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SEC. C, PAGE 4—The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C., Thurs., Dec. 24, 1970 Telling Story Of Nativity “And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. “And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger.” Luke 2:15-16. As even little children know, the words of St. Luke tell the story of the Miracle in a manger. Shepherds watching in the fields, herald angels singing — these things Christians can picture today because of St. Luke, the physician who be came Christ’s disciple. Traditionally, St. Luke did still more to preserve the spir itual treasures of the Christmas story. He literally pictured the Madonna. According to this tradition, St. Luke was an iconographer as well as a physician, and as such he created the first im age of the Madonna, a painting that became the guide for many icons in later centuries. As legend has it, St. Luke’s icon of the Madonna and his other paintings were the forerunners of the style of artistic expression known as Byzantine art. Oppressed and suppressed in some eras, Byzantine reli gious art has so original and distinctive a style that it re turned again and again, to thrive throughout 12 centuries. Today, it is enjoying a rebirth, through the efforts of dedi cated iconographers. Shoiving Images Iconography is a system for representing Christian subjects by means of pictures or images. Originally, the term meant “portrayal,” and applied especially to panels portraying the figure of Christ, the Madonna, a saint or some scene from the Bible, according to the Grolier Book of Art. In the Greek Orthodox Church icon technically means a movable religious painting. However, iconogra phy often refers, more broad ly, to wall paintings and mosaics as well as portable icons. Going Iconoclastic The art of the Byzantine — or Eastern Roman — empire first flourished under the rule of Justinian, in the 6th century A.D. But trouble loomed ahead. When Emperor Leo III came to power, he brought with him a deep hatred of all images, especially icons, say the editors of the Encyclo pedia Americana. As an Iconoclast—hater of icons —Leo forbade the cre ation of religious figures and images, and the Iconoclastic Age began in 726. Paintings on church walls were whitewashed, ivories and mosaics removed, count less works of art destroyed. Comics Get Help When icons returned to favor in the 9th century, the Iconoclastic Age had been responsible for the loss of much religious art — but it had some benefits. Secular art gained by it, as artists of the monastic schools began to work under the patronage of the nobility. Even modern comic strips owe something to the Icono clasts. The monastic artists who turned to secular work brought with them the By zantine method of telling a story through a continuous series of drawings. Symbolism Rules Surviving wars, crusades and conquests, Byzantine art flourished till the middle of the 15th century. Over the years, Byzantine artists influenced others, but were rarely influenced by others. Though the early Renaissance brought realism, the colorful, decorative and formal qualities of the By zantine style remained vir tually unchanged. In Byzantine art, highly stylized figures appear, with little or no three-dimensional effect. Gold backgrounds sug gest almost no sense of space. Familiar scenes such as the Nativity show painted figures that are allegorical, mystical, symbolic—but never realistic in color or form. For believers of the Greek Orthodox faith and other Eastern churches, the sym bolic nature of Byzantine art has a deep religious signifi cance. Considered solely as an art form, the Byzantine tech nique is renowned for its beauty and decorative char acter. In its symbolic ap proach, this ancient art is closer to the art of today than the representational works of more recent cen turies. There 9 s Inspiration As in all forms of art, the story of the Nativity has been a source of inspiration to iconographers through the ages. The Madonna and Child have long been favorite sub jects for icons, while Byzan tine triptychs often showed Christ, Mary His Mother and John the Baptist. Other early iconographers turned to St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra, as a subject worthy of attention. The good bishop is known in legend as the forefather of Santa Claus. APART TRADITION Zurich, Switzerland, has long been noted for its beautiful bells. Every Christmas Eve, the Zurich bells ring out loud and clear, call ing families to church. Ringing across the ages and around the world, bells are a part of the tradition of Christmas. This same tradition is repeated in thous ands of cities, where chimes and bells ring out at midnight from the steeples and spires of the church. Bells contribute to the sights as well as the sounds of the holiday season. They are a popular decora tion and are used as ornaments on trees. Christmas Has Gone The Christmas trees are dying, the Christmas dinner has been re duced to bones, the old familiar carols sung and the gaily wrapped presents undone. However, the rush continues. Shoppers take to the streets en masse to make adjustments and exchanges and to get an early start on Christmas 1971. They ex change innapropriate gifts and buy presents, cards and decora tions at slashed prices. HAWAIIAN TREE Norfolk Island Pine from Hawaii is said to be perfectly formed, easy to decorate, stays green and needles never falL The big drawback is that the trees have no fragrance. Islanders, like mainlanders expect a piney odor. Univers ity of Hawaii researchers and State Forestry Department predict that in time Norfolk Island pine will be the Christ mas tree of the islands. Let us pause and listen anew to the message of Christmas . . . love for all. BOWERS & FLOYD INSURORS — REALTORS Mrs. Jane W. Floyd Mrs. Virginia R. Porter Mrs. Oveeda D. Shealy Louis C. Floyd James H. Winn John B. Sligh