Art, Creation and Dogma in the Orthodox Christian Tradition

From the earliest times, different visions of art—musical and pictorial—can be seen in the Christian Church. Tradition, on the other hand, sifts through the unique relationship between the theology of creation and art as an expression of that theology. Unlike certain skeptical voices in the early Church, the Cappadocian Fathers accepted art, provided it was not exploited for secular purposes. Later authors, such as St. John Damascene and St. Theodore the Studite, developed the Christological dimension of Christian art, defining the relationship between the theology of creation and Christology within it. In the sermons of Patriarch Photius, we see a sophisticated and aestheticized approach to the subject. An attempt at an apophatic approach to the Christian icon is also evident in the epigram of Constantine Rodios. Thus, Christian art—especially visual art—acquires a clear dogmatic character based on the specific relationship between Christology and the theology of creation.