Creating an image of God was
very controversial in the early Church.
Many centuries after the iconoclastic heresy,
we find that it is still controversial
in today’s world.
Last Pascha,
after the top of the feast . . . . ., after the night-service
I was confrontated with the dilemma,
that our own orthodox church at the Springweg in Utrecht,
has such an awful fresque of God the father,
spreading his arms [hands] over the whole room of our church.
I see it every service, and some time ago
during painting the windows above the altar,
[because the sun-light was to heavy and took all attention],
I had the thought to put some hydrochloric liquid over it,
to blanch this heretic picture away.
But I am a guest in this parish, a Dutchman between a lot of ‘deep-believing Greeks’,
and the bishop himself agreed with this picture, so I trembled and let it as it was.
But back to last Pascha:
A young man asked me after the Pascha-service:
“Is this a real orthodox church?”
“Why is that picture over the altar?”
In spite of my empty stomach, I felt some pain overthere,
and I became . . . more hot . . . , than before,
[the Greek like mostly about 22ₒ C. in church]
understanding how I was feeling myself.
I stumbled something like “the Old fathers, etc. . . . . .
and promised him to give an explanation,
which I give next pdf:
Orthodoxy & God the Father and dove Icons