Didactic Icons

Didactic Icons:
The icon of the Publican and the Pharisee is what is called a didactic, or “teaching”, icon. The main difference between these icons and other Holy Icons is that didactic icons do not show actual people, but generic “types”. We can learn from the consequences of the Pharisee’s prayer and the Tax Collector’s prayer, both of which are shown in the icon. The Tax Collector is shown with a “halo” on the right, but this is not to show him as a canonized Saint who can be prayed to, but merely to show that he returned “to his house justified”. As the icon does not show actual people, it is not venerated as an icon depicting Christ or the Saints would be. (Iconreader)