In Christianity there are many miraculous and very revered icons. But there is one that can be found in every home. This is an icon of the Last Supper, which depicts a scene that took place two thousand years ago on the eve of the crucifixion of Christ.
Storyline
The image is based on the biblical story of the last days of Jesus on earth. On the eve of Judas' betrayal, arrest and crucifixion, Christ gathered all his disciples in the house for a meal. During it, he broke a piece of bread and gave it to the apostles, saying: "Eat, this is my body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins." Then he drank from the cup and also gave it to his followers, saying that it contains his blood to atone for sins. These words later entered the church rite known as the Eucharist. The Last Supper icon also reminds the believer that on that distant day Jesus predicted that one of his disciples would betray him very soon. The apostles got excited, asking who they were talking about, but the Lord gave bread to Judas. On Maundy Thursday, the Christian Church remembers this event with a special service.
The meaning of the icon
"The Last Supper"- an icon, the meaning of which is very clear and at the same time not fully understood. The main, central elements are wine and bread, which are on the table. They talk about the body and blood of Jesus who sacrificed himself. At the same time, it can be argued that Christ himself acts as a lamb, which the Jews traditionally cooked for Easter.
Difficult to answer today when the Last Supper took place. The icon only conveys the essence of this event, but it is also important for this. After all, communion with the body and blood of the Lord allows each believer to become a part of the meal where the foundations of the Christian Church, its main sacrament, were born. She talks about the most important thing in the life of a Christian - to accept the sacrifice of Jesus, to pass it through your body and soul, to unite with him as one.
Hidden symbolism
The icon of the "Last Supper" is a symbol of true faith and the unity of the human race. Scholars who have studied biblical texts have compared them with other sources, older and more independent. They came to the conclusion that Jesus at his meal conducted a ritual that had been established before him for a thousand years. Breaking bread, drinking wine from a cup - these are the things that were done by the Jews before him. Thus, Christ did not reject the old customs, but only supplemented them, improved them, introduced a new meaning into them. He showed that in order to serve God, one does not need to leave people, break off all relations with them, but on the contrary, one should go to people and serve them.
The most famous icon and its analysis
The Last Supper is an icon that can often be seen in the refectory and in the kitchen. Today there is a wide variety of images of this subject. And each icon painter brought into it his own vision, his own understanding of faith. But the most popular icon of the Last Supper is by Leonardo da Vinci.
Written at the end of the fifteenth century, the famous fresco is located in a Milanese monastery. The legendary painter used a special painting technique, but the fresco very quickly began to collapse. The image depicts Jesus Christ, sitting in the center, and the apostles, divided into groups. It was only after the discovery of Leonardo's notebooks in the nineteenth century that the disciples could be identified.
It is believed that the Last Supper icon, the photo of which can be found in our article, depicts the moment when the students learn about the betrayal. The painter wanted to show the reaction of each of them, including Judas, because the faces of all people are turned towards the viewer. The traitor sits, clutching a bag of silver in his hand and resting his elbow on the table (which not a single apostle did). Peter froze, holding a knife in his hand. Christ points with his hands to the treat, that is, to the bread and wine.
Leonardo uses the symbolism of the number three: there are three windows behind Christ, the disciples sit in groups of three, and even the outlines of Jesus resemble a triangle. Many people are trying to find a hidden message in the image, some kind of mystery and a clue to it. So, Dan Brown believes that the artist showed the meal in an unconventional sense, arguing that Mary is sitting next to Jesus. Magdalena. In his interpretation, this is the wife of Christ, the mother of his children, whom the church rejects. But be that as it may, Leonardo da Vinci created an amazing icon that is familiar not only to Christians, but also to believers of other religions. She attracts people like a magnet, making them think about the frailty of life.
