Tonight we’ll continue our series by looking at the arrangement of our churches through the lens of the theology of beauty.
Our Faith: Church Architecture and the Movement of the Faithful
Opening Scripture: Psalm 29:1-2; Exodus 24:9-18; John 12: 3-8
Psalm 28:1-2.
Bring to the Lord, O you sons of God,
Bring to the Lord the sons of rams;
2 Bring to the Lord the glory due His name.
Worship the Lord in His holy court (Hebrew: the beauty of a sanctified space).
Exodus 24:9-18
9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abi′hu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tables of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses rose with his servant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Tarry here for us, until we come to you again; and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a cause, let him go to them.”
15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18 And Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
John 12: 3-8
3 Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii[a] and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. 8 The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
Summary of Scripture: The Glory, Power, and Love of God.
Questions for consideration:
- What purpose do architecture, icons, vestments, and music serve? Jesus was a simple carpenter; shouldn’t our worship reflect that? Why did Dostoevsky say that it would “Save the world”? In what sense is beauty salvific? Was there anything theological to the emissaries from Kyiv’s reaction to worship in Constantinople’s St. Sophia?
Basic Orthodox Architecture
- The Temple is Sacred Space. Think of Moses and the burning bush. The Arc of the Covenant. The Holy of Holies of the Temple in Jerusalem. It is set aside. [We are also temples, but this is meant to elevate us… NOT to degrade the physical temple!]. So nice to have an Orthodox Temple that was designed as such!
- Basic Orthodox Architecture (the Arc of Salvation)
- Narthex: vestibule. Transition space from the world to heaven on earth.
- Nave: the central portion where the faithful worship. Contains pews, tetrapod, place for confession, kliros, candle boxes.
- Altar/Sanctuary: Eastern-most section. Holy of Holies. Altar Table with Tabernacle and Gospel Book are central. Also includes the Table of Oblation/Sacrifice.
- Iconostasis: Divides and unifies the altar/sanctuary and nave. Symbolizes unity of the faithful through Christ. Holy Doors in middle represent “Gates of Paradise”. Note that Christ comes out to us (not the other way around). Deacon doors on side are most commonly used doors. Specific icons in various places.
- Domes vs. Steeples.
- Icons, Frescos, and Stained Glass
- Standard icons on an iconostas:
- On the right/south side of the Holy Doors: Christ, St. John the Baptist
- On the left/north side of the Holy Doors: Christ w/His Mother, Patron Saint
- On the Holy Doors: the Annunciation, the Four Evangelists
- On the Deacon/Angel Doors: St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Stephen, St. Philip, St. Olympia
- Additional icons and decorations vary.
- Standard icons on an iconostas:
- Vestments for Servers and Holy Things
- Common day things/people become icons of something better.
- Colors have theological significance.
- The Movement of the Faithful
- How does our behavior change when we walk in (i.e. what do/don’t we do here that we don’t/do there)
- The Music of Orthodoxy
- How is our music different from our music out there? How is the talking different?
Discussion: The role of beauty in our lives. Do we really need all this stuff?
Next time: But what do we DO?! Orthopraxis and the movements of holiness.
