Question about an art print

[SamanthaAnastasia]

Hello everyone,
I got back from the Gutenberg Museum today with a friend and I happened to purchase an art print of the Gutenberg Bible (Gutenberg-Shop Herzlich willkommen im Gutenberg-Shop!). It is the beginning of the Gospel of St. John in color. However, as I was paying for it I don’t even know if it is proper to display it (even respectfully) in my home. It is *not* a work of art. It is a page from the Bible. Even if it is not the same one we use (it is the Vulgate), it is still the Holy Bible.
Soooooo, what to do with it?
Am I over thinking this?
Or when I have it matted and framed nicely, should I have it placed in my icon corner. If not in my icon corner, perhaps with my theology and prayer books?

thanks everyone

*please remember this is the orthodoxy forum*

 

[ArmyMatt]

Hello everyone,
I got back from the Gutenberg Museum today with a friend and I happened to purchase an art print of the Gutenberg Bible (Gutenberg-Shop Herzlich willkommen im Gutenberg-Shop!). It is the beginning of the Gospel of St. John in color. However, as I was paying for it I don’t even know if it is proper to display it (even respectfully) in my home. It is *not* a work of art. It is a page from the Bible. Even if it is not the same one we use (it is the Vulgate), it is still the Holy Bible.
Soooooo, what to do with it?
Am I over thinking this?
Or when I have it matted and framed nicely, should I have it placed in my icon corner. If not in my icon corner, perhaps with my theology and prayer books?

thanks everyone

*please remember this is the orthodoxy forum*

I don’t see any issue with displaying it in your home, especially if done so respectfully. as for your icon corner, I think it’s fine, but I would still ask your priest.

 

[prodromos]

One of the posters we have framed in our house is from an ad for the"Treasures of Mount Athos" exhibition in Thessaloniki, Greece. The background image is a large icon of Mary and the infant Christ. I think your Gutenburg reproduction would fall into the same category. We have it near the front entrance.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Hello everyone,
I got back from the Gutenberg Museum today with a friend and I happened to purchase an art print of the Gutenberg Bible (Gutenberg-Shop Herzlich willkommen im Gutenberg-Shop!). It is the beginning of the Gospel of St. John in color. However, as I was paying for it I don’t even know if it is proper to display it (even respectfully) in my home. It is *not* a work of art. It is a page from the Bible. Even if it is not the same one we use (it is the Vulgate), it is still the Holy Bible.
Soooooo, what to do with it?
Am I over thinking this?
Or when I have it matted and framed nicely, should I have it placed in my icon corner. If not in my icon corner, perhaps with my theology and prayer books?

thanks everyone

*please remember this is the orthodoxy forum*

Are you going to bow down and worship it? The Commandment only prohibits graven images that are designed for worship. Otherwise all photographs and art work depicting people and animals would be prohibited for all Christians. I don't worship my cat, so I don't worship photos of him. I also have photos of my daughter, but they are not an object of worship. We have a sculpture of a rabbit in our home, but I don't worship it, so none of these are prohibited by the commandment. But when I see Pope Francis bowing down and worshiping a statue of Mary, then I see that as idolatry. But having a crucifix on the wall is not idolatry unless I bow down to it and worship it. A question: When the priest bows down at the altar with a cross standing on it while taking Mass, is that idolatory? If the mere casting of a graven image is idolatry, what about the image of the serpent on a pole that Moses put in front of the Israelites that those who looked at it would not die from the snake bites from the invasion of deadly snakes into the camp? No one was worshiping the serpent on the pole therefore it wasn't idolatry. Yet the golden calf the Israelites worshiped after Aaron said, "This is your God!" was definitely idolatry.

So your Bible artwork is quite acceptable and does not compromise your faith in Christ even when you put it on the wall and admire it.

 

[Not David]

Are you going to bow down and worship it? The Commandment only prohibits graven images that are designed for worship. Otherwise all photographs and art work depicting people and animals would be prohibited for all Christians. I don't worship my cat, so I don't worship photos of him. I also have photos of my daughter, but they are not an object of worship. We have a sculpture of a rabbit in our home, but I don't worship it, so none of these are prohibited by the commandment. But when I see Pope Francis bowing down and worshiping a statue of Mary, then I see that as idolatry. But having a crucifix on the wall is not idolatry unless I bow down to it and worship it. A question: When the priest bows down at the altar with a cross standing on it while taking Mass, is that idolatory? If the mere casting of a graven image is idolatry, what about the image of the serpent on a pole that Moses put in front of the Israelites that those who looked at it would not die from the snake bites from the invasion of deadly snakes into the camp? No one was worshiping the serpent on the pole therefore it wasn't idolatry. Yet the golden calf the Israelites worshiped after Aaron said, "This is your God!" was definitely idolatry.

So your Bible artwork is quite acceptable and does not compromise your faith in Christ even when you put it on the wall and admire it.

Ok, but they were putting their trust in an object because they trusted God. In the same way, people who venerate the cross or image of Saints don't do it because they are worshipped as gods but because of their relation with the Trinity.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Ok, but they were putting their trust in an object because they trusted God. In the same way, people who venerate the cross or image of Saints don't do it because they are worshipped as gods but because of their relation with the Trinity.

I don't think that violates the Commandment. When I once took a conference, I started with a big picture of Jesus on the data projector screen because I wanted the people to know who is the Person who is paramount. This may have been an imperfect artist's impression of Him but it was not an object of worship and it got the message across. I don't see any difference between that and a large crucifix behind the altar of a Catholic church, because it draws attention to the Person who is really worshipped.

Of course, when the Reformation happened, there was a lot of hysteria about images in churches and there was a lot of unfair vandalism because of it. Reformationist zealots even smashed up pipe organs in churches because they believed they were symbols of "the devil's music". It shows that when a move of the Holy Spirit happens, there are loony tunes koo koo bananatown pelicans who take things to extreme. All we need is to view Youtube videos of the "laughing revival" and other kundalini manifestations to see that.

 

[SamanthaAnastasia]

I don't think that violates the Commandment. When I once took a conference, I started with a big picture of Jesus on the data projector screen because I wanted the people to know who is the Person who is paramount. This may have been an imperfect artist's impression of Him but it was not an object of worship and it got the message across. I don't see any difference between that and a large crucifix behind the altar of a Catholic church, because it draws attention to the Person who is really worshipped.

Of course, when the Reformation happened, there was a lot of hysteria about images in churches and there was a lot of unfair vandalism because of it. Reformationist zealots even smashed up pipe organs in churches because they believed they were symbols of "the devil's music". It shows that when a move of the Holy Spirit happens, there are loony tunes koo koo bananatown pelicans who take things to extreme. All we need is to view Youtube videos of the "laughing revival" and other kundalini manifestations to see that.

Ah I see what you are saying now.

 

[SamanthaAnastasia]

I don’t see any issue with displaying it in your home, especially if done so respectfully. as for your icon corner, I think it’s fine, but I would still ask your priest.

Okay! I originally didn’t want to put it in my icon corner…it was just an after thought when I was starting to think about these things.
I think either at the entrance to my home or my bedroom or eh I’ll figure it out lol!
Thank you, Father.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Okay! I originally didn’t want to put it in my icon corner…it was just an after thought when I was starting to think about these things.
I think either at the entrance to my home or my bedroom or eh I’ll figure it out lol!
Thank you, Father.

sounds good to me.

and no problem!