For two thousand years now, the figure of the poor Palestinian preacher Jesus from Nazareth has dominated the whole of European (and not only) culture. Today, his followers total more than two billion people, that is, more than thirty percent of the world's population. And there is no country where at least a small group of Christian believers do not exist. It is quite natural that the image of Christ was imprinted in the world artistic heritage, especially in religious painting and iconography. A vivid expression of the veneration of Jesus, for example, in Orthodoxy is the icon of the Lord Almighty. Its significance stands in close interconnection with Orthodox theology. Therefore, it is necessary to understand a little the role of Christ in theology.
Jesus in orthodox theology
As in all Christian churches, Christ occupies a central place in the Orthodox dogma. This can not always be felt in the practice of the modern Church, often demonstrating inertness and superstition, focused on the cults of saints and shrines. But in its theory and dogmatic doctrine, Orthodoxy is a very Christ-centered denomination. Jesus, according to her message, is the second person of the Holy Trinity - the Most High God who created the whole world. The three hypostases of the one God represent the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the second of them, the Son, came down to earth at the turn of the epoch and, by the action of the Holy Spirit, was born of an earthly woman, thereby assuming human nature. The single person of Christ, thus, combines in himself "unbroken, inseparable, invariably and inseparably" two natures - divine and human. Since he is God, he is also called the Lord. Being sinless in itself, Jesus took upon himself the burden of all human sins that separate the Creator and creation, and lifted them to the cross with his body. Having been innocently condemned and crucified, Christ thereby atoned for human sins with his blood. On the third day, he rose from the dead, and on the fortieth day after that he ascended into the heavenly realms, where he sat on his right hand (metaphorically speaking, for the Father does not have a body) from God the Father, where he has since then invisibly and ruled his church and everything the universe. Such, in brief, is the Orthodox doctrine of Jesus Christ.
Jesus in iconography
The icon, being “theology in colors”, seeks to reflect the dogmatic understanding of the Savior. It is in the light of dogma that the canonical Orthodox image of Christ should be interpreted. The icon depicts the always risen Christ, from within which a divine light shines. Even if the plot is a plot depicting the life-giving deeds of the Savior, it still does not show the earthly Jesus, but the resurrected one. Therefore, the icon is always metahistorical, it reveals the spiritual essence of an event or person, and does not record physical reality. Ultimately, the image is entirely a symbol. And each element in it is a reflection of its spiritual root. It is fair to say that the icon depicts the inconceivable and shows the invisible. All these features include the icon of the Lord Almighty. Its meaning is defined by the Greek term "Pantocrator", which means "possessing everything, ruling everything, having power over everything, omnipotent."
Pantocrator Type Description
Actually, the icon “Lord Almighty” is not even an icon, but an icon-painting type of the image of Christ. According to canonical standards, the Savior in him is represented in the image of a reigning person. The pose may be different - he can stand or sit on the throne. Belt and mantle versions of the image are also popular. The icon "Lord Almighty" is immediately recognized by the position of the hands of Christ. In the left, he holds a codex that symbolizes his preaching - the gospel. And the right hand is most often folded into a blessing gesture. In general, this is the most common and recognizable icon-painting type of the Savior. He is known since about the fourth century. And the oldest icon "Lord Almighty" to date - the image of the Sinai monastery of the sixth century.
Symbols of the Pantocrator
Like any iconographic type, Pantokrator has its own set of characters. Most of them, however, are the fruit of a subsequent reflection on an already established image. So the interpretation of individual details is rather arbitrary. The icon of the Lord Almighty reflects the theological understanding of the figure of Christ - this has already been said above. If at the same time Jesus is dressed in imperial robes, this underlines his absolute power over the cosmos. If the clothes are episcopal, then Christ is the high priest, the redeemer, who sacrificed himself for the sins of mankind. In this capacity, he brings his blood to the heavenly tabernacle and is therefore a priest - a mediator between God and people. But most often the icon “Lord Almighty” depicts Christ in his everyday clothes - a tunic, that is, a long shirt and hematia - a cloak. On the tunic, however, clav is often depicted - a vertical golden stripe that symbolizes nobility and power. In antiquity, only aristocrats could wear it. For some time, the tunic itself has been customarily associated with the church. The traditional halo symbolizes spiritual light, and the cross inscribed in its circle represents the sacrifice of the cross.
Revered Pantocrator
In conclusion, it is necessary to recall that the image is not Christ himself, and that any of them, including the "Lord Almighty" is an icon. The 19th century somewhat diminished the importance of personal spiritual discipline and practice, as a result of which the church community still suffers from the disease of the pursuit of miraculous images. As an example of such an honored icon of the Savior, we can cite the image of the 14th century Eleazarovsky, now stored in the eponymous monastery of the Pskov diocese.