11/8/2023 0 Comments Holy transfigure monasteryThe Event and the Process of Transfiguration By doing so, Theophanes is presenting us with the already ancient teaching that the Transfiguration was not only an event for us to witness, but a process that we should ourselves partake in. Through three beams of light, he draws the three Apostles, and us, into the dazzling light that surrounds Jesus. What Theophanes emphasizes though, is the distinction between the two Old Testament saints on the one hand, and the Apostles of Christ on the other. Theophanes was not the first iconographer to do this: the mountains of Tabor and Sinai/Horeb are different and so it was already common to depict Moses and Elijah standing on different peaks, leaning in toward Christ. Theophanes’ bold icon is divided in two: Christ and the Apostles on Mt Tabor, whilst Moses and Elijah are removed to separate, but adjacent, peaks. The geometry of the image emphasizes the serenity of Christ compared with the ordered disarray of the Apostles: Peter reaching out a hand as though in the middle of his sentence: “Lord it is good for us to be here…” (Matt 17:4) Theophanes was described by his contemporaries in Moscow as being “learned in philosophy,” and he was accomplished in bringing the teachings of the Holy Fathers on the Transfiguration into his own icon of the subject. He moved from Constantinople to Novgorod in 1370, and from there to Moscow in 1395. Theophanes the Greek (Θεοφάνης, ca 1340 – ca 1410) was one of the greatest iconographers in Muscovite Russia, and was noted as the teacher and mentor of the great Andrei Rublev. Theophanes the Greek's Icon (late 14th Century) Elijah, in animal skins reminiscent of John the Baptist represents the prophets, while Moses represents the Law. Icons further interpret their presence, following the words of the Church Fathers, by showing Moses holding a book: representing the Torah. In the Biblical account as well as in icons, these two conversers with God are now shown in conversation with Christ Himself, a clear indication to Jesus’ divinity. Elijah was told to ascend Mt Horeb (probably an alternative name for Sinai) where he heard the voice of God in the “gentle breeze”. Moses ascended Mt Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments and converse with God in a great cloud of divine glory (Ex. The mountain plays an important part in divine revelation, as described by Scriptures, and links Moses and Elijah who are miraculously present by Christ’s side. The mountain on which the Transfiguration took place is identified by St Jerome as Mount Tabor. All subsequent icons of the Transfiguration vary little from this basic composition. The mosaic captures the drama of the event: the three Apostles on their faces in confusion, whilst Christ stands serenely in the centre above them, flanked by Moses and Elijah, who appear to be blessing Him. From His body, shafts of light are shown striking each of the five others present: to Christ’s right, the Prophet Elijah to His left Moses scattered about His feet, the Apostles John, Peter, and James. His clothes are depicted “white as light” as the Gospel writers describe, and the glory of God overshadowing the scene is shown by the mandorla around his body. In the apse of the catholicon there is a mosaic of the Transfiguration, dating from the middle of the sixth century.Ĭhrist is the centre and focus of the image, his hand held in a blessing, eyes directed at us. The earliest surviving image of the Transfiguration is from St Catherine’s monastery in Sinai, a place which, because of its seclusion, is home to many early icons.
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