“It is most absurd and improper to depict in icons God the Father with a grey beard and the Only-Begotten
Son in his bosom with a dove between them, because no one has seen the Father according to his Divinity, and the Father has
no flesh……. and the Holy Spirit is not in essence a dove, but in essence God” [Great Synod of Moscow,
1667].
For the Russian Orthodox Church,
depicting the Holy Trinity in art has been an issue of controversy for the past thousand years.
Even though the Council of Nicaea in 787 permitted the artistic representation of God, the Russian Orthodox Church
was unhappy with the popular images of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
They felt the gray-bearded man and dove could not do justice to the unfathomable
mystery of the triune God. In place of these widespread images of God, they
chose to use Andrei Rublev’s Trinity Icon as the proper way to depict the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Russian
icon is hard to grasp for those outside the Orthodox tradition and at first glance it doesn’t appear to represent the
Holy Trinity. The central scene of the icon comes from the Book of Genesis,
when Abraham welcomes three strangers into his tent:
“And
the Lord appeared to [Abraham] by the oaks of Mamre….. he lifted up his eyes and…. behold, three men stood in
front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and
bowed himself to the earth….. [Abraham] set [cakes, curds, milk, and a calf he prepared] before them; and he stood
by them under the tree while they ate” [Genesis 18.1-8].
Rublev’s
icon depicts this scene with three angels, similar in appearance, sitting around
a table. In the background is the house of Abraham, as well as an
oak tree that stands behind the three guests. While the icon depicts this
scene in the Old Testament, Rublev used the biblical episode to make a visual representation of the Trinity
that fit within the strict guidelines of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The symbolism of the image is complex and is meant to summarize the Church’s
theological beliefs in the Holy Trinity. First of all, the three angels
are identical in appearance corresponding to the belief in the oneness of God in three Persons.
However, each angel is wearing a different garment, bringing to mind how each Person of the Trinity is distinct. The fact that Rublev depicts the Trinity using angels is also a reminder of the
nature of God, who is true spirit.
The angels
are shown from left to right in the order that we profess our faith in the Creed:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The first angel wears a blue undergarment,
symbolizing the divine nature of God and purple outer garment, pointing to the Father’s kingship.
The second angel is the most familiar as he is wearing
clothes typically worn by Jesus in traditional iconography. The crimson
color symbolizes Christ’ humanity, while the blue is indicative of his divinity.
The oak three behind the angel reminds us of the tree of life in the Garden of Eden as well as the Cross upon which
Christ saved the world from the sin of Adam.
The third
angel is wearing a blue garment {divinity), as well as a green vestment over the top.
The color green points to the earth and the Holy Spirit’s mission of renewal.
Green is also the liturgical color worn on Pentecost in the Orthodox and Byzantine tradition.
The two angels on the right of the icon have a slightly bowed head toward the other, illustrating the fact that the
Son and the Spirit come from the Father.
In the center
of the icon is a table that resembles an altar. Placed on the table is a
golden bowl or chalice that contains the calf Abraham prepared for his guests and the central angel appears to be blessing
the meal. All of that combined reminds us of the sacrament of the Eucharist.
While not the most direct representation
of the Holy Trinity, it is one of the most profound visualizations ever produced.
It remains in the Orthodox and Byzantine traditions the primary way to depict the Triune God.
The icon is even held in high esteem in the Roman Catholic Church and is frequently used by catechists to teach others
about the mystery of the Trinity.
The Trinity
is a mystery and will always be so while we are on earth. However, sometimes
we are given glimpses into God’s divine life, and Rublev’s icon
allows us a brief second to peek behind the veil.
Update:
Rublev’s Trinity Icon Returned
to the Church After 100+ Years
from a 15 May 2023 posting on the website
Orthodox Christianity
Finally, after more than 100 years, the most famous
Russian Orthodox icon has been returned to the ownership of the Church.
In response to repeated requests from Orthodox believers and hierarchs of the
Russian Orthodox Church, President Vladimir Putin decided to return the wonderworking Trinity Icon by Saint Andrew
Rublev to the Church.
For centuries,
the 15th century icon found its home on the iconostasis of the Holy Trinity Cathedral
at the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, founded by St. Sergius of Radonezh in the 14th century.
However, when the Bolshevik’s came to power in Russia following the Revolution, they removed the icon from the
monastery. In 1929, after nine years in the Sergiev Posad Museum in Zagorsk,
it was transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, where it had remained ever since.
The icon returned to the monastery for the first time
last July in honor of the 600th anniversary of the uncovering of the relics of Saint Sergius.
It remained for a few days before being returned to the museum. But
now it is returning to its home permanently.
With the
blessing of His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Trinity Icon will be exhibited for public
veneration in Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow for a year, and then it will be returned to its historical place on the
iconostasis of the Holy Trinity Cathedral at the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra.
