Rugalev icon glue angels abraham6/5/2023 ![]() ![]() Western art often used the idea of an old man, a young man and a dove to explain the Trinity or to use the Triangle or other geometric designs to explain the idea that God is one yet known in three persons. Whilst it was permissible in Orthodox Christianity to draw images of Jesus – he was God made flesh so it was seen legitimate to draw him – it was not seen as permissible to draw God the Father and difficult to represent God the Holy Spirit. It is for this reason why Rublev draws the story. Abraham’s generous hospitality here is contrasted with the dangerous and abusive behaviour of the people of Sodom.Ĭhristians have always read into this mysterious story the Trinity – God is revealed in three persons. This is in marked contrast to what follows in Chapter 19 where the inhabitants of Sodom violate the laws of hospitality by turning on the angels who appear to be guests and wish to abuse them. He offers gracious, and abundant hospitality to the visitors. Abraham is eager to be a good host to his guests and, as a man of his era, sets Sarah to work preparing the food. At first Abraham sees the Lord but then there are three visitors. Christians easily see the Trinity at work here – God being present in three people. ![]() The odd thing about the story is the issue of how many people come to visit. This seems rather ludicrous due to the great age of Abraham and Sarah, but he had gone along with the promise and, as a sign of following God, had been circumcised and had all the men of his household circumcised too. Just before this story God has told Abraham that he will be blessed and that he and Sarah will have a child. God walks with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening in Eden, he debates with Abraham later on about the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, Jacob wrestles with either an angel or the Lord. The writers of Genesis were quite comfortable with God taking on tangible form in their stories. The writers of Genesis often had God appearing to speak to people in a form which seems human. The story we’ve heard read to us from Genesis is a bit obscure and rather odd. So if an icon is more than a picture but a way into spirituality and a way of making a theological point, we need to consider what points are being made in this one. Some people respond much better to images than they do to words. It’s also a way of conveying theology – perhaps a better way than writing. An icon is designed to be an aid to prayer, to help us pray to God and to venerate the person portrayed in the icon. But in the religious sense an Icon is more than this. Indeed it’s more than a religious painting it’s a window into the spiritual world. We refer to celebrities as iconic, or people who the lesbian and gay community admire as “gay icons” (whether or not they are themselves gay). We use the term “icon” a lot in computer language – the buttons we press to start programmes on our computers are called icons. Last week we looked at contemporary icon, this week we’re looking at one dating from the 15th Century. The figure on the right wears green – a sign of life and vitality and is often taken to be a representation of the Holy Spirit. This figure points to the cup – possibly a reference to the Eucharist. The figure in the middle wears the most blue and is thought to be representative of Jesus. He rests two fingers on the table – in Orthodox worship they have candlesticks for two candles representing both the divine and human nature of Jesus. It’s difficult to make out but he’s holding a staff – symbol of authority. ![]() The other figures seem to look towards him. But they are different: the figure on the right is often thought to represent God the Father as the blue on him, sign of humanity, is most hidden. They sit around a table sharing a meal, each of them wears a blue garment, each has a halo and whilst they look a little different, all have similar facial expressions. We have three distinct characters but each of them is linked to the other. What are the similarities and differences between the characters?Īs we have seen this icon is used as a depiction of the Trinity.Hospitality of Abraham - icon by Andrei Rublev Scripture - Genesis 18:1-5 Rev Andy Braunston Sermon - 19th June 2011 Seeing Salvation: 2 ![]()
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