Holy Trinity icon meaning. Theological meaning of the relic - what does the "Holy Trinity" mean? The meaning of the icon of the Holy Trinity

09.12.2021

One of the founding fathers of ancient philosophy, and with it the entire European civilization, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said: "Philosophy begins with surprise." The same can be said about Christian dogma - it cannot but cause surprise. The worlds of Tolkien, Ende and Lewis with all their fairy-tale mysteries do not even pull into the shadow of the mysterious and paradoxical world of Christian theology.

Christianity begins with the great mystery of the Most Holy Trinity - the mystery of God's Love, revealed in this one incomprehensible unity. V. Lossky wrote that in the Trinity we see the unity in which the Church abides. Just as the Persons of the Trinity are unmixed, but constitute One, we are all gathered into the single Body of Christ - and this is not a metaphor, not a symbol, but the same reality as the reality of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.

How to portray a mystery? Only through another secret. The joyful mystery of the Incarnation made it possible to depict the Invisible. The icon is a symbolic text about God and holiness, manifested in time and space and residing in eternity, just like the fairy forest from Michael Ende's "Endless Story", created in the imagination of the protagonist, begins to exist without end and beginning.

We can comprehend this eternity thanks to yet another mystery, far from the last in the world of Christian theology: God Himself enlightens every Christian following the Apostles, granting Himself - the Holy Spirit. We receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation, He permeates the whole world, thanks to which this world exists.

So, the Holy Spirit reveals to us the mystery of the Trinity. And that is why the day of Pentecost - the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles - we call the "Day of the Holy Trinity."

"The hospitality of Abraham" - the plot of the icon of the Life-Giving Trinity

It is possible to depict the inconceivable only to the extent that it is revealed to us. On this basis, the Church does not permit the depiction of God the Father. And the most correct depiction of the Trinity is the iconographic canon "The Hospitality of Abraham", which sends the viewer back to the distant Old Testament times:

And the Lord appeared to him at the oak grove of Mamre, when he was sitting at the entrance to his tent, in the heat of the day.

He lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, three men stood opposite him. Seeing, he ran to meet them from the entrance to the tent [his] and bowed to the ground, and said: Master! if I have found favor in Thy sight, do not pass by Thy servant; and they will bring a little water, and wash your feet; and rest under this tree, and I will bring bread, and you will strengthen your hearts; then go [on your way]; as you walk past your servant. They said: do as you say.

And Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said [to her]: Quickly knead three sats of the best flour and make unleavened bread.

And Abraham ran to the flock, and took a tender and good calf, and gave it to the lad, and he hastened to prepare it.

And he took the butter and milk and the calf that had been cooked, and set it before them, and he himself stood beside them under the tree. And they ate.

The plot about a hospitable elder who recognized God in three men is in itself touching and instructive for any believer: if you serve your neighbor, you serve the Lord. We meet the image of this event very early.

Mosaic on the triumphal arch of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome created in the 5th century. The image is visually divided into two parts. At the top, Abraham runs out to meet three men (one of them is surrounded by a radiance symbolizing the glory of the Divine). At the bottom - the guests are already sitting at the set table, and Abraham is serving them. Sarah stands behind Abraham. The artist conveys the movement by depicting the elder twice: here he gives instructions to his wife, but he turned around to serve a new dish on the table.

By the XIV century, the canon "The Hospitality of Abraham" was already fully formed. Icon "Trinity Zyryanskaya", which, according to legend, belonged to the brush of St. Stefan Permsky is a slightly modified version of it. Three angels are seated at the table, a calf lies under it, and Abraham and Sarah are standing at the bottom left. In the background there is a building with a turret (Abraham's house) and a tree (Mamre oak).

The images may change, but the set of symbols and characters remains the same: three angels, a couple serving them, below - a calf (sometimes with a youth who slaughters him), an oak, the chambers of Abraham. 1580, the icon " Holy Trinity in Being", Surrounded by hallmarks with images of events associated with the phenomena of the Trinity. An interesting detail: Abraham and Sarah are here not only serving at the table, but also sitting at it. The icon is located in the Solvychegodsk Museum of History and Art:

More typical, for example, is the icon of the 16th century from the Trinity-Gerasimovsky Church in Vologda. Angels are in the center of the composition, followed by Abraham and Sarah.

The pinnacle of Russian icon painting is the icon Trinity, written by the Monk Andrei Rublev... Minimum symbols: three angels (Trinity), chalice (atoning sacrifice), table (Lord's meal, Eucharist), reverse perspective - “expanding” from the viewer (the space of the icon describing the heavenly world is immeasurably larger than the world below). From recognizable realities - an oak (Mamre), a mountain (here is the sacrifice of Isaac, and Golgotha) and a building (the house of Abraham? Church? ..).

This image will become a classic for the Russian icon, although some discrepancies in details are possible. For example, sometimes a cross appears on the halo of the middle angel - this is how Christ is depicted on icons.

Another example: Simon Ushakov depicts the meal in more detail.

The canon "The Hospitality of Abraham" is optimal for depicting the Holy Trinity: it emphasizes the unity of essence (three angels) and the difference of hypostases (angels are present in the space of the icon "autonomously" from each other).

Therefore, a similar canon is used when depicting the appearance of the Trinity to the saints. One of the most famous images - the appearance of the Holy Trinity to the Monk Alexander of Svir:

Non-canon images

However, there have been attempts to portray God in the Trinity and in a different way.

It is extremely rare in Western European and Russian temple painting to come across an image used in Renaissance iconography, where three faces are combined in one body. In church painting, it did not take root because of the obvious hereticalness (confusion of hypostases), and in secular painting - because of unaestheticness.

But the image " Trinity New Testament"Occurs often, although there is another extreme in it - the division of the Essence of the Divine.

The most famous icon of this canon is “ Fatherland"Novgorod school (XIV century). The Father sits on the throne in the form of a gray-haired old man, on his knees is the Boy Jesus holding a circle with the image of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Around the throne are seraphim and cherubim, closer to the frame are saints.

No less common is the image of the New Testament Trinity in the form of the Elder-Father, on the right hand - Christ the King (or Christ holding the Cross), and in the middle - the Holy Spirit also in the form of a dove.

How did the canon of the "New Testament Trinity" appear, if the image of God the Father, Whom no one has seen, is conciliarly prohibited? The answer is simple: by mistake. The Old Denmi - God is mentioned in the book of the prophet Daniel:

Settled Ancient of days; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like a pure wave. (Dan. 7: 9).

It was believed that Daniel saw the Father. In fact, the apostle John saw Christ in exactly the same way:

I turned to see whose voice spoke to me; And turning, he saw seven golden lamps and, in the midst of the seven lamps, like the Son of Man, clothed with a podir and girded with a golden belt around his feathers: His head and hair were white, like a white wave, like snow ...

(Rev. 1: 12-14).

The "Old Denmi" image exists by itself, but it is an image of the Savior, not the Trinity. For example, on the fresco of Dionysius in the Ferapont monastery, a halo with the Cross is clearly visible, with which the Savior is always depicted.

The Mother of God in the images of the Trinity

Two more interesting images of the "New Testament Trinity" came from the Catholic Church. They are rarely used, but they also deserve attention.

"Adoration of the Holy Trinity" by Albrecht Durer(the painting is kept in the Vienna Museum of Art History): the Father is depicted in the upper part of the composition, under Him is Christ on the Cross, and above them is the Spirit like a dove. The worship of the Trinity is rendered by the Heavenly Church (angels and all the saints with the Mother of God) and the Earthly Church - bearers of secular (emperor) and ecclesiastical (pope) power, priests and laity.

Image " Coronation of the Mother of God”Is associated with the Theotokos dogmas of the Catholic Church, but due to the deep veneration of the Blessed Virgin by all Christians, it also became widespread in Orthodoxy.

The Mother of God is depicted in the center of the composition, the Father and the Son are holding a crown over Her head, and a dove hovers above them, depicting the Holy Spirit.

However, in Orthodox icon painting there are images, the deep meaning of which is not so easy to immediately understand.

One such example is the icon of the Holy Trinity. Not only are there several different versions of this image, it is also not always clear who exactly is depicted on it. Let's try to understand this difficult theological issue.

Who is the Holy Trinity and what are its icons

The dogma of the unity of the Holy Trinity is one of the most complex and at the same time fundamental tenets of the Orthodox faith. According to him, we believe in One God, who is represented in three persons or hypostases - God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Each of the hypostases is God, and God inseparably contains all three persons. There is no hierarchy in the Trinity; God the Son is God to the same degree as God the Father or God the Holy Spirit.

Icon of the Holy Trinity

A simple layman cannot fully understand this teaching; the best theologians of the entire Christian world are racking their brains over this. For an ordinary ordinary person who believes in our Lord Jesus Christ, it is enough to understand that the One God has three persons, each of which is equally God. Canonically, icons can only depict what was revealed to people. So, a great miracle was shown to mankind to contemplate the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, therefore we have a large number of icons with his holy face.

About the icons of Jesus Christ:

As for God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, then apparently they never appeared to people. There are places in the Bible where the Lord sent his voice from Heaven, and the Holy Spirit also descended in the form of a dove. These are all the physical manifestations of the other two hypostases that humanity has at its disposal. In this regard, there is no icon that in its natural form would depict the Holy Trinity (as, for example, there are icons of Christ that reliably repeat His appearance).

All images of the Trinity are deeply symbolic and carry a great theological load. One of the most famous images is "The Hospitality of Abraham". It depicts a scene from the book of Genesis when the Lord appeared to Abraham under the guise of three angels. It was then that one of the angels announced to Abraham the imminent birth of his son.

In this image, we see three angels sitting at the table, and Abraham and Sarah, who serve them. In the background is the Mamre Oak, the home of Abraham himself and the mountains. The essence of this image is that the secret of the Trinity Lord was revealed to Abraham and Sarah under the guise of three angels.

The appearance of the Holy Trinity to Abraham

Icon of the Monk Andrei Rublev

The essence of the Trinity Divine nature is most fully revealed in the image of the Monk Andrei Rublev. Perhaps this is the most famous and revered icon of the Holy Trinity in our church. The artist refuses the images of Abraham and Sarah, the angels sit alone at the table. They no longer partake of food, but seem to bless it. And the food as such is no longer on the table - only one bowl remains, which symbolizes the sacrament and the Holy Gifts.

Many researchers tried to figure out in what sequence the Monk Andrei Rublev depicted each hypostasis of the Lord. Most experts agreed that in order to emphasize the unity of the Trinity, the artist did not indicate where who is depicted.

By and large, for a simple Christian believer, it makes no difference where which entity is located. We still pray to the One God, and it is impossible to pray to the Son without praying to the Father or the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when looking at an icon, it is best to perceive the image as a whole, without dividing it into three different figures.

Even the image itself, as it were, emphasizes the unity of all the characters - the figures of all three angels fit into an invisible circle. In the middle is the Chalice, which symbolically indicates Christ's Sacrifice for the sake of all mankind.

It should be mentioned that there are various non-canonical attempts to depict the three hypostases of God. The mystery of the Christian understanding of God has always attracted many researchers, and they did not always coordinate their views with the canons of Orthodoxy. Therefore, believers need to carefully avoid being carried away by such images. One cannot find such icons in churches; one does not need to have them at home.

Icon of the Most Holy Trinity of the Monk Andrei Rublev

Where should the icon of the Holy Trinity be located and how to pray in front of it

If we talk about temples, then in most of them you can find this holy image. If the temple is consecrated in honor of the Holy Trinity, then the main icon will be on the analogue, in a conspicuous place. Any believing Christian can come to such a temple and venerate the shrine.

Prayers can be served in front of the icon, water can be blessed. Such small services give great consolation to the Orthodox, who pray for them about what worries their souls. You can submit notes with the names of relatives and friends, then the priest will raise petitions to God and about them.

Important! The basis of any prayer service is not the very fact of submitting a note with names, but a sincere appeal to God by a believer. Therefore, it is highly desirable to attend the prayer service in person.

You can also have the icon of the Holy Trinity at home so that you can turn to the Lord in your personal home prayer. For this house, you can equip special shelves for images - a home iconostasis. All the icons in the family are located on it. It is worth remembering that when decorating the iconostasis, the central place should be occupied by the icons of the Lord and the Most Holy Mother of God, followed by those revered in the family of saints.

According to Christian tradition, it is customary to equip all iconostases on the eastern wall or corner of the house. However, if for some objective reasons it is impossible to do this (for example, the east side is occupied by a large window or door), then there is no sin in placing household shrines in any other suitable place.

The main rule is that the attitude to the place where the images are stored should be reverent. It is necessary to keep it clean, wipe off dust in a timely manner, and change napkins. It is completely unacceptable when the owners maintain order, for example, in the kitchen, but at the same time the holy corner looks neglected and unkempt.

Icon of the Holy Trinity

How does the icon help?

In a near-Christian environment, one can often come across the opinion that one can pray in front of certain shrines strictly on certain issues. It is not uncommon to hear such advice even in front of experienced parishioners and old-timers of temples. This approach does not quite correctly reflect the essence of the Orthodox faith.

About other famous Orthodox icons:

In all the troubles and sorrows in which we ask for spiritual help, only the Lord God can give us an answer. The saints are our helpers who, together with us, can ask the Lord to provide us with everything we need for our life. It's just that a tradition is developing that prayers in front of certain images help in a given situation. But this is not a strict rule, and a person in front of any icon can ask for anything.

Important! The belief that help comes precisely from the icon in front of which a person prays is a pagan approach and distorts the essence of the Orthodox faith.

Therefore, praying in front of the icon of the Holy Trinity at home or in a church, a person can ask for everything that lies in his soul. One has only to remember that one should not go to the Lord with sinful thoughts, dishonest or knowingly bad requests.

Most of the holy fathers of the church say that real prayer is that which does not ask for anything, but only thanks God and entrusts Him with the care of human life. The Gospel says that a hair will not fall from a person's head if there is no God's Will for it. Therefore, it is best to stand before the shrine with a repentant heart, humility, and a desire to correct your life according to God's will. Such an appeal will always be heard and the person will feel grace and spiritual help in life.

Video about the icon of the Holy Trinity by Andrei Rublev

Some time ago I was at the Moscow Tretyakov Gallery.
The hall that I most desired to visit was hall Old Russian icon painting.

And so, leaving behind the classics, Wanderers and abstractionists, I found myself in the coveted department of the Tretyakov Gallery. With interest, which seemed to the suspicious grandmothers-guards, so that they, just in case, did not leave the panic button, I examined the magnificent Byzantine and Old Russian icons.

Consciousness sadly fixed: our parishioners do not understand and do not like the traditional canonical icon precisely because of the bad counterfeits "under the canonical icon" that often hang in our churches. Everything seems to be in place, but there is no life, internal energy, fire in such an icon ...

While a real icon carries so many layers of meaning, such theology, such religious poetry ...

A real icon is simply mesmerizing, makes you stop and mentally touch the Mystery that it radiates.

However, now we will not talk about icons at all.

I am only interested in one icon, namely icon of the reverend Andrey Rublev "Trinity"... This is one of the most beautiful icons created by man, and, in the opinion of a number of theologians and art historians, and in general the most beautiful icon of all known to us.

Stopping in front of her, I could not move away for about fifteen minutes. He left, then came back and still stood and absorbed the radiance, peace, wisdom emanating from her. The icon was simply amazing. The faces are at the same time calm, at the same time pensive and tragic ... Poses in which both the idea of Divine power and lurking power are expressed, and peace, absolute consistency of all plans and actions between the characters. And what color the icon has! The icon is painted on an almost white (slightly yellowish) background. It is the color of Divine radiance, the light of Tabor, the light of the Divine presence. Paints are applied in layers: one was superimposed on another, on top of it the next. Then again and again. With this technique, the master achieved the fact that from under one painting layer another shone through and the icon acquired volume, became as if alive. And note how few unnecessary details ... The icon is not overloaded by a milligram. I mean other icons of the Trinity of this type. They depict Abraham, meeting travelers, and Sarah, and the bull, and something else. Not so with Rublev. The absolute minimum of characters and items. Asceticism, forcing all attention to focus on the figures that seem to soar on her in tranquility, strength, love and harmony. (By the way, the figures are inscribed in an invisible circle, which subconsciously introduces us into some special rhythm and mode of perception of the icon.) And pay attention to the table in front of which the Angels are sitting.It looks like a coffin, the coffin in which Christ was laid after death ... However, this coffin is filled with light. Why? It shines with the Easter light of the Resurrection.

And ... however, let's stop.

This icon is truly a window to another world, from which something flashed for us sinners. And, flashing, it did not go out, but by the hand of the ascetic and prayer book St. Andrew was recorded and left to us.

In the Tretyakov Gallery it is allowed to take pictures (without a flash). This allowed me to take interesting pictures, which I have already shared with you. So today, besides several other photographs of icons, I am glad to present to you the Rublev icon of the Trinity in good resolution. In such a resolution that you can, by enlarging it, consider some details ...

Today I want to talk with you about this wonderful icon. Let's try to solve its main secret, namely: we will try to determine Who is Who in the Icon... Indeed, if the three depicted Angels reveal to us the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, then Andrew knew which of the Angels he meant by the Father, who by the Son, who by the Holy Spirit, right?

... Once, when I served at the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, I witnessed an unusual dispute. There, at the altar, hangs a copy of Rublev's "Trinity". And then one day a dispute broke out among the priests: which of the Angels depicted on the icon, according to Andrei Rublev's plan, is the Father, who is the Son, and who is the Holy Spirit. We agreed that no one can definitely say anything about this. " Since Andrei Rublev did not write who is who, then by this he gave a hint: any Angel can be interpreted as any of the Persons of the Holy Trinity", Said one priest. After a pause, they agreed with him. And what to do, there is no other answer ...

Is there really no answer? Or do we just don’t know him?

But before we reflect on this, I would like to ask you to carefully look at the icon and think about this: Which of the Faces depicted in this icon is the Father? Who is the Son? Who is the Holy Spirit?

Now let's talk about this.

When I stood in front of the icon and thought about it, I was amazed how I recognized the features of the Son in one or another Angel. What's the matter? Can't we have two or three Sons of God?

The icons, which depict the plot of the appearance of the Three Angels (and in fact, the Three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity) to Abraham, are known both before Andrei Rublev and after. But inscriptions above the halos (that is, explanations of where the Father is, where the Son is, and where the Holy Spirit is) are extremely rare. These are isolated cases. Not a single real master has such an inscription, because it contradicts theology. As the revelation of the inconceivable Trinity God, the appearance to Abraham can only be transmitted symbolically, in the form of three impersonal Angels.

At the Stoglava Moscow Cathedral in 1551, this was confirmed by the following words: “ In the Holy Trinity, they write a crosshair (in halos): some in the middle, and others in all three. And in ancient icons and in Greek they sign the "Holy Trinity", but no one writes the crosshairs. And some sign at the middle “IC XC Holy Trinity”. So, we command: To paint icons from ancient samples to painters, as Greek painters wrote and as Andrei Rublev and others wrote, and to sign “The Holy Trinity”. And from your intention to do nothing"(Russian translation)

Let me remind you that the crosshair is a "cross halo". It is written only on the icons of Jesus Christ.

The cited document of the Cathedral states that it is possible to draw a cross-shaped nimbus either on the central Angel, or on all three. That is, it turns out that Jesus Christ, besides Himself, manifests both the Father and the Spirit.
But it is impossible to indicate separately: Father or Spirit. The entire Secret of the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity is revealed to us only by the Son - the Lord Jesus Christ.

All this is so, "... and yet in the Rublev icon these Persons, symbolized by the Angels, seem to strive for their personal manifestation: Their images are not devoid of a certain, albeit" hidden ", concreteness in the expression of hypostatic relationships and therefore can be" defined " if not as an unambiguous religious "Divine" given, which, of course, is impossible, then at least as an artistic and symbolic given. Apophatically recognizing in general any conventionality of any depiction of the Holy Trinity, the human soul, so to speak, at the cataphatic level nevertheless strives to at least touch — through the revelation of “artistic vision of God” —to the Divine-Personal mystery of the Trinity God ... "( deac. G. Malkov)

It's true. So I, standing in the Tretyakov Gallery in front of the icon of the Trinity, tried to guess: Which of these Angels, according to the plan of St. Andrei Rublev, portrays the Father? Who is the Son? And who is the Holy Spirit?

Briefly, options for attempts to identify such Persons (indicating the supporters of certain options) can be presented as follows (specialists who own research on this issue, or authoritative theologians are listed):

1st option:to the left (from the viewer) - God the Son, in the center - God the Father, to the right - the Holy Spirit (This version was adhered to: Yu.A. Olsufiev, V. Zander completely agreed with him, D.V. Ainalov at the end of their scientific activities, N.M. Tarabukin, P. Evdokimov, N.A.Demina, A. Vanzhe, G.I. Vzdornov, Archpriest A. Vetelev);

2nd option: to the left (from the viewer) - God the Father, in the center - God the Son, to the right - the Holy Spirit (N. Malitsky, V.N. Lazarev, M.V. Alpatov, V.I. Antonova, icon-painter monk Grigory (Circle), L.A. Uspensky and V.N. Lossky, R. Mainka, K. Onash, G. von Hebler, Archpriest L. Voronov, Archpriest A. Saltykov, ES Smirnova);

3rd option: on the left - God the Father, in the center - the Holy Spirit, on the right - God the Son (Archbishop Sergius (Golubtsov), L. Kuppers, Archpriest I. Tsvetkov);

4th option: on the left - the Holy Spirit, in the center - God the Father, on the right - God the Son (Archbishop Sergiy (Golubtsov), L. Muller).

The last two interpretations (options 3 and 4) are extremely subjective and do not stand up to serious criticism: in fact, there are no generally accepted traditions behind them - neither theological nor iconographic.

In general, the question boils down to (if you really dare to ask it) - who is depicted Saint Andrew (according to the concept of the icon painter) in the center of the icon: God the Father or God the Son?

Having determined Who is depicted in the center, we may get a clue to the question of Who is to the right and Who is to the left of the central figure.
The secret is that the ancient icon painters (Andrei Rublev and others), in fact, depicting the Father or the Holy Spirit, depicted Them through the prism of the image of the Son of God.

We remember the famous words: “ No one has seen God at any time; The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed"(John 1:18). Or another: to the request of the Apostle Philip to show him the Father, Jesus answered: “ He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say: show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?”(John 14: 9-10).

That is why the Angel, depicting the Father, painted with the features of the Son, the Son - reveals the Father to us ... Here is the ancient Russian darkness and simplicity, as you sometimes hear ...

To the right of the viewer, the Angel of Rublev's "Trinity" is undoubtedly the Holy Spirit. Most researchers of the icon agree with this.

“In the center (and this is fully justified symbolically) the image of the Father is revealed to us, but His image is artistically chastely“ replaced ”and represented by the“ angelic ”image of the Son: therefore, the central Angel is depicted in the canonical for icon painting of the Savior's garment - in a cherry tunic and blue himation ...

But at the same time this symbolically manifested Angel - as the Father Himself meant by the image of the Son - blesses the sacrificial bowl of the Son with the Holy Lamb (for The Son is "Bring and Bringing"- in accordance with the words of the secret prayer of the Cherubic song at the Liturgy of the faithful). Moreover, this Angel is, as it were, appealingly addressed to the Angel located on the right shoulder of him, that is, to the actual image of the Son, "co-throne" with the Father. And here it will be quite appropriate to recall the words of the Psalmist: "Sit at my right hand (that is, on the right) of Me, until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool." (Psalm 109: 1), or, for example, a kind of variation on the same theme from the Apostle Paul - his words about the Son, who "sat down at the right hand of the throne" (Heb. 1: 3).

The Son is "Bring and Bringing"... It is necessary to clarify what these words mean. In Byzantium there were controversies: To whom of the Persons of the Holy Trinity is the Eucharistic Sacrifice offered during the celebration of the Liturgy? Is it only to God the Father or, for example, also to God the Son? Theologians answered this way: and to God the Son too. How so? Does He Himself also offer Himself as a Sacrifice? Yes. And this is precisely what the prayer reads by the priest secretly during the singing of the Cherubim song speaks: “Thou art bringing and bringing ...” That is, You are both the One who brings, and the One to whom this Sacrifice is offered.

This left Angel, directly representing the Son, "before all ages" agrees in everything with the will of the Father (or rather, the entire Holy Trinity) about the need to sacrifice Himself for the fallen human race, cup, thereby expressing His readiness to suffer "for the life of the world" ... " (Deacon G. Malkov)

This meditation alone on the secret icon of the Holy Trinity reveals a huge layer of Orthodox theology:

A. Christ voluntarily offers Himself as a Sacrifice for the salvation of mankind.

B. He brings Himself to the whole Trinity and to Himself as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.

V. His Sacrifice is the fulfillment of the will of the Father. However, the Son Himself has power over his own Life. As He said: “ I have the power to give it (life) and I have the power to take it again» (John 10: 17-18)... Thus, His sacrifice is a voluntary act. In this sense, we can say that He, together with the Father, blesses Himself a sacrificial death. ( On the icon, we just see that the Angel, sitting to the left of the viewer, and we determined that this is the Son, folded the fingers of his right hand in a blessing gesture.)

What left (to the viewer) Angel is the Son of God, can be understood by His clothing, which is, in fact, the purple robe, the clothing of the martyr. This purple robe glows with heavenly light, because the Sufferer and the One who died for us was also Risen and transformed.

G. The work of redemption, accomplished by the Son, is not just a particular fact of history - it is the work of fulfilling the Plan of God about the world, that the holy fathers, following Ap. Paul, they called the economy of our salvation. The fact that the Son fulfilled the work of God's economy is hinted at by the house behind him.

Much more could be said, but we will finish here. Look also at the beautiful icon of St. Andrei Rublev. Now you and I know which of the angels on the icon depicts the Father, who is the Son and who is the Holy Spirit.

Priest Konstantin Parkhomenko

Icon of the Holy Trinity - what is depicted on it? We will talk about this, having considered the issue on the example of the ten most famous icons depicting the Holy Trinity.

The Holy Trinity

So, the Holy Spirit reveals to us the mystery of the Trinity. And that is why the day of Pentecost - the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles - we call the "Day of the Holy Trinity."

Trinity and “The Hospitality of Abraham” - the plot of the icon of the Life-Giving Trinity

And the Lord appeared to him at the oak grove of Mamre, when he was sitting at the entrance to his tent, in the heat of the day.

And Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said [to her]: Quickly knead three sats of the best flour and make unleavened bread.

And Abraham ran to the flock, and took a tender and good calf, and gave it to the lad, and he hastened to prepare it.

And he took the butter and milk and the calf that had been cooked, and set it before them, and he himself stood beside them under the tree. And they ate.

More typical, for example, is the icon of the 16th century from the Trinity-Gerasimovsky Church in Vologda. Angels are in the center of the composition, followed by Abraham and Sarah.

Icon of the Holy Trinity, 17th century

Another example: Simon Ushakov depicts the meal in more detail.

Therefore, a similar canon is used when depicting the appearance of the Trinity to the saints. One of the most famous images - the appearance of the Holy Trinity to the Monk Alexander of Svir:

Non-canon images

However, there have been attempts to portray God in the Trinity and in a different way.

Image courtesy of Jerome Cosido, Navarra, Spain

But the image " Trinity New Testament"Occurs often, although there is another extreme in it - the division of the Essence of the Divine.

17th century, Museum of Old Russian Art named after Andrey Rublev

Settled Ancient of days; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like a pure wave. (Dan. 7: 9).

It was believed that Daniel saw the Father. In fact, the apostle John saw Christ in exactly the same way:

(Rev. 1: 12-14).

Two more interesting images of the "New Testament Trinity" came from the Catholic Church. They are rarely used, but they also deserve attention.

Virgin Mary in the images of the Trinity, Prado, Madrid

The Mother of God is depicted in the center of the composition, the Father and the Son are holding a crown over Her head, and a dove hovers above them, depicting the Holy Spirit.

About different icons of the Holy Trinity

Priest Konstantin Parkhomenko

Often people come to the temple with a request to consecrate an icon, which depicts, as they say, the "New Testament Trinity": God the Father in the form of an old man, God the Son - in the form of Christ the Incarnate and the Holy Spirit - in the form of a dove.
I say: "But this icon is not canonical ..."
People are perplexed: “Wait, we bought this in the church shop. What will there be non-canonical something to sell? .. "

Let's talk today about how it is permissible to depict the Holy Trinity on icons.

There are several types of Trinity icons in total. I will give the main ones.

1. "Old Testament" Trinity

The icon depicting the Trinity in the form of Three Angels who came to the forefather Abraham. This is an episode from the 18th chapter of the book of Genesis. Let me give you a fragment of this story:

And the Lord appeared to him (Abraham) by the oak grove of Mamre, when he was sitting at the entrance to the tent, in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, three men stood opposite him. Seeing, he ran to meet them from the entrance to the tent and bowed to the ground, and said: Master! if I have found favor in Thy sight, do not pass by Thy servant; and they will bring a little water, and wash your feet; and rest under this tree, and I will bring bread, and you will strengthen your hearts; then go; as you walk past your servant.
They said: do as you say.
And Abraham hastened to the tent to Sarah and said: Quickly knead three sats of the best flour and make unleavened bread. And Abraham ran to the flock, and took a tender and good calf, and gave it to the lad, and he hastened to prepare it. And he took the butter and milk and the calf that had been cooked, and set it before them, and he himself stood beside them under the tree. And they ate.
And they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? He answered: here in the tent. And one of them said: I will be with you again at the same time, and Sarah your wife will have a son ...

And those men arose and departed from there to Sodom; Abraham went with them to see them off.

And the Lord said, Will I hide from Abraham what I want to do? A great and strong people will surely come from Abraham, and all the peoples of the earth will be blessed in him, for I chose him so that he would command his sons and his house after him to walk in the way of the Lord, doing righteousness and judgment; and the Lord will fulfill over Abraham what he said about him ...

In accordance with this story about the Lord's appearance, He was often depicted in the form of three pilgrims, or Three Angels, sitting as a guest of Abraham.

2. "New Testament" Trinity, or the icon "Holy See"

This is the second type of icon. It depicts the appearance of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity, sitting on the Heavenly Throne.

3. Icon "Fatherland"

Here the plot is generally invented. God the Father sits on the Heavenly Throne. On His knees is the youthful Son. The Holy Spirit hovers over them.

4. Icon of God the Father

A very rare image, which is rude, as if ignoring all the dogmatic logic of the prohibitions of God the Father, it depicts Him.

5. Crucifixion in the bosom of the Father

This icon shows us how the Father holds the Cross with the Crucified Son. The Holy Spirit is placed next to it.

Now - a few words about the admissibility of such icons.

For us, the programmatic text in this regard is the text of the Apostle John the Theologian: “No one has seen God and never” (John 1:18). God the Father, continues the Apostle John, that showed us God's Son.

Thus, the image of God the Father, if possible, is only if He is depicted symbolically, for example, under the guise of the Son. It is this variant that we find on the icons of the Trinity of the first type (to which the Rublev's "Trinity" belongs). In these icons, all three characters depicted have the features of the Son. In this way, the goal of the icon painter is achieved: to show that The Son has revealed to us the whole Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. The Son has revealed to us both Himself, the Father, and the Spirit.

All other icons, despite their edifying accessibility (the psychology of ordinary believers is perfectly understandable: why guess about secret Trinity, here it is all, in full view), are incorrect from a dogmatic point of view.

Art critics are wondering about the reasons for the appearance of these icons. There is no doubt here the influence of the West, namely the Roman Catholic Church, where such stories were widely known.
The oldest Orthodox examples of this kind are not found in Russia. These are a fresco in Matejča, Serbia (1356-1360) and a fresco in the Church of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena in Ohrid, Macedonia (mid-15th century).

In Russia, such icons appear at the beginning of the 16th century. The Moscow Cathedral of 1554 asserted the possibility of such images according to the Old Testament testimonies, while it is repeatedly emphasized that "the painters of God's Creature do not describe", but describe, that is, they depict only the form under which God appeared in the Old Testament.

It should be recalled that, speaking about the Old Testament, everyone means the book of the prophet Daniel, where, indeed, the prophet is a certain ancient old man. Here is one of these texts: “I saw in night visions, behold, with the clouds of heaven walked like the Son of man, reached the Ancient of Days and was brought to Him. And he was given power, glory and kingdom, so that all nations, tribes and tongues would serve Him; His dominion is an eternal dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom will not be destroyed ”(Dan. 7: 3-14).
If in 1554 permission was given to paint icons depicting God the Father and God the Spirit, then 100 years later another Council banned such images.

The 43rd rule of the Great Moscow Cathedral in 1667 says (I will give the text of the original without translation):
“We command ubo over icon painters, I am a skilled artist, and a kind person (from the clerical rank) in the elders, that is to say, the initiator and watchman of being. May the ignoramuses not scoff at the holy icons, Christ and His Mother of God, and His saints, with thin and absurd writing more poignant: and may all unrighteous superstition cease, like everyone else used to write without evidence: that is, the Lord of hosts is an image in various forms [...].
We command the image of the Lord of hosts from now on not to be written: in the absurd and not decent visions of the hosts of hosts (that is, the Father), when you incarnate. Only as Christ is seen in the flesh, this is how it is painted, that is, it is imagined according to the flesh: and not according to the Divine: the likeness of the Most Holy Theotokos and other holy things of God [...].
The Lord of hosts (that is to say, the Father) is gray with a strand, and the Only Begotten Son in His womb, to write on the icons and a dove between them, it is not very good and it is not proper to eat, if someone does not see the Father, according to the Divine; The Father has no flesh ... Christ Himself speaks in the Holy Gospel: no one else is the Father's message, only the Son. And Isaiah the prophet in chapter 40 says: to whom is he likened to the Lord, and to what likeness is he likened? .. The likeness and Saint Paul the Apostle ... art style, and the sense of man. Bo also speaks of John of Damascus: with whom, the invisible and bodiless and not described and not figurative God, who can create imitation; the insanity of the extreme and wickedness to form the Divine. The similarity forbids this and Saint Gregory Dvoeslov ...

And the Holy Spirit is not a dove being, but God is a being. And God is no one in the form of, as John the Theologian and Evangelist testifies, even if in the Jordan at the holy Baptism of Christ, the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove; and for that sake, in that place it befits to write the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. And in another place, those who have reason, do not depict the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Zane on Favorstey mountain like a cloud appears and sometimes, otherwise. Yet the hosts of hosts are not called exactly the Father, but the Holy Trinity. According to Dionysius the Areopagite, the hosts are interpreted from the Jewish language, the Lord of forces: behold, the Lord of forces, the Holy Trinity is, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. More often, even Daniel the prophet says: as if I saw an old denmi sitting in judgment. And that is not about the Father, of course, but about the Son, the hedgehog will judge every language by a terrible judgment at His Second Coming.

They also write in the icons to the Holy Annunciation of Hosts, too, who breathes from the mouth, and that breath goes into the womb of the Most Holy Theotokos: and someone in the form, or something Holy Scripture testifies to this, and I will take this from; clearly there is, as such is the custom, and another similar, from some super-wise, or even more common wise and insane, will be borne by the custom. For this sake we command, from now on that super-wise and unplaced scripture may cease. Exactly in the Apocalypse of St. John, out of need, the Father is also written in gray, for the sake of the visions there. "

Note that the only allowance to paint the image of the Father and the Spirit was made:
A) The image of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove only for scenes of the Baptism of Christ.
B) Leave the image of God the Father only for the depiction of scenes of the Apocalypse, "for the sake of the visions there."

Thus, in the Russian Church, an end was put on this issue. But the debate about the possibility of painting such icons did not subside. After another 100 years, a similar ban was adopted in Greece.
The Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople in 1776 “conciliarly decreed that this supposedly icon of the Holy Trinity (that is, the“ New Testament Trinity ”) is an innovation alien and not accepted by the Apostolic, Catholic, Orthodox Church. She entered the Orthodox Church from the Latins. "

The last question we need to ask is: what to do with such icons, which can be found even on the shelves of church shops?

An Orthodox Christian should not have such icons in his prayer corner.
As we know, every icon needs to be sanctified. There is a rite of consecration and an icon of the Holy Trinity. However, in this order it is specifically indicated which icons of the Trinity can be consecrated. This is an icon depicting the appearance of the Three Angels to Abraham, and three icons that tell about the appearance of the Trinity in the New Testament: the icons of Baptism, Transfiguration and Pentecost.
Thus, the icon of the forbidden type cannot even be consecrated.

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