The Hospitality of Abraham and Rublev’s Trinity

A traditional rendering of the Hospitality of Abraham icon

The Hospitality of Abraham is an icon that refers to the event detailed in Gen 18, when three men appeared at Abraham’s tent next to the Oaks of Mamre near Hebron. Abraham provided hospitality to these three men who had suddenly appeared and acted in unison, speaking as one. When they had been given a meal, the three men promised Abraham that he and his wife Sarah would have a child within a year. It was then that Abraham and Sarah realized that they had entertained angels without knowing it and had heard the will of God. The early Church quickly recognized that this event was an early revelation of the Trinity. In earlier icons of the Hospitality, this event was depicted with the three angels grouped around the table, enjoying the meal given them by Abraham and Sarah, who stand beside them and on either side. The table (resembling an altar) bears many vessels, some of which are clearly vessels used during the Divine Liturgy.   Two oaks lean in and Abraham’s tent (portrayed as a building) can be seen in the distance. There is even sometimes included a slave killing a fattened calf for the table. The theme of the icon is that of hospitality, by which we may be entertaining angels. There is also a foreshadowing of the Eucharist present.

St. Andrei Rublev’s Hospitality of Abraham (Trinity)

Yet iconography is open to innovations and creativity. A 15^th century Russian iconographer and monk named St. Andrei Rublev did just this, masterfully shifting the focus of the hospitality icon and making his version the most famous icon in the world. Because of this accomplishment, he is numbered amongst the greatest of Russian theologians. Rublev’s means of accomplishing this came by way of drastically simplifying the icon, leaving only the angels, the altar with a single chalice; and in the background only a house, a tree, and a rock. By getting rid of the many narrative elements, Rublev shifted the focus to the three angels and their interaction with one another, exploring the dialogue of love within the Holy Trinity.

This icon however, has suffered quite a bit of damage. All icons at that time were coated with a special oil to help preserve the paint. Over time, the oil blackened, leaving the image barely distinguishable. Over time different iconographers painted over it in order to renew the image for others to see, following the shapes and patterns that they could still discern. This distorted the image and left some things lost. In the early 1900’s however, there was an effort to restore the icon to its original composition, removing the extra layers of paint given by other iconographers so that we have the icon we know today. There was quite a bit of damage- the gold leaf for the background had been peeled away, there are cracks in the green at the angels’ feet and the colors have faded a bit. But what is left is truly astounding.

There has been a lot of debate about which angel represents which Person of the Holy Trinity, but I think that the three angels sit from left to right in their traditional doxological order- the Father is represented on the left, the Son is represented in the middle, and the Holy Spirit is represented on the right (from this point on I will reference the angels as the Persons they represent rather than continuing to reuse the phrase “the angel that represents” with the understanding that this is not an actual depiction of the Holy Trinity, which would be heresy). It is my hope that this reading of the icon will help make this designation clear.

Each Person wears blue signifying heaven, from which they come. All are identical and are shown to be neither male nor female. They all hold staffs, which symbolize their authority. All of their heads are inclined to one another, none holding any posture of dominance of authority over the others, keeping with the teaching that the members of the Holy Trinity are coequal in majesty and glory. The Father wears a gold robe over his blue inner garment, showing his glory as the Origin of the Godhead. The Son wears the garments that Christ is traditionally depicted in: the red robe and the blue himation. There is even a gold band on his arm near his shoulder, typical of icons of Christ, indicating that he is a priest who offers sacrifice. The Holy Spirit wears green, symbolizing life and regeneration. This calls to mind the psalmist, who wrote, “When you send forth your Spirit they are created; and you renew the face of the earth” (Ps 104:30). Behind the Father is a large building with several windows. This is the “Father’s house” where “there are many rooms” (Jn 14:3). This is our hope and desire of all our lives. Behind the Son is a tree, recalling the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden and the New Tree of Life- the Cross- prepared for Jesus. Behind the Holy Spirit is a large rock that was likely represented by Rublev as cracked- symbolizing Christ from whose open side pours forth the life giving streams of the Holy Spirit.

The best way to understand this icon then is by giving it a new name- the Johannine Pentecost. The Johannine Pentecost comes from Jesus’ Farewell Discourse (Jn 13-17), when he promises the Holy Spirit after his death: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (Jn 16:7). We can therefore see that the circular movement so apparent in this icon comes from the Son. He is ready to return to the Father (Jn 17) bows to the Father and looks with entreatingly while pointing at the chalice in front of him- the chalice of his suffering and death that he must drink (Mt 26:39, Mk 14:36, Lk 22:42). Yet at the same time he points beyond the chalice to the Holy Spirit. The Son’s right hand was originally closed, with only the index finger extended- a gesture of pointing rather than of blessing. The second finger was added by a later iconographer who likely found this detail incomprehensible. Unfortunately, the restorers did not undo this addition, leaving the gesture significantly changed as a blessing rather than referring. But the intention of Rublev is clear- the focal point of the icon is not the Son, but the Holy Spirit.

The Father, who always hears the Son (Jn 11:42), heeds his request: his hand is shown giving his blessing and he directs his gaze to the Holy Spirit, who bows his head and lowers his hand in assent. Yet the circle remains open- leaving room for us. The Holy Spirit’s gesture of assent is to bring us into the divine life of the Trinity by bringing us in faith to the Son, who shows us the Father. We thus see in this icon the activity of the Persons of the Trinity that have been recorded by Salvation history- the going from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit and again in the Holy Spirit returning to the Father through the Son.

Besides the Son’s, the Holy Spirit’s hand is the only other hand on the table, near to the chalice of Christ’s suffering by which the Holy Spirit will be given to the world when Jesus “gives up the ghost” (Jn 19:30 DR). It is also the Holy Spirit who is invoked in both the Mass and the Divine Liturgy to change the elements of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord. This brings us to the next point- the Eucharistic imagery in this icon.

The table that they are set around, as already mentioned, is clearly an altar: the chalice rests on the top and the box on the front is traditionally the drawer in where the relics of the martyrs were kept in the church. The chalice contains a bloody lamb and represents Christ’s sacrifice. It sits near the edge of the altar, inviting us to come and partake in their intimate communion in the space that they have left empty for us. We see this image of the chalice enlarged in the negative space between the Father and the Holy Spirt. Sitting in the center of this larger chalice, reminiscent of the smaller one below, is the Son. The message is clear- we partake of the life of the Trinity, we return to the Father in the Spirit through the Son- when we receive the Eucharist.

We can now see Rublev’s remarkable achievement. In writing this icon, St. Andrei has given us, for the first time, a compelling icon that accurately portrays the doctrine and life of the Trinity by showing us, in keeping with the traditions and laws of Iconography, the three divine hypostases (persons) undivided yet unique within the one ousia (substance). His accomplishment is so stunning and impossible to attribute to merely human ingenuity that we should not find it surprising that the theologian and philosopher Pavel Florensky once said, “Rublev’s Trinity exists; therefore God exists.”

For unto Thee is due all glory, honour, and worship: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

-From the Divine Liturgy

To see all of my posts on Iconography, click here.

The Theophany

The Feast of Lights is so called to celebrate the illumination of the world by the light of Christ. It is celebrated in the East on January 6^th and recalls Christ’s baptism in the River Jordan at the hand of John the Forerunner. St. John had been preaching to the people, preparing their hearts for the Messiah by his message of repentance and his baptism of repentance. John’s baptism, however, was not the same as the baptism that Christians receive today. It was a ritual washing to symbolize one’s repentance from their sins and their desire to turn back to God with all their heart. By his preaching, St. John prepared Jesus’ first disciples for him.

Jesus came to John to be baptized. Jesus did not need to do so because he was sinless, but he wished to identify in every way with sinners. In fact, when Jesus came to John, John resisted him saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Mt 3:14) Jesus did not deny this argument, but simply superseded it: “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Mt 3:15). John consented and baptized him. Jesus also, according to Tradition, was baptized so as to cleanse and purify water in preparation for Christian baptism. His baptism prefigures his death, since this event marks the beginning of his public ministry and his road to the Cross.

In the icon, Christ stands at the center, commanding our attention.   He is naked, symbolizing his self-emptying love and sacrifice. This will be shown again at the crucifixion, when he is stripped down and nailed to the Cross. He is depicted as strong and beautiful, standing straight up to show us that even in this act of abasement, he is Lord and God. Even the river seems small in comparison, barely wider than Jesus himself. Jesus is surrounded by water, symbolizing his total immersion.  John’s objection “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” is answered by Jesus’ right hand, which is giving a blessing.  He gazes at us, the viewers, telling us know that he does this for us, and not for himself.

Beside Jesus is John the Forerunner with his hand on top of Christ’s head, having pushed it under the water to baptize him. He is often shown bowing, to show that he is lower than Christ and though he is performing the action, he recognizes that Jesus does not need it. He is shown to be as rugged as the wilderness from which he came. Behind him is a bush with an axe at its roots, symbolizing John’s preaching of repentance (Lk 3:9).

John’s eyes look up to the heavens, where he witnesses the descent of the Holy Spirit above Christ (Jn 1:32-34), coming from the mandorla, which symbolizes the Father who is saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mk 1:11). We thus see in this icon the meaning of the word Theophany, which means “revelation of God.” We see in this image the manifestation of the Trinity: the Father speaks, the Holy Spirit descends, and Jesus is baptized. To the right of the river stand four angels, their hands veiled and ready to receive the newly revealed Son of God.

Below Jesus we see two figures who ride on fish and appear to be fleeing Christ. These are the Jordan (left), shown as an old man, and the sea, who is shown as a woman with a crown or a sea monster. This is to fulfill the words of David, who said,  “The sea looked and fled, Jordan turned back” (Ps 114:3) at the presence of the Lord. This also connects this event with a past event- the crossing of the Jordan by the Israelites into the Promised Land, in which the waters of the Jordan parted when they crossed. By being baptized, Jesus leads the way into the Promised Land of everlasting life. Around Jesus, we see fish, symbolizing us Christians, who now swim in these purified waters by our own baptism.

Ultimately, this icon is about Christ’s self surrender to the plan of the Father for us. It is the anticipation of his death, but also of our baptism into life. We have descended with Christ into these waters and have been baptized with him in his death. Christ desires that we foster this divine gift. Will we heed him?

To see all of my posts on Iconography, click here.

To see other icons of the Theophany, see below (click to enter the gallery).

The Pantokrator

Jesus Christ Pantokrator

Since Apostolic times, there have been those who have tried to recreate the likeness of Christ. Even at that time, Roman, Egyptian, and Greek art had reached a high level of expression that portraits could practically be taken as photographs. Those who saw his face may have even made his likeness. Eusebius, a church historian during the time of Constantine, attested that he had seen portraits of Christ that dated to apostolic times. This, unfortunately, cannot be historically verified since the Iconoclasm wreaked so much damage to existing icons. Nevertheless, it is not wrong to assume that likenesses of Christ passed on carefully by iconography may in fact be accurate. There are actually icons that match up well with the Shroud of Turin (which has an incredible amount of scientific evidence indicating that it was the burial shroud of Christ).

Perhaps the most common and oldest icon of Christ is the Pantokrator (or Pantocrator). This title is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name El Shaddai, which means “Almighty” or “All-ruler” in English. The name Pantokrator carries with it the connotation of one who has not only done great deeds but continues to do them in the here and now.

In this icon, Christ faces the viewer. Behind Christ’s head is a halo (a symbol of holiness in iconography) inscribed with a Greek cross. In the Greek cross are three letters- omicron, omega, and nu, which spell HO ON or “Who Am” in English. This is the name that God gave Moses at the Burning Bush in Exodus 3:14. This is the all-holy name of God- YHWH or the Tetragrammaton. This name was so holy that it was rarely spoken in Judaism. To use it flippantly was to ask for death.   There are two sets of letters on each side of his head- IC and XC. This is an abbreviated form of that name of Jesus (IHCOYC) Christ (XPICTOC). The entire background behind Christ is gold- symbolizing glory and the divine presence.

His eyes are looking straight forward into the very soul of the viewer. His forehead is high and convex, signifying a seat of wisdom. His nose is long and slender, contributing to a look of nobility. His mouth is small and closed in the silence of contemplation. His hair flows down behind him in rolls, signifying the endless flow of time. His neck and body are powerful and strong- a sign of his divine power and might.

Jesus is usually wearing a red robe clothed with a blue cloak called a himation. The himation can also be green in other icons. The red represents his divinity, the blue or green represents his humanity. Jesus is thus shown to be divine, but clothed in humanity. The himation is distinct from the cloak, giving expression to the dogma that Christ’s natures do not “inter-mingle” but are distinct. The himation is often shown to be tight near Christ’s waist, or a girdle is used to express the teaching that Christ has not shed his humanity when he ascended to heaven, but will remain man forever.

Detail of the right hand giving a blessing

In Christ’s left hand is a book, embossed with a Cross, which denotes that it is a book of Gospels. If the book is opened the icon is not technically an icon called “Christ the Teacher” and not the Pantokrator. When the book is open, there is usually a scriptural verse for the viewer’s instruction.   Christ’s right hand is raised in an unmistakable blessing. The hand that gives the blessing is shaped so that the fingers form the letters IC XC. The index finger is straight up to form an I. The middle finger is curved to show a C. The ring finger and thumb come together to cross, forming an X and the pinky curves to form another C.

All of these features converge together to give us a very powerful image of Christ, in which he is mystically present, striking us at once with fear of the Lord and with love, assuring us that Christ the “All-Ruler” will be there for us despite any hardships or difficulties.

To see all posts on Iconography, click here.

See the gallery below for other Pantokrator icons.

Written by a monk of Mount Athos (20th century)

From Chilandar, a Serbian Monastery in Northern Greece

From the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople

Theophanes the Greek: Fresco in the center of the cupola of Spas na Ilyine Church (The Church of Transfiguration of Christ) in Novgorod. 1378

Metropolitian Jovan Zograf. From Transfiguration Church in Zrze (nearby Prilep, Pelagonia). 1384

Identifying Mary in Iconography

Panagia Pathous

No person other than Christ is portrayed more than the Holy Mother of God. This should not be surprising since Mary’s entire existence signifies the Incarnation- of God becoming man, which is the central dogma of our faith. Besides this, no other person resembles Jesus more than Mary his mother.

As mentioned earlier, there are clear rules as to how icons are to be written and certain rules as how one portrays particular persons. The Mother of God can always be recognized by the combination of these rules:

 

Her name

Mary’s image can always be recognized because of her name, or rather her title, of Mater Theos (Mother of God) written (usually) in Greek shorthand on each side of her head. This is signified with the letters ΜΡ ΘΥ. However, some icons may not necessarily have this inscription around her head.

Her Clothing

Mary is always shown wearing a blue veil, typical of Jewish women of her day, signifying her humility and piety in the presence of God. Over the veil is a shroud, which is almost always red- a color signifying the divine- and also lays over the top of her dress, which is almost always blue or – signifying her humanity. There are a few exceptions to this, primarily western, in which the arrangement between the color of the veil and the shroud is reversed. This arrangement is the exact opposite of Christ, whose outer garments are blue over red and signify that he wears his humanity over his divinity. The arrangement on Mary calls to mind Gabriel’s words to Mary at the Annunciation: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you.” (Lk 1:35) In icons that include her full length figure, Mary wears scarlet slippers, a type of footwear that that was forbidden by Byzantine law to anyone outside of the members of the imperial family.

Stars

Mary is always portrayed with three stars representing her threefold inviolate virginity- before, during, and after Mary’s pregnancy. This is yet another way of using dogma as an identifying feature of a person’s identity. These stars can always be found on the top of her head and her two shoulders (excepting of course the icons in which the Christ-child covers a shoulder).

The Christ Child

Mary is most often (but not always) portrayed holding the Christ-child and it is this that almost always makes her unmistakable (though not necessarily, as you can see with the icon to the left of St. Anne and the Mary-child).  The way to know Christ is by his halo. In other icons in which Mary is alone, the other details make her known.

All of this serves to point us ultimately to Jesus Christ, in whom Mary’s entire identity is faithfully entwined. Without Jesus, we would know absolutely nothing of Mary, which makes Mary the quickest and most easy way of finding Jesus.

 

Other icons of the Theotokos are below:

Icon of the Theotokos “Odigitria” (“Directress”), painted by the Fathers of Vatopedi Monastery, Mount Athos

Theotokos Life Giving Spring

Mother of the Sign

Theotokos of the Passion

Glykophylousa

To see all posts on Iconography, click here.

Portraying God the Father in Iconography

As was mentioned before, the artistic portrayal of God was condemned by the Iconoclasts as idolatry, violating the First Commandment. John of Damascus, however, argued that since Christ had become visible, he could therefore be portrayed in an image. But what about the Father?

The Theophany

God the Father is more frequently manifested in the Old Testament while the Son is manifested in the New.  Throughout the Old Testament, we receive only the most basic descriptions of a “form of God,” but each author is careful to emphasize that they did not see God’s actual appearance. In Ex 33-34, God promises to show Moses his glory on Mount Sinai. But Moses’ eyes are shielded from seeing anything but God’s “back” as God’s glory passes by him for, “man shall not see me and live” (Ex 33:20). In 1 Kings 19, Elijah is told to go out of his cave on Mount Horeb (Sinai) to meet with God. The account describes the Lord “passing by” but strangely, every effect of this- the earthquake, the strong wind, the fire- do not contain or even signify his presence. It is only in a still, small whisper- a far cry from any appearance- that Elijah recognizes that God is present. In Isaiah’s experience of God, he only sees the train of God’s robe filing the temple (Is 6). In Ezekiel’s account of God, he adds so many qualifiers to his description of God that one can’t help but see that he wishes to avoid giving any sort of physical description to God. Above the angels who appear to him he writes,

And above the firmament over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness as it were of a human form. And upward from what had the appearance of his loins I saw as it were gleaming bronze, like the appearance of fire enclosed about; and downward from what had the appearance of his loins I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. (Ez 1:26-28)

There is clearly an overwhelming reluctance to claim to have seen any sort of physical attribute of God. Even that semi-tantalizing description of the appearance of the likeness cannot go farther than his waist because of the appearance of fire and bronze above.

The reasons for this mystery were manifold. The Israelites, like all nations round about them, were constantly tempted to fall into idolatry. Even at Mount Sinai, as Moses is on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments, the people attempt to make a golden calf, calling it YHWH, and are punished accordingly. God was adamant that he is not like other gods who could be contained or summed up in a piece of wood or gold, confined to one place, or could in the least way be portrayed in an artistic likeness. Even the sign of his presence amongst the Israelites- the Shekinah or “glory cloud”- was obscure and unmistakably not him.

Even St. John of Damascus scorned any portrayal of the Father in iconography. The iconographer can only portray in concrete forms what has been seen. Since the Father had never become man or taken any sort of appearance, it was completely illicit, idolatrous, and even heretical to portray him in artwork in any visible human form. To do so would be to commit idolatry and/or to add to scripture.

There is however, three valid ways of portraying the father’s presence in iconic scenes that do not betray this theology.

1. The first example is known as the “Hand of God” and can be seen in the picture to the right (taken from an icon of John the Baptist). This hand can often include a wrist or a portion of arm above it and comes from a mandorla. Used in 2^nd and 3^rd century Jewish art, it was carried over to Christian iconography and used to indicate the Father’s approval of, or intervention in, the events on the Earth. The hand was never taken as literal, but simply a metaphor and is usually portrayed giving a blessing or performing an action. The other subjects in the icon, however, are not able to see the hand, because it was not physically visible at the event. It is usually affixed to the border of the icon at the top.

2. The second way is similar to the first. It simply portrays the mandorla at the top of the icon. A picture can be seen to the left (taken from an icon of the Baptism of the Lord above).

3. The third way is to portray God’s presence with an angel who is acting as messenger of God. This is the most common way that God revealed himself to those he wished to talk to in the Old Testament. This way of representing God the Father is especially prevalent in icons depicting scenes from the Old Testament.  Perhaps the most famous example of this is Rublev’s Hospitality of Abraham (right).

All of this, to put it shortly, is to protect the sensitive theology of the icon and to avoid idolatry.

To see all posts on Iconography, click here.