Understanding the Icons of Holy Week

[@ChibiBoxing]

Hello Jonathan, I come from a core of a religious family from Argentina, my mom and my grandmas tend to make a trip to a desolated place in our country in a pilgrimace every third sunday. Up until this year, I never celebrate holy week aside from eating easter eggs, this year thanks to you and Peterson I gave this date a meaning, and so since monday I havent drink any alcoholic beverage (I like to drink a lot), and I stop myself from swearing, something really difficult for me since my italian blood boils quite frecuently! No sexual thoughts or activities, no gossip, give money to homeless people or people in need, and this last three days I wont be eating red meat (If you know something about our country that is our superb red meat). It's not easy, mainly on the no swearing thing, since it's making me change my languague, I guess it's good! Since I've discovered through this penitence, that I don't use many words to express myself, leaving myself looking ignorant for the sake of being funny. This 21th is my birthday, it's really interesting to think that the day Christ resurrects it's the same day my mother gave birth to me... Thank you for your amazing work, Im looking forward to see more of your engravings and drawings, you're amazing!

[@antoniusrusticus383]

Paesano, I am also Italian. Some of my Sicilian family went to Argentina (my bisnonni went to America). Repentance takes time and patience & prayer. Start small like you are doing. Be well, and Buona Pasqua.

[@ChibiBoxing]

@@antoniusrusticus383 tante grazie

[@antoniusrusticus383]

@@ChibiBoxing Prego, mi amico, Buona Pasqua.

[@echinaceapurpurea1234]

"So don't give up with the conspiracy theories, okay?" Okay! The room looks great. And these videos of icons are always so insightful, this is your core expertise after all. It's not easy for me to see an icon as more than just a stylized depiction of an event, so your enthusiasm and love for them and eagerness to show the greater context really does open up whole new worlds for me. I'm sure many would agree with me here.

[@stevenanderson4515]

Bro, I'm protestant on my way to orthodoxy and watching that church burn hurt... Hurt pretty bad. I cried. And I don't cry. But man the ache of that loss

[@xskramx8078]

Steven Anderson disgusting come home to Rome

[@TheRealRealOK]

steven tipton He said he’s on his way to Orthodoxy, the One True Faith. You should come home too. ☦️

[@xskramx8078]

@@TheRealRealOK eww

[@rinwesley3092]

I get teary eyed thinking about the priest who rushed in to save the Crown of Thorns.

[@SempreGumby]

Kinda like the firemen and their White Hats who rushed into the North and South Towers on 11 Sept 2001.

[@charles3964]

Happy Easter to all my brothers and sisters in Christ🙏 Praise be to God

[@davidMflores]

The fall of Notre Dame affected me as well

[@aquiladavid5681]

Your zeal for God is so evident and inspiring. I enjoyed this video, and the lamentations of the burning of Notre Dame are just as relevant today in this difficult time we face. Thank you for helping us laity understand the richness of iconography.

[@drewcoope]

Beautiful talk. Thank you as always. Also, the new paint job looks GREAT!

[@sanda1924]

I had also a terrible moment staring (in disbelief) at the Notre Dame tower falling, destroyed by the flames. What remained of me was desperate and frightened and it remained so until visioning your video. I knew well all the icons but never seen them together in sequence..so empowering. I live in Italy, left my country when young because of Comunism, exile not easy and worse , now I am confronted with the same story..the lack of awareness of the seriousness of the situation, it takes very little to wake up in the morning not being a free individual any more.. westerners take it for granted but it is not so, it is a great privilege that maybe only people with the true experience of comunism can appreciate. We need miracles , prayers and a lot of courage. Anyway, not enough thanks in my pockets for all your work. May the joy of Resurrection give us strenght and hope because we need them!

[@GRIFFIN1238]

Going through these icons like this brought this stoic to tears. I very much appreciated your take on the crown of thorns.

[@DeepTalksTheology]

Jonathan, your office backdrop for your videos keeps getting better and better!

[@tytyvyllus8298]

This papist wishes all my Orthodox brethren a blessed Pascha. Ut unum sint!

[@justicebjorke2790]

The Anastasis icon is mind-blowing

[@elisacasa_creations]

Thank you so much for the beautiful explanations...

[@davidkooi4349]

The new lighting setup looks good

[@luc432]

When you spoke about the thorns how they protect us from the surrounding world i remembered that in Serbian we call Weapons-Oružje, the word oružje i is derived from the word Ruža-Rose.

[@gemonlar8605]

What a cool lion drawing reminds me the ones in Venice

[@paulet990]

Very educational! Thank you, Jonathan, and a blessed Easter to you and your family!

[@RafaelVVanni]

Brilliant! I would love to see more videos explaining the symbolism in other icons.

[@tyrelleldred1679]

Beautiful. Thank you, Jonathan

[@fraukatze3856]

Thanks for the explanations. There is so much on these icons, not always clear.

[@christopherk222]

30:00 Jonathan, Great info - Thank you !

[@arcadianwings2662]

Thank You Jonathan, you are a beautiful person!

[@Okayand33]

This is Soooo Good! Thank You!

[@michaelsimons7327]

I think I got it, now. According to Orthodox theology there are these things called Natures or "Essences" which are the most basic forms according to which things are constituted. Things in the world we can see (and those we can't) are the "particular stillnesses" or "Hypostasis" or "Persons" of these little lakes of the greater Natures. This way of detailing things that Jonathan has is like connecting these together and attempting to hold all at once the "image" these make. At the end, the most final image of these "Logoi" all together is the "Logos." Who (not which or what) is the Logos (Word) of God, Jesus Christ. I am just starting on a writing project to understand the "manifestation" part of all that though.

[@olgakarpushina492]

Pascha is my favorite holiday!!!

[@spicecrop]

Been watching a few of your videos, symbolic thread etc, and the lecture on the Copernican Revolution. Enjoying the content. Subscribed.

[@lauragiles4245]

I always find Lent a challenge, but this time around the end has been very emotional. It was helpful to know I am not alone.

[@christopherk222]

6:50 Yes, extreme - Extreme Humility !

[@christopherk222]

2:20 Absolutely !!!

[@kathyboraas1493]

The new paint job is great!

[@majinbahamut3985]

Hey Jonathan because of your work, I recently started attending a Christian church. It is pretty cool and I have been attending for about 6 months now. I am not sure if I "believe," in a historical Jesus or the Devil, heaven or hell (I mean in an afterlife).... but I can believe in the Logos and your explanation of these things. Would it be bearing false witness to become baptized under these pretenses? Anyone can answer or feel free to offer any guidance, thanks!

[@idiocracy10]

I believe if you are honestly seeking Truth per the doctrine of the religion you are joining, it is ok, that is just the path everyone has to take to build or maintain their faith. But if you are joining because of social status, or the cute girls in row three, then it is better to not do that. If you suffer a test of faith, a death in the family, or a very trying time like an unexpected job loss, and you do not turn to your faith and God in some form or fashion to guide you thru that, perhaps you should not join. Just my opinions.

[@verntweld51]

It is like when Jesus first told the fishermen to follow Him. They did and 3 years later they still didn’t really know what was going on but they knew that miracles occurred and that he had authority and the words of eternal life. Maturing came later when their faith grew.

[@m.filmtrip]

Majin Bahamut I’m converting to Orthodoxy from Protestantism and though I’ve been a Christian for several years the priest wants to make sure I fully understand what Christianity is before he chrismates or rebaptizes me. The reason for the delay is because there are so many different practices and teachings in Protestant churches, people are sometimes baptized who don’t really understand the significance of what they are professing in baptism. Baptism symbolizes your old self being put to death and buried with Christ and then a resurrection to new life with Christ through his resurrection from the dead (Colossians 2:12, Romans 6, 1 Corinthians 15) If you’re not sure at this point if Jesus was a historical person who died and who God resurrected as a demonstration Jesus is our Savior from sin and death, I would suggest giving it some time and looking into it further. It’s a very big step that has to do with those fundamental teachings of the Christian faith. It will be more meaningful if you fully understand and accept what it represents. I had a similar time when wasn’t sure what it all meant, who or what Jesus was, etc, but God brought me further clarity as I continued to seek truth and read the Bible. God bless you in your journey, friend!

[@warb_of_fire]

Hmm. I come from a relatively conservative Reformed Protestant tradition, and I also have a fairly literal personality, so I'm sure that affects my views, but I think the church has always taken seriously belief in the literal, physical resurrection. I think it would definitely be beneficial to look into the historical evidence for Jesus as a person, the historical evidence both within the Bible and other sources, etc. But I'm curious to see what others think. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul talks about the importance of the resurrection happening, because some people in the church (this was written around AD 50 apparently) were saying that resurrection was impossible. "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." In 1 Corinthians 11 there is also this warning about the Lord's Supper: "Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves." There are a bunch of different interpretations of that though, so I don't know exactly if it's relevant.

[@TheRealRealOK]

Majin Bahamut Have you visited an Orthodox Church? We offer a lot by way of literature, not just the Bible. We’ve managed to document 2,000+ years of history and we put it in its proper context.

[@christopherk222]

11:32 Also, during the Jewish liturgy of the High Holy Days / Passover, the Song of Songs / Canticle of Canticles was traditionally sung. . .

[@SempreGumby]

Jonathan - would you do a video on Rublev's Icon?

[@RoriusMaximus]

Awesome stuff man. Thanks and blessings to you and yours.

[@alexanderwinch1652]

The new paint job looks great! I don't know about the zooming on the icons of the children pulling thorns of their feet. The zooming in on the images felt too slow and a bit awkward

[@jamieyoung9392]

Yes - very tasteful and restful room :-)

[@user-zs1gg8wj2u]

I really appreciate the amazing insight offered in your videos, Jonathan, thankyou for all this great work. I would love to be able to recognise symbolism at a greater level in Bible stories as well as in fiction than I currently do, are there any particular books you can recommend that helped you on your journey to this level of understanding?

[@markbrowne181]

I'm a Catholic, and I was stunned by what had happened. And I had the same thoughts about the Western World and Christianity. It knocked me out of my focus for the week. But I believe we can rebuild the west, if we turn together to Logos.

[@superastral1]

Excelent!

[@JustPast12]

I’m trying to mentally prepare for things like this. I keep telling myself to remember the word and the book can not be burned, broken or destroyed.

[@TheRelentlessness]

We gotta start asking ourselves who paints these pictures....

[@watermelonlalala]

Wednesday was called "Spy Wednesday" in the Roman Catholic Church, the day Judas goes to the leaders of the Jews and gets the 30 pieces of silver. A little comparative symbology, regarding the bits of iron: In Egypt the evil god Set was associated with the metal iron, which was called the bones of Set.

[@Peter-ns6jg]

Can you do a lesson on the Fatima Prophecies? Jung says it was mass hysteria articulating the anxieties of an ancient empire cleaving in half

[@thallesfonteboa]

Can you PLEASE explain the simbolism of Ouroborus? And him mecanism? Its the head and the body of the dragon

[@suite701]

Jonathan would you like to talk to jay dyer on KZbin? Also your thoughts on the Coptic Church of Egypt...

[@Jacob011]

When I saw Notre Dame burning it was very sad time for me, but then I recalled your commentary on the death and resurrection of Christianity. We will rebuild! BTW, this whole business with union of the division and union is eerily reminiscent of what Iain McGilchrist is writing about in his seminal work The Master and his Emissary. Really boggles the mind!!!

[@julietschembri7191]

Hi Jonathan. The Entry into Jerusalem differ in a detail between the Eastern and Western tradition. In the Eastern tradition Christ is riding sidesaddle but in the Western tradition Christ is riding across the saddle. Is there a significance to this difference?

[@ninodemarfil3153]

Omg your explanation is good but ..... Hoky wednesday is the Last supper? Isnt on Maundy Thurdsday?

[@nyx4189]

Hey. Can you do a video about symbolic meaning of the fire from Christ's grave? And thesymbolic meaning of the whole week, red Friday for example. I'm an orthodox, grown up in an orthodoxfamily but I feel like I don't really know meaning of anything I'm suppose to have a faith in. I don't reallywant to lose the connection to it but I have a feeling that there is no Base no ground to stand for me amymore. Knowledge is the way for faith for me. Your videos reallyhelp. So thank you. BTW Chris has risen in my language is ქრისტე აღდგა

[@andreaslegomovies]

Great video! The symbolism of the thorn crown is definitely one of my favourites. I had not thought of the cross as a hierarchy symbol before, but it immediately made sense when you said it. (I mostly thought of his arms being open wide to take in our sins and an acceptance of death)

[@porscheguy19]

I'd be interested in what you have to say regarding the symbolic meaning behind Jesus curing the blind person by rubbing dirt mixed with saliva into their eyes. This came up today because actor Joaquin Phoenix is playing Jesus in the upcoming movie "Mary Magdalene"; but he refused to do this scene saying - “When I got there, I thought: ‘I’m not going to rub dirt in her eyes. Who the f- would do that? It doesn’t make any sense. That is a horrible introduction to seeing.'” He went on to say, “That moment is not so much about a real miracle. It’s about someone who has been dismissed by society finally being seen, embraced and encouraged to join the broader community." It seems that he has a shallow liberal view of these events... and that made me wonder if you had some insight into the meaning of this passage.

[@lennartmartin7361]

Thank you for your video's. They bring a whole other side of Christianity to light that I have never been in contact with. I was raised in a Dutch Reformed (liberated) church. What do you think of Die Matthäus-Passion from Bach? I always thoroughly enjoy it around this time. Greetings from The Netherlands

[@anselman3156]

Bach's St Matthew and St John Passions are wonderful, and powerful. Have a blessed Easter.

[@MikeFreesinger]

Is there not an icon for the garden of Gethsemane?

[@porchtime504]

So, in Mormonism, they believe all the sins of man were paid for during his prayer time in the garden of gethsemane. What is the opinion of that moment in other faiths?

[@JamalNichols]

Hi Jon, I've had a desire to join an Orthodox church for a long time now. However, I've been apprehensive because, well, most Orthodox churches I find are Russian, Greek, or Balkan -- and in those parts of the world, people tend to not be very welcoming of outsiders that don't look like them, if you know what I mean. Can you point me in the right direction for the type of orthodox church I should seek out?

[@alexandraelhardt9767]

Antiochian orthodox churches are full of converts and typically very diverse.

[@oambitiousone7100]

Husband walks through, sees the bloody crucifixion scene you're discussing, and says, "Looks like an Iron Maiden album cover." Whatever gets him interested, right?

[@mogyesz9]

Jonathan at one point can you make a video, or even seires on the evolution of Christianity? From the beginning to modern Protestasim. There are plenty of sources on the topic, but most of them are simply not knowledgeable enough and the real deal I managed to find is hardcore teology which I have hard time understanding, it is really hard to comprehend the actual divides between the early and later edicts and divisions.

[@shotinthedark90]

Does the Orthodox Church typically speak of the atonement in "christus victor" terms?

[@omahamotovlog2273]

Love your work! Just brilliant! (And I can tell you're putting effort into making your videos more visually appealing. It shows. The lighting is much better on this one. Well done!)

[@tytyvyllus8298]

25:05 this is the Harrowing of Hell

[@yahkhakeerah796]

LIFT EVERY VOICR AND SING TILL EARTH AND HEAVEN RING.... does anyone remember this black national anthem I dare anyone to sing it

[@anialiandr]

Funny how Notre Dame burned a week before Easter.

[@jonathansch444]

I had a dream of it burnt down 2 weeks before

[@christopherk222]

6:15 . . .the Christian paradox !

[@colingeorgejenkins2885]

Look at it from above the spire burn in the middle ove man how did satiates flee flit handover bear lion ?

[@julijanacvejic517]

Thank you so much brother on this great video, you really warm my heart sometimes 😃

[@keepclimbing15]

What would you say to all the people criticizing people donating to rebuilding Notre Dame instead of solving all the hunger, homelessness, poverty, etc? In my thoughts it take more than money to fix humanitarian problems, sometimes it can even hinder people, but that sounds cold to many people.

[@aaronlechtenberger6759]

There is a story in the New testament where a prostitute pours oil over Jesus, annointing him. Judas rebukes her, saying the oil should have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus in turn rebukes Judas, saying the poor will be with us forever, though he will not. I think this speaks to the necessity of beauty and genuine art in the world. It isn't optionally or convenient for us to have something beautiful, but rather beauty plays a part in bringing us closer to God.

[@alexandraelhardt9767]

It's so important to remember that beauty is actually necessary for the human spirit. So many people working in health care (to be quite pragmatic) actually recommend or prescribe nature and art to their depressed clients, because beautiful environments really do heal you. The poor have been and should be welcome in churches - it is often the only beautiful and truly human place they are welcome and not turned aside from. Often they will be ushered out of many places of business by security people, and only allowed to beg outside of the beautiful churches that get the tourist attention. There is also the other side of it - we are responsible for redeeming all creation, not just the humans. We are to redeem matter by dedicating it to the worship of God. And honestly, I think if many of us let go of some of the luxuries we love, we could have plenty of money both for the poor and for the adornment of God's house. I speak for myself.

[@AnselmoFormolo]

Kyrie Eleison!

[@WTFSt0n3d]

i felt honest grief when i saw notre dame. not like with a family member, more like a celebrity or a musician you would have like another movie or song. i was once in Paris but had only time to transfer from one train station to the other. i never saw her, but now i always wanted so don't. give up with the conspiracies so don't give up with the conspiracies punctuation is important 23:15 honestly. Jesus decent into Hades looks like he is emerging out of a vegana...Easter getting pretty sexual over here. guess somehow they have to stay true to the pagan connection right? rabbits and eggs

[@jabrown]

But… why are Adam and Eve in Hell?

[@olgakarpushina492]

Well, they aren't in paradise, are they? they used to live in paradise. They were expelled. Where else could they be? In the Orthodoxy, there's no purgatory, which was invented very late by the Catholics. Just the extremes.

[@mwilliams9011]

Who is God's dog?

[@jamieyoung9392]

St Christopher. Jonathan discusses why this is so in a number of his videos. I think the idea is (and I hope I've understood Jonathan correctly) that even the "ultimate barbarian", a person who isn't a even human being, can become a Christian.

[@jamieyoung9392]

PS - the picture refers to a graphic novel about St Christopher that Jonathan, his brother, and an artist are scoping out at the moment.

[@roygutfinski9991]

It is Holy Week...somwhere, in a Roman Catholic Church not far distant, a priest quietly celebrates a Mass of his First Consummation with a small child...

[@watermelontreeofknowledge8682]

Your words are the poetry of Satan himself. You desecrate a group of holy men for the sins of the homosexuals. No Catholic wants this problem to continue, but people like you drive the flock away from Christ. I will pray for you this week to change your heart.

[@idiocracy10]

As a protestant, we are taught the church is the people in the building, not the building itself. This of course is a bit self serving, as our denomination has no access to the funds necessary to build cathedrals capable of weathering the centuries and becoming global land marks, but it also highlights the point that great cathedrals are not necessary for being a great christian. I would love to hear a discussion about this at some point in the future, I realize that the pain and shock of the fire, may not make it a palatable topic currently but at some point in the future. I suspect that you, as an icon carver are going to be a bit biased toward one side of the argument, not because you are an icon carver and need the business, but because a person prone to icon carving is going to have a certain set of presumptions and biases toward making ones environment full of beauty which serves a purpose of keeping God and his teachings in mind. And that is where I hope this discussion leads, to the Godly use of beautiful use of art and architecture vs the perversion of religious art and architecture to serve earthly organizations instead of filling this realm with the the godly, that duality of great beauty drawing the prideful and narcissists, and being boastful, vs the humble creation of physical representations of devotion. As well as, of course, the great debate of the expenditure of huge resources on art and architecture, instead of what God said he treasured most, charity. Thanks for your videos, they are a source of great instruction, example, and fun.

[@jl4571]

The Orthodox understanding of the Church is pretty much the same we have two terms that are often used Church Militant and Church Triumphant to indicate those who are living in the world and those who are living eternally with God, thats a bit of a paraphrase but you get what I mean. Here’s a link to an Orthodox priest addressing the fire and what it means. He talks about the point you bring up, I don’t know if you’ll agree wit it in the end but it might interest you in regard to your comment. www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/emmaus/should_it_matter

[@m.filmtrip]

jkm Jay Dyer talks a lot about how in the western tradition of philosophy and theology we are used to setting up false dichotomies , whereas in eastern Christianity things are not pitted against each other that are both meant to be part of the picture in a balanced, harmonious way. Your concern was a very big concern of mine when I was a Protestant and would talk to Catholics who would go on and on about the importance of beauty. I thought all that physical beauty is just a worldly kingdom that will be destroyed, just like Jesus told the disciples when they were admiring the temple. And even cathedrals and great art become ugly by association with corruption. But I get a distinctly different impression from Orthodox art and architecture (though I’m sure that can still be a problem). As I learn the significance and symbolism of the physical side of worship and how it’s deeply related to incarnational theology, it’s becoming extremely meaningful to me. It’s acknowledging and feeding a part of my humanity that was starved in Protestantism. It’s very hard to explain. Anyway for me it’s not the external appearance of Orthodox aesthetics that draws me; I’m naturally skeptical of that; it’s the deeper meaning, deep theological and internal harmony that makes the external glow with beauty. Catholic art and architecture, or mosques or Greek architecture, no matter how impressive, can’t be personally meaningful to me in the same way, because when I look into the significance it doesn’t line up with the truths of the gospel I love.

[@watermelontreeofknowledge8682]

I think Protestants often go too far in the criticism of the beauty of the great cathedrals and sacred places. The reason for sacred places being truly beautiful is to be a perfect temple for the real presence of body and blood itself of Christ. It is the ultimate relic; with mystical transcendence called down by the Holy Spirit through the prayers of the Priest. If you can fully understand that, you will not only understand the need for the beauty of the temple, but you will also be dismayed by temples that lack beauty. The fact that we are gathering in a community is somewhat secondary to the mystical physical transcendence of Christ in the Eucharist. In this action, we are called to contemplate the flawless consummation of the holy sacrifice in His passion as we partake. The crucifix is another superimposed image of this-it is both the derivative and anti-derivative of the Eucharist: the Lord is and was physically present on the earth (wood of the cross), the word made flesh, spoken into existence in a manner that creation itself was spoken into existence.

[@idiocracy10]

@@watermelontreeofknowledge8682 Quiet the word salad there, some very disturbing ideas you put forth. Hopefully it is a problem in writing or my comprehension, and not your true beliefs, because if your view is widespread in the catholic congregations, it is deeply disturbing.

[@nodakrome]

@@idiocracy10 Watch some more Jonathan videos.