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| "Old Testament Trinity" by Andrei Rublev |
In Genesis chapter 18, the image of three mysterious angelic visitors is described as appearing to Abraham. Rublev created this Icon, giving the angels thin staffs to symbolize authority, and each wearing blue plus other colors, sitting around a table with a chalice like bowl in the center. It is named the “Old Testament Trinity.”
The one of the left is the Father….”in my Father’s house there are many mansions” – notice the tower behind him. The center angel is Christ, with two fingers blessing the offerings, and also to symbolize the human and divine natures. The tree behind him foreshadows the tree of life and the tree on which he was crucified.
The third angel on the right is the Holy Spirit, dressed in green and blue, symbolic of life. A mountain is behind him, where Moses received the 10 commandments, where Jesus was transfigured, Sinai and Tabor respectively. An open space in the center is an invitation for us to join this mystery draped in the theology of color and arranged in a geometry of grace.
Pope John Paul II had special devotion to this Icon, and besides the image of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa, this is the only other image he had in his bedroom at the Vatican. He also dedicated the last three years of the last millennium to the Holy Trinity respectively, 1998 to Jesus, 1999 to the Holy Spirit and 2000 to God the Father.
Father Julian, this icon is one we have studied at the Icon Institute. Henry Nouwen wrote about it in a little book he wrote about four icons, too. The little rectangle, like you said, represents the "narrow way" of following Christ, entering into His KIngdom. Another icon by Rublev is his Christ the Savior. It was hidden for many years on the underside of a step on a staircase in Russia. When they tore down the house, they found the icon upside down. I love this icon, too.It is majestic. Thanks for sharing about icons!
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