Christ the King
This Sunday, the last Sunday of the Christian year, we meet Jesus as Christ our king, ruler over all things earthly and heavenly.
In western Christianity we have not really known what to do with this image of Christ as king, but in the orthodox churches of the east, the icon of Christ the Pantocrator (“ruler over all things”) is one of the key images through which Christ is known. In this depiction Christ holds the book of the Gospels in his left hand and blesses with his right hand. The icon portrays Christ as the Righteous Judge and the Lover of Mankind, both at the same time.
The Gospel is the book by which we are judged, and the blessing proclaims God’s loving kindness toward us, showing us that he is giving us his forgiveness. Although ruler of all, Christ is not pictured with a crown or sceptre as other kings of this world.
The large open eyes look directly into the soul of the viewer. The two eyes are disconcertingly different from each other, symbolising the Christ is both human and divine. The high curved forehead shows wisdom. The long slender nose portrays a look of nobility, the small closed mouth, the silence of contemplation.
The oldest known Pantocrator icon is preserved from the sixth century. It is used in worship and kept in the monastery of St. Catherine in the Sinai desert, a place which for most of its history, even and especially unto this day is under threat from extremism and banditry.
Bernhard Schunemann
26 November 2017
