Icon of the resurrection of Christ. In Orthodox iconography there is NO icon of the Resurrection of Christ

14.10.2019

Purify the senses and see impregnable
shining with the light of Christ's resurrection...

(Canon of the Resurrection, Canto 1)

The wondrous Paschal canon - “a solemn song of joy about the Conqueror of death and hell” - along with deep theological reasoning, contains such vivid and figurative descriptions of the very event of the Resurrection of Christ that this creation of St. only to the icon painters themselves, but also to those who seek to delve into the meaning of the depicted event.

Let us follow the call given as an epigraph to our note: let us try to see what was conveyed to us and what the holy evangelists were reverently silent about.

“Now everything is filled with light, heaven and earth and underworld” (Ode 3)… Before turning to the consideration of the plots of the Resurrection of Christ that are rarely found in modern church life, let us dwell on the well-known “Descent into Hell”.

The plot "The Resurrection of Christ - Descent into Hell" can no doubt be called one of the most common iconographic plots. For the Orthodox consciousness, the light of the Resurrection of Christ, which shone even to the underworld, is the same visible reality as the light of Tabor in the iconography of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Early images of the Descent into Hell date back to the 10th century - these are miniatures of handwritten Gospels (in the Iberian monastery on Athos, etc.) and Psalters (for example, Khludovskaya of the 9th century, which is in the collection of the State Historical Museum). There is an established opinion that the literary basis of the iconography of the Descent into Hell is the Apocrypha - the so-called. "The Gospel of Nicodemus". This work, attributed to the secret disciple of Christ Nicodemus (John 3:1-9, 7:50, 19:39), belongs to the 2nd century, and the second half of the apocrypha may have appeared even in apostolic times. This is precisely the story on behalf of the two resurrected after the Resurrection of Christ sons of the righteous Simeon the God-Receiver about the Descent of Christ into hell: “And a voice was heard like the voices of thunder: Take your gates, princes, and rise up, faiths of hell, and the King of glory will enter.

And the prince of the underworld, seeing that this voice was repeated twice, said, as if not understanding: Who is this King of Glory? David, answering the prince of the underworld, said: I know the words of this exclamation, for they are the same with which I prophesied under the inspiration of His Spirit ... And now, vile and terrible prince of the underworld, open your gates, let the King of Glory enter them. When David spoke these words to the prince of the underworld, the Lord of Majesty descended in the form of a man and illuminated the eternal darkness, and destroyed the inseparable bonds, and the help of invincible power visited us, sitting in the depths of the darkness of sin and in the shadow of the death of sinners.

In the sixteenth century, Saint Macarius completely revised the Russian translation of the Book of Nicodemus and included it in his Great Menaion. So the text of this work spread to Russia; he is known in many lists. The text expanded by St. Macarius contains not only a vivid description of the event of the Resurrection of Christ; Christ is shown here as the Righteous Judge, to whom the souls of the righteous, saved by Him from the hell of the underworld, offer their prayers.

But it will be fair to note that the Book of Nicodemus is not the only source of the iconography we are considering. About the Descent into hell they say, for example, the prophetic texts of the Psalter: You brought my soul out of hell and revived me (Ps. 29:4); If I ascend to heaven - You are there; if I go down to hell, and there you are (Ps. 139:8). In the prophet Isaiah we read: Hell has set in motion for you, to meet you at your entrance (Is. 14:9). The Apostle Peter, addressing the men of Israel and all who live in Jerusalem (Acts 2:31-32), as well as in his epistles, says that, having been revived in the spirit, Christ came down to those in prison, and was preached (1 Pet. 3 :18–19). Interpreting the 19th verse of the 67th psalm, the apostle Paul says: "he ascended," what does it mean, if not that He also descended before into the lower parts of the earth? He is also the one who ascended above the heavens to fill everything (Eph. 4:9-10); The victory of the Risen Christ over death and hell is also spoken of in 1 Epistle to the Corinthians: ... death was swallowed up in victory. Death! where is your pity? hell! where is your victory?.. Thanks be to God, who gave us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Cor. 15:54, 55, 57).

Sacred Tradition contains many references to the destruction of hell by the Savior descending into it; St. John Chrysostom, in the "Discourse of the catechumens" following the prophet and the apostle, exclaims: "Grieved hell... for it has been abolished. Grieve, for you have been mocked. Grieve, for you are dead. Grieve, for lay down... Where is your, death, sting? Where is your, hell, victory? Christ is risen, and thou hast fallen. Christ has risen, and the demons have fallen…” For John of Damascus, who created his creations in the 8th century, the Savior’s descent into hell is already an indisputable fact: “We celebrate the death of death, hellish destruction…” (Song 7).

Let us pay attention to the words of the ikos: “Even before the sun, the Sun, which sometimes entered the tomb ...” In the traditional iconography of the Descent into Hell, the Savior is depicted descending into the underworld, surrounded by radiance, pierced by rays, celestial circles (mandorla) - signifying His divine dignity and glory. The Savior on this icon is, as it were, the sun descending into the underworld. Everything in the Savior is full of rapid movement. The edge of the garment flutters and is lifted by the wind, signifying the lightning speed of the Savior's descent into hell.

The description of the icon of the Descent into Hell that we have given belongs to the monk Gregory (Krug), an outstanding icon painter of the Russian Diaspora. However, together with another remarkable scientist and icon painter, L. N. Uspensky, monk Gregory believed that of all the plots of the Resurrection of Christ, known since early Christian times, “the only appropriate is the image of myrrh-bearing women at the Sepulcher.” Here are his thoughts:

“Repeatedly, disagreements arose in the Church about how this or that holiday, this or that saint, this or that divine-human concept should be depicted on the icon. Cause disagreement and various, accepted in church life, icon images of the Resurrection of Christ. The question arose and continues to arise as to which icons of the Resurrection of Christ correctly express the meaning of the sacred event, and which icons are less perfect and desirable, and which, finally, are completely unacceptable for worship and veneration as false, completely distorting the meaning of the event of the holiday and leading away consciousness believers on the dark paths of false images, feelings and ideas, hindering the comprehension of the event, being an insurmountable barrier to it, and not a door leading into the bright chamber of church celebration.

Supporting the opinion of Leonid Uspensky, monk Gregory writes: “The Resurrection of Christ is a sacrament completely unknown and incomprehensible and cannot be depicted, for in this way the most mysterious nature of the event would be diminished.”

But they tried to depict everything described in the Gospel with sufficient (or rather, accessible for their time) completeness, at least starting from the 3rd century. From the early symbolic images of the Resurrection of Christ - through the prototypes contained in the Old Testament - to documentary illustrativeness, historically accurately reflecting the Gospel texts. Further - the theological understanding of the victory of Christ over hell and death, which made it possible to create wonderful compositions of the Descent into Hell - multi-figured, very expressive (an example is the icon of the late XIV century from the Resurrection Cathedral of the Kolomna Kremlin, now located in the Tretyakov Gallery). A lot of icons depicting the Descent into Hell have been preserved, and this undoubtedly indicates that the theological understanding of the “mystery of the unknown and incomprehensible” was constantly in demand - in demand precisely in the iconographic aspect. In the 17th century the complicated iconography of the Descent into Hell is gaining ground: under the influence of Western painting, the plot “The Rise of Christ from the Sepulcher” is introduced into the composition, and this last plot is increasingly replacing the Descent into Hell familiar to Russian churches. “Rising from the grave” the Savior is usually shown naked, girded; He hovers over the coffin, holding in his hand a flagpole with a cross on it. There are no serious theological grounds for such a composition.

Historical compositions clearly illustrating the Gospel texts about the apparitions of the Resurrected Savior have not remained only the property of history - they are found both in temple paintings and on icons, however, much less frequently than the Descent into Hell or the Rise from the Tomb. Let's try to trace how the iconography of these, which have become quite rare, plots developed, starting from the moment they appeared.

One of the earliest depictions is a Roman ivory relief plate dating from about 400 (kept in the Bavarian National Museum in Munich).

In a single composition, the Resurrection of Christ and the Ascension are presented here. On the left side, below, the tomb of the Lord is depicted in the form of an ancient mausoleum. It is a cubic brick base with a graceful carved cornice; next to the double-leaf locked door there is a small niche with a relief image of the full-length figure of the buried. The top of the coffin is a rotunda with a carved cornice and decorative two-column arches, above which there are relief shoulder images of the buried's ancestors in medallions. The rotunda is crowned with a dome with a carved decoration in the form of a rosette. A tree (olive) rises above the coffin.

Next to the coffin are sleeping soldiers: one leaned a spear against the coffin and stands with his eyes closed, leaning his elbows on the base of the coffin; the other put his head on his folded arms and sleeps, leaning comfortably on the coffin. Three myrrh-bearing women approach the tomb; their figures express timidity and surprise: they saw an angel sitting at the entrance to the tomb. An angel (at that time angels were still depicted without wings) with a pointing gesture announces to the myrrh-bearing women about the Resurrection of Christ.

The scene of the Ascension is depicted in the upper right part of the relief. The Savior (He is depicted as a beardless youth) climbs the mountainside; the right hand of God the Father is stretched out towards Him from the cloudy segment. A little lower, also on the slope of the mountain, there are two apostles. One of them reverently covered his face with his hands and knelt down; the other, clasping his hands in astonishment, kneels down.

Separate plots of this composition received further development and are found in later images, but there are no direct analogues of this composition.

In later images of the myrrh-bearing wives at the tomb, an angel points them to the one lying in open coffin shroud. The image of the Angel, announcing the Resurrection of Christ to the myrrh-bearing women standing at the empty tomb, for several centuries remained in Byzantine iconography the only image of the Resurrection.

In a famous fresco in the Serbian monastery of Mileshev (c. 1236), an angel in shining white robes sits at the open entrance to a tomb cave and points to a shroud lying there. The image of the Angel corresponds to the description given by the Evangelist Matthew: the Angel of the Lord, who descended from heaven, having approached, rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb and sat on it; his appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow (Matt. 28:2, 3).

“This icon depicts wives bringing ointment to the tomb of the Savior and being certified by an angel about the Resurrection of Christ. In front of the wives, the empty coffin of the Savior is depicted with the swaddling clothes left and the holy sir lying separately. An angel in snow-white robes, seated on a rolled-off stone of the tomb, proclaims joyful news to the wives. Sometimes not one, but two Angels are depicted. Based on the gospel narratives, the Angel or Angels are the first witnesses and eyewitnesses of the Resurrection of Christ, one must think, the first interlocutors of the Savior after His Resurrection.

The described composition is fully consistent with the text of the Hypakoy of Holy Easter: “Having anticipated the morning even about Mary and found the stone rolled away from the tomb, I hear from the Angel: in the light of the ever-present Existing with the dead, what are you looking for, like a person? You see the graven sheets: roll and preach to the world, as the Lord has risen, killing death ... ”This text also fully explains that in Orthodox tradition the moment of the Resurrection of Christ was considered indescribable.

The moment of the Resurrection was considered indescribable, but not the meeting with the Risen Christ, described in detail by the evangelists. The first of them, described by John the Theologian (John 19:11–17), is known in iconography (of Western origin) under the name “Noli Me tangere” - “Do not touch Me!” (John 19:17).

It is interesting to compare the liturgical texts with the peculiarities of the iconography of this and subsequent meetings of the disciples with the Resurrected Savior. The plate from the Munich Museum described above echoes the Sunday troparion of the 1st tone: “The stone is sealed from the Jews ...” Mary Magdalene standing at the tomb is mentioned in the troparion of the 6th tone (“...and Mary stood in the tomb, looking for Your Most Pure Body”). The Descent into Hell is spoken of in the troparion of the 2nd tone: “When thou hast descended to death, Life Immortal, then thou hast slain hell with the radiance of the Divine…”; 6 voices: "Thou hast captivated hell..."

The rites of the Weeks after Easter contain reminiscences and comprehension of the meetings of the disciples with the Risen Christ; these appearances of the Risen One are also reflected in iconography. The most famous composition is "Assurance of Thomas". The composition has been spreading since the beginning of the 11th century; the earliest monument is the mosaics of the cathedral of the monastery of Hosios Loukas in Phokis. By the middle of the XI century. relates the image of the Assurance of Thomas on the fresco of St. Sophia of Kiev. The “Blessed Twin”, testing the perforated ribs of his Resurrected Teacher with his “curious right hand”, has become one of the most frequently encountered characters in compositions dedicated to the Resurrected Savior.

Somewhat less common are compositions with Mary Magdalene (“Do not touch Me!”) and with myrrh-bearing wives. Of the earliest images, one can name beautiful mosaics

6th century Cathedral of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna and the frescoes of St. Sophia of Kiev.

We note an interesting detail of the composition with Mary Magdalene, which confirms the Western origin of this plot. Mary Magdalene was depicted on her knees, with her hair loose. This is how Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary is depicted on a Cretan icon of the 16th century. and on a fresco of the same time in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas of the Athos Monastery of Stavronikita.

Another rare story related to the appearance of the Risen Christ to His disciples is a meeting in Galilee; it is also called "Sending Disciples to Sermon." The earliest depiction is in our St. Sophia of Kiev.

The cycle of frescoes of the 16th century is very interesting. depicting the apparitions of the Resurrected Christ in the Stavronikita monastery already mentioned: it practically illustrates the Sunday Gospel readings. These frescoes immediately follow the depiction of the Passion of Christ. After the plot of the Lamentation of Christ and the Entombment, the composition “Myrrh-Bearing Wives at the Tomb” follows. In contrast to the ancient relief image, the details of the gospel story are presented here quite accurately: the tomb of Christ, carved into a rocky mountain, is covered with a heavy stone; the stone is “sealed from the Jews” - tied twice with a strong rope, over which a seal is applied.

In another part of the composition, the Angel “sitting on the stone of the tomb” shows the myrrh-bearers to the linens lying in the tomb and the head-cloth, which was on His head, not lying with linens, but especially entwined in another place (John 20: 7).

This is followed by the plots "Assurance of Thomas", "The Appearance of the Risen Christ to the Apostles in Galilee", "The Appearance at Emmaus". All compositions are saturated with a mass of subtle details, not only illustrating, but sometimes commenting on the gospel story. So, in the plot “The Apparition at Emmaus”, silent witnesses of the conversation of Christ in Luke and Cleopas appear - these are the servants who serve food to the participants in the wonderful dinner in Emmaus. There are three of them: a maid leaning out of the window and serving bowls of food to the servants, and two servants bringing dishes to the table. They are in characteristic headdresses - one in a Syrian head scarf, the other in a high fur hat.

In the cycle of frescoes illustrating the gospel readings of the Weeks after Easter, there are also scenes of the healing of the paralytic (week 4), the conversation with the Samaritan woman (week 5), the healing of the blind (week 6). Another image, amazing in its laconic expressiveness, is the third appearance of the Risen Christ to His disciples (The Miraculous Fishing of John 21:1-14). This composition has been known since the 13th century, for the first time it is found in the painting of the Hagia Sophia in Trebizond. On the Athos fresco, as always, a lot of interesting details are shown: this is a net abandoned along right side boats - the apostles-fishermen unsuccessfully try to pull it out. This is the Apostle Peter, “girded with an ependite”, swimming to the shore, this is a fish laid out on fire. The frescoes of Stavronikita were painted in the 16th century. Cretan artist Theophanes.

Further development of the iconography of the Resurrected Christ followed the path of complicating the composition and introducing additional details into it. Such, for example, is the Yaroslavl icon “The Rise of Christ from the Sepulcher and the Descent into Hell” of the late 17th century. from the church of Elijah the Prophet. Along with the familiar stories of the Resurrection of Christ and the apparitions of the Resurrected Christ, the Yaroslavl icon presents a huge number of characters and new stories.

Here are some of these new composition details. In the lower left corner of the icon there is a dungeon, against the background of which angels beat the personified hell or Satan. In the upper right corner, an angel leads a long line of saved righteous people to paradise. The first to enter Paradise, where Enoch and Elijah are already, is the prudent thief; he holds a cross in his hand.

The upper part of the icon - Western iconography - is the "Rise of Christ" with the guards who fell on their faces and the Savior hovering above them. The lower half is the Descent into Hell of traditional Orthodox iconography. In addition to scenes related to the Resurrected Christ, the icon also presents scenes of the passionate cycle: the Crucifixion, the Entombment. Above the "Rising of Christ" is a miniature Ascension of the Lord. Apparently, iconographic innovations can be explained by the desire to illustrate in detail the liturgical texts of Pascha; v short form their content is presented in the Paschal kontakion: “And thou hast descended into the grave, Immortal, but thou hast destroyed the power of hell, and thou hast risen like a conqueror, Christ God. Prophetic to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice, and grant peace to your apostle, give resurrection to the fallen.

The long historical path of the formation of the iconography of the Resurrection of Christ provides examples of unexpected artistic solutions associated with the theological understanding of not only the texts of Holy Scripture, but also its patristic interpretations, liturgical texts, as well as borrowings from the Western iconographic tradition - not always justified, but sometimes very interesting.

Archpriest Nikolai Pogrebnyak

Sources and literature:

Antonova V.I., Mneva N.E. Catalog of ancient Russian painting of the 11th - early 18th centuries. (State Tretyakov Gallery). T.1–2. M., 1963.
Bryusova V. G. Russian painting of the 17th century. M., 1984.
Juliana, Mon. (Sokolova M.N.) The work of an icon painter. [B.m.], 2005.
Kvlividze N. V. Iconography of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. - PE, T. 9. S. 421–423.
Kolpakova G. S. Art of Byzantium. T.1–2. SPb., 2004.
Kondakov N. P. Front icon-painting original. T.1. Iconography of the Lord our God and Savior Jesus Christ. SPb., 1905.
Krug Gregory, monk. Thoughts on the icon. Paris, 1978.
Lazarev VN The history of Byzantine painting. T. 1–2. M., 1986.
Maslenitsyn S. I. Written by Semyon Spiridonov. M., 1980.
Pokrovsky N. V. The Gospel in Iconographic Monuments, Mainly Byzantine and Russian. SPb., 1892. (Reprint: M., 2001).
Uspensky L. A. Theology of the icon Orthodox Church. Paris, 1989.
Felmi Karl Christian. Icons of Christ. M., 2007.
Filaret (Gumilevsky), archbishop. Historical overview hymn-singers and the hymns of the Greek Church. SPb., 1902 (Reprint: STSL, 1995).
Chatzidakis M. The Cretan painter Theophanis. Mount Athos, 1986.

Date of publication or update 11/26/2017

"Moscow Diocesan Gazette" has repeatedly addressed the theme of the iconography of the Resurrection of Christ. In this note, we will talk about complex iconographic compositions on this topic, which include several plots related in meaning.

The basis for the creation of such compositions was, first of all, the Sunday Gospel conceptions - liturgical readings from the last chapters of all four Gospels, which speak of the appearances of the Risen Christ to the disciples. The Sunday hymn according to the Gospel - having seen the Resurrection of Christ - sounding after reading the gospel conceptions, as if inviting not only to hear the story of the miracle of the Resurrection of Christ, but also to see it. Therefore, the Church from early Christian times sought to show the Resurrection of Christ. It was necessary to tell about this - and, based on the texts of Holy Scripture and Tradition, the holy fathers wrote about the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, about the victory of the resurrected Christ over hell and death, and liturgical texts were compiled.

A number of apocrypha are also known. It was much more difficult to depict the Resurrection of Christ itself: there were no eyewitnesses of the mysterious event on earth.

Early Christian art solved this problem on the basis of the texts of Old Testament prophecies - the Lord himself pointed out to the apostles this possibility: starting from Moses, from all the prophets he explained to them what was said about Him in all Scripture (Luke 24:27). Since at least the 3rd century, symbolic images of the Resurrection of Christ through the prototype of the prophet Jonah have been known - in the paintings of the Roman catacombs, mosaics, and on the reliefs of sarcophagi. A century later, there are already not only symbolic, but also historical images illustrating the gospel texts.

It should be noted that the desire for an accurate historical depiction of the Resurrection of Christ sometimes led to unexpected results: early Byzantine images - for example, a diptych of the 5th century BC. from the Milan Cathedral - show not only the events described in the Gospel, but also quite accurately depict the very place where the Resurrection of Christ took place. But by this time, on the site of the Holy Sepulcher, Emperor Constantine the Great had built a temple in honor of the Resurrection. One of the plots of the diptych shows soldiers sleeping at the coffin - but this is not a coffin, but built by St. Constantine rotunda! This, of course, should not be considered an inaccuracy or a mistake, it is a symbol - the Sepulcher of Christ, the source of our resurrection is revealed here as a place that surpasses even the royal palaces in grandeur.

16. Descent of the Holy Spirit.

Thus, on a small icon, the artist placed almost all the plots related to the Easter cycle.

For comparison, let's take a Greek icon of the 16th century. (Crete). Here (No. 100) are depicted all the scenes associated with the myrrh-bearing women. It is noteworthy that the artist arranged all the plots of the composition not in registers, not in stamps, but in one space.

As we see from the above examples, the detailed iconography of the Resurrection of Christ makes it possible to prayerfully contemplate the economy of the salvation accomplished by Christ. These icons not only contain a story about the historical circumstances of the Resurrection of Christ, but also reveal the meaning of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as a victory over death and sinful forces. This is a powerful call to holiness. Consider the Apostle Paul:

Now, when you have been freed from sin and become servants of God, your fruit is holiness, and the end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:22, 23). Orthodox icons of the Resurrection of Christ call us to this eternal life.

Bishop Nikolai Balashikhinsky

Material source: Moscow Diocesan Gazette, No. 3-4, 2013

The most important event in the Orthodox world is the Resurrection of the Lord. In honor of this, an icon of the same name was painted, to which they turn for help in various life situations.

The Bright Resurrection of Christ is a symbol of faith, truth and the victory of good over evil. This is a central event in the history of Christianity, without which there would be no faith itself. The Easter holiday is celebrated by every believer, and the prayers offered before the icon will certainly be answered.

History of the icon

In Orthodoxy, the icon depicting the Resurrection of the Lord is absent. But there are many images, mosaic and painted paintings that tell about the plots recorded in Scripture. The icons may depict the Lord descending into hell in order to take with him the souls of the Old Testament righteous and transfer them to the Kingdom of Heaven. However, the grandiose feast of the Resurrection of Christ without a specific icon does not become less significant.

Description of the image

In Orthodox iconography there is no icon of the Resurrection of Christ, but there is a familiar image of Christ in a snow-white robe, who comes out of his coffin with a banner in his hand. This is one of the many versions of the iconographic image of the great event.

In art, which dates back to the ancient Christian era, the Resurrection of Christ was traditionally depicted in symbolic form. Icon painters used images from Old Testament, according to which everyone could draw an analogy to a particular event depicted on the icon. The absence in the Gospel of a story about the Resurrection itself was the reason that the plot itself was not depicted on the icons at first.

In early Byzantine art, they began to paint the tomb of the Lord on the icons, and much later on the icons they began to depict the descent of the Savior into hell after burial.

What does the icon help with?

Before the icon of the Lord himself, you can pray about anything. The clergy recommend starting the prayer with words of thanksgiving to the Savior, who sacrificed himself for the salvation of all living on earth. Prayer words can be offered in any situation, if you need help or support, a blessing for any business, healing from an illness. Every word coming from the heart will be sure to be heard.

Where is the divine image

In Russia, there are about 500 churches named after greatest event Resurrection of Christ. They contain icons and other works of art of iconography depicting a solemn event:

city of Moscow, churches in Kadashi and Sokolniki;
St. Petersburg, Cathedral of the Savior on Blood, Smolny Novodevichy Convent;
the city of Pskov;
the city of Uglich, the Resurrection Monastery;
Tomsk city;
city of Tula, Cathedral of All Saints.

Many temples, churches, cathedrals and monasteries store not only icons, but also paintings, mosaic paintings depicting the Resurrection of Christ. Parishioners come to the holy face not only on holidays, but also at any time when they need Divine help.

Prayer before the icon

“Let us worship the Resurrection of the Lord, let us exalt glory to the Lord Jesus alone. You, who corrected the heretics, who performed repentance for all living, washed people from sins with your blood, do not leave your faithful slaves in the hour of sorrow and difficulty. Heal our souls and bodies, so that we proclaim the Word of God and glorify in the ages the faith in the Lord of the Triune. Amen".

You can openly tell what worries you, ask for advice from the Higher Forces, pray for your family and for all those living on earth.

Date celebration icons

The icon refers to the most ancient Christian holiday, which is established in honor of the Resurrection of Christ - Easter. In Orthodoxy, it is called the Feast of Feasts and the Triumph of Celebrations. On this day, festive services are held, and the date is rolling.

In Orthodoxy, the day of the Resurrection of Christ is key event Therefore, every believer celebrates this holiday with his family. Believers attend solemn services to offer words of praise to the Lord, pray for protection, patronage and forgiveness of sins. We wish you happiness and peace, and do not forget to press the buttons and

08.04.2018 05:35

The icon of the Lord Almighty is one of the most important symbols of Orthodox believers. The famous image of Jesus Christ...

The main dogma of the Christian faith is the doctrine of the resurrection of Christ the Savior on the third day after death on the cross. The Easter holiday is considered the central celebration of the annual liturgical cycle. An invariable attribute of any event glorified by the church is its picturesque image. Thanks to the possibilities of printing production, the icon "Christ's Resurrection" is one of the most common today.

However, the appearance of the now popular image was associated with a centuries-old history of hymnography and dogmatic creativity of the Church Fathers. The complexity of the formation of a picturesque plot lies not only in the saturation of the composition with numerous figures, but also in the fact that the evangelists have no descriptions of this event.

It cannot be otherwise: the apostle disciples were not present at the same time, and the miracle itself is incomprehensible to the human mind. The image of the Resurrection is considered indescribable, therefore, events directly related to it are displayed in painting.

In the order of the Liturgy of John Chrysostom there are such words: “in the tomb of the flesh, in hell with a soul like God, in paradise with a thief.” The text describes to some extent the events leading up to the resurrection. Apocryphal writings also left their mark.

The first images Picturesque images of the first three centuries were allegorical and symbolic. The nascent church art was marked by cruel persecution by the pagans. Under these conditions, the shrines had to be carefully protected from desecration. Major event the Christian church was portrayed as Old Testament types

. The most common was the image of the prophet Jonah in the womb of a leviathan. Just as Jonah spent three days in the womb of a whale, and then was cast out into the world, and Christ was in the tomb for three days, and then resurrected. This event is sung in Easter hymns.

iconographic types.

It is impossible to depict the very moment of the resurrection of the flesh, because the human consciousness is unable to even speculatively imagine this process, let alone express it graphically. In Christian iconography, there is a limited number of storylines that embody the greatness of the event for believers.

The image of classical orthodox origin is not called the icon "Christ's Resurrection", but "The Descent of Christ the Savior into Hell". The Western tradition has introduced into liturgical use two more comprehensible to the consciousness of the layman now widespread pictorial images: “The Risen Christ at the Sepulcher” and “The Appearance of the Risen Savior to the Myrrh-Bearing Women”. There are variations on these main themes, for example, the icon "The Resurrection of Christ with the holidays." A unique fact Every action in the church must be consistent with the charter and justified dogmatically

. Modern theologians compare church teaching with a turtle that has a strong shell for protection. This armor has been developed in the fight against many heresies and false teachings over the course of many centuries. Activities in the field of art are also strictly regulated. On an icon, each brushstroke must be justified.

But the icon "Christ's Resurrection" is based on not quite canonical sources of information. Namely, on the texts of the source of the 5th century, the so-called gospel of Nicodemus, rejected by the canonical thought of the church. Icon of the Resurrection of Christ. Significance The picturesque image tells of great and incomprehensible events.

It is the Gospel of Nicodemus that is, perhaps, the only ancient handwritten source that tells about what happened to Christ from the moment of burial to the rising from the tomb. This apocrypha describes in some detail the dialogue between the devil and the underworld and the events that followed. Hell, anticipating its collapse, orders the unclean spirits to tightly “lock up the gates of brass and locks of iron.” But the Heavenly King crushes the gates, binds Satan and betrays him into the power of hell, commanding him to be kept in bondage until the second coming.

After that, Christ calls all the righteous to follow Him. As the centuries passed, dogmatists clothed non-canonical texts in orthodox teaching. The Creator has no measurement of time, for Him every person who lived before the preaching of Christ, His contemporaries and us living today is valuable. The Savior, having descended into the underworld, brought out of hell all who desired it. But now living must make their own choice. The icon shows the omnipotence of the Creator, who freed the captives of the underworld. And over time, He will appear in order to carry out judgment and finally determine the measure of punishment for evil and the eternal reward of the righteous.

Serbian fresco.

In the male monastery of Mileshev (Serbia) there is an ancient temple of the Ascension of the XIII century. One of the images of the medieval ensemble of wall paintings is the icon "Christ's Resurrection". The fresco depicts an angel in shining clothes, which corresponds to the description of these events by the Evangelist Matthew. The heavenly messenger sits on a stone that has been rolled away from the door of the cave. Near the tomb lie the burial sheets of the Savior. Next to the angel are placed women who brought vessels with the world to the coffin. This version has not received much distribution among Orthodox icon painters, but Western realistic painting willingly uses it. It is interesting that in this case the event is depicted without its main participant - Christ.

The oldest canonical image

In 1081 a church was built on the outskirts of Constantinople. According to its location, it received the name of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in the Fields. In Greek "in the fields" - ἐν τῃ Χώρᾳ (en ti chora). So, the temple and the monastery built later are still called “Chora”. At the beginning of the 16th century, a new mosaic covering of the interior was arranged in the temple. Among those that have survived to this day is the icon “The Resurrection of Christ, the Descent into Hell”. The composition depicts the Savior standing on the broken gates of hell. Christ is surrounded by an almond-shaped halo. By the hands He holds Adam and Eve rising from the tombs. Behind the progenitors of the human race are the righteous of the Old Testament. This rendition is most widely used in iconography.

What is on the icon?

The image is the dogma of the church, expressed in pictorial form. According to church teaching, paradise for the righteous was closed until the Savior's death on the cross and His glorious resurrection. The composition of the icon includes images of the most famous saints before the era of Christ. The Savior stands on the cross-folded gates of hell. tools and extracted nails are sometimes depicted near them. Adam and Eve, as a rule, are located on opposite sides of Christ. Behind the foremother are Abel, Moses and Aaron. To the left of Adam are John the Baptist, Kings David and Solomon. The figures of Adam and Eve can be located on one side of Christ. At the bottom of the composition, the underworld can be depicted with angels oppressing unclean spirits.

Icon of the Resurrection of Christ.

Description The image, which is of Western origin, is not a symbolic composition, but a pictorial display of gospel events. As a rule, an open cave-coffin is depicted, an angel sits on a stone or is next to a sarcophagus, in the lower part of the composition there are defeated Roman soldiers and, of course,

Christ in shining robes with the sign of victory over death in his hands. A red cross is placed on the banner. Wounds from nails driven into the flesh during crucifixion are depicted on the arms and legs. Although the icon of the Resurrection of Christ was borrowed in the 17th century from the Catholic realistic tradition, but, dressed in orthodox canonical forms, is quite popular with believers. It does not require any theological interpretation.

Holidays holiday.

The Holy Resurrection of Christ is considered by the church charter not just a holiday, but a special celebration, the glorification of which continues for forty days. Moreover, the celebration of Easter itself lasts seven days as one day. Such an exalted attitude of believers to the rise of the Savior from the tomb was also reflected in church art.

An original line of development of the pictorial tradition is the icon “The Resurrection of Christ, the Descent into Hell with the Twelve Feasts”. This image contains in the center the image of the main event in the life of the church, and around the perimeter in the hallmarks are plots of the twelve most important holidays associated with the earthly life of Christ and the Virgin.

Among these shrines, there are also very unique specimens. Events are also shown. Passion Week. In practice, the icon “The Resurrection of Christ with the Twelfth Feasts” is a summary of the gospel events and the annual cycle of worship. On event images, the descent into hell is depicted with many details.

The composition includes the figures of the righteous, a whole line of which Christ brings out of the underworld. Icon on the lectern In the center of the temple there is a pedestal with an inclined board, called the lectern. It is believed to be the image of a saint or a holiday to which the service is dedicated on this day. The icon of the Resurrection of Christ is on the lectern most often: during the forty days of the celebration of Easter and at the end of each week. After all, the name of the day off has a Christian origin, the last day of the week is dedicated to the glorification of Christ's victory over death.

The most outstanding temples in honor of the Resurrection.

One of the grandest churches in Russia is the Resurrection Cathedral of the New Jerusalem Monastery, built in 1694. With this building, Patriarch Nikon wanted to reproduce the Church of the Resurrection in the Holy City and emphasize the dominant position of the Russian Church in the Orthodox world. For this, drawings and a model of the Jerusalem shrine were delivered to Moscow. Another, although less large-scale, but not inferior in monumentality, is the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg.

Construction began in 1883 in memory of the assassination attempt on Emperor Alexander II. The uniqueness of this cathedral is that the interior decoration is made of mosaics. The mosaic collection is one of the largest in Europe. It is unique in its quality. On clear sunny days, iridescent multi-colored tiles create a unique feeling of celebration and involvement in the spiritual world.

In the temple itself there is an image of amazing beauty. Outside, above one of the entrance portals, there is also an icon of the Resurrection of Christ. The photo, of course, cannot convey the fullness of sensations, but it creates a complete picture of the splendor of the decoration.

On Byzantine and Old Russian icons of the Resurrection of Christ the Resurrection itself is never depicted- Exit of Christ from the tomb. They depict "the descent of Christ into hell", or, more precisely, the descent of Christ from hell. Christ - sometimes with a cross in his hand - is represented as leading Adam, Eve and other heroes of the biblical story out of hell; under the feet of the Savior is the black abyss of the underworld, against which are locks, keys and fragments of the gates that once blocked the dead from the path to resurrection.

Although in the past few centuries other subjects have been used to create the image of the Resurrection of Christ, it is the described iconographic type that is canonical, since it reflects the traditional teaching about Christ's descent into hell, His victory over death, His resurrection of the dead and bringing them out of hell, in which they kept until His Resurrection.

The descent of Christ into hell is one of the most mysterious, mysterious and difficult to explain events. New Testament history. In today's Christian world, this event is understood in different ways. Liberal Western theology generally denies the possibility of speaking literally about the descent of Christ into hell, arguing that the texts of Holy Scripture devoted to this topic should be understood in a figurative sense. Traditional Catholic dogma insists that Christ, after His death on the cross, descended into hell solely in order to bring out the Old Testament righteous. A similar understanding is quite widespread among Orthodox Christians.

On the other hand, already in the New Testament it is said that the preaching of Christ in hell was addressed to unrepentant sinners, and in the liturgical texts of the Orthodox Church it is repeatedly emphasized that, having descended into hell, Christ opened the way to salvation for all people, and not only for the Old Testament righteous. The descent of Christ into hell is perceived as an event of cosmic significance that is relevant to all people without exception. It is also said about the victory of Christ over death, about the complete devastation of hell, about the fact that after the descent of Christ into hell there was no one left but the devil and demons.

How to reconcile these two points of view? What was the original faith of the Church? What do Eastern Christian sources tell us about the descent into hell? First of all, let's say that the dogma of Christ's descent into hell lifts the veil over the mystery that shrouded the relationship between God and the devil. The history of these relationships dates back to the time of the creation of the world. According to general church teaching, the devil was created as a good and perfect being, but fell away from God due to pride. The drama of the personal relationship between God and the devil did not end there. From the moment of his apostasy, the devil began with all his might to resist divine goodness and love, to do everything in his power to prevent the salvation of people and created being. However, the devil is not omnipotent: his possibilities are limited by God, and he can act only within the limits in which it is allowed by God. The latter is confirmed by the opening lines of the book of Job, where the devil appears as a being, firstly, in a personal relationship with God, and secondly, completely subject to God.

Having created people and placed them in a situation where it became possible for them to choose between good and evil, God took upon Himself the responsibility for their future destiny. God did not leave man face to face with the devil, but Himself entered into the struggle for the spiritual survival of mankind. To do this, He sent prophets and teachers to people, and then He Himself became a man, endured suffering on the Cross and death, descended into hell and rose again in order to share his fate with man. Having descended into hell, Christ did not destroy the devil as a personal living being, but “abolished the power of the devil,” that is, deprived the devil of the power and strength he had stolen from God. For the devil, having opposed God, set himself the task of creating his own autonomous kingdom in which he alone would be the master, to win back from God a certain space where the presence of God would not be felt at all: it was precisely such a place that Sheol (the Kingdom of Shadows) in the Old Testament representation . After Christ, Sheol becomes a place of divine presence.

However, this presence, which is perceived by those in paradise as a source of joy and bliss, is a source of torment for those in hell. Hell after Christ is no longer a place where the devil rules and people suffer; hell is, first of all, a prison for the devil himself, as well as for those who voluntarily stay with him in order to share his fate. The sting of death is abolished by Christ, and the walls of hell are broken down. But “Death without a sting is still strong for us... Hell, with destroyed walls and abolished gates, still continues to be filled with those who, having left the narrow royal path of the cross, leading to paradise, go their whole lives through the wide path...”

Christ descended into hell not as another victim of the devil, but as a Conqueror: He descended to "bind the strong man" and "plunder his vessels." According to patristic teaching, the devil did not recognize the incarnate God in Christ: he took Him for common man and under the "bait" of the flesh he swallowed the "hook" of the Deity (Gregory of Nyssa). However, the presence of Christ in hell became the poison that gradually began to destroy hell from within (Aphraat). The final destruction of hell and the final victory over the devil will take place at the Second Coming of Christ, when "the last enemy will be destroyed - death", when everything will be subjected to Christ and God will become "all in all".

Image of the Resurrection of Christ: "Descent into Hell"

The image of Christ, familiar to all of us, in snow-white robes coming out of the coffin with a banner in his hand, is a later Catholic version, which appeared in Russian churches only in post-Petrine times. Traditional Orthodox icon does not depict the moment of the Resurrection of Christ. There are, however, many icons, the inscription on which says that we have before us "The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ", and the real image still tells about the events that took place the day before - on Holy Saturday. The Easter icon of the Orthodox Church is the Descent into Hell icon.

Christ on this icon seems to be absolutely static. He holds the hands of Adam and Eve. He is only preparing to bring them out of the place of affliction. The climb hasn't started yet. But the descent has just ended: the clothes of Christ are still fluttering (as after a rapid descent). He has already stopped, and the clothes are still falling after Him. Before us is the point of the ultimate descent of Christ, from it the path will go up, from the underworld to Heaven. Christ broke into hell, and the gates of hell crushed by him, broken, lie under His feet.

The entire complexity of the iconography of the Resurrection is connected with the need to show that Christ is not only the Resurrected, but also the Resurrector. She talks about why God came to earth and accepted death: the ultimate point of the Divine descent turns out to be the initial support of the human ascent. “God became man so that man might become god”—such is the golden formula of the Orthodox understanding of man.

“The word is true: if we die with Him, then with Him we shall also live” (2 Tim. 2:11).

“Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too should walk in newness of life. For if we are united to Him in the likeness of His death<в крещении>, we must also be united in the likeness of the resurrection, knowing that our old man was crucified with Him ... so that we would no longer be slaves to sin ” (Rom. 6:4-6).

The resurrection of Christ is the victory given to us. After all, we did everything so that Life would not “dwell in us”: we brought Christ out of the city of our soul, nailed Him to the cross with our sins, placed guards at the tomb and sealed it with the seal of unbelief and lovelessness. And - in spite of us, but for our sake - He still resurrected.

Therefore, the icon painter, whose task is to convey the experience of the Easter to the Church, cannot simply imagine the very scene of the Savior's departure from the tomb. The icon painter needs to connect the Resurrection of Christ with the salvation of people. Therefore, the Easter theme finds its expression precisely in the image of the descent into hell.

Crucified on Friday and Risen on Sunday, Christ descends into hell on Saturday (Eph. 4:8-9; Acts 2:31) to bring people out of there, to free the captives.

The first thing that catches your eye in the icon of the descent is that there are… saints in hell. People in halos surround Christ, who descended into the underworld, and look at Him with hope.

Before the Coming of Christ, before He united God and man in Himself, the way to the Kingdom of Heaven was closed for us. Since the fall of the first people, a shift took place in the structure of the universe, which broke the life-giving connection between people and God. Even in death, the righteous did not unite with God.

The state in which the soul of the dead was, in the Hebrew language is denoted by the word "Sheol" - a formless place, a twilight and shapeless place in which nothing is visible (Job 10:21-22). It is rather a state of heavy and aimless sleep (Job 14:12) than a place of any specific torment. This "realm of shadows", this imaginary in its haze hid people from God. The oldest Old Testament books do not know the idea of a posthumous reward, they do not expect paradise.

In this regard, in atheistic literature there is a statement that there lies an impassable gulf between the Old and New Testaments: the New Testament orientation to the immortality of the soul does not find confirmation in the Old Testament and contradicts it. Thus, at a very important point, the unity of the Bible is called into question. Yes, the Ecclesiastes hopelessly peers into the limits human life. The psalmist David weeps over the fleeting nature of human life: « A man is like grass, his days are like a green color, so bloom, like a spirit will pass in him and will not»… And Job asks, obviously not expecting an answer: « When a person dies, will he live again?» (Job 14:14).

And now the time has come when the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled: “The light of death will shine on those who live in the land of the shadow” (Isaiah 9:2).
In this apocryphal collection, in a separate chapter “On the Resurrection of Christ and His Descent into Hell,” it is said that "Jesus Christ descended into hell, chasing the devil" and a story is given describing the battle at the gates of hell. It should be noted that Hell in the biblical stories is both an abyss closed with gates and some terrible animated creature, the brother of the devil: “having answered the hell of the verb”, “the speech of hell to the devil” .
The powers of heaven, standing in front of the gates of Hell, repeatedly turn to him saying: “... take the eternal gate and the King of Glory will enter” , and to the question of Hell who is this king, they answer: "The Lord is strong and mighty, the Lord is mighty in battle" . The coming of Christ produces panic, and hell, in fear, tells the devil, called the "treglavniche and beelzaul pre-curse", that it is time for him to go out and fight with Christ and his army. But the devil in fear replies: “have mercy on me in hell, my brother, do not open the gates to him ... move for my sake, if you will be reproached.” But the gates do not withstand and "fallen themselves" plunge hell into weeping. The devil is caught by Christ, who “brought down and into the underworld of the earth, into a deplorable vale, and bound him with iron and indestructible bonds, and sent him into the unquenchable fire and the unsleeping worm.”

Hell was deceived: he thought to accept his lawful tribute - a man, a mortal son of a mortal father, he prepared to meet the Nazarene carpenter, Jesus, Who promised the people the New Kingdom, and now He Himself will be in power ancient kingdom darkness - the moment of an unprecedented triumph of evil will come: the Messiah, sent by God and expected by mankind for so many centuries, not only did not establish His kingdom, but was also rejected by the people, betrayed to the most shameful and painful execution. But the evil one was again defeated and put to shame: Christ enters hell not only as a man, but also as God; not as a slave of death and darkness, but as the Lord of life and light. And the mortal dungeon was destroyed from the fullness of divine being, the darkness was dispelled from the imperishable light.

Church hymns, stichera Great Saturday this is how this universal event is described. It is interesting that they speak on behalf of the defeated hell: “Hell, now groaning, cries out: my power has collapsed; I have owned the dead from time immemorial, but He raises them all ... I have lost those over whom I reigned; whom he managed to absorb, he vomited; The Crucified One has emptied the tombs; the dominion of death is failing.”

In hell, Christ was met by the jubilant "holy prophets and righteous women" and the prophet David, playing the harp and singing the victory of God over hell. All of them were brought out of hell by Christ.

Let's talk more specifically about the images that are usually present on icons depicting the descent into hell. In the foreground of the icon we see Adam and Eve. These are the first people to deprive themselves of communion with God, but they waited the longest for its resumption.

Adam's hand, by which Christ holds him, sagged helplessly: man himself, without the help of God, does not have the strength to escape from the abyss of God-estrangement and death. “Poor man I am! who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:24). But his other hand is resolutely stretched out to Christ: God cannot save a person without the person himself. Grace does not force.

On the other side of Christ is Eve. Her hands are outstretched to the Deliverer. But - a significant detail - they are hidden under clothing. Her hands once committed a sin. With them she plucked fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And Eve does not dare to arbitrarily touch Christ. But praying, waiting for him to turn to her.

The fact that at the moment depicted on the icon, Eve is completely covered from head to toe, is also a sign of her repentance, an understanding of her complete separation from God (clothing was given to people after the fall: the light began to expose the nakedness of people from good deeds - and protection was required from him, so there was a need for material clothing - « they knew that they were naked» (Gen. 3:7)). But that is precisely why Eve was saved. Saved, because she repented.

Canon of the image of the Resurrection - "Anastasis"

"Anastasis" is an icon of the transition, the transition from hell to heaven, from slavery to sin - to grace, which is expressed both compositionally and figuratively. This transition is also symbolized by the bright contrast of the black abyss below and the golden radiance above. Christ is above the line between darkness and light, above the broken gates of hell, and leads the Old Testament righteous after Him, like Moses through the Red Sea. The cross in His hands, in the context of this image, becomes the new staff of Moses, with the help of which the prophet parted the sea and brought out the water in the desert, and Christ conquered death and liberated mankind. Actually, the image of Moses appears only on later icons, starting from the 15th century, and he is depicted not in the row of prophets behind Adam and Eve, but below, in the abyss under the feet of Christ, leading another group of righteous people out of hell. "destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (Jo. 2:19). Both are depicted in their royal dignity, in crowns and royal robes - next to the “King of Glory” (Ps. 23: 10), they act as those two witnesses who are considered necessary in the Bible to confirm the truth of the event.

Historically later are the Anastasis compositions, which depict John the Baptist, the first New Testament prophet who preached about Christ even in hell. Behind Eve, Abel can be placed - the first person whose worship of the Almighty is described in the Bible (Gen. 4: 2-12), he is also the first to die and the first to be killed, moreover, killed during a sacrifice to God. Both images - John the Baptist and Abel - are associated with active service to the Lord and with the sacrifice of such service.

The gesture of Christ remains unchanged: in all ancient images, regardless of which compositional type they belong to, Christ holds Adam by the hand.

The dogma of Christ's descent into hell has importance to understand the actions of God in human history, reflected in the pages of the Old Testament. The biblical story of a global flood that resulted in the death of all mankind is a stumbling block for many who would like to believe in a merciful God, but cannot come to terms with a God who "repents" of his own actions. However, the doctrine of the descent into hell in 1 Pet. 3:18-21 brings a whole new perspective to our understanding of the mystery of salvation. It turns out that the death sentence pronounced by God, which interrupts a person’s life, does not mean that a person loses hope for salvation: without turning to God in earthly life, people could turn to him after the grave, having heard the preaching of Christ in the dungeon of hell. By betraying the people He created to death, God did not destroy them, but only transferred them to another state, being in which they had the opportunity to hear the preaching of Christ, believe and follow Him.

However, the meaning of Easter cannot be conveyed better than St. John Chrysostom did:
“Let no one weep over his wretchedness, for the common Kingdom has come. Let no one mourn over sins, for forgiveness has shone forth from the tomb. Let no one be afraid of death, for the death of the Savior has freed us. Christ is risen and Life abides. Christ is risen and the dead is not one in the tomb!

The icon "Descent into Hell" from early Christian times retains its main significance as an image of the feast of the Resurrection of Christ, and in Russian iconostases it is placed in a festive row.

“On Strastnaya, amid pre-holiday troubles, we strictly fasted, fasted ... By the evening of Great Saturday, our house shone with the utmost purity, both internal and external, blessed and happy, quietly waiting in its goodness for the great feast of Christ. And now the holiday finally came - at night from Saturday to Sunday, a wonderful turning point took place in the world, Christ conquered death and triumphed over it. (I. Bunin. Life of Arseniev)

Based on materials from ru-news.ru, azbyka.ru