A small addition to your Easter celebrations. God be with every one of you.
At the centre of the Christian faith is Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead. As such, the Icon of the Resurrection is the most common, and the most instructive.
Jesus Christ was not content with laying in the tomb for three days after His crucifixion. Instead, while His body was entombed, Christ’s soul descended into Hades, or Hell. Christ descended there not to suffer, but to fight, and free the souls trapped there.
In the Icon, Jesus Christ stands victoriously in the centre. Robed in Heavenly white, He is surrounded by a nimbus of star-studded light, representing the Glory of God. Christ is shown dramatically pulling Adam, the first man, from the tomb. Eve is to Christ’s left, hands held out in supplication, also waiting for Jesus to act. This surrender to Jesus is all Adam and Eve need to do. Christ does the rest, which is why He is pulling Adam from the tomb by the wrist, and not the hand.
Surrounding the victorious Christ are Solomon, David, John the Baptist, Abel, Elijah and Elisha. They predeceased Christ’s crucifixion, where they patiently waited the coming of their Messiah. Now they are freed from this underworld, and mingle freely with Christ and His angels.
This event is known as the Harrowing of Hades In the icon, Christ is shown with the instrument of His death plunged deep into Hades. Beneath Christ’s feet lay the gates of Hades, smashed wide open. Christ has trampled death by death. Within the dark underworld are scattered broken chains and locks; and at the very bottom is the personified Hades, prostrate and bound. Hades is not destroyed – it is still there – but its power to bind people is gone. There are no chains, no locked doors. If only we raise our hands in supplication and longing for Jesus Christ, He is there to lift us from the grave.
Why are Solomon, David, John the Baptist, Abel, Elijah & Elisha the ones depicted surrounding Christ? Is there any reason these six would have been chosen instead of, for example, Moses?
ReplyDeleteI don't have an answer for that. The six figures chosen all represent the Jewish prophetic tradition, although one could make a case for Solomon and David being more related to the kingdom tradition, even though they would be seen as prophets. It could be as simple as artistic symetry; three figures on each side of Jesus, Adam and Eve being lifted from the grave at the same time. Moses would be a logical addition, so it may be a matter of the iconographer's choice. I'll have to research this more.
DeleteI've made a cursory look and we may have been mistaken about the idendity of the by-standing figures. The crowned men are certainly David and Solomon.(David is portrayed in icons as a younger man.) John the Baptist is seen in his wild clothing and hair. The man with the shepherd's crook is generally taken to be Abel. The two other prophetic figures I took to be Elijah and Elisha, but they could well be Abraham and Moses. Some icons show a whole crowd of people being led out of Hades by Jesus who stands on the brazen doors of Hell, having broken them down. He raises Adam and Eve by their wrists (important!), showing they have no part in their own salvation, but are raised up by Jesus and not their own efforts. The hole of Hell is strewn with broken locks, while a figure remains bound and this is usually seen as the Devil.
DeleteThe more I read the more symbols leap out!
Do you mind if I jump in? When I was doing my research paper, this was just on writing of the Harrowing of Hell. I found at least six different interpretations, and each writer used different sets of figures. It seems that there were always six, possibly to include Jesus would make the seven (the Perfect number). It seems to be a personal choice of who the writer wanted to include.
ReplyDelete