The main tenet of Christianity is the doctrine of the three persons of a single, essentially God, who are the Most Holy Trinity. These three incarnations in Him - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are not merged with each other and are inseparable. Each of them is a manifestation of one of its essences. The Holy Church teaches about the complete unity of the Trinity, creating the world, trapping in it and sanctifying it.
Image of the Holy Trinity in icon painting
The Holy Trinity is a traditional plot of Orthodox icon painting. But since the direct image of God would violate the concept of his eternity and incomprehensibility, expressed in the words of the Evangelist John: “No one has ever seen God,” it is customary to use his symbolic images, the main of which is the Old Testament Trinity.
To reveal this image, icon painters traditionally resort to depicting a scene described in chapter 18 of the biblical Book of Genesis. She received the name "Hospitality of Abraham." Verses 1 through 18 describe how the forefather Abraham, during his day's rest, was able to visit three husbands. Seeing with spiritual eyes that God himself appeared before him in his image, Abraham showed those who came the greatest respect and hospitality.
It was this scene that became the basis of the traditional icon-painting plot - the Trinity of the Old Testament. As mentioned above, deprived of the possibility of directly depicting the Creator of the world, masters resorted to symbolism in their works, which became their main expressive device. Thus, it became a tradition, fixed by the blessing of church hierarchs, to represent husbands who visited Abraham in the form of three angels.
The appearance of the Holy Trinity in scenic scenes
The first images in which the Old Testament Trinity is represented appeared in the 2nd century on the walls of the Roman catacombs, where the first Christians secretly performed divine services from the pagan authorities. These drawings did not yet correspond to the canons established in later centuries, and the scenes presented on them looked quite historical. But already in this period, artists unknown to us tried to emphasize the identity of all three guests of Abraham.
Later in theology, the term "isocephalus" appeared, which denoted the equal rights of travelers. In the wall paintings of the Roman catacombs, she is emphasized by the deliberate uniformity of the poses and robes of the three husbands. Gradually, the image of guests who visited the Old Testament forefather began to take on an increasingly symbolic character, and over time a tradition developed of depicting them in an angelic form.
It is important to note that the plot of the “Trinity of the Old Testament” is often presented in two versions - isocephalic and non-isocephalous. In the first case, as is clear from the term itself, with the composition being completely static, the mutual equality of three angels is emphasized. In the second, one of them can be distinguished with the help of a halo, the image of a cross or the corresponding inscription.
Mosaic of the ancient basilica
In addition to the Holy Trinity, one of its oldest images on the walls of the catacombs is a mosaic of the 5th century on the Arc de Triomphe of the Roman Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. The composition of the image is quite complicated. It is visually divided into two parts. Abraham is shown at the top, running out to meet the wanderers, one of which is surrounded by a shining halo - a symbol of holiness, and at the bottom there is a laid table, where guests are sitting. The owner of the house, Abraham, is depicted in it twice - serving the guests and instructing his wife Sarah. The background is a view of a rich building with a tower - obviously, the house of Abraham and the Mamvrian oak, under which the meeting took place.
Final composition
In the XIV century, the composition of icons depicting the Holy Trinity formed in the form in which its most illustrious designs were written. This is evidenced by the icon of the Trinity Zyryanskaya, created during this period and attributed to the brush of St. Stephen of Perm. It is generally accepted that it is for the first time that a scene is presented in which the center of the composition is the angels sitting at the table.
Andrei Rublev: "The Old Testament Trinity"
A lot has been written and said about this work. And this is no coincidence, because among the variety of icons painted on the plot "The hospitality of Abraham", Rublev's "Old Testament Trinity" occupies a special place. According to the unanimous opinion of art critics and all connoisseurs of ancient Russian painting, in it the artist reached the highest degree of disclosure of the spiritual essence of the Triune Deity. This work, created in the 15th century, has become one of the most famous Russian icons.
The compositional solution to the image is very peculiar. The figures of the angels are as if inscribed in an invisible circle, symbolizing the consubstantiality of all three hypostases. At the same time, the artist achieves an effect in which the viewer's gaze does not linger on any of them, but freely resides within the space formed by them, the semantic center of which is the cup with the head of the sacrificial lamb. It is around her that a silent dialogue of gestures takes place.
Christian symbolism in Rublev’s icon
It should be noted that the “Old Testament Trinity” is an icon full of symbolic attributes expressing the main Christian dogmas. It is no coincidence that the background for the depiction of figures of angels is a house, a tree and a mountain. Their images are full of specific meaning. Thus, the angel on the left symbolizes God the Father. This is evidenced by the image of the house, the chambers of Abraham, placed above Him, which corresponds to the initial moment of the Divine economy, carried out according to his will.
The tree is the Mamvrian oak, depicted above the central figure, involuntarily reinterpreted as the tree of life, and is associated with the Savior's cross torment. Accordingly, the viewer has no doubt that the author depicted the Son of God Jesus Christ as the central figure of the composition.
As for the figure of the left angel, a hint of its belonging is the mountain depicted above it - a symbol of spiritual ascent, carried out through the action of the third hypostasis of the Holy Spirit. The most significant events are associated with the image of the mountains in the Bible. This is the gift of the tablets of the Covenant in the Sinai, the Transfiguration of the Lord on Tabor and the Ascension on the Mount of Elion in Jerusalem.
It should be noted, and another important idea, which expresses the "Trinity of the Old Testament." Andrei Rublev in his truly brilliant creation managed to create a prototype of true unity and love. His figures, deprived of active movement, and as if immersed in motionless contemplation, are full of silent communication. Before the eyes of the viewer appears the process of communicability of the divine energy enclosed within the three hypostases of God.
Icon of Simon Ushakov
Another icon of the "Old Testament Trinity" is also widely known, the author of which is Simon Ushakov , master of the Silver Chamber at the Armory Order of the Moscow Kremlin . It was written in 1667. By its composition, Ushakov’s “Old Testament Trinity” follows the tradition of Andrei Rublev. It presents the same scene of the appearance of wanderers to the forefather Abraham, and the figures of angels are also inscribed in a circle, creating the viewer an impression of some unity. However, this work has its own individual characteristics.
Decorativeity, replacing symbolism
It is easy to see that the angels of Ushakov, although close in their drawing to the figures depicted in the icon of Andrei Rublev, differ from them in their excessive physicality and naturalness. Their wings, drawn out with meticulous detailing, seem heavy and unable to lift even ethereal spirits into the air.
The background, on which the whole scene is presented, also contains striking differences. If in Rublev it has, first of all, a symbolic meaning, then in Ushakov it is rather decorative. It is just a beautiful landscape with an old palazzo, a mountain and a picturesque tree. This author in the icon of the "Old Testament Trinity" practically deprived all three landscape attributes of their symbolic meaning. Even a cursory glance at them is enough to recall similar details in Veronese's paintings.
The table decoration also attracts attention. If at Rublev it is limited to only one bowl with the head of a calf, which is also full of symbolic meaning and directs the viewer's thoughts to thinking about the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God, then in this case the painter emphasized a rich serving, combined with exquisite painting of armchairs. Such an abundance of decorativeness is not characteristic of the icon.
Trinity New Testament
The plot of the icons described above is taken from the Old Testament, so they are called the "Old Testament Trinity." But one cannot ignore the frequently encountered images of the New Testament Trinity - another version of the image of the Divine Trinity. It is based on the words of Jesus Christ quoted in the Gospel of John: "I and the Father are one." In this plot, the three Divine hypostases are represented by images of God the Father in the form of a gray-haired old man, God the Son, that is, Christ, in the form of a middle-aged man and the Holy Spirit in the form of a Dove.
New Testament Trinity Image Options
This plot is known in several iconographic versions that differ among themselves, the main images of the situation, the figures depicted in it. The most common of them - the “See”, is a frontal image of God the Father and God the Son, seated on thrones or clouds, and the Dove soaring above The Holy Spirit.
Another well-known story is called “Fatherland”. In it, God the Father is represented sitting on the throne with the baby Savior Emmanuel, sitting on his lap and holding a sphere in the blue light. Inside it is placed a symbolic image of the Holy Spirit in the form of a Dove.
Disputes over the possibility of depicting God the Father
There are other icon-painting versions of the New Testament Trinity, such as “Crucifixion in the bosom of the Father”, “Eternal Light”, “Christ's Sending to the Earth” and a number of others. However, despite their widespread prevalence, among theologians over the centuries, disputes about the legitimacy of the depiction of such stories have not subsided.
Skeptics appeal to the fact that, according to the Gospel, no one has ever seen God the Father, and therefore it is impossible to portray him. In support of their opinion, they mention the Big Moscow Cathedral of 1666-1667, the 43rd paragraph of the decree of which prohibits the image of God the Father, which at one time gave rise to the withdrawal from use of many icons.
Their opponents also base their statements on the Gospel, quoting the words of Christ: "He who has seen me has seen my Father." One way or another, but the New Testament Trinity, despite the debate, firmly enters the plots of icons revered by the Orthodox Church. By the way, all of these options of the New Testament Trinity appeared in Russian art relatively late. Until the sixteenth century they were unknown.