Island Bay Presbyterian Church

Rublev's Icon

Art Sunday 4, Jan 20 2008: Rublev’s Icon of the Trinity

  Preaching from Genesis 18:1-15

 

  If you’ve got a good memory, you might remember that last year in church we marked Trinity Sunday – something I only intend to do every second year so that you don’t get bored! (And somethignwhich isn't a particularly Presbyterian thing to do)
 And, if you’ve got an exceptional memory you’ll remember that on that Sunday we looked at the female character of  Wisdom in the book of Proverbs – she that had existed with God since the beginning and with whom God had created the world.
 In that sermon I discussed how, although the doctrine of the Trinity is one of the core Christian beliefs, it isn’t actually laid out explicitly in the Bible. Instead, there are hints of it throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Who else could Wisdom be, having existed since the beginning and helping God in creation, than an early glimpse of either Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

 It’s the same with today’s reading from Genesis. The Lord appears to Abraham as these three men, and speaks to Abraham through these three men. Of course this isn’t conclusive proof of the Trinity, but it’s a hint – God appearing as three individuals but still being referred to in the singular, ‘the Lord,’ not ‘the Lords.’
 Very early on Christians came to believe this was God appearing to Abraham as the Trinity – three persons, but still only one Lord. And the picture I’ve chosen to look at today is based on this – it’s an icon by the Russian religious artist Andrei Rublev called his “Old Testament Trinity.” In this icon he was trying to paint the un-paintable, God as Trinity, using as his basis these three men or 3 angels that appeared to Abraham in Genesis.

 

 Being a good Presbyterian, I wasn’t brought up with much exposure to icons. That came when I went to Europe on a student exchange when I was 17. Over there I met a Russian girl studying at uni, and we became good friends.
 She had been raised under communism, and since the Russian communists had tried to suppress the church and the Christian religion, she wasn’t brought up to really know anything about it. But, her grandmother had kept her faith and had taken her to church a few times as a child – so, when communism fell, like many Russians, she was eager to talk to her granny about Christianity, and enthusiastically embraced this faith which she didn’t really know much about.
 So we had lots of great talks, and she took me to her Orthodox Church a few times. There were lots and lots of these icons all around the sanctuary, but at that stage I didn’t pay much attention to them.

 That came a few years later when I was back in Europe on my OE. I’d kept in touch with Irena, and I went back to visit her. By that stage she’d married a Serbian man a bit older than her, who she’d met at church, and they were a very devout Christian couple.
 But! I happened to visit while American was dropping lots of bombs on this guy’s home country, and naturally he was quite upset about that and fearful for his family. I wasn't sure if this was tunring into resentment against all Protestants generally, but I was picking up that maybe he didn’t want me in his house!?!

 Irena was cooking dinner and at one stage had to pop out to get some food, leaving me alone with this man for about ½ an hour! That was not a comfortable experience! I was trying a bit of small-talk which wasn’t going anywhere, and that’s when I notices all the icons they had hanging on the wall – beautiful things, a lot of them in gold and silver.
 So, I try to get on his good side again, and say to him “Wow, what lovely pictures you’ve got!”
 Now, I thought perhaps he didn’t like me before I said that, but man he didn’t like me afterwards… “They are NOT pictures, they are icons!!!” Ooops…

 So, having been faced with my own ignorance, I took a bit more interest in icons after that. And, I soon discovered Rublev’s icon of the Trinity. This is perhaps the most famous of all icons, and in the Russian church is regarded as perhaps the ideal icon, a brilliant and inspired depiction of the Trinity.
 This was painted in 1410, and although he is one of the all time great religious artists, he usually painted churches (in Orthodox churches the insides and sometimes the outsides as well are completely covered paintings of Bible stories, as an attempt to educate people who couldn’t read), and when he painted churches he would work with a team. So this icon is the only work we can be certain was done exclusively by Rublev alone.

 So, let us look at this icon...

 As I said, it’s based on the three men as or through whom the Lord appeared to Abraham at the Oaks of Mamre in Genesis.
- First of all I want you to look at the faces… notice anything interesting there?
            = They are actually all identical. Symbolising that while the Trinity is made up of three persons, they all share the same essence, they are the one God.

- On top of that, they’re drawn so that they can be enclosed in a circle seated around this table; again symbolising the union and communion that these three persons share – that although they are three, they’re bound so closely together that they are truly only one.

- Further, what colour do these three figures have in common?
            = They’re all wearing something that’s blue. Blue is the colour of the heavens, symbolising once more their divinity. And although they are all clothed in blue, they still also wear something unique that speaks of their own identity.

 A) We’ll start by looking at the figure on the right.

  The blue robe of divinity mixed with the green robe of new life. This is the Holy Spirit, evoking the image of a new green leaf opening in spring against the blue of the sky – life, growth, re-birth. There are two significant aspects to this figure.
 1. It’s touching the table. This represents the earthing of God through the Spirit. At Pentecost God’s Spirit fell on the church, and it is through the Spirit that God touches creation, draws us back to God, and speaks to us as Christians.
 2. Can anyone make out what that is behind the Spirit?
            = a mountain
  What might a mountain symbolise?
            = our spiritual heights, the times and places where we feel close to God, filled and transfigured by God’s Spirit.
 Lastly, the Spirit is looking to the left, drawing our attention to the middle figure.

 B) This figure is wearing the blue of divinity with the brown of the earth and a gold sash symbolising kingship. This is Christ with his kingship shining through his earthly nature.

 1. He has two fingers resting on the table, kind of pointing towards the cup filled with wine. What might they represent?
            = 2 fingers stand for his 2 natures (100% God and 100% human). These 2 natures combining to lead him to the cross and the cup of his blood, the new covenant, which was shed for the world for the forgiveness of sins.
 2. He also has a tree behind him. This could symbolise many things…
- the cross
- the oaks of Mamre where Abraham and Sarah’s grace and hospitality resulted in the promise of a son
- the Tree of Life in Revelation whose leaves are a healing to the nations.

 C) Christ in turn is looking to his left, to the last figure. A figure at peace within himself, wearing the blue robe of divinity but which is almost hidden by this shimmering other-worldly robe. Naturally, this represents the Father, our invisible Creator who cannot be seen by his creation.
 It’s hard to see, but both his hands are understood to be holding his staff. This indicates authority – all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to the Creator and Lord of Life.  Behind him there is a house which could hint at the temple in Jerusalem, but also reminds us of Christ’s words that in our Father’s house there are many rooms, and that he has gone to prepare a place there for us.

 So, this is our Triune God as represented in art – Father, Son and Holy Spirit; Creator, Redeemer and Giver of Life.

 But, there is more to this icon (and I think this is the best bit). The table they’re sitting at has four sides, but the side facing us is empty. Also, the Father’s gaze is directed outwards, directed at the person looking at the icon.
 These three figures exist within a circle as I explained earlier, but there’s another circle as well, a 3-dimensional circle which encompasses both them and us as we look at this painting. The whole icon is inviting us to come, to take that fourth place at the table, to drink the wine, to sit and have fellowship with our Triune God.

 And I think this is God’s invitation to us as well. God desires to know us, to have fellowship with us, to sit with us, to spend time with us. I would encourage you to respond to that invitation – to take this icon home, keep it and prayerfully meditate on it over the coming year; and as you look at it, imagine yourself taking that fourth place at the table, and, both in prayer and in silence, to sit in communion with your God.

 We’ll do that together now by entering into a time of worship, and as we do that maybe you’d like to hold or look at your copy of Rublev’s icon of the Trinity. But first let’s have a moment of silence to come before our God.