Icons Act As Windows Into Eternity
Upon entering an Orthodox Christian church one is immediately taken by the icons and frescoes that adorn the walls. These are not displays of Christian art but reminders that when we enter into our temples for worship, we are surrounded by “the unseen hosts of heaven” described in the holy scriptures. Icons act as windows into eternity and connect us to the Church Triumphant.
Unlike Western religious art, one does not see shadows cast from the figures depicted in the icons. This is because the light source is none other than Jesus Christ Himself, Who shines forth in His saints. No shadows here!
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Photos: The Orthodox Montanica Conference, held at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church in Butte, Montana, has been an incredible gathering, with 150 participants, of which 95% were young men.
Fr. Deacon Ananias Sorem, PhD, is CEO, Founder, and President of Patristic Faith, and a Professor of Philosophy at Fullerton College and Carroll College was the first speaker. David Patrick Harry is a Religious Studies scholar, Orthodox Christian apologist, and owner of the YouTube channel/podcast Church of the Eternal Logos. Having an academic background studying Eastern Mysticism, Gnosticism, psychedelics, and theories of magic, he devotes the majority of his apologetic efforts towards the New Age and people who identify as “spiritual but not religious.” He is currently a PhD candidate at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA where his research is couched in the sub discipline of “New Religious Movements,” and focuses on the use of psychedelics for “spiritual” purposes post the 1960’s counterculture; arguing that such practices are a novel new religious movement but with a historical lineage tracing back through the history of magic in the Western esoteric traditions all the way to the prehistory of the shamanic tribal setting.
David Patrick Harry is a Religious Studies scholar, Orthodox Christian apologist, and owner of the YouTube channel/podcast Church of the Eternal Logos. Having an academic background studying Eastern Mysticism, Gnosticism, psychedelics, and theories of magic, he devotes the majority of his apologetic efforts towards the New Age and people who identify as “spiritual but not religious.” He is currently a PhD candidate at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA where his research is couched in the sub discipline of “New Religious Movements,” and focuses on the use of psychedelics for “spiritual” purposes post the 1960’s counterculture; arguing that such practices are a novel new religious movement but with a historical lineage tracing back through the history of magic in the Western esoteric traditions all the way to the prehistory of the shamanic tribal setting.
Michael Witcoff is a Jewish convert to Orthodox Christianity and the best-selling author of ‘On The Masons And Their Lies.’ He also wrote ‘Theopoetica,’ a work of classical Christian poetry, and can be found under his Benedictine moniker ‘Brother Augustine’ on YouTube and Telegram as well.
I was honored to be the forth speaker, with my dear friend, Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen), serving as the fifth and final presenter.
About the author
Fr. Tryphon is the Abbot of the Monastery of the All-Merciful Saviour, which was established in 1986 by Archimandrite Dimitry (Egoroff) of blessed memory. The Monastery is under the omophore of His Eminence Kyrill, Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America, of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
