Kissing Icons: Honor to the Person, Not Worship of Wood
What the video says
The speaker argues that kissing icons is an act of honor toward the person represented, not worship of the material object, using the analogy of a soldier kissing a photo of his family. He cites Exodus and Joshua as biblical precedents for making and venerating images of angels and the ark.
Historically, icons taught the gospel to illiterate Christians, and St. Basil the Great taught that honor given to an image passes to its prototype. Icons function as windows into heaven that direct the heart toward God and the saints, while worship remains reserved for God alone.
Key moments
- The question "Should we kiss icons?" is answered with a battlefield analogy: kissing a picture of a wife or daughter shows honor and love to the person, not worship of the picture.
- In Exodus, God commands the making of images of angels on the ark.
- In Joshua, he bowed down before the ark.
- For centuries, Christians used icons because they could not read, and icons were how they learned the gospel.
- St. Basil the Great writes that the honor paid to the image passes to the prototype.
- We do not worship wood and paint.
- Icons are windows into heaven to remind our hearts of God and the saints who dedicated their lives to him.
- Ultimately, we only worship God alone.
The speaker addresses whether Christians should kiss icons by comparing the act to a soldier kissing a photograph of his family. The gesture honors the person represented, not the paper or ink. He cites Exodus, where God commands images of angels on the ark, and Joshua, who bows before the ark, as biblical precedents for making and venerating sacred images.
For centuries, icons taught the gospel to Christians who could not read. St. Basil the Great writes that honor paid to an image passes to its prototype. Icons function as windows into heaven that direct the heart toward God and the saints who dedicated their lives to him.
The speaker emphasizes that worship remains reserved for God alone; wood and paint are not worshiped.
Main points
- Kissing an icon honors the person depicted, not the material, like kissing a family photo.
- Exodus records God commanding images of angels on the ark.
- Joshua bows before the ark, showing veneration of a sacred object.
- Icons historically taught the gospel to illiterate Christians.
- St. Basil the Great teaches that honor to the image passes to the prototype.