8

The icon is not a painting of shadowy figures in sombre surroundings.  The  I c o n  is the light of love – with the exception, of course, of old, grimy icons and fakes. 

9

If one’s eyes have been opened to Jesus Christ, it is impossible not to love him!  In his Church, in prayer and in his I c o n s  the Believer may meet Him, feel Him, and  experience His presence.   

10

There are many types of art, from total art to anti-art.   The I c o n, however, is always dignified.  The undignified icon is not an  I c o n, but a picture and therefore ostentatious. 

11

The  I c o n  is not a system of symbols and attributes, neither is it an illustration from the Bible.  The  I c o n brings God’s presence to us.

12

The  I c o n  lives through spiritual purity.  It has nothing in common with theosophy, occultism, spiritualism or any other „isms“. 

13

A church is far more than just a House of God.  Church is our daily life!  That is why we place the  I c o n  in our homes as well (“Paradigm-Likeness-Archetype”)

14

Mercy is a gift given to us by God through his benevolence.  Man is a being that may receive God’s mercy, also through the  I c o n. 

15

Every work of art is, through its properties of light and shade, perspective and anatomy, place and time, logic and mental condition of the artist, a worldly object.  IN contrast hereto, the  I c  o n  is divine, for it reveals God’s presence. 

16

The  I c o n  is a fountain of healing from which every man may drink.  There is but one condition; that is that man does so in unison with the representation.   

17

Nothing in this world is a coincidence! - So too, the  Icon is no coincidence.   It helps us to fulfil the tasks God has assigned us. 

18

Art is often enjoyed like a feast.   The art-lovers’ addiction to „pleasure“ and „sweetness“ only serves to increase “self-love” and destroys the personality created by God. (“You are unique and beyond comparison”).

19

We praise the Lord through HIS holy saints: - We praise the saints through the  I c o n s.  We honour the  I c o n s for they reveal God’s glory.  

20

Christian life is blessed by the Holy Spirit.  The  I c o n is the gift of the Holy Spirit to Christian life. 

21

The  I c o n  lives through truth.  It demands humility, love and belief.  That is why we understand the pictures of “art” better than we understand the  I c o n s. 

22

The  I c o n  is ceremonial.  Like the liturgy, it is the experience of God’s realm here on earth. 

23

The Lord does not force us to revere the  I c o n, but the    I c o n  helps us to revere the Lord. 

24

Every denomination believes itself to be the “best” religion.  The  I c o n ’s intent is not to promote the “best” religion, to provide a steadfast belief. 

25

Our life has meaning when we have found our “place in life”.

26

The joy we feel when we revere the  I c o n  comes from knowing that God became man and lived in love and truth amongst us here on earth. 

27

Art is governed by the style of the time and serves the "terrorism" of fashion.  The  I c o n, however, lives in timeless eternity.

28

Snobs search for  I c o n s  that are covered in dust, soot and the patina of age, even eaten by woodworm.  Whether these  I c o n s  are fakes or stolen property makes no difference to them – what is important is that they are expensive. 

29

The  I c o n  expects of us an affirmation of our belief in God.  A picture, however, expects us to make a statement for art. 

30

Spiritual ecology begins with prayer!  The  I c o n  gives rise to prayer and focuses it. 

31

It is not they amonst us who need Icons who await God’s coming, but those who seek God for themselves.    

32

Gold is imperious.  In iconography, gold is the trademark of  an "extraneous culture".

33

The real life of our Church is enthusiasm for love, goodness, beauty, and the victory of truth over lies. Without this enthusiasm there would be no  I c o n s.

34

Often it is said: " I don’t understand icons!” - as if love required understanding!

35

To the atheist, it is not God who is important but man.  The atheist believes only in himself and therefore has no need of  I c o n s.  A mirror is quite sufficient. 

36

Science and philosophy want to get to the bottom of truth.  The  I c o n  shows us what and where truth is.   

37

The  I c o n  is valuable not because it is a beautiful object, but
because it reveals the beauty of God’s works. 

38

To rob anyone of their religion is a crime.  And within the Church, trashy, religious “kitsch” is the perpetrator. 

39

One may view the  I c o n  aesthetically, philosophically, artistically, historically, psychologically, technically, educationally, and so on.  But the best way to view it is prayerfully!

40

Art is an invention of man and serves many gods.  But through the I c o n  we praise the Lord, the one God. 

41

The colours of the  I c o n  have mystic significance, despite all the nonsense that has been written about this. 

42

I c o n s  are often bought on the basis of whether they match the curtains.

43

As long as art concerns itself with art, everything is wonderful.  But if art penetrates the transfigured world of the  I c o n, then truth is obstructed. 

44

Religion is structure, life; non-belief is devastation and death. The  I c o n  strengthens faith and thereby serves life. 

45

God is wondrous in HIS saints.  Wondrous are the saints in their I c o n s. Wondrous are the  I c o n s  in our lives.

46

The future of the Church lies not in its modernisation but solely in its return to its primary sources.  One of these sources is the  I c o n.

47

The  I c o n  is the essence of God’s order!  Jesus Christ is the I c o n   of the Father.  The priest is the icon of Jesus Christ (or should be). 

48

Our life’s purpose is not just to be human, but to become an image of God, in other words, to become HIS  I c o n. 

49

Spiritual aliveness is the power to act in accordance with God’s will.  The I c o n  represents our actions to that end.  

50

The artist is of no importance for the  I c o n; the holy presence of God alone is important, which is why  I c o n s  are not signed.

51

Unfortunately, the “offended” Charles the Great ensured through a constitutional renouncement of the agreement reached at the Council of Nicaea  that the  I c o n  was henceforth rejected in the Western religious world. 

52

The renunciation of all role models in Christianity finally led to the dissolution of the "churches".  This is why the true CHURCH has upheld the holy tradition of that worthy paradigm, the  I c o n. 

53

In actual fact art has no real tradition or dignity.  Every artist is searching for his own tradition and labours in accordance with his own ideas of dignity.  

54

The icon, like all great things in this world, is basically simple and is therefore a spiritual luxury which only the simple and unpretentious mind can afford.

55

The  I c o n  stands on the borderline between two worlds.  From there it radiates the joy of love and the power of belief.  These are the best remedies against the isolation and degeneration of humankind in this day and age. 

56

Because the  I c o n  is two-dimensional, sensuality has no place in it.  However, the fourth dimension – time – is penetrated through a reverse perspective of it. 

57

Of the Church, the liturgy and the  I c o n s we knoy only what Church politicians think is appropriate for us to know.   

58

The "theologians" declare that the iconostasis serves to separate.  That is a mistake!  The  I c o n  has its origin in the iconostasis simply because that is where heavenly and worldly Church are united through love. 

59

Belief is a miracle; love is a miracle; the Mystery is a miracle!  So too, the  I c o n  is full of miracles! 

60

The I c o n  is not a portrait, for it does not portray worldly characters.  Rather, it is the guardian of transfigured spiritual likeness. 

61

Religious “kitsch” must not necessarily be bad art.  Yet “kitsch” is always as well the result of a misinterpretation of God’s realm. 

62

Christian mysticism is the complete unity of mankind and God.  Liturgical life and the I c o n  represent mankind’s progress towards this state of existence. 

63

Saints, miracles and  I c o n s  are  s u p e r n a t u r a l.  So it is only  n a t u r a l  that the saints work miracles through the  I c o n s. 

64

Because God is Love, all His works are works of love.  God’s most beautiful creation is man and the most beautiful works of man are the holy  I c o n s. 

65

Art emanates from the history of art.  It enriches our lives and survives through craftsmanship.  The  I c o n  developed from Church history and is a part of God’
s plan of salvation.  It renders us more human or godlike through knowledge, experience, and through life itself. 

66

The liturgy itself may be seen as a great  I c o n  through which God’s healing powers have been recorded and are ever-present.  Liturgy and  I c o n  repeat in a mystic way all that God done for our salvation.  

67

The  I c o n ‘s  message is international and inter-denominational.  All that is required to receive its message is love.

68

The character portrayed and his  I c o n s  remain holy, even if we do not understand them! 

69

A person’s upbringing is shaped by the examples set before him and by love.  The  I c o n  sets us an example for love in our life.

70

Looking at a picture we contemplate the artist’s talent.  Standing before the  I c o n,  however, we contemplate eternity. 

71

Life is given to us so that we shall overcome death.  The  I c o n  comes to us from the realm of death overcome. 

72

God reveals himself through HIS saints, represented by the  I c o n. Thus, the
I c o n  is God’s revelation - whether this appeals to us or not.   

73

The  I c o n is holy because it has been created and consecrated in honour of the saint whose name it bears.  The  I c o n protects his transfigured likeness and therefore is, and remains, his property. 

74

The  I c o n  stands above all denominational disputes, for it lives through the unity of love for the unity of the Church.

75

The artist needs a famous name; without it he cannot usually survive.  The iconographer needs humility; without that it cannot serve God.

76

The saints are the foundation and the wealth of the Church. The  I c o n  is proof  that the Church knows its saints and loves them.

77

Our love for Jesus Christ, son of God, gave us the  I c o n .  Our love for  Jesus Christ, Son of God become man, has given us pious pictures. 

78

The Church surrounds itself with  I c o n s, for the  I c o n  imparts to us the Holy presence without humanising it. 

79

In decadent society, “new or modern icons” are not exotic antiques - and therefore have no value.     

80

The Church can live very well without  I c o n s.  But the  I c o n  will die where the Church is diseased.     

81

Christianity is a state of love.  But if love degenerates to the point where it becomes simply a feeling, then Christianity becomes empty and  I c o n s  become mere pictures. 

82

Those who have a problem with  I c o n s  are, above all, those who try to believe without really loving. 

83

We may have mutilated and crippled both the Church and the  I c o n, but we cannot destroy them. 

84

If we see the  I c o n as a mere picture, it is as if we were standing before the  closed door of a room filled with holy presence. 

85

God is light; love is light; joy is light: that is why the  I c o n  is illuminated! 

86

In Christianity, friendship between saint and Believer is possible. The  I c o n  is living proof of that. 

87

Every work of art reflects the individual world of its creator.  By contrast, the   I c o n  reflects the transfigured world of our Creator –God the Father. 

88

If Christianity influences art: good for that!  But if art influences Christianity – what then?

89

Our desire for perfection calls us to follow in the footsteps of the saints!  One step along this path already embodies HIS  I c o n!

90

Who expects what from an  I c o n?  Scientists research data, art experts seek art, merchants  enquire about the profit, civil servants check the authorisation.  But the Believer sees in the  I c o n  relief from all those things. 

91

Holy tradition, the Holy Bible, and the Holy  I c o n  are given to us, so that we may preserve God’s revelation, unadulterated, and live our lives by it. 

92

The iconostasis is an  I c o n  of Christ surrounded by many saints, all praying with us and for us, that we may not become feeble-hearted. 

93

Were we not separated from the   I c o n  and its message by pride and spiritual poverty, we would fall to our knees before HIS holy  I c o n. 

94

The icon is liturgical.  As with the liturgy, the  I c o n  stands not only for our duty to God, but also for God’s ministry to us. 

95

The  I c o n  is not the privilege of one denomination or religious community;  Christian tradition makes the  I c o n  what it is. The nimbus alone is not enough.

96

Prayer is that mighty power which alone will shield our world from a catastrophe.  Through the  I c o n  God blesses our prayers.

97

The saints are loving Christians who provide for our salvation, also through their 
I c o n s.

98

Pictures are communicative and tell us of the world of images. But the I c o n  is a form of spiritual silence, a contemplation of God in humility and love. 

99

The  I c o n  is often misjudged, misunderstood, rejected, even fought against, not so much by atheists, but by intellectualist “theologians”. 

100

The Believer is more rational than the erudite!  The erudite tries to explain the inexplicable.  The Believer is full of joy over the living  I c o n  - Knowledge is Power – Power is Brutality – Brutality is a Crime.