From the history of the iconography of the crucifixion. Crucifixion: an image of death or triumph over death
One of the main events of the Passion of Christ is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which ended the earthly life of the Savior. Execution by crucifixion itself was the oldest method of dealing with the most dangerous criminals who were not Roman citizens. Jesus Christ himself was officially executed for an attempt on the state structure of the Roman Empire - He called for refusing to pay taxes to Rome, declared himself the King of the Jews and the Son of God. The crucifixion itself was a painful execution - some condemned could hang on the cross for a whole week until they died from suffocation, dehydration or blood loss. Basically, of course, the crucified died from asphyxia (suffocation): their outstretched arms fixed with nails did not allow the abdominal muscles and diaphragm to rest, causing pulmonary edema. To speed up the process, most of those condemned to crucifixion had their shins broken, thereby causing extremely rapid fatigue of these muscles.
The icon of the Crucifixion of Christ shows: the cross on which the Savior was executed was of an unusual shape. Usually, ordinary piles, T-shaped pillars or oblique crosses were used for execution (the Apostle Andrew the First-Called was crucified on a cross of this type, for which this form of the cross received the name “St. Andrew’s”). The Savior’s cross was shaped like a bird flying upward, speaking of His imminent Ascension.
Present at the Crucifixion of Christ were: Our Lady the Virgin Mary. Apostle John the Theologian, myrrh-bearing women: Mary Magdalene, Mary of Cleopas; two thieves crucified at the left and right hand of Christ, Roman soldiers, onlookers from the crowd and the high priests who mocked Jesus. In the image of the Crucifixion of Christ, John the Theologian and the Virgin Mary are most often depicted standing before Him - the crucified Jesus addressed them from the cross: He ordered the young apostle to take care of the Mother of God as his mother, and the Mother of God to accept Christ’s disciple as a son. Until the Dormition of the Mother of God, John honored Mary as his mother and looked after her. Sometimes the martyr's cross of Jesus is depicted between two other crucifixes, on which two criminals are crucified: a prudent thief and an insane thief. The mad robber reviled Christ, and mockingly asked Him: “Why don’t you, Messiah, save yourself and us?” The prudent robber reasoned with his comrade, saying to him: “We are condemned for our deed, but He suffers innocently!” And, turning to Christ, he said: “Remember me, Lord, when you find yourself in Your Kingdom!” Jesus answered the wise thief: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will be with Me in Paradise!” In the images of the Crucifixion of Christ, where there are two robbers, guess which of them is crazy. and who is prudent is quite simple. The helplessly bowed head of Jesus points in the direction where the prudent thief is. In addition, in the Orthodox iconographic tradition, the raised lower crossbar of the Savior’s cross points to the prudent thief, hinting that the Kingdom of Heaven awaited this repentant man, and hell awaited the blasphemer of Christ.
On most icons of the Crucifixion of the Savior, the martyr's cross of Christ stands on the top of the mountain, and a human skull is visible under the mountain. Jesus Christ was crucified on Mount Golgotha - according to legend, it was under this mountain that Noah’s eldest son Shem buried the skull and two bones of Adam, the first man on Earth. The Savior’s blood from the wounds of His body, falling to the ground, seeping through the soil and stones of Golgotha, will wash the bones and skull of Adam, thereby washing away the original sin that lay on humanity. Above the head of Jesus there is a sign “I.N.C.I” - “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” It is believed that the inscription on this table was made by Pontius Pilate himself, who overcame the opposition of the Jewish high priests and scribes, who believed that with this inscription the Roman prefect of Judea would show unprecedented honor to the executed man. Sometimes, instead of “I.N.Ts.I”, another inscription is depicted on the tablet - “King of Glory” or “King of Peace” - this is typical for the works of Slavic icon painters.
Sometimes there is an opinion that Jesus Christ died from a spear that pierced His chest. But the testimony of the Evangelist John the Theologian says the opposite: the Savior died on the cross, before his death he drank vinegar, which was brought to him on a sponge by the mocking Roman soldiers. The two robbers who were executed along with Christ had their legs broken to quickly kill them. And the centurion of the Roman soldiers Longinus pierced the body of the dead Jesus with his spear to make sure of His death, leaving the bones of the Savior intact, which confirmed the ancient prophecy mentioned in the Psalter: "Not one of His bones will be broken!". The body of Jesus Christ was taken down from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea, a noble member of the Holy Sanhedrin who secretly professed Christianity. The repentant centurion Longinus soon converted to Christianity and was later executed for preaching sermons glorifying Christ. Saint Longinus was canonized as a martyr.
Objects that in one way or another participated in the process of the Crucifixion of Christ became sacred Christian relics, called Instruments of the Passion of Christ. These include:
- The cross on which Christ was crucified The nails with which he was nailed to the cross The pincers that were used to pull out those nails The tablet “I.N.C.I” The crown of thorns The Spear of Longinus The bowl of vinegar and the sponge with which the soldiers gave water to the crucified Jesus Ladder, with the help of which Joseph of Arimathea removed His body from the cross. The clothes of Christ and the dice of the soldiers who divided His clothes among themselves.
Each time, making the sign of the cross, we draw an image of the cross in the air, with reverence and inexpressible gratitude remembering the voluntary feat of Jesus Christ, who with his earthly death atoned for the original sin of mankind and gave people hope for salvation.
People pray to the icon of the Crucifixion of Christ for forgiveness of sins; they turn to it with repentance.
In icon painting there are a large number of images that have a strong impact on the emotions and perception of believers. One of them is the “Crucifixion of Jesus Christ” icon, a photo of which is not difficult to see in any Orthodox gallery, and the image itself is in almost every church.
It was not by chance that the subjects of iconographic images arose at the dawn of the formation of Christianity. The icons fulfilled the mission of enlightenment; in the literal sense, they were illustrations explaining religious subjects. They told the newly converted about important events and the main milestones in the formation of Christianity. This dictated the appearance of most subjects in icon painting, of course, with the exception of the simple image of saints, although this was often accompanied by miniatures explaining their deeds.
What does the image look like?
What the “Crucifixion” icon of Christ the Savior looks like is not unambiguous; the image is written in different ways. The authors use various artistic techniques, which certainly have their own meaning.
The first thing that distinguishes the images is the background. Some authors use dark, gloomy tones, others paint the crucifix in gold. The dark background simultaneously emphasizes the tragedy of what happened and conveys the actual events, because during the crucifixion of Jesus the sun darkened.
The golden background is used more often by icon painters. This shade is a symbol of triumph, the very act of saving humanity through the sacrifice of Jesus. It also symbolizes the greatness of the Savior’s feat in the name of people, his victory over death. The victory of Jesus is symbolically expressed in another detail - the skull in the ground, written at the base of the crucifixion.
In addition to Christ, other characters are depicted on the icon, complementing its storyline. Their number also does not remain constant. In each image, only the Mother of God is canonically present; the other figures and their number vary. The sizes shown are also different. The difference in size conveys their status, meaning and importance.
Who else is depicted in the icon?
The icon “The Crucifixion of Our Lord Jesus Christ” invariably contains in its plot the figure of the Virgin Mary. As a rule, the Mother of God is depicted by icon painters at the right hand of Jesus.
In addition to the Mother of God, the plot of the image is often complemented by figures:
- John the Evangelist;
- the thieves taken by Jesus into heaven;
- Roman soldiers.
Often at the top of the image heavenly powers are depicted in the form of angels. In complex iconographic works, filled with details, rocks are depicted behind the crucifixion, symbolizing the earthquake that occurred during the execution. On wall frescoes, the plot is often complemented by the symbolic sun and earth painted in the upper part along the edges.
The complexity of execution and fullness of details are characteristic of old images that carried an educational mission. At the end of the Middle Ages, the “Crucifixion” icon of Jesus Christ was no longer overloaded with details; the emphasis was placed on the central figure, that is, on the most important event about which the plot of the image narrates.
How has the image of the Lord changed over time?
The plot of the crucifixion is one of the key ones in Christianity. Accordingly, iconographic images on this topic were among the first to appear. Of course, the icon of Jesus Christ “Crucifixion” has changed in appearance over the centuries, not only in how many details and characters were depicted on it. The image of the Savior itself changed. Icon painters of the early schools and the Middle Ages depicted the Lord in different ways.
Until the end of the 9th century and the beginning of the 10th century, the icon of Jesus Christ “Crucifixion”, although it was executed mainly in dark colors, the Lord himself looked alive and triumphant in the image. The palms were open and the arms were outstretched, as if Jesus was trying to embrace everyone approaching the icon. After the 10th century, the “Crucifixion” icon of Jesus Christ changes; the Lord is increasingly depicted as dead, with folded or drooping palms. This interpretation symbolizes the greatness of the Lord’s feat, the act of his redemptive death, and its importance.
What is the meaning of the icon?
Believers pray to the Lord for everything, and with every sorrow and misfortune they go to the images of Jesus. But not every image has the same meaning as an icon depicting the act of crucifixion.
This image not only invariably impresses believers, but also affects their emotions. The icon is a kind of short Gospel, because it tells about distant events that formed the basis of the Christian faith. This is a kind of “educational program” for those who gravitate toward the Lord, but have no knowledge of Christianity. That is, the image of the crucifixion is extremely important today, because decades of lack of spirituality in Russia, years spent, without exaggeration, in idolatry, called partisanship, have practically deprived people of basic, fundamental knowledge of the foundations of Christianity. Parishioners do not always even understand who exactly is depicted on any icon, and frescoes are often perceived only as a unique version of the design of church walls.
Accordingly, the meaning of the image in modern churches is similar to what it was centuries ago. The icon fulfills an educational mission and, of course, strengthens the faith of parishioners, influencing their emotional perception and impressing them. For this reason, the image is one of the first that believers see when entering newly opened churches that have been restored or are undergoing reconstruction.
How does an image help?
There are many images of the Lord, and each of them has its own plot. Its content is related to the understanding of who and what prayer will help in front of a specific icon. How does the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ icon help? In gaining and maintaining faith, in repentance and entering the righteous path.
From time immemorial, people who feel guilty about themselves, tormented by remorse and remorse, have been going to this image. A depressing emotional state can be caused by any reason. It is not at all necessary for a feeling of repentance to involve committing a bad act. Repentance often haunts people who have never done anything bad to anyone in their lives. A depressed emotional state comes with a lack of understanding of the meaning in one’s own life and awareness of spiritual emptiness.
Faith in the Lord saves you from such emotions. And prayer in front of an icon depicting the act of crucifixion has helped in repentance since ancient times and fills the soul with the light of faith and kindness.
How to pray in front of the image?
Of course, canonical services are held in front of the icon depicting the crucifixion, the troparion is read and other church actions are performed. It is quite possible for an ordinary parishioner to pray in his own words, because the main condition for turning to the Almighty is sincerity, directness of heart and purity of thoughts.
You can use this example prayer:
“Jesus Christ, Lord Almighty and All-Merciful! I humbly pray to you, Savior of human souls. And I entrust my life to You. To dwell in your bosom and see eternal life. Avoid Gehenna and the temptations leading to it. Overcome unkind thoughts. Avoid ungodly thoughts and actions. Accept me, Lord, teach me, enlighten me, guide me on the righteous path and have mercy! Amen".
In addition to unbearable pain in all parts of the body and suffering, the crucified man experienced terrible thirst and mortal spiritual anguish.
When they brought Jesus Christ to Golgotha, the soldiers gave Him sour wine mixed with bitter substances to drink to ease his suffering. But the Lord, having tasted it, did not want to drink it. He did not want to use any remedy to relieve suffering. He took upon Himself this suffering voluntarily for the sins of people; That’s why I wanted to carry them through to the end.
- Crucifixion. From the festive row of the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. 1497
The execution of crucifixion was the most shameful, the most painful and the most cruel. In those days, only the most notorious villains were executed with such a death: robbers, murderers, rebels and criminal slaves. The torment of a crucified man cannot be described. In addition to unbearable pain in all parts of the body and suffering, the crucified man experienced terrible thirst and mortal spiritual anguish. Death was so slow that many suffered on crosses for several days.
Even the perpetrators of the execution - usually cruel people - could not look at the suffering of the crucified with composure. They prepared a drink with which they tried either to quench their unbearable thirst, or with the admixture of various substances to temporarily dull consciousness and alleviate torment. According to Jewish law, anyone hanged from a tree was considered cursed. The Jewish leaders wanted to disgrace Jesus Christ forever by condemning Him to such death.
When everything was prepared, the soldiers crucified Jesus Christ. It was around noon, in Hebrew at 6 o'clock in the afternoon. When they crucified Him, He prayed for His tormentors, saying: “Father! forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing.”
Next to Jesus Christ, two villains (thieves) were crucified, one on His right and the other on His left. Thus the prediction of the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled, who said: “And he was numbered among the evildoers” (Is. 53 , 12).
By order of Pilate, an inscription was nailed to the cross above the head of Jesus Christ, signifying His guilt. On it was written in Hebrew, Greek and Roman: “ Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews“, and many people read it. The enemies of Christ did not like such an inscription. Therefore, the high priests came to Pilate and said: “Do not write: King of the Jews, but write what He said: I am the King of the Jews.”
But Pilate replied: “What I wrote, I wrote.”
Meanwhile, the soldiers who crucified Jesus Christ took His clothes and began to divide them among themselves. They tore the outer clothing into four pieces, one piece for each warrior. The chiton (underwear) was not sewn, but entirely woven from top to bottom. Then they said to each other: “We will not tear it apart, but we will cast lots for it, who will get it.” And having cast lots, the soldiers sat and guarded the place of execution. So, here too the ancient prophecy of King David came true: “They divided My garments among themselves, and cast lots for My clothing” (Psalm. 21 , 19).
The enemies did not stop insulting Jesus Christ on the cross. As they passed, they cursed and, nodding their heads, said: “Eh! Destroying the temple and creating in three days! Save Yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross."
Also, the high priests, scribes, elders and Pharisees mocked and said: “He saved others, but he cannot save himself. If He is the Christ, the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross so that we can see, and then we will believe in Him. Trusted in God; let God deliver Him now, if He pleases Him; for He said: I am the Son of God.”
Following their example, the pagan warriors who sat at the crosses and guarded the crucified, mockingly said: “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”
Even one of the crucified thieves, who was to the left of the Savior, slandered Him and said: “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
The other robber, on the contrary, calmed him down and said: “Or are you not afraid of God, when you yourself are condemned to the same thing (i.e., to the same torment and death)? But we were condemned justly, because we accepted what was worthy of our deeds, and He did nothing bad.” Having said this, he turned to Jesus Christ with the prayer: “P wash me(remember me) Lord, when will You come in Your Kingdom!»
The merciful Savior accepted the heartfelt repentance of this sinner, who showed such marvelous faith in Him, and answered the prudent thief: “ Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
At the cross of the Savior stood His Mother, the Apostle John, Mary Magdalene and several other women who revered Him. It is impossible to describe the sorrow of the Mother of God, who saw the unbearable torment of Her Son!
Jesus Christ, seeing His Mother and John standing here, whom he especially loved, says to His Mother: “ Wife! behold, your son". Then he says to John: “ behold, your mother". From that time on, John took the Mother of God into his home and cared for Her until the end of Her life.
Meanwhile, during the suffering of the Savior on Calvary, a great sign occurred. From the hour the Savior was crucified, that is, from the sixth hour (and according to our account, from the twelfth hour of the day), the sun darkened and darkness fell throughout the entire earth, and lasted until the ninth hour (according to our account, until the third hour of the day) , i.e. until the death of the Savior.
This extraordinary, worldwide darkness was noted by pagan historical writers: the Roman astronomer Phlegon, Phallus and Junius Africanus. The famous philosopher from Athens, Dionysius the Areopagite, was at that time in Egypt, in the city of Heliopolis; observing the sudden darkness, he said: “either the Creator suffers, or the world is destroyed.” Subsequently, Dionysius the Areopagite converted to Christianity and was the first bishop of Athens.
Around the ninth hour, Jesus Christ loudly exclaimed: “ Or or! Lima Savahfani! that is, “My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me? These were the opening words from the 21st Psalm of King David, in which David clearly predicted the suffering of the Savior on the cross. With these words, the Lord reminded people for the last time that He is the true Christ, the Savior of the world.
Some of those standing on Calvary, hearing these words spoken by the Lord, said: “Behold, He is calling Elijah.” And others said, “Let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
The Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that everything had already been accomplished, said: “I thirst.” Then one of the soldiers ran, took a sponge, wet it with vinegar, put it on a cane and brought it to the Savior’s withered lips.
Having tasted the vinegar, the Savior said: “It is finished,” that is, the promise of God has been fulfilled, the salvation of the human race has been completed. After this, He said in a loud voice: “Father! into Your hands I commend My spirit.” And, bowing his head, he gave up his spirit, that is, he died. And behold, the veil of the temple, which covered the holy of holies, was torn in two, from the top to the bottom, and the earth shook, and the stones were disintegrated; and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were resurrected, and coming out of their tombs after His resurrection, they entered Jerusalem and appeared to many.
The centurion (leader of the soldiers) and the soldiers with him, who were guarding the crucified Savior, seeing the earthquake and everything that was happening before them, were afraid and said: “Truly, this man was the Son of God.” And the people, who were at the crucifixion and saw everything, began to disperse in fear, striking themselves in the chest. Friday evening arrived. This evening it was necessary to eat Easter. The Jews did not want to leave the bodies of those crucified on the crosses until Saturday, because Easter Saturday was considered a great day. Therefore, they asked Pilate for permission to break the legs of the crucified people, so that they would die sooner and they could be removed from the crosses. Pilate allowed. The soldiers came and broke the legs of the robbers. When they approached Jesus Christ, they saw that He had already died, and therefore they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers, so that there would be no doubt about His death, pierced His ribs with a spear, and blood and water flowed from the wound.
M. Chagall. White crucifix. 1938
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The image of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is central to Christianity, because it symbolizes the Savior’s atonement for the sins of mankind. The image of the Life-Giving Cross, on which the Lord was crucified, has been known since the times of early Christianity. It was repeated in wall paintings, bas-reliefs, sculptures and icons. Moreover, the death of Jesus is one of the central subjects of Western European classical painting.
History of the image
Execution by crucifixion was considered one of the most terrible punishments for criminals in the Roman Empire - the condemned person not only died, but also experienced severe torment before his death. It was practiced everywhere, and before Christianity the cross had no symbolic meaning, but was only an instrument of execution. Such a sentence could only be received by a criminal who was not a Roman citizen, and Jesus was officially executed for a serious crime - an attempt on the political system of the Empire.
The crucifixion is described in detail in the Gospels - Jesus Christ was executed on Mount Calvary along with two criminals. The Virgin Mary, the Apostle John, and Mary Magdalene remained near the Son of God. There were also Roman soldiers, high priests and ordinary onlookers. Almost all of these characters are displayed on the icon of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, each playing their own symbolic role.
Symbols depicted
The central image of the icon is the Life-Giving Cross with Jesus Christ on it. Above the head is a sign with the inscription “I.N.C.I” - “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” According to legend, the inscription was made by Pontius Pilate himself. Those close to him pointed out the inaccuracy, because it was necessary to write that Jesus said that he was a king, but was not a king. To this the Roman prefect replied: “I wrote what I wrote.”
During the period of Early Christianity, in the 1st century AD. e., the Savior was depicted with open eyes, which symbolized immortality. In the Orthodox tradition, the Son of God is painted with his eyes closed, and the main meaning of the icon is the salvation of the human race. The eternal life and divinity of Jesus are symbolized by the angels soaring in the sky mourning him.
On the sides of the cross on the icon, the Virgin Mary and the Apostle John are necessarily written, who after the execution, at the command of God, took care of her until her death as her own mother. In later iconography, other characters are also found in the images - Mary Magdalene, high priests and soldiers. The centurion Longinus is often depicted, a Roman soldier who pierced the side of the crucified Jesus. The Church honors him as a martyr, and in the icon he appears with a halo.
Another important symbol is Mount Golgotha, under which Adam was buried. Icon painters depict in it the skull of the first person. According to legend, the blood from the body of Christ seeped through the earth and washed the bones of Adam - this is how original sin was washed away from all mankind.
Crucified Thieves
The icon of the Crucifixion of the Lord is one of the most popular, so it is not surprising that it has many variations. In some versions, crucified thieves are located on two sides of Christ. According to the Gospels, one of them, a prudent one, repented and asked for forgiveness for his sins. The other, the crazy one, mocked and told Jesus that since he was the Son of God, then why didn’t the Father help and save him from suffering.
In the images, the repentant thief is always located at the right hand of Christ, his gaze turned to God. The head of our Savior is also bowed in his direction, since the repentant has received forgiveness, and after death the Kingdom of Heaven awaits him. The mad robber on the crucifix is often depicted with his back turned completely - for the actions he committed, the road to hell was prepared for the criminal.
What to pray for
Even on the cross, Jesus continued to pray for all people: “Forgive them, Father. For they do not know what they are doing.” Therefore, people pray to the icon of the crucifixion for forgiveness of sins. It is believed that in front of this icon it is easier to sincerely repent of unrighteous deeds and receive spiritual cleansing.
Those who cannot find a way out of a difficult situation, who find it difficult to change circumstances and correct their actions, pray to Christ. The icon of the crucifixion gives strength and can help lead a righteous life, regardless of the past.
The image of two thieves, one of whom received forgiveness, reminds those praying that they can always repent. There is no case when God will not help a sincerely repentant person. Until the last minute of life, everyone has a chance to receive the Kingdom of Heaven.
How to interpret a dream about crucifixion icons
A dream about an icon is a good sign, a symbol of consolation in God, and sometimes a warning against possible sinful deeds. Such dreams are especially favorable for true believers. However, for correct interpretation, some details are taken into account. For example, if you dreamed that the face was located in a church, in difficult times the only salvation and support would be faith. But icons in a house in a dream speak of discord and long quarrels.
Why do you dream about the icon of the crucifixion? Dream books interpret this as an alarming sign, since such dreams promise losses in different areas of life. If you pray in front of an image, you need to pay more attention to spiritual life and worry less about material wealth. But if you dream of other icons of the Savior, the face of Jesus Christ, you can expect help in difficult circumstances.
