One of the strongest appeals of Eastern Orthodoxy is its sense of antiquity. The icons, candles, incense, relics, chanting, and elaborate worship can give the impression that one has stepped directly into ancient Christianity. For those dissatisfied with shallow or casual religion, that sense of reverence can be powerful. Yet the fundamental question is not whether a practice feels ancient, beautiful, or spiritual. The question is whether it is apostolic. Scripture commands us to “test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5:21).
This is especially important when considering icons and relics. The Eastern Orthodox church distinguish between worship and veneration. They argue that they do not worship an icon but honor the person represented by it, sometimes describing the icon as a “window to heaven.” Nevertheless, the New Testament gives no example of Christians using images of Christ, Mary, or departed saints as devotional objects. There is no record of Christians bowing before images, kissing them, burning incense before them, or praying in their presence.
This becomes significant when compared with the biblical warnings concerning religious images. God commanded Israel, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image… you shall not bow down to them nor serve them” (Exod. 20:4-5). The concern is not simply possessing artwork, but attaching religious devotion to an image. From a New Testament perspective, worship is directed toward God “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24), rather than through physical representations.
History also raises serious questions about the claim that icon veneration came directly from the apostles. Early Christian worship was remarkably simple. Justin Martyr’s second-century description of Christian assemblies mentions Scripture reading, exhortation, prayer, the Lord’s Supper, and giving—but no devotional use of icons.
Furthermore, the Council of Elvira, around A.D. 305, prohibited pictures from being placed in churches out of concern that they might become objects of worship or adoration. Iconography became increasingly widespread centuries later and eventually produced intense controversy. The Second Council of Nicaea in A.D. 787 formally defended the veneration of icons—more than seven centuries after the establishment of the church.
Relics followed a similar development. As Christians began honoring martyrs in the second and third centuries, increasing attention was given to their remains and possessions. Eventually, miraculous powers were attributed to certain relics, and shrines developed around the bones or belongings of departed saints. By the fourth and fifth centuries, these practices had become increasingly prominent, although some Christians opposed them.
Acts 19:11-12 is relevant to this discussion because handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched Paul were associated with miraculous healings. But the passage records an extraordinary miracle performed by God through an apostle. Christians did not preserve Paul’s handkerchiefs, build shrines around them, bow before them, or establish an ongoing practice of venerating apostolic possessions. A miraculous event is not necessarily an authorized pattern for Christian worship. That distinction matters. The issue is not whether Orthodox Christians are sincere. Nor is the issue whether sacred art can remind someone of Christ or biblical history. The question is authority. Where did Christ or His apostles authorize Christians to venerate images or relics?
If these practices cannot be found in the apostolic church but instead developed gradually in later centuries, then their antiquity does not make them apostolic. The New Testament church drew near to God without icons, relics, or elaborate devotional objects. Christians had Christ, His Word, prayer, fellowship, singing, and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42). Our goal, therefore, should not be to recover “ancient” Christianity or “medieval” Christianity, but New Testament Christianity. True reverence does not require additions to what God has revealed. The deepest and most ancient faith is found by returning to the teaching delivered through Christ and His apostles—the faith “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
-John Garza