Factory Worker

Last night we were all pretty exhausted, even the professors. So we were all relieved when we heard that we would not be leaving until the late morning. I had stayed up talking with a few people, sitting outside on the beautiful Greek night. I was luckily able to turn in relatively early and sleep in. I really needed this, the travel and the full days were starting to take their toll. It was nice to have a leisurely breakfast and then read on the beach.
We left the resort and headed for the ancient city of Dion, a holy site for the ancient Greeks. Dion was a city at the base of Mount Olympus, the home of the gods. The city had been destroyed by earthquakes and flooding in the 5th century, and the ruins are still swamping when it's not summer time. We walked around the ancient city, which is an archeological park, and saw the remnants of Greek and Roman culture. We passed many temples of the gods, public baths and the public forum. Most likely, Paul would have sailed from Dion to Athens on his missionary journey. The park also had a museum of all the artifacts that were found throughout the city. There were so many beautiful statues, carvings and vases. It was amazing to see such artistic masterpiece that have lasted thousands of years! We left the northern territory of Greece, Macedonia and headed for central Greece.

After driving for a couple hours through the Greek country side, we stopped at an icon factory.  It was strange, in my mind when I heard that we were going to an icon factory, I pictured a stone building, seclude resembling church or monastery. However we pulled up to a strip of industrial type shops, and the factory was on the second floor in the middle of the building. We walked into the first room, and every wall was covered with icons. During this program we have had readings, lectures, and discussions on Orthodoxy and specifically icons. An icon is not drawn or painted, it is written; the icon is the writing of theology. The icons we see today are the same images that have been used for centuries; the icon writer does not have the freedom to add their own creativity because every aspect of the icon tells part of the theology. That was something that really stood out to me, every aspect of the icon is telling part of the theology and is drawing the viewer to God. It is actually a very beautiful way to see theology drawn on a canvass. It is cool to think back to a time when most people were illiterate, and one could look at an icon and be able to see the theology they believed. I definitely have gained more respect for icons over the past few weeks. I’m still not on board with the level of veneration that there is for the saints, but I have come to really appreciate icons and what they represent, what they can do and what they have done for the church, and the beauty they have. While looking through the factory, I was really struck by an icon of Jesus. On either side of Jesus it said “all powerful” in Greek and in his halo it said “I AM.” One of his hands was giving a blessing, two fingers touching, signifying the two natures of Christ, and the other three outstretched, signifying the trinity. In his other hand was an open Bible, with the words “come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:25) written in Greek.  I loved the juxtaposition of the Bible verse and the words above Jesus. One hand it is saying that Jesus is all powerful in the universe, He has the ultimate power, but on the other hand he cares for the weak and the lowly.  I have always loved this verse and to see it in this context, with its connection to God’s ultimate power was really special.

We got to look around the workshop and see the wood carvings and designs strewn around the desks. In one of the rooms a priest was writing an icon depicting Jesus and Mary. It was amazing to see his talent as he was painting their faces. We were able to ask him questions about icons, the process of writing them, and his thoughts on icons. It was a very informative experience.

We got to the small town of Kalambaka which is at the foot of the Meteora monasteries.  We were able to walk around the town, and enjoy what a small town in Greece was like. We were able to walk explore the city and the local deserts.

In the evening Drs. Kalantzis and Cohick lectured on monasticism and Mary respectively. Dr. K gave us a history of the monastic movement through the church and an idea of what it means to be monk. This was helpful especially as we plan to go to a monastery tomorrow.  One thing that I found very interesting was the different reasons for celibacy in the Western and Eastern traditions. In the East it was a means of controlling the passions that separate us from God. However, in the West, celibacy was followed in order to give up the family one would have had in order to be closer to God. It was a very interesting lecture that helped me understand this way of life. In Dr. Cohick’s lecture, she addressed Mary, and how we should think of her, because as Evangelicals we are often cautious in our approach to Mary. By looking at the Biblical text, we can see Mary described as prophet, mother, and disciple.  It was very helpful to have this discussion after seeing many icons of Mary just a few hours earlier.