When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses there was some commentary included with the decrees. Exodus 20:4 records, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.” The Jews interpreted this directive to mean that no image must ever be made to represent the LORD God. They even went further to the point of subscribing to this commentary that no literary description of God was to be made, except by a prophetic vision.
The Hebrew word used in Exodus 20:4, translated as image, is tsehlem. It means a likeness, resemblance, figurative semblance. The Book of Genesis indicates that Adam was created in the tsehlem of God. However after Adam rebelled against God’s ways, his children were made in the tsehlem of Adam. The implication was that all humanity no longer had a likeness to God but a resemblance to a corrupted man. And that seems to be part of our problem to this day. We are all created in the image of flawed human beings.
Many Christians over the centuries followed the Scriptural mandate on images. The Early Church went through the Iconoclastic Controversy in the 8th and 9th centuries. The Iconoclasts objected to the veneration of images (Greek word icon) of God, Jesus, saints, etc. The defenders of icons advocated for the usefulness of created matter to convey spiritual truths. The end result of the hullabaloo developed into the Feast of Orthodoxy in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholics of the Byzantium Rite. This is celebrated on the First Sunday of Lent, to commemorate the return of the use of sacred images in the Church.
During the Reformation of the 16th century some Protestants advocated for the removal of all images from churches. Many works of art, such as paintings, statues, stained glass windows, were smashed and destroyed in pious obedience to the Exodus commentary.
The Biblical prohibition against images of God even had an impact on the motion picture industry. If God or Jesus was a character in a film there was rarely any image used or the face of Jesus ever shown. Then in 1961, the MGM movie King of Kings, directed by Nicolas Ray, was the first Hollywood talking movie to show the face of Jesus, played by Jeffrey Hunter.
One of the latest films, The Chosen, is a multi-season series about the life of Christ. It has become the highest crowd-funded media project of all time. Season 3 is currently 56 per cent funded, with plans for Seasons 4 & 5 in the future. I have found it a unique portrayal of the life of Jesus and a welcome addition to the various films, videos, plays, musicals, etc. about Christ. Just google “Chosen” for more information and to watch.
The Bible declares that Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. Once, in history, God made himself visible for a short time to undergo the restoration of the tsehlem of God in people. Jesus of Nazareth is professed the true icon of God. What was once forbidden, has become revealed, according to Christians.
We live in a very visual culture, especially since the advent of television. Images convey important meanings and information. In 1911, editor Arthur Brisbane to the Syracuse Advertising Men's Club already wrote, "Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words."
Images can move us to action and cause feelings to erupt. Most people today have determined that images of God and Jesus need not be suppressed but can aid in spiritual devotion and religious action. Hopefully we can learn that the tsehlem of God is something to aspire to, not worship.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
