"The All-Seeing Eye of God" is a symbolic-allegorical composition on the words of the Holy Scriptures about the vigilant all-seeing and omniscient Christ [1] .
From the end of the XVIII - the first half of the XIX century, the image of the All-Seeing Eye inscribed in a triangle appears in the murals of Orthodox churches. Later in Russian iconography, mainly among the Old Believers, the icon “the All-Seeing Eye of God" is found.
Icon
This icon is a symbolic and allegorical composition on the words of the Holy Scriptures about the vigilant all-seeing and omniscient Christ. The idea of the icon goes back to the words of the Bible: “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him and trust in His mercy” (Psalm 32:18) [1] .
The composition of such icons is based on a repeating circle motif. In the central circle, Jesus Christ is depicted in the iconographic image of Spas Emmanuel with a blessing gesture. From this diagonal diagonal 4 rays emanate. At their peaks are 4 small circles, inside of which are allegorical symbols of the evangelists (see tetramorph ), or, less commonly, images of the evangelists themselves.
In the segments of the next circle fragments of a human face are placed - eyes, nose and lips (“mouth”). Above it, on the central axis, is the Mother of God with arms raised ( Oranta ).
The next circle is green or red, can represent the sky (sometimes starry). Behind it is dark blue or red, in it on the sides and below are depicted seraphim , or angels with scrolls. Above it, on the central axis, is depicted the circle truncated below, in which the “Sky of Heavens" is depicted, in it are written seraphs surrounding God the Father (the Host of hosts ) with a gesture of blessing. From him comes the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove onto the head of the Mother of God [1] [2] . The following inscriptions are found on the icon:
- Around the red face: "manifest the coal of Isaiah, the sun from the Virgin’s womb of Ascension to the lost, prudent."
- Around the green ring: “My soul magnifies the Lord; and my spirit rejoiced over God my salvation, as though he had looked upon the humility of his servant ”(Luke 1: 46-48).
- Around the blue ring: “The sky brings the kingdom Your eyes to the faithful lands to sit beside them Somis cherub glory of God. Heaven gives glory to God ”(Psalm 49: 6).
- Around the hosts is an outer ring with the text: “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord of hosts is filled with heaven and the land of your glory”
- On the inner ring from the Christmas stichera: “Glory to the Most High God, peace on earth” (Christmas stichera).
Painting of the Church of St. Demetrius , Bitola (Macedonia)
Some modern clergy do not approve of the use of such icons. Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev) believes that such icons are “not canonical, do not correspond with any church text and should not be prayed before them” [3] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 J. G. Belik. O. E. Savchenko. Russian Icons: The All-Seeing Eye of God . Icons of Russia . Date of treatment December 6, 2017.
- ↑ The All-Seeing Eye of God Neopr . Blessing . Date of treatment December 6, 2017.
- ↑ Is the image of the All-Seeing Eye a canonical icon? . Church and Peace (November 1, 2014). Date of treatment December 6, 2017.