The image of the Savior Emmanuel: meaning, iconography and photo

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Icon - an image of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, the Holy Trinity, Saints, etc. Often you can find icons that describe any biblical events. From the Greek language, this word is translated as "image". In Orthodox Christianity, the icon occupies a special place. For believers, this is a wordless appeal to God, a kind of prayer. The Church demonstrates its teaching through icons.

Iconographic types of the image of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the main icon painting in Christianity. The true image of the Savior has long been the cause of controversy, which has led to several types of images of Jesus:

• Savior Not Made by Hands;
• Spas Almighty (Pantocrator);

• King King;
• Great Bishop;
• Don't Cry Me, Mati;
• Christ the Old Denmi;
• Angel of the Great Council;
• Good Silence;
• Good Ps alter;
• Vine true;
• Spas Emmanuel;
• The Vigilant Eye.

Iconographic type of Christ in adolescence

Savior Emmanuel - the image of the face of Jesus Christ in adolescence. This name was first discovered in the prophecy of Isaiah, which speaks of the coming of the Savior into the world: “… behold, the Virgin in the womb will receive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name: Immanuel” (Is. 7, 14). The iconography of the Savior Emmanuel is based on biblical fragments. Emmanuel means "God is with us." It is believed that on this type of icons the Lord is depicted at the age of twelve. The basis for this is a passage from the Gospel of Luke: "And when he was twelve years old, they also came, according to their custom, to Jerusalem for a feast." The appearance of this type of iconography dates back to the turn of the 6th-7th centuries. To date, Italian mosaics with the image of the Savior Emmanuel of that time are known. Icons of Jesus Christ in adolescence are quite rare. Much more often you can find images of the baby Jesus in the arms of the Virgin. Such icons can be partially attributed to the iconography of Emmanuel. But still they differ in execution and spiritual content. The icons of the Savior Emmanuel practically do not differ from the icons of the Savior Almighty (Pantocrator). The Lord God on these icons is dressed in royal clothes, and halos above his head are similar. The spiritual meaning of the icons is also close. The meaning of the Savior Emmanuel is the glorification of Jesus as the heavenly King on earth. Everyone should know this.

General description of the iconostasis

Spas Emmanuel is an independent image of the child Jesus Christ, which is not an addition to the image of the Mother of God. The youth-Christ is shown to us in a tunic and a himation, with a halo over his head and a scroll in his hands. The halo above the head of Jesus speaks of his divinity before the acceptance of the Sacrament of Baptism. The icon "Savior Emmanuel" symbolizes the fulfillment of the divine plan, says that everything on earth is predetermined by the Lord God. Despite the fact that Jesus Christ on these icons is depicted as a child, his face looks quite wise, and his gaze is very penetrating and uncharacteristic of a child. Otherwise, these icons are similar to the icons of the adult Jesus Christ.

The Icon of the Savior Emmanuel

The unique icon of the boy-Jesus has reached our time. Its dimensions are quite large (2.24 x 1.2 m). The icon is kept in the State Historical Museum, where it got in 1925. For a long time she was in storerooms and was in a deplorable state. The origin of this composition is unknown. Scientists cannot determine for whom and by whom Spas Emmanuel was written. It contains not only Russian, but also Western traditions of iconography. Presumably, the author of this relic may be Bogdan S altanov or Vasily Poznansky. To date, the icon "Savior Emmanuel" is in good condition. Scientists spent titanic efforts to restore it.

Iconographic type of Jesus Christ: Deesis

Deesis is an icon painting composition that includes several images. In the center of such icons is always Jesus Christ. On either side of it are the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist in prayer poses. The spiritual meaning of these images is that the Savior sits on the throne and prepares for judgment, and those close to him ask him to bekind, merciful and forgiving. Deesis in Greek means "petition", "prayer". In the iconostasis, these icons occupy the top place. Often included in compositions depicting biblical events, where they are also at the top. An example is the icon of Andrey Rublev "The Last Judgment". In Russia, such a concept as the deesis tier appeared - a separate row of the iconostasis. The image of the Savior is always in the center, then the Mother of God, John the Baptist, two archangels: Gabriel and Michael, two apostles, etc. In the iconostases at home, the order of the icons is exactly the same.

Icon Emmanuel with archangels

There are several types of deesis: head, calf and full-length. One of the shoulder types is the icon of the Savior Emmanuel with the archangels. Young Jesus Christ (Emmanuel) is depicted here between the angels Gabriel and Michael, bowing their heads to him. The composition is distinguished by subtle and graceful faces expressing grief. The face of the Savior Emmanuel is brighter than the faces of angels. The Savior is depicted in an ocher robe with gold splashes. Archangel Michael is dressed in a pink chiton, while Gabriel is depicted in a blue robe. The golden background of the icon has not been preserved; it can only be seen above the shoulders of the angels. The paint on the halos of the angels also did not survive. You can only see the pink color on their heads.

History of the icon

The appearance of this icon can be attributed to the 12th century, to the reign of Vsevolod the Big Nest in Novgorod. Historiansit is known that he was a great connoisseur of Byzantine culture and art, he came to study in Constantinople, from where he called the masters to paint the St. Demetrius Cathedral. It is likely that it was they who created the icon of a non-standard elongated shape. She wrote on three linden boards fastened together, which is typical for icons. The free edges indicate that they were previously intended for silver framing. In Russia, such frames were widely used. Unfortunately, the icon of the Savior Emmanuel with the Archangels has not survived to our time in its original form. We see it already restored.

Icon location

The icon of the Savior Emmanuel with Angels was brought to Moscow in 1518 for restoration, where it remained. For more than a century, it hung over the doors of the iconostasis in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Later, it was transferred to the Armory, and from there it ended up in the State Tretyakov Gallery in 1963, where it remains to this day.

In conclusion, we can say that the name Emmanuel, according to church canons, is assigned to any images of the boy-Jesus. Whether it is an independent icon or an image as part of any composition (the Mother of God with the Child, the Cathedral of the Archangels, etc.). The image of the Savior Emmanuel tells us about the truth of the incarnation of the Son of God. Icons of Christ the lad show his life as a man. They refute the heresy that the Savior was not a man and appeared before people in a ghostly form. From a spiritual point of view, the icon speaks of the union in the Son of God of twonatures: human and divine.