Theology
Seeing the Gospel An Interpretive Guide to Orthodox Icons Eve Tibbs Foreword by Richard J. Mouw
Eve Tibbs is an Orthodox insider and veteran teacher who has devoted her career to translating the faith for evangelicals. In this book, she offers a comprehensive yet accessible introduction to the history, theology, spirituality, and role of icons in Eastern Or- thodoxy, which is followed by an immersive experience—a narrative journey through eighteen pivotal events in the life of Jesus Christ as depicted in the New Testament Gospels. Each event is illumi- nated through the form and color of Orthodox icons accompanied by descriptions of the messages they convey. Here “interpretation” works in two ways: to guide the curious, artists, students, and even the lifelong Orthodox in interpreting icons and to show how icons interpret the biblical text. Seeing the Gospel shows how the meaning of icons, which are often referred to as “windows into heaven,” reaches beyond the limits of the natural world and into the divine realm. The book presents a visual biblical language for a visual culture and even describes how icons can be used in other faith traditions. The book features ninety full-color icons throughout. “The beautiful presentation of this book—with numerous icons depicted in full color—is testimony to Tibbs’s as well as the publish- er’s commitment to the beauty and truth that shape us through the veneration of icons. Seeing the Gospel combines spiritual insight with academic knowledge and meditative prose. A most compel- ling, winsome guide to Orthodox icons!” —Hans Boersma, Nashotah House Theological Seminary FROM THE BOOK Icons are much more than what one might realize at first glance. Learning how to read an icon offers an opportunity to engage Holy Scripture with greater depth and understanding, by revealing dimensions and facets that can yield fresh insights. The icon liter- ally offers the difference between seeing something in “black and white” versus “in living color,” and yet it offers even more than that— it offers an encounter with the Kingdom of God from within the created world. . . . Whether readers are already familiar with icons or new to this ancient tradition, my desire is to rekindle interest in the written gospel while cultivating an appreciation for the visual narrative of the Bible expressed in Orthodox icons. Ultimately, my hope is that through this exploration, we may all draw closer to Jesus Christ Himself.
JUNE 2025 • 224 pp. • paper • $24.99 • 9781540968005
Eve Tibbs (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is affiliate professor of theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. She has more than twenty years of experience teaching Western systematic theology and Eastern Orthodox theology in academic and ecclesial settings. Tibbs is a member of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches, is the ministry lead for Christian education for the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco, and attends Saint Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine, California.
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ORTHODOX THEOLOGY 9781540962805 • $27.99p
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