Face to Face: The Theology of the Icon

’And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory’

(John 1.14)

In Christian icons people can behold the face of the Word become flesh and the faces of his saints. This is an encounter with divine beauty, an encounter which is a profound mystery and yet one whose depths are better appreciated through the written word of the Church’s theology. Such knowledge is especially useful in the Western world, where interest in icons is experiencing such a revival.

Face to Face provides a unique and concise introduction to the Orthodox Church’s theology of the icon. Written both for the general reader and, with its plentiful references, for scholars seeking further avenues of exploration, the book covers the essential areas of the icon’s theology from its Scriptural basis, through the writings of the saints who defended the icon against the Byzantine iconoclasts, right up to some of the most recent scholarship. It discusses current areas of interest, including the relationship between the icon’s form and its theology, how icons are used, and the reception by the Western world of the Byzantine icon tradition. It is written with the authority of an author who has been a professional iconographer for over forty years.