One of the most famous icons in Orthodoxy, the Ascension of God icon, is in its plot the most important event of the New Testament. Jesus Christ, combining the Divine essence in Himself with human nature, performs in His Person the ascension and deification of human nature, previously damaged by original sin and doomed to death. This icon carries a clear promise to all the righteous to appear at the Throne of God and inherit eternal life.
The relationship of the New Testament plot with Jewish law
The event, in memory of which the Ascension of God icon is written, is celebrated in the Christian world on the fortieth day after Easter. This is consistent with the Biblical narrative, since, according to the apostles, it was the Lord who spent forty days with them after His Resurrection, before ascending to the Throne of His Father.
It should be noted that the number of days is forty, it is not accidental. It follows from the Jewish tradition. According to the Law of Moses, each baby, after forty days from birth, was to be brought to the temple to the Lord. Since the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead represents birth to a new life, in full accordance with the Law, it is on the fortieth day that He enters the Heavenly Temple of His Father.
The meaning of the holiday
Why is the Ascension of God icon especially dear to us? Its significance is primarily that it is dedicated to the holiday, which can be fully called the "holiday of Heaven." But not material, but spiritual Heaven - the Kingdom of God, which was closed from us by the fall of our ancestors - Adam and Eve. Since then, the severity of sin has prevailed over all people, dooming them to earthly life with its sufferings, corruption and death. The “Ascension of God” icon represents precisely the opening to the people of Heaven as the once lost and newfound Eternal House.
Ancient holiday setting
The holiday dedicated to this most important event was established as early as the period of early Christianity. This is known primarily from the apostolic decrees prescribing to celebrate it on the fortieth day after Easter. In addition, the testimonies of prominent church fathers, such as John Chrysostom and Blessed Augustine , are very important in this regard .
The authors of the sacred texts for the services of this day were such respected authorities in all the centuries of Christianity as John Damaskin and Joseph Pesnopevets. One cannot but recall the well-known diaries of the West European pilgrim Egeria, who visited the Holy Land at the end of the 4th century and left a detailed account of the celebration of the Ascension Day. The only distinguishing feature was that in those years this holiday was celebrated simultaneously with the holiday of Pentecost.
Ascension theme in art
The theme of this holiday is widely reflected in the visual arts. It should be noted that the iconography of the image is currently presented in two versions. The first is easel icon painting, which developed at the very dawn of Christianity and was first developed in the works of Byzantine masters, and later Russian icon painters. The second option is a monumental temple painting. The Ascension of the Lord is often in it the main plot of the painting of the dome. Its most striking specimens belong to the 11th-14th centuries.
In order to clearly imagine how the plot-compositional principle was formed, on the basis of which almost every famous icon of the Ascension of the Lord is written, one should turn to the earliest images that have come down to us. Among them, first of all, it is necessary to mention the carved composition on the wooden doors of the Roman church of Santa Sabina.
The earliest known Ascension images
The composition represents the ascending Savior, depicted in a round medallion surrounded by four symbols of the evangelists. Below is a heavenly arch with luminaries, and below it are the figures of two apostles holding a cross above the head of a woman in whom the Most Holy Theotokos is easily guessed.
Another early depiction of this plot is presented on one of the vessels of the VI-VII centuries from the treasury of the cathedral in Monza. On it, the figure of Christ at the time of ascension is presented in a mandrol (vertical oval), and the composition itself is supplemented with images of angels, the twelve apostles and Our Lady of Oranta (a figure with prayerfully raised hands). A similar interpretation formed the basis for subsequent compositions.
The Lord is in His glory
On all existing Ascension icons, the Savior is depicted in the halo of glory and triumph and is the image of the Judge who, according to the promise, will come to give “to everyone according to his deeds.” This iconographic type of depiction of Jesus Christ is called the Pantecrator, that is, the Almighty. The sovereignty of the King of Heaven, leading all his faithful to the highlands, is the main feeling that the Ascension of God icon gives rise to.
From amber and bronze, from silver and ivory, the masters made objects of church utensils with the image of this scene. Among them are genuine works of art. Their samples can be seen in the largest museums in the world. And this is no coincidence, because it is hardly possible to find a more famous and recognizable plot in Christian art than the Ascension of God icon. Chromolithography, starting from the time when popular popular prints began to be printed on the basis of its technology, allowed these images to enter the home of every Orthodox family, regardless of its wealth, which undoubtedly served to further popularize the plot.