The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, December 24, 1970, Image 27
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