The icon "The Lord Almighty": type, symbolism and theological content of the image

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

For two thousand years, the figure of the poor Palestinian preacher Jesus, originally from Nazareth, has dominated all European (and not only) culture. Today, his followers in total amount to more than two billion people, that is, more than thirty percent of the total population of the planet. And there is no country where at least a small group of believing Christians does not exist. It is quite natural that the image of Christ was imprinted in the world artistic heritage, especially in religious painting and iconography. A vivid expression of the veneration of Jesus, for example, in Orthodoxy is the icon of the Lord Almighty. Its meaning is in close relationship with Orthodox theology. Therefore, it is necessary to understand a little about the role of Christ in theology.

Jesus in orthodox theology

As in all Christian churches, Christ is central to Orthodox doctrine. This can not always be felt in the practice of the modern Church, which often demonstrates inertia and superstition, focused on the cults of saints and shrines. But in his theory anddogmatic doctrine, Orthodoxy is a very Christocentric denomination. Jesus, according to her message, is the second person of the Holy Trinity - the Most High God who created the whole world. The three hypostases of the one God represent the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the second of them - the Son - at the turn of the eras descended to earth and, by the action of the Holy Spirit, was born from an earthly woman, thereby assuming human nature. The single person of Christ thus unites in itself "uncombined, inseparable, unchanging and inseparable" two natures - divine and human. Since he is God, he is also called the Lord. Being sinless in himself, Jesus took upon himself the burden of all human sins that separate the Creator and creation, and carried them with his body to the cross. Being innocently condemned and crucified, Christ thereby atoned for human sins with His blood. On the third day he rose from the dead, and on the fortieth day after that he ascended to the heavenly spheres, where he sat down at the right hand (metaphorically speaking, for the Father has no body) from God the Father, where since then he has been invisibly and rules over his church and everything the universe. This, in brief, is the Orthodox doctrine of Jesus Christ.

Jesus in iconography

The icon, being "theology in colors", seeks to reflect the dogmatic understanding of the Savior. It is in the light of dogma that the canonical Orthodox image of Christ should be interpreted. The icon depicts the always resurrected Christ, from within whom the divine light shines. Even if the image is plot, which captures the lifetime deeds of the Savior, it still shows not the earthly Jesus, but the resurrected one. That's whyan icon is always meta-historical, it reveals the spiritual essence of an event or a person, and does not fix physical reality. Ultimately, the image is entirely a symbol. And each element in it is a reflection of its spiritual root. It would be fair to say that the icon depicts the indescribable and shows the invisible. All these features are included in the icon of the Lord Almighty. Its meaning is determined by the Greek term "Pantocrator", which means "owning everything, ruling everything, having power over everything, omnipotent."

Description of the Pantokrator type

Actually, the icon of the "Lord Almighty" is not even an icon, but an icon-painting type of the image of Christ. According to canonical norms, the Savior is presented in it in the form of a reigning person. The posture at the same time can be different - he can stand or sit on the throne. Waist and shoulder options are also popular. The icon "The Lord Almighty" is immediately recognizable by the position of Christ's hands. In the left he holds a codex, which symbolizes his preaching - the gospel. And the right hand is most often folded in a blessing gesture. In general, this is the most common and recognizable icon-painting type of the Savior. It has been known since about the fourth century. And the oldest icon of the “Lord Almighty” today is an image from the Sinai monastery of the sixth century.

Symbols of "Pantocrator"

Like any iconographic type, "Pantocrator" has its own set of symbols. Most of them, however,is the result of subsequent reflection on the already established image. So the interpretation of individual details is rather conditional. The icon of the Lord Almighty reflects the theological understanding of the figure of Christ - this has already been said above. If at the same time Jesus is dressed in imperial clothes, then this emphasizes his absolute power over the cosmos. If the clothes are episcopal, then Christ represents the high priest, the redeemer, who sacrificed himself for the sins of mankind. In this capacity, he brings his blood to the heavenly tabernacle and, by virtue of this, is a priest - an intermediary between God and people. But most often the icon "The Lord Almighty" depicts Christ in his everyday clothes - a chiton, that is, a long shirt and himation - a cloak. On the tunic, however, the clave is often depicted - a vertical golden stripe that symbolizes nobility and power. In ancient times, only aristocrats could wear it. For some time now, the chiton itself has been associated with the church. The traditional halo symbolizes spiritual light, and the cross inscribed in its circumference symbolizes the sacrifice on the cross.

Honored images like "Pantokrator"

In conclusion, it must be recalled that the image is not Christ himself, and that any of them, including the “Lord Almighty” is an icon. The 19th century somewhat downplayed the importance of personal spiritual discipline and practice, as a result of which the church community still suffers from the disease of the pursuit of miraculous images. As an example of such a revered icon of the Savior, one can cite the image of the 14th century Eleazarovsky,now kept in the monastery of the same name in the Pskov diocese.