Praying With Icons

This book offers a simple introduction to the ancient tradition of icons with special emphasis on their role in the spiritual life. Beginning with a history of iconography, Praying with Icons shows how icons are not art in the usual sense but windows to the divine, and aids to contemplation and prayer. From his own Russian Orthodox perspective, Jim Forest provides a personal and practical guide to how in fact one prays with icons. Finally, he offers readers reflections on some of the most typical icons - the Annunciation, the Nativity, Christ's Baptism, the Transfiguration, and the Descent of the Holy Spirit - offering an iconographic journey through the liturgical year.