Sunday of Orthodoxy icon

[Trudy]

Good morning All!

God has blessed me with the task of teaching 6th grade and up at our Church School. I am excited and a tad nervous. Anyway...to my question...hope this is right topic heading.

I am preparing a lesson on the iconoclasts and why the Sunday of Orthodoxy is important to us as Orthdox Christians. I will be using the Sunday of Orthodoxy Icon. Can someone help me figure out who all the saints are in the icon?

I see that Empress St. Theodora is the woman in the front. The small Emperor in front of her is her son Michael. Who are the remaining saints, especially the 3 men to the right? What is the significance of the crosses on the white stoles 2 of them are wearing? I've seen this on other icons. Is it symbolical of a hierarchical office?

I'm still learning all this myself. Any help would be very much appreciated. Also any websites or books that might have the details of the saints and symbols in their icons would be helpful as well. Feel free to email me off-list if anyone would prefer to.

In Christ's love,
Athanasia

[Olga]

I'm relying on my memory of the icons I've seen of this feast, (I'll post again once I've had a chance to refresh my memory), but two saints featured would be St Theodore of the Studion, and St Cassiane the Hymnographer, both fervent defenders of icons. (though the icon you're referring to seems to only feature male saints, apart from Theodora.)The crosses on the stoles of the bishops' vestments were a very common feature in those days.

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

The three figures on the right are two priests and one bishop. Just a guess then as to who these would be- Venerable Father Theodore the Studite, Venerable Father John of Damascus & our Father among the Saints Tarasios Patriarch of Constantinople.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Olga]

Dear Athanasia

I have now looked at the icons I have of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, and one of them has the names of the saints written in their halos. It may be that this one is the same as the one you are using. They are:

Top row, from left: St Theodosia (feast day May 29), Venerable Ioannikos (Nov. 4), Theodore of the Studion (Nov. 11), Theodore Graptus (Dec. 27), Stephen the New (Nov. 28)

Bottom row: Empress Theodora and young Michael, Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople (June 14), Michael, Bishop of Synnada (May 23), Tarasius, Bishop of Constantinople (Feb. 25). All these saints lived in the eighth and ninth centuries during the two iconoclastic periods, and are noteworthy for their unstinting support of the veneration of icons. Some were even martyred for espousing this position. The troparia and kontakia of most (if not all) of these saints mentions their defence of icons.

[Trudy]

Dear Olga,

THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! I appreciate your help so very much. Having this information will be such a great assistance to the lesson for these children.

I shall research each one and get the troparia and kontakia for the lesson as well.

In Christ, Athanasia

[Olga]

Probably the fastest way of finding the lives and troparia/kontakia is via the OCA website http://www.oca.org, click on "Feasts and Saints".

[Ryan]

I am wondering if it is normal for the Triumph of Orthodoxy icons to include Saint Joseph the Hymnographer and if anyone can point me to where such an icon is available. I ask this because St. Joseph will be my patron saint and I don't think there are icons available of him alone. For instance, could anyone identify all the saints on this icon (http://orthodoxiconsonline.com/proddetail.asp?prod=F52)? I believe the saints holding up the icon of Christ are the "Graptoi" brothers (also hymnographers).

[Michael Astley]

What is the significance of the crosses on the white stoles 2 of them are wearing? I've seen this on other icons. Is it symbolical of a hierarchical office?

That vestment is the pallium, Trudy, more commonly called the omophor in Orthodoxy these days. It features in a number of icons of bishops. It was originally made of wool but is generally now made to match the bishop's vestments - same fabric, colour, &c. (Interestingly, Roman Catholics have retained the wool although they have changed the shape, but BXVI (http://www.archelaos.com/popes/imgx/Benedict_XVI_Coronation_2.jpg) sometimes wears one in the earlier shape, which more closely resembles its present Orthodox form (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/56/111811129_7b3d3ea9f3.jpg?v=0).).

In Christ,
Michael

[Olga]

I am wondering if it is normal for the Triumph of Orthodoxy icons to include Saint Joseph the Hymnographer and if anyone can point me to where such an icon is available. I ask this because St. Joseph will be my patron saint and I don't think there are icons available of him alone. For instance, could anyone identify all the saints on this icon (http://orthodoxiconsonline.com/proddetail.asp?prod=F52)? I believe the saints holding up the icon of Christ are the "Graptoi" brothers (also hymnographers).

Hello Ryan

You don't need to use an icon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy - I have a very nice icon of St Joseph the Hymnographer on his own, please PM me for more details.