Most people consider Christmas to be the main Christian holiday, but in fact it is Easter. The essence of the great day is symbolically narrated in the icon “The Resurrection of Christ.” The main doctrine of Christians has been depicted in the form of frescoes and paintings since ancient times. Orthodox icon painting, after centuries of development, adopted the main points from the Byzantine school. There are also Western versions of images of the main event of human history, but they all tell the same story.
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Why are there few icons of the Resurrection in Orthodoxy?
It may seem strange that during the brightest holiday, icons that are incomprehensible in composition and outwardly dissimilar to each other are brought to the center of the temple. This requires a very deep understanding of the theme of the Resurrection. In fact, Orthodox icons capture and convey the very essence.
It is impossible to give a brief description of the icon of the Resurrection of Christ. If only because today there are 2 traditional types of such images.
- Descent into hell.
- Sunday with holidays.
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In both cases, the composition of the image is quite complex. Paradoxically, there are many characters in it. Although only one God-man was resurrected, this affected every one of those who knew Him then and everyone who lives on earth. It is not for nothing that even our chronology begins with the Nativity of Christ. What is the name of the last day of the week? Indeed, reminders of that Sunday accompany people throughout their lives.
In the first centuries of Christianity, iconography experienced some difficulties: after all, the Gospels do not contain a description of the very moment of the resurrection. But symbolic images have been found since ancient times - at first, artists painted Jonah in the belly of a huge whale on murals.
Ancient icons of the Resurrection of Christ depicted the Gospel events in different ways. For example, there are 2 warriors standing near the tomb, one of whom is sleeping. Either an angel appeared to the women, or the already risen Christ appears before Mary Magdalene. However, such stories did not reflect the full theological meaning of Easter. Therefore, the “Descent into Hell” type appears, which today is often found on icons of the “Resurrection of Christ”. Highlights of the composition:
- Christ holds the hands of the first people (they symbolize everyone who was in hell up to this moment) - Adam and Eve are preparing to leave the vale of sorrow.
- The Son of God, in search of man, descends to the lowest point of the universe, from where only one path is possible - upward, to Heaven.
- Under the feet of the Savior are the broken gates of hell.
Christ is wearing white (sometimes red) clothes; this is the Lord’s color in the Church. White vestments are required for all holidays associated with Christ - except Easter. Adam and Eve stretch out their hands to Him as to the most long-awaited guest. The Old Testament righteous are usually depicted on the side. Sometimes defeated demons are depicted below. Mountains are visible in the background, and a hellish abyss is also blackened.
The first images of this type date back to the 10th century. - for example, on Athos. It is believed that the basis of the plot was the apocryphal “Gospel of Nicodemus”. Its text was known in Rus' in the translation of St. Macaria. However, there are numerous references to the descent into hell in the prophetic books, in the Psalms, and in the Apostle Paul.
Prayer to Holy Easter
O Most Sacred and Greatest Light of Christ, Who shone forth more than the sun throughout the whole world in Your Resurrection! In this bright and glorious and saving laziness of Holy Pascha, all the angels in heaven rejoice and every creature rejoices and rejoices on earth and every breath glorifies Thee, its Creator. Today the gates of heaven have opened, and I, having died, have been freed into hell by Your descent. Now everything is filled with light, the heavens are the earth and the underworld. May Your light come into our dark souls and hearts and may it enlighten our present night of sin, and may we also shine with the light of truth and purity in the bright days of Your Resurrection, like a new creation about You. And thus, enlightened by You, we will go forth in luminosity at the meeting of You, who comes to You from the tomb, like the Bridegroom. And as Thou didst rejoice on this bright day by Thy appearance of the holy virgins who came from the world to Thy grave in the morning, so now enlighten the deep night of our passions and dawn upon us the morning of passionlessness and purity, so that we may see Thee with our hearts, redder than the sun of our Bridegroom, and may we hear once again Your longed-for voice: Rejoice! And having thus tasted the Divine joys of the Holy Pascha while still here on earth, may we be partakers of Your eternal and great Pascha in heaven in the unevening days of Your Kingdom, where there will be unspeakable joy and those celebrating the unceasing voice and ineffable sweetness of those who behold Your ineffable kindness. For You are the True Light, enlightening and illuminating all things, Christ our God, and glory befits You forever and ever. Amen.
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Other Easter stories
There is another type of icon of the Resurrection of Christ: the Savior is depicted emerging from the tomb. Behind him you can see the open entrance to the cave (the Jews buried their dead there). Two angels sit at the feet of Christ, their heads bowed respectfully, their hands in prayerful gestures. Sometimes guards overcome by horror are included in the composition; myrrh-bearing women are depicted to the side, overshadowed by the shadow of the night. Christ's right hand points to the sky; in his left he holds a banner.
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Although this plot captivates with its obviousness and ease of understanding, an attentive viewer will find some contradictions here.
- It is unlikely that Roman soldiers could sleep - serving in the army was a privilege, not a universal duty; Severe discipline punished such behavior during the performance of duty with death.
- Angels were inside the coffin.
- To leave the cave, Christ did not have to roll away the stone, since his heavenly nature was already fully manifested.
Despite these shortcomings, the image is in circulation among believers. In general, it quite adequately reflects the feeling of joy that a person experiences when hearing the Easter greeting.
The plot of the meeting of the risen Christ with Mary Magdalene correlates perfectly with the gospel narratives. The main point here is Christ's prohibition of touching himself, as indicated by his distant posture and his hand raised in a warning gesture. This scene is also reflected in religious paintings.
The icon of the Resurrection of Christ with holidays is more consistent with the Eastern tradition. In the center is depicted either a simplified composition in the Western style (the Savior surrounded by angels), or a complex plot telling about the descent into hell and ascension. Sometimes this is a plot from the Apocalypse, which, as it were, completes world history. Around the central composition there are stamps (smaller icons).
The content of each stamp is an independent icon, the number varies, often there are 12 of them - according to the number of main church holidays. But the images on the stamps do not necessarily correspond to the twelve holidays. There may be the betrayal of Judas, the assurance of Thomas, the Last Supper, the appearance of Christ to the disciples, etc. You can choose such an icon based on your personal preferences.
Serbian fresco
In the men's monastery of Milesheva (Serbia) there is an ancient Church of the Ascension from the 13th century. One of the images of the medieval wall painting ensemble is the icon of the “Resurrection of Christ”. The fresco depicts an angel in shining robes, which corresponds to the description of these events by the Evangelist Matthew. The heavenly messenger sits on a stone rolled away from the cave door. Near the coffin lie the burial shrouds of the Savior. Next to the angel are women who brought vessels of peace to the coffin. This version was not particularly widespread among Orthodox icon painters, but Western realistic painting readily uses it. It is interesting that in this case the event is depicted without its main participant - Christ.
The meaning of the holiday is the meaning of all Christian life
Each icon reflects the essence of a certain holiday, or reminds of the feat of a certain saint. The meaning of the icon of the Resurrection of Christ is to show not only the very fact that Christ conquered death. For every true believer it is beyond doubt. No, the image is not at all trying to convince those who are skeptical. The event has already taken place here. The resurrected son of the carpenter is presented not only as the redeemer of original sin, but also as the One who Himself resurrects.
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Need I say that Easter is the central event not only of Christianity, but also of every specific human destiny? Could a person live in peace knowing that his best friend died for him? But here we are not just talking about a person - about God, who descended from heaven to give eternal life to everyone without exception.
Why was the moment of the Resurrection itself not depicted? The Holy Fathers considered this sacrament so great that the image could only diminish it. Icon painting had to not only show the risen Christ, but also connect this event with the salvation of the human race, which is the main task of this type of art.
The saints were in hell because the path to heaven was closed. Sin broke the connection between God and his creation, and this is why Christ came - to restore the lost harmony of the Heavenly Father and His prodigal children.
First images
The pictorial images of the first three centuries were allegorical and symbolic. The emerging church art was marked by severe persecution by the pagans. Under these conditions, shrines had to be carefully protected from desecration. The most important event of the Christian church was depicted in the form of Old Testament prototypes. The most common image was of the prophet Jonah in the belly of Leviathan. Just as Jonah was in the belly of a whale for three days, and then was thrown out into the world, and Christ was in the tomb for three days, and then resurrected. This event is glorified in Easter hymns.
Famous churches in the name of the Resurrection of Christ
Home prayer is an important part of spiritual life, but a person needs living communication with those who have the same hope as himself. A visit to the temple provides an opportunity to participate in general church prayer and become familiar with shrines that have cultural and spiritual value.
The Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Sokolniki is famous for its rare collection of icons that were transferred here from other communities during times of persecution. The most famous is Iverskaya - a miraculous copy of the Athos image. The rich salary was made from donations from grateful parishioners who received answers to their prayers. The small ark located on the icon contains part of the veil from the Holy Sepulcher.
The church was built at the beginning of the 19th century. The construction was accompanied by an interesting history. One merchant wanted to donate funds to the temple. In a dream, he saw the apostles Paul and Peter, who showed him where to take the money. The next day, the man came to the rector of the Resurrection Church. He just needed funds to pay the workers.
- The oak icon cases made in the Byzantine style are especially beautiful.
- The orientation of the temple altar is unusual - it is directed south, towards the Holy Sepulcher.
- During the construction of the temple, there was a constant shortage of funds. One day, the abbot sheltered an elderly wanderer, who the next morning left a significant amount in his cell. Since then St. Nicholas is one of the most revered temple saints.
The main shrine of the entire Christian world is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It was erected above the places where all the most important events of Holy Week took place. This was the very first Christian temple in history, built by Emperor Constantine. Before he accepted the new faith, followers of Christ were everywhere subjected to persecution, torture and death. In some countries this still happens to this day.
How to pray at the Icon of the Resurrection
The central event of Christ's ministry is worthy of special prayerful veneration on the part of believers. Everyone who has ever been to a service remembers the Sunday hymn “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ...” It would be very appropriate to sing it at home.
The icon of the “Resurrection of Christ” helps to remember the main goal of a person’s life - he must become like Christ in everything. Open your heart to Him, accept those changes that are inevitable for the soul to be transformed. And after it, life will change. She can be joyful regardless of her level of income. To do this, you need to fill your heart with love. There is only one way for this - through prayer. First of all, it must be constant.
- Icon of the Nativity of Christ
- Icon of the Triflant - here
- Icon of the Three Joys -
The main prayers of every Christian are the “Our Father”, the Creed, and the prayer to the Holy Spirit. We must regularly turn to the Psalter, where King David collected songs for all occasions. All of them can be read in front of the image of Christ, because through Him the entire Holy Trinity is revealed to us. The Lord in the Holy Scriptures promised to fulfill any requests of a person that will be heard in the name of Jesus.
You should not try to abuse this promise by trying to get all earthly goods. The Lord is not stupid, he established the laws of life so that people would use them for the benefit of others, and not for harm. You can ask for spiritual gifts, help in work, in difficult situations, about the health of loved ones, and raising children.
