A traditional “Western” icon, Christ in Majesty. After the Great Schism between the east and west. The Western Church continued to develop its own iconographic forms. Much of the imagery here is drawn from the Book of Revelation.
Jesus is seated on a throne which is heaven, the cosmos, or all of creation. At His feet is the world. The “world” in this case is a stylization of the world from the middle ages. The known world is separated into three continents, Asia, Europe, and Africa. It can be traced back to the ancient “mappa mundi.”
The right hand of Christ is raised in blessing while His left hand rests on a Book of the Gospels. The book shows the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, “alpha” and “omega.” “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Revelation 22:13. The Halo around the head of Christ is depicted with traditional symbols. The three arms within the halo represent the cross, the instrument of our salvation. On each arm of the cross is a letter abbreviating the name of God from the Book of Exodus “I Am Who Am” Exodus 3:14. Outside of the halo are the letters which form a Christogram for the name of Christ. It is made up of the first and last letters of the Greek words for Jesus Christ “ΙΗϹΟΥϹ ΧΡΙϹΤΟϹ.”
The seated figure of Christ is contained within an almond-shaped mandorla formed by stylized clouds and a band of gold. St. Hildegard of Bingen felt the mandorla represented the cosmos, others say that it is a symbol of the transcendence of God who is not bound by time or space. In any case, the mandorla is reserved for images of Christ and the blessed Virgin Mary, setting them apart from the rest of creation. The mandorla represents a realm of the highest heaven reserved for God and the blessed mother alone. On the the right shoulder of Christ’s tunic is a decorative band, here in gold, known as the apostolokon. It is derived from the Greek word apóstolos meaning one who is sent. In traditional iconography this band is reserved to Christ and one or two specific saints.
The Book of Revelation speaks of four beast who surround the throne of God. These four beasts are traditionally associated with the four evangelists, the man for Matthew, the eagle for John, the lion for Mark, and the bull for Luke.
Taken altogether the image leads us to contemplate the nature of Christ as ruler of Heaven and Earth. He is supported by the four evangelists who proclaim the Good News to the ends of the earth. Let us bring the burdens of our lives to be transformed by the mysteries of Christ’s Body and Blood into the grace that redeems the world.
