Modern culture very often expresses himself by challenging and provoking generally accepted norms. And many traditions, which until recently were unacceptable in society, are now becoming almost the norm and do not cause harsh criticism.
On the other hand, Orthodoxy is an orthodox religion, the basic tenets of which have not changed throughout the two millennia of the existence of Christianity. Let's talk today about such a fashionable trend of our time as tattoos. What is the attitude of the Orthodox Church towards tattoos? Is it permissible for an Orthodox person to do them?
What the Bible Says About Tattoos
We see the main justification for the prohibition of putting an image on oneself in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus: “You shall not make any cuts in your flesh or write marks on yourself.” In the New Testament, in the Revelation of John the Theologian, there is a warning not to put on yourself the marks of the beast, which is also very often compared with tattoos.
The Bible on Tattoos
The essence of the biblical prohibition of images on humans is a reverent attitude towards the physical body, as a vessel of the immortal soul. In the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians you can see that the human body is called the temple of God. Such a high comparison excludes a disdainful attitude towards everything physical, preventing it from being desecrated.
According to the same apostle, every believer is a living temple of God. And just as you cannot desecrate temples at your whim, you also cannot change anything given by God at the request of a person. This does not mean at all that the body does not require care; on the contrary, there should be care as a vessel of the soul. But excessively decorating, changing one’s original appearance or features is a sin for a Christian.
Historical and cultural aspects of tattoos
In pre-Christian and early Christian times, tattoos were part of pagan and occult rites. They were applied either as a sign of the dead, or to enter into trance and other states that alter consciousness.
Interesting! With the advent of Christianity, tattoos were used mainly as a mark. They “marked”, for example, criminals, women prostitute, card scammers.
The tradition of tattooed branding has been preserved throughout the world for many centuries. Many probably remember how much trouble the lily on the shoulder of Lady Winter, the heroine of A. Dumas’ novel “The Three Musketeers,” brought. To this day, in places of deprivation of liberty there is a whole complex system of prison tattoos, which imprint on a person for life the history of his crimes and serving sentences.
The civilized world learned about tattoos as decoration around the 18th century, when the traveler D. Cook discovered the native settlements of the Tahiti islands. It was there that he saw images on local residents that were purely decorative in nature and were made only for the sake of beauty.
How Orthodox Church refers to tattoos
However, the fashion of decorating the body in this way did not meet with much approval from society. Not so long ago, already in the 19th century, the authoritative Italian doctor C. Lambroso considered tattooing as a disorder inherent in people prone to crime.
Only in the middle of the twentieth century did tattoos become a fashionable attribute of young people. People begin to paint themselves at their own discretion, not always putting deep meaning into the images. Massive youth subcultures are emerging that actively use tattoos.
As we see, even without taking into account the spiritual influence of tattoos, simply in the historical and semantic meaning, images on the body have not brought anything good since ancient times. The most harmless thing - a tribute to fashion - suggests that a person simply does not understand the deeper meaning and influence of tattoos on his life.
Spiritual harm of tattoos
Why is a simple picture on the body so dangerous for a Christian? First of all, desecrating oneself as a vessel of God is a sin. There are already many sinful acts in a person’s life, which often cannot be avoided. So why spoil your soul even more with something you can easily do without?
About sins:
Man is a spiritual-physical being. It is impossible to consider physical life separately from the life of the soul, and vice versa. Therefore, any changes on the physical level will certainly affect spiritual life, and vice versa. And drawing images is no exception.
Priests who deal with human destinies every day and listen to confessions often note that people repent of having gotten tattoos. For many of them, when they started wearing the “simple picture,” difficulties and problems began in life, a feeling of abandonment by God, and despondency appeared. This is the action of sin, which a person himself allows into his life.
Important! Signs and symbols applied to the body carry with them a certain spiritual load, which a person may not even know about.
Thus, neo-pagans and occultists often use runes, hidden pentagrams and other satanic symbols for tattoos. To an outwardly uninitiated person, such a tattoo may seem simply beautiful. graphic design, which does not carry any information. But in fact, by applying it to himself, a person allows those forces that are indicated in symbolism to enter his life. Of course, for an Orthodox Christian this is unacceptable.
Even if you don’t inject any mystical or magical signs, a tattoo “for beauty” is incompatible with the faith of Christ. The pursuit of fashion, excessive decoration of the body (not only with images, but also with overly pretentious clothing, bright makeup, etc.) - all this distracts a person from Christ and occupies his thoughts with earthly things. The Lord should always come first in the life of a Christian, and concern for the physical and external should remain within reasonable limits.
The attitude of the church towards tattoos
What to do if the tattoo was done a long time ago
Since many modern Christians gained faith as adults, we come to church with a lot of baggage of previous sins. And it is not uncommon for a person to come to faith whose lifestyle was previously very distant from moral standards. And if a person repents internally of moral sins, external changes sometimes remain visible for the rest of his life.
Of course, if a person realized that at one time he stumbled and got a tattoo in vain, he must definitely repent about it in confession. If it is technically possible, it is advisable to remove the tattoo, especially if it is an aggressive or angry image.
Repentance implies an obligatory refusal to repeat a sin. Avid tattoo artists very often fall into a certain kind of addiction to applying more and more new images to their bodies. We must understand that if a person goes to God and repents, he must refuse new tattoos for the rest of his life.
On the attitude of Orthodoxy to other aspects of life:
Some priests who strictly observe church canons may not allow a person with tattoos to take communion for a while. Such a decision by the priest can be caused not only by tattoos, but also by other serious sins.
Advice! In this case, it is important to be sure to resign yourself to this decision of the priest. He can assign some kind of penance - a penitential rule that must be fulfilled. This could be reading some prayers, helping the suffering, working in the temple.
If the penitent accepts such work as from the hands of God, he will feel great spiritual help. After completing the required work, the priest will read a prayer of permission, and the person will be able to begin the Sacraments.
Thus, tattooing a person has never been encouraged culturally or spiritually. The Lord created man in His image and likeness, and we have no right to modify this image. The body must be kept in order, health and neatness, and excessive adornment does not benefit the Christian.
Is it possible to get tattoos - the priest’s answer
becauseilive more
After writing over two dozen centers on tattoo ideas that feature pictures as the majority of the content, I began to notice that most of There aren't as many comments from people asking for ideas on what to say as how to say it. Like Lindsay, for example, commenting on hub tattoo ideas: words and phrases and said: “I want some Latin with a phrase that has to do with karma.” Or Jesso, who said: "I have colorful fish on my left, lower back, and then I want a script.. just something I don't know... something positive to remind me every day is mine, I am in control of my destiny" .
The tricky thing about quote tattoos is that nine times out of ten they can't last too long. If you have a huge expanse of skin that you plan to dedicate to the TAT, like your forearm or your entire back, you will need to choose a quote that is short enough to fit in a small area. A few years ago my friend wanted to have something I wrote tattooed on her in my handwriting. The quote she wanted was twenty-one words long, and she wanted it somewhere on her inner forearm. As she is already quite heavily tattooed, there are no such criteria as to get it in place, which can easily be hidden if necessary. She's lucky. As a result, she becomes his running along her hand next to the word girl who was already there. Most people don't have the same flexibility as her. Maybe your job is too professional for tattoos and piercings, or you don't want your mother to see it. If so, then a quote tattoo can be tricky to find a place for. And if you think you're going to fit the entire poem (if it's haiku) on your wrist, squeezing down the letters, font size 5, you're wrong. Good tattoo artists will only allow you to make the lettering so small because they know that tattoos are a mixture that will fade and bleed over time. The smaller the font, the more likely you are to be left with a meaningless Blob ten years down the road. So although there are millions of wonderful quotes about the beauty of love, I have tried to collect only the ones that are on the short side, yet meaningful at the same time.
Quotes-Religion, God, Faith 
Love is a rose, the spirit is burning, hearing, God remains.
Faith isn't faith until that's all you cling to.
You block your dreams when you allow your fear to grow larger than your faith. —Mary Manin Morrissey
I didn't go where I set out to go, but I think I ended up where I wanted to be. -Douglas Adams
God will never give you more than you can handle.
One life is all we are and we live as we believe in it. But to sacrifice what you are and live without faith, that is, a fate more terrible than death. -Joan of Arc
Faith is a bird that feels the breaking dawn and sings while it is still dark. —Scandinavian proverb
Everything I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for everything I have not seen. —Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Lord either calms the storm...or resolves its fury when He calms you.
Fear ends where faith begins.
God places a heavy burden on those who can bear the weight. Reggie White
We turn to God for help when our foundations shake, only to find out that it is God who shakes them. —Charles S. West
Faith is the force with which the world must come into being. — Helen Keller
A little faith will carry your souls to heaven; great faith will bring heaven into your souls. — Charles Spurgeon
My precious, precious child, I love you and I will never, ever leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you. — “Traces” poem
Tattoos with religious meaning are quite a serious form of art. After all, such tattoos expose a person’s inner world to others, telling about his beliefs and the power of faith.
Unlike generalized drawings, religious tattoos show not only a person’s religious commitment, but also forever determine his ethnicity for those around him. In a sense, applying such tattoos requires greater courage and constancy of worldview from the wearer.
Origins of the direction. Catholicism.
Historians suggest looking for starting point religious tattoos of the European branch of Catholicism. It was those who were adherents to the faith of Christ who were the first to mark human bodies with the sign of the cross. True, they did this not with paint, but with a brand.
Today, the medieval brutality of Catholics is left behind, and the art of depicting religious motifs has reached perfection. Today you can express your involvement in the Catholic faith through images such as:
- Combination of rosary and roses;
- Face of Christ with crown of thorns;
- Madonna;
- Scenes from the Bible;
- Biblical texts in Latin.
These tattoos are most common among Latin Americans. Here you can also find the most large-scale paintings and sketches with many references to biblical themes.
Orthodox branch.
Christian tattoos are also reflected in the Orthodox faith. Most often, Orthodox believers decorate their bodies with stylized crosses and crucifixes. Moreover, they are usually placed on the shoulder. Among the larger-scale works you can find images of Jesus Christ. Unlike the Catholic version, in Orthodoxy he is depicted not with a thorny crown, but with a shining halo.
The image of Archangel Michael is quite common. Many people print portraits of their patron saints. There are also images of churches and domes.
However, it is worth considering that these tattoos are perceived exclusively in a prison context.
Mexican tattoos
The religious theme of tattoo art in Mexico is inextricably linked with the Chicano style. Mexican religious tattoos have incorporated ideas about faith that have developed in the American Catholic environment. The bulk of the sketches contain variations on the theme of the rose and the Madonna. Sometimes the Holy Virgin is depicted with a baby.
The peculiarities lie in the Mexican style of depicting familiar images. Invented by the Mexicans, the Chicano style tattoo has become popular all over the world. But in Mexico itself, the style is closely associated with the religious and gangster world. Intertwined, both storylines gave rise to a new recognizable direction. In addition, Chicanos can be distinguished by the following nuances:
- In the sketches, the theme of religion is necessarily combined with the theme of crime;
- The paintings express suffering and hope;
- Madonna's face always has colorful Mexican features.
Chicano style images can be either monochrome or full color. The main emphasis is on drawing details and clarity of lines.
Muslim tattoos.
Muslims, like Buddhists, do not prohibit, but do not encourage tattoos. There are no references to the need to decorate your body with tattoos in the Muslim holy book. But if desired, representatives of the Islamic world fill themselves with images of a crescent moon or quotes from the Koran.
However, they cannot be fully classified as religious tattoos. Since this is rather a tribute to ancient Arab culture. And the desire to especially emphasize the feeling of patriotism.
Judaism is Orthodox and secular.
Tattooed Jews can be found much less often than representatives of other faiths. This is due to the fact that tattoos in Judaism are not encouraged in the same way as working on Saturdays or eating pork. Among Orthodox Jews, body designs are not found at all. But Jews who lead a more secular lifestyle can afford to deviate from the rules.
Sketches of religious tattoos in Judaism contain excerpts from the Torah, always written in Hebrew. The image of the Star of David and other cultural and religious attributes is also common.
Tribes, eastern peoples and bygone beliefs.
A separate line is worth mentioning about the tattoos of representatives who share the views of Eastern philosophy. Today they are among the most tattooed in the world. Moreover, the vast majority of drawings have a spiritual, sacred meaning.
From part religious significance have tattoos of African tribes and Indians. As a rule, they draw totem animals that are significant to them on their skin. Patterns that bring good luck are also common.
One of the most popular trends reflected in polytheistic religions today are images of Slavic and Scandinavian motifs. Runes, ornaments, stylized images of gods - all this is regarded as a tattoo amulet and is actively used as independent subjects or parts of more complex paintings.
Having a tattoo on your body is now considered fashionable. It’s especially great if the body image carries a certain meaning. A tattoo in the form of an inscription can be a great motivator for you and those around you. Text tattoos can be done in a variety of styles, from elegant cursive to minimalist printed. Drawings with words or quotes reveal the essence of a person better than others, reminding us of the trials we had to go through or about. happy moments life. In addition, tattoos in the form of inscriptions are also good because you are unlikely to meet a person with a similar image. You can show your personality through text. By the way, here you have a choice: you can write words both in your native language and in a foreign language. One of the most popular places to apply such a tattoo is the hand.
Tattoo inscriptions with translation
Tattoos in Latin with translation
The leading place among foreign language sources is occupied by English and Latin. However, they are also in great demand. It is worth noting that tattoos with Latin text often express a philosophical meaning, since they, as a rule, were sayings of noble and great people of antiquity. Latin quotes can be seen on both men and women.
Family tattoo lettering
A woman's strength is in her family. Some representatives of the fair sex strive to show their love for loved ones. Tattoos of the word "Family" and its derivatives can be seen on the wrist, ankle, foot and neck.
Philosophical tattoo inscriptions
Representatives of the fair sex are deeper creatures than they might seem at first glance. Sometimes a simple girl can harbor such emotions, experiences and thoughts that are difficult to imagine at first. Creative people approach this, as a rule, from a philosophical point of view. Here it is no longer possible to get by with just one word. Although, as you know, one word can contain a powerful inspiring force.
Beautiful phrases in English for tattoos with translation
If you are thinking about the inscription on English language, this list of phrases will be of interest to you:
- Battle of life - Fight for life.
- Be careful with your thoughts - they are the beginning of deeds - Be careful with your thoughts - they are the beginning of actions.
- Destroy what destroys you - Destroy what destroys you.
- Don"t break up with your past until you"re sure in your future - Don't break up with your past until you are sure of your future.
- Endless love - Endless love.
- Everyone has one's own path - Everyone has their own path.
- Everyone is the creator of one's own fate - Everyone is the creator of their own fate.
- Everyone sees the world in one's own way - Each person sees the world in his own way.
- Fear transfers the clever into the silly, and makes the strong be the weak - Fear makes the smart foolish and the strong weak.
- Follow your heart - Follow your heart.
- Free your mind - Free your mind.
- I remember too much, that"s why I"m damn sad sometimes - I remember a lot, that's why I am sometimes damn sad.
- Live without regrets - Live without regrets.
- Music creates the feelings which you can't find in life - Music creates feelings that do not exist in life.
- Never give up - Never give up.
- Never look back - Never look back.
- Never stop dreaming - Never stop dreaming.
- Now or never - Now or never.
- People rejoice at the Sun, and I"m dreaming of the Moon - People rejoice at the sun, and I dream of the moon.
- The inevitable price we pay for our happiness is eternal fear to lose it - The inevitable price we pay for happiness is the eternal fear of losing it.
- The love of my life - The love of my life.
- The most dangerous demons live in our hearts - The most dangerous demons live in our hearts.
- Wait and see - Let's wait and see.
- We hate the ones we love because they can cause the deepest suffering - We hate those we love because they are capable of causing us the most suffering.
- While I am breathing, I love and believe. - As long as I breathe, I love and believe.
"Glorify God both in your body and in your soul, which are God's"
(1 Cor. 6:20).
Are Christians allowed to have images on their bodies? To understand this, let’s turn to the Bible and patristic writings, the dogmas of ecumenical councils, as well as literature for preparing for confession, because it usually lists all kinds of sins in great detail. For a Protestant, there is only the authority of the Bible. A Catholic should listen to the decrees of the Pope and councils.
The dogmas of the Orthodox Church and the writings of the Church Fathers say nothing about this. Let us then turn to the Bible, it contains only 1 verse that clearly speaks of impaled images. Here he is:
“For the sake of the dead, do not make cuts on your body and do not write on yourself. I am the Lord.”
(Leviticus 19, 28).
In this case, the line above says:
“Do not shave your head round, and do not spoil the edges of your beard” (Leviticus 19:27).
These Old Testament quotes speak of the inadmissibility of adopting pagan rituals, that is, performing these actions for the sake of the deceased and for the glorification of pagan gods. If we assume that tattooing is clearly prohibited here, then we must also recognize the prohibition of cutting a beard. Moreover, the Gospel has abolished many old norms, such as rituals involving the blood of animals.
The New Testament says about the Antichrist:
“And he will cause everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead” (Rev. 13:16).
But it is also written:
“And it was said to it [the locust] that it should not harm the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree, but only to people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (Rev. 9:4).
“And I looked, and behold, a Lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with Him an hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads” (Rev. 14:1).
Does the mark or seal on the forehead have anything to do with a tattoo? It's impossible to say clearly. So, it appears that Scripture does not directly command anything for modern Christians regarding tattooing.
At the same time, we must remember that Christians live for the glory of God and strive with all their souls for the salvation of themselves and others. Following the words of the Apostle Paul, I will say that not everything that is permissible is useful, and not everything edifies. The concepts and morals of our time are already far from the covenants of Jesus Christ. People make body art to please people, to highlight their beauty, and to preserve memories of worldly things. It’s not even worth putting the name of your loved one, because, firstly, God comes first, secondly, romance did not come from Christianity, but from the medieval military environment, and, finally, thirdly, real Christians love all sisters and brothers alike, they make no difference between relatives and step-brothers. Romantic love and Christian love are not the same thing.
You also cannot tattoo oriental symbols, that is, dragons, Japanese and Chinese characters, and the like. They express a completely different vision of the world, far removed from Christianity. So, a non-Christian tattoo for believers in Jesus is unacceptable. If salvation is the most important thing, then why just pay attention to worldly things?
In books for preparing for confession, there is no sin of tattooing, although such violations of God's law as dancing and crossing the road when the color is red are cited. In one of them, however, there is a phrase: “I sinned by following the godless customs of this world, and also wanting to please and seduce, I cut my hair and dyed my hair (this violated God’s commandment about appearance women)". That is, any actions with unjust goals are condemned, and it is difficult to imagine Christian cosmetics.
According to the Orthodox faith, sacred images are needed, firstly, to remind us of God, sacred events, the instructive life of the Lord and the saints of God, secondly, to present the teachings of God, thirdly, to excite religious feelings in us, fourthly, to glorifying God with art, just as they glorify even people with all sorts of monuments, just as they glorify God with art - singing and music. (According to N.Yu. Varzhansky “Weapons of Truth”)
The Bible recognizes the possibility of correct sacred images:
“And thou shalt make a tabernacle of ten curtains of fine woven linen, and of blue, purple, and scarlet [wool], and thou shalt make cherubim on them with cunning work” (Ex. 26:1).
“Cherubim and palm trees were made: a palm tree between two cherubim, and each cherub had two faces. On one side the face of a man was turned to the palm tree, and on the other side to the palm tree was the face of a lion; this was done all around the temple” (Ezek. 41, 18-20).
Besides:
"Don't you know that your bodies essence temple the Holy Spirit living in you, which you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God and in your bodies and in your souls who are God's" (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
The temple has the correct images.
“Show them the appearance of the temple and its location... and all its images” (Ezek. 43:11).
Some argue that impaling is prohibited because it was used by pagans. If this is understood, then it is necessary to prohibit sacred images in general, because even before God’s command to make images of cherubim in the tabernacle, pagan peoples depicted their gods.
IN Christendom The Coptic Orthodox Church (Egypt) widely uses tattoos; after baptism, a cross is made on the right wrist. Egyptian law requires showing your hand when applying for a job, because Copts are prohibited from leadership positions. Therefore, for example, men become loaders, and women become cleaners.
In any case, the question of salvation depends on the human soul, images and objects; formal execution of the rules alone cannot do this. When choosing a tattoo, you should not completely trust catalogs in tattoo parlors, because who created them is unknown, and any image reflects the inner world of the artist. It’s better to choose yourself and bring the finished sketch to the master. The master, performing a procedure with his own hand, unconsciously introduces a piece of his “I”. After all, only Christians, and not worldly artists, paint churches. Finding a truly religious tattoo artist in salons is not so easy. Today, most people perceive the owner of body painting as a thrill-seeker who lives for pleasure and satisfaction, and at the same time, a person who is firm enough to adhere to his rules. The images that are painted forever are looked upon as something mundane, but now it is almost a modern youth language. To bring other people to Christ, we must convey to them the lofty Christian truths of Orthodoxy in an accessible way.
