The main dogma of Christianity is the doctrine of the three persons of one essentially God, who are the Holy Trinity. These three hypostases included in Him - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are not merged with each other and are inseparable. Each of them is a manifestation of one of its essences. The Holy Church teaches about the complete unity of the Trinity, which creates the world, provides for in it and sanctifies it.
Image of the Holy Trinity in icon painting
The Holy Trinity is a traditional subject of Orthodox icon painting. But since the direct image of God would be a violation of the concept of his eternity and incomprehensibility, expressed in the words of the Evangelist John: "No one has ever seen God," it is customary to use his symbolic images, the main of which is the Old Testament Trinity.
To reveal this image, icon painters traditionally resort to depicting the scene described in the 18th chapter of the biblical Book of Genesis. It was called "Hospitality of Abraham". In verses 1 to 18, the forefather Abraham, during his daytime rest, was honored to be visited by three men. Seeing with spiritual eyes that in their image God himself appeared before him,Abraham showed the greatest respect and hospitality to those who came.
It was this scene that became the basis of the traditional icon-painting plot - the Old Testament Trinity. As mentioned above, deprived of the possibility of a direct depiction of the Creator of the world, the masters resorted to symbolism in their works, which became their main expressive device. So it became a tradition, fixed with the blessing of church hierarchs, to represent the husbands who visited Abraham in the form of three angels.
The appearance of the Holy Trinity in picturesque scenes
For the first time, images depicting the Old Testament Trinity appeared in the 2nd century on the walls of the Roman catacombs, where the first Christians performed divine services secretly from the pagan authorities. These drawings did not yet correspond to the canons established in later centuries, and the scenes presented on them looked quite historical. But already during this period, artists unknown to us tried to emphasize the similarity of all three guests of Abraham.
Later in theology, the term "isocephalic" appeared, which denoted the equality of travelers. In the wall images of the Roman catacombs, it is emphasized by the deliberate uniformity of the poses and clothes of the three men. Gradually, the image of the guests who visited the Old Testament forefather began to take on an increasingly symbolic character, and over time, the tradition of depicting them in angelic form has developed.
It is important to note that the plot of the "Old Testament Trinity" is often presented in two versions - isocephalic and non-isocephalic. In the first case, asIt is clear from the term itself that with the complete static composition, the mutual equality of the three angels is emphasized. In the second, one of them is highlighted with a halo, an image of a cross, or an appropriate inscription.
Ancient Basilica Mosaic
Besides the Holy Trinity, on the walls of the catacombs, one of the oldest images of Her is a mosaic of the 5th century on the Arc de Triomphe of the Roman basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Image composition is quite complex. It is visually divided into two parts. The top depicts Abraham running out to meet the wanderers, one of whom is surrounded by a radiant halo - a symbol of holiness, and the bottom shows a laid table at which guests are sitting. The owner of the house, Abraham, is depicted in it twice - serving the guests and giving instructions to his wife Sarah. The background is a view of a rich building with a tower - obviously, the house of Abraham and the Mamre oak, under which the meeting took place.
Final composition
In the XIV century, the composition of icons depicting the Holy Trinity took shape in the form in which its most famous examples are written. This is evidenced by the icon of the Zyryanskaya Trinity, created during this period and attributed to the brush of St. Stephen of Perm. It is generally accepted that it is in it that the scene is presented for the first time, the center of the composition of which is the angels sitting at the laid table.
Andrey Rublev: "The Old Testament Trinity"
A lot has been written and said about this work. And this is no coincidence, because among the variety of icons painted on the plot"Hospitality of Abraham", a special place is occupied by Rublev's "Old Testament Trinity". According to the unanimous opinion of art historians and all connoisseurs of ancient Russian painting, in it the artist reached the highest degree of disclosure of the spiritual essence of the Triune Deity. This work, created in the 15th century, has become one of the most famous Russian icons.
The compositional solution of the image is very peculiar. The figures of angels are, as it were, inscribed in an invisible circle, symbolizing the consubstantiality of all three hypostases. At the same time, the artist achieves an effect in which the viewer's gaze does not linger on any of them, but freely stays inside the space formed by them, the semantic center of which is a bowl with the head of a sacrificial lamb. It is around her that the silent dialogue of gestures takes place.
Christian symbols in Rublev's icon
It should be noted that the "Old Testament Trinity" is an icon full of symbolic paraphernalia expressing the main Christian dogmas. It is no coincidence that the background for the image of the figures of angels is a house, a tree and a mountain. Their images are full of specific meaning. So, the angel on the left symbolizes God the Father. This is evidenced by the image of the house placed above Him - the chambers of Abraham, which corresponds to the initial moment of the Divine economy, performed according to his will.
The tree - the oak of Mamre, depicted above the central figure, is involuntarily rethought as a tree of life, and is associated with the torments of the Cross of the Savior. Accordingly, the viewer is left in no doubt thatthe author depicted the Son of God Jesus Christ as the central figure of the composition.
As for the figure of the left angel, a hint of its belonging is the mountain depicted above it - a symbol of spiritual ascent, carried out through the action of the third hypostasis of the Holy Spirit. The most significant events are connected with the image of the mountain in the Bible. These are the giving of the tablets of the Covenant at Sinai, the Transfiguration of the Lord on Tabor and the Ascension on the Mount of Elion in Jerusalem.
One more important idea that is expressed by the "Old Testament Trinity" should be noted. Andrei Rublev, in his truly brilliant creation, managed to create a prototype of true unity and love. His figures, devoid of active movement, and as if immersed in motionless contemplation, are full of silent communication. Before the eyes of the viewer appears the process of communication of divine energy, contained within the three hypostases of God.
Icon of Simon Ushakov
Another icon "Old Testament Trinity" is also widely known, the author of which is the master of the Silver Chamber at the Armory Order of the Moscow Kremlin Simon Ushakov. It was written in 1667. In its composition, Ushakov's "Old Testament Trinity" follows the tradition of Andrei Rublev. It presents the same scene of the appearance of wanderers to the forefather Abraham, and in the same way the figures of angels are inscribed in a circle that creates the impression of a certain unity in the viewer. However, this work has its own individual characteristics.
Decorativeness replacing symbolism
It is easy to see thatUshakov's angels, although similar in their design to the figures depicted on the icon by Andrei Rublev, differ from them in their excessive physicality and naturalness. Their wings, painted with great detail, seem heavy and unable to lift even disembodied spirits into the air.
Striking differences include the background against which the whole scene is presented. If for Rublev it has, first of all, a symbolic meaning, then for Ushakov it is rather decorative. It's just a beautiful landscape with an old palazzo, a mountain and a picturesque tree. This author in the icon "Old Testament Trinity" practically deprived all three landscape attributes of their symbolic meaning. Even a cursory glance at them is enough to recall similar details in Veronese's paintings.
The decoration of the table also attracts attention. If in Rublev it is limited to only one bowl with the head of a calf, which is also full of symbolic meaning and directs the viewer’s thoughts to reflections on the expiatory sacrifice of the Son of God, then in this case the painter emphasized the rich table setting, combined with the exquisite painting of the chairs. Such an abundance of decorativeness is not typical for an icon.
New Testament Trinity
The plot of the icons described above is taken from the Old Testament, so they are called "Old Testament Trinity". But one cannot ignore the frequently encountered images of the New Testament Trinity - a different version of the image of the Divine Trinity. It is based on the words of Jesus Christ given in the Gospel of John: "I and the Father are one." In this plot, three Divine hypostases are represented by images of God the Fatherin the form of a gray-haired old man, God the Son, that is, Christ, in the form of a middle-aged husband and the Holy Spirit in the form of a Dove.
Variants of the image of the New Testament Trinity
This plot is known in several iconographic versions, which differ from each other, mainly by the position of the figures depicted in it. The most common of them - "The Throne", represents the frontal image of God the Father and God the Son, seated on thrones or clouds, and the Dove hovering over Them - the Holy Spirit.
Another well-known plot is called "Fatherland". In it, God the Father is represented seated on a throne with the infant Savior Emmanuel, sitting on his knees and holding a sphere in blue radiance in his hands. Inside it is placed a symbolic image of the Holy Spirit in the form of a Dove.
Disputes about the possibility of the image of God the Father
There are other icon-painting variants of the New Testament Trinity, such as "Crucifixion in the womb of the Father", "Eternal Light", "Sending Christ to earth" and a number of others. However, despite their wide distribution, disputes over the legitimacy of depicting such plots have not ceased among theologians for centuries.
Skeptics appeal to the fact that, according to the Gospel, no one has ever seen God the Father, and therefore it is impossible to portray him. In support of their opinion, they mention the Great Moscow Cathedral of 1666-1667, the 43rd paragraph of the decree forbids the image of God the Father, which at one time gave rise to the withdrawal of many icons from use.
Their opponents also base their claims on the gospel, citing the words of Christ: "He who has seen me has seen my Father." One way or another, but the New Testament Trinity, despite disputes, is firmly included in the plots of icons revered by the Orthodox Church. By the way, all of the listed variants of the New Testament Trinity appeared in Russian art relatively late. They were unknown until the 16th century.
