Icon of Christ of Sinai

 

Christ of Sinai on cypress

                                                                   Christ of Sinai

          An unusual icon, from St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mt. Sinai, has greatly impressed many people over the years because it seems more like a personal portrait of Christ than the sort of icon they have experienced before.   It was probably painted in the court of Emperor Justinian in Constantinople in the 6^th century and sent to St. Catherine’s Monastery as the Emperor’s gift to the monastery he had established in the Sinai desert.

          I have painted the icon a number of times, but one day I began to see it in another way.  I have always loved the look of weathered wood, especially when it turns a lovely silvery gray, and one day I chanced to come upon a pile of slab wood out in the country.  Wood is so significant in the Bible: God created the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden; He instructed Noah to make an Ark of wood; He hung from a wooden Cross.  God created all things, and He is in all things.  This weathered wood seemed a fitting medium for an icon of Christ, and this one in particular. 

In my icon, I have omitted a background as well as a gold leaf halo,  so it would appear as if Christ were materializing from the wood.

The following is an excerpt regarding the Christ of Sinai icon from “The Open Door: Entering the Sanctuary of Icons”, by Frederica Matthewes-Greene:        

          "This icon differs from other icons in several ways.  It is more realistic, less stylized.  Christ’s face is also more natural-looking, more like a portrait.  Refer to Egyptian or Roman paintings of the first centuries A.D. and you will notice that this icon resembles them in the expressiveness of the wide eyes and the subtle skin tones.

          This is probably one of the oldest surviving examples of Christian art.  It was painted mid-6^th century probably in the imperial capital of Constantinople, to judge by the fineness of its execution.  It has spent its existence in Sinai which accounts for its survival.  The earliest Christians have gone here to live in caves as monastics near the site of the Burning Bush and the mountain where Moses received the Law.  After years of attacks by Bedouin tribes, Emperor Justinian built a walled monastery here around 550 AD.  It is now named for St. Catherine of Alexandria and has been in operation ever since.

          The icon is of the type called Pantocrator, which means Ruler of All.  In this type of icon Christ is often revealed as the eternal judge, and may be shown sitting on a throne.  His right hand is raised in blessing and in his left hand is a massive Gospel book.  In some icons the book is closed, and in others there might be a passage from the Gospels.

          Although most icons are written in egg tempera, this one uses a much earlier method called wax encaustic, where melted wax is mixed with powdered pigments.  In 1962 the layers of grime from incense and candle smoke were cleaned to reveal the original.

          This icon has been said to have the ability to look into one’s soul.  The artist has achieved this is through the distortion of perspective.  Notice how large the Gospel book is, and that the “vanishing point” is ourselves, not Christ.  We have the feeling that He is viewing us, rather than we, Him.

          As we look at this icon we see how ancient His love is.  He was loving us before we ever turned to look into these eyes.  He has been loving us a long time, from a Cross two thousand years before we were born.  We don’t have to improve, or cover up our faults, to earn this love.  It has been surrounding us all our loves, waiting for us to receive it.  Perhaps that is the meaning of the faint smile.  He loves us too much to let us remain as we are, confused and mired in sin, hurting others and ourselves.  He will heal us, and His healing is sure… There is great patience there.  He is waiting; He is not in any hurry.  He will be right here, even when you forget Him and get tangled in your life again, and have to turn around and come back to Him – not once, but over and over again. 

         

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          Western religious paintings may seem accomplished and beautiful, but noisy.  In a way that is hard to define, icons touch a completely different interior level; deeper down there is a place where we first confront life, before we decide what we think or feel about it.  That is the intimate place where icons speak.  They are companions in prayer.  They have their fullest impact on those who are saturated in prayer and Scripture, who participate in the full life of the Church, with all her mysteries, hymns and worship. 

          Look at Him again, and let Him look at you.  Take your time.  You may have things you want to say, and then you might run out of things to say and need just to be silent before Him.  This is a quiet, but very deep, icon."