Icons of the betrayal of Christ

[Olympiada]

I am looking for icons on the internet of the betrayal of Jesus Christ. Also for specific theology on this. I remember last time you provided me with some excellent icons of Jesus Christ driving the money changers out of the temple. I am hoping you can find some good ones for me this time as well. Thanks!

[M.C. Steenberg]

I've attached to this post three icons that are but the fruit of a simple Google Image search. Unfortunately, I've not yet been able to locate any digital versions of this icon that are large -- so these are rather small on the screen. (However, they're bigger than the attachment thumbnails! Click the thumbnail to enlarge the images.)

INXC, Dcn Matthew

[Andreas Moran]

At the betrayal, St Peter cut off the ear of one of the men - what was St Peter doing with a sword anyway?

[Herman Blaydoe]

Luke 22:36-38 Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.” So they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”

[Olympiada]

I've attached to this post three icons that are but the fruit of a simple Google Image search. Unfortunately, I've not yet been able to locate any digital versions of this icon that are large -- so these are rather small on the screen. (However, they're bigger than the attachment thumbnails! Click the thumbnail to enlarge the images.)

INXC, Dcn Matthew
Thanks Deacon Matthew. I had one for a while but then I think I recycled it, a paper one from a friend's parish. I actually did my own sketch of this icon. What about the theology behind it?

[Olga]

I am looking for icons on the internet of the betrayal of Jesus Christ. Also for specific theology on this. I remember last time you provided me with some excellent icons of Jesus Christ driving the money changers out of the temple. I am hoping you can find some good ones for me this time as well. Thanks!

Sources of icons of the Passion of Christ (from the Mystical Supper to the Crucifixion and Burial) are not hard to find. To mention a few: There is a series of murals in the Stavronikita Monastery at Mt Athos, another in the Monastery of St Nicholas at Meteora, both series painted by the iconographer Theophanes the Cretan.

Of portable icons, the series from the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom in Novgorod (15thC) come to mind. These icons featured four scenes on each icon. This type of multiple portrayal is common in the Slavic world.

[Andreas Moran]

Luke 22:36-38 Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.” So they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”

So, what does Christ imply here?

[M.C. Steenberg]

What about the theology behind it?

I think you'll need to be a bit more specific as to what theological issues you're interested in!

INXC, Dcn Matthew

[Herman Blaydoe]

According to St. Kyril: Anyone who from extreme poverty must continue in the land, let even such a one, He says, sell his garment, and by a sword. For henceforth the question with all those who continue in the land will not be whether they possess anything or not, but whether they can exist and preserve their lives. For war shall befall them with such unendurable impetuosity, that nothing shall be able to stand against it.

St. Ambrose: Why tell me to buy a sword? Unless, perhaps, that defense may be prepared, not a necessary vengeance, in order that you may be seen to have been able to be avenged, but not to have been willing. Nevertheless, the law does not forbit me to strike back, and, therefore, Thou sayest to Peter when he offers two swords, 'It is enough,' as if it were permitted even to the Gospel, so that there may be the instruction of equality in the law and perfection of goodness in the Gospel. This seems wicked to man, but the Lord is not wicked. He Who when He could take vengeance chose to be sacrificed. There is a spiritual sword, so that you may see your patrimony, urchase the Word, whereby the innermost parts of the mind are clothed. There is also the sword of suffering, so that you ay lay aside the body, and with the coverings of the sacrificed flesh the crown of holy martyrdom may be bought for you. Finally, that you may know He spoke of siffering, lest He distress the spirits of His disciples, He offered an example concerning Himself [Luke 22:37]. Yet it still inspires that the disciples offered two swords, perhaps, indeed, one of the New, one of the Old Testament, with which we are armed against the deceits of the devil. Then the Lord says, 'It is enough,' as if nothing is lacking to him whom the teachings of each Testament has fortified.

Blessed Theophylact: The Lord says this, not in fact that they use weapons, but, to hint to them of dangers and wars to come, and to teach them to prepare themselves for every eventuality.

St. John Chrysostom: He saith to them, 'Let him buy a sword,' not that they should arm themselves, far from it; but by this, clearly indicating He is being betrayed.

Personally, I like what St. Ambrose says, to show the capability to take vengeance, but to choose not to do so, not out of weakness but because God wanted it. Of course St. Peter, being who he was, didn't see it quite that way at the time and actually used his sword, but the Lord corrected him (once again) and healed his victim. He was teaching us in a very physical and visceral way that He could have resisted, but chose not to.

But that is why the swords were there.

[Olympiada]

I think you'll need to be a bit more specific as to what theological issues you're interested in!

INXC, Dcn Matthew

The theology behind the emotion of betrayal, with the Father had the Son go through the pain of betrayal, why that was pre-ordained before time for our salvation. Taking this a step further, can you find me some icons illustrating the night spent in the Garden of Gethsamene, icons that portray the agony of the Son? Thanks. The Father had the Son feeling betrayal and agony. Those are very painful emotions and Jesus Christ suffered like any man suffers with those emotions.

[M.C. Steenberg]

There are some interesting thoughts to be had on the notion of betrayal.

Focussing on the imagery of the icon, what has always struck me about the standard portrayal of the betrayal before the arrest, is how much the form of the icon mirrors that of the ascent out of Hades - i.e. the standard Resurrection Icon. In the one, the Resurrection, Christ stands centrally, lifting up Adam and Eve from Hades, flanked and surrounded by the faithful, the resurrected, the angels. In the other, the betrayal, it is not Christ who lifts up, he is not the actor; rather, the 'motion' is grabbed by Judas. And Christ is again flanked and surrounded, but here by his betrayers with weapons and agressive looks, and in some renderings, the confusion of the apostles. There is the constancy of Christ in each, but the behaviour of the people surrounding him is radically different. Where they attempt to obtain centrality, chaos follows. Where Christ is admitted centrality, the same scene looks radically different - with even the dead rising to life.

I'm not sure, Olympiada, that there is such a thing as a distinct theology of betrayal in the fathers. Certainly the betrayal of Christ in the garden is nothing terribly new, in terms of man's relationship to God. Humanity has been betraying God since the beginning; it was nothing new as an act in Gethsemane. What was new there was not the betrayal, but the humanness of the Son who was there betrayed, and thus the effect of that betrayal for and on the humanity that Christ himself had taken.

There are, however, a great many passages in the fathers that deal with the event of the betrayal. You'll find a host of these by searching the texts library, and elsewhere.

INXC, Matthew

[Herman Blaydoe]

During the silent prayers of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the priest prays: "...on the night that you were betrayed, or rather, on the night when you gave yourself up for the life of the world..."

[Paul Cowan]

Skete.com (http://www.skete.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=219)
Marketworks.com (http://www.marketworks.com/storefrontprofiles/processfeed.aspx?sfid=78319&i=232676617&mpid=2031&dfid=1)
e-bay Latinized icon (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ORTHODOX-WOOD-ICON-CHRIST-IN-THE-GARDEN-OF-GETHSEMANE_W0QQitemZ140149943872QQihZ004QQcategory Z13768QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem)
Franciscan version (http://www.franciscanos.org/oracion/viacrucis02.html)
More art than icon? (http://biblia.com/christ/gethsemane.htm)
RC Icons (http://www.biblia.com/passion/gethsemane.htm)

It seems some of the more emotional producing images are from the PC or Latinized RC artists.
Paul

[Olga]

May I offer the following comment

Western religious art, particularly that from the Renaissance and Gothic period, almost always emphasises the human suffering of Christ at His passion. This is no accident, as, from about the 12th C onwards, the focus of religious devotion in the west gradually changed from dispassionate to passionate expressions, be they in art, music and singing, or the seeking of particular types of “religious experiences”. A new emphasis was being placed on emotions in spiritual life, resulting in such phenomena as stigmata. This phenomenon was, and continues to be, frequently reported in the west, but is practically unknown in the Orthodox world. Another result was the central emphasis of the Crucifixion (Death) of Christ supplanting that of the Resurrection. In popular devotion, Christ was depicted more and more as a suffering fellow man, rather than as God Incarnate. Perhaps the most stark and uncompromising artwork of this type is the Isenheim Altarpiece painted by the 16th C Gothic artist Matthias Grünewald.

By contrast, Orthodox iconography depicts the passion and crucifixion of Christ in far more dispassionate terms, as it does any of its subject matter. Taking the Crucifixion as an example: We do not see a ravaged, tortured body on the cross, but Christ willingly offering himself as sacrifice for the salvation of the world, and, even in death, triumphant over death and sin. His human life has ended, but He remains God. His divinity is not diminished. There is little blood, Christ’s bodily wounds are confined to the marks of the nails, and the pierced side. Even the crown of thorns is absent, and the inscription above His head reads The King of Glory, not Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews (the latter usually abbreviated to its Latin acronym INRI.

The content of an icon is not intended to force an emotional response. There is a conscious avoidance of movement or theatrical gesture. In portraying moments of biblical history, the faces of participants in the scene are rarely expressive of their feelings at the time as we might imagine them, but suggest virtues - purity, patience in suffering, forgiveness, compassion and love. In crucifixion icons, the physical pain Christ endured on the cross is not shown; the icon reveals what led Him to the cross, the free action of giving His life for others. There is no superficial or exaggerated drama. Similarly, the Virgin and Apostle John are grief-stricken, but their posture and gestures are restrained yet powerful. The emotion is in the eyes, and the Virgin has her right hand pointing to the crucified Christ in the same way as she does in her icons with the Christ-child. Her posture and gestures also echo hymnody from the Matins of Holy Saturday, sung on Great Friday evening:

O my Son and my God, though I am wounded to the core and torn to the heart as I see You dead, yet confident in Your resurrection, I magnify You.

It is also worth looking at the liturgical references to the Passion. The events of Christ’s betrayal, passion and crucifixion are commemorated at the Matins of Great Friday, sung on Holy Thursday evening. As I have mentioned in previous posts, there must be complete harmony and correspondence between iconographic content and that of liturgical hymnody and scripture; liturgical content also represents the distillation of what the Church teaches and espouses on that particular feast or commemoration. While Judas Iscariot and the members of the Sanhedrin are certainly described as treacherous, lawless, greedy ingrates, the other theme permeating the hymnody is the willingness and equanimity with which Christ accepted His suffering and death, out of His boundless compassion for mankind. In addition, the Gospel readings pertaining to Christ’s time in the garden are from Matthew and Mark, not the more graphic one of Luke (which has, among other motifs, the imagery of His sweat falling to the ground “like great drops of blood”). Perhaps the liturgist fathers found the imagery of the other Gospels sufficient in illustrating the human suffering of Christ so as not to unbalance the emphasis between His human and divine natures. Interestingly, the non-Gospel hymnody does not even mention the events of “the agony in the garden”, perhaps for the same reason.

Consider the iconography of martyr-saints, such as St Ignatius the God-bearer being attacked by lions in the arena, or the stoning of Protomartyr Stephen: Martyr-saints are not shown in throes of physical agony, but, more importantly, in complete submission to their fate, and anticipation of their coming heavenly life. An icon is a spiritual depiction, not a naturalistic one. Therefore, any depiction of scenes of the passion of Christ, including His betrayal, should be free from any histrionics or grand displays of emotion.

[Andreas Moran]

Very interesting post by Olga. In general, it is true, I think, that western art reflects western theology, and that means that there is stress on the imagination in general and, in pictures of the Crucifixion (and the flagellation), Christ's human suffering is emphasised. Most recently, this has been seen in Mel Gibson's film of the Passion. It's only fair to mention, though, the serenely contemplative depictions of the crucifixion seen, for example, in the San Marco frescoes of Fra Angelico in Florence. Also, Grunewald's Crucifixion is on the outside wings of the Isenheim Altarpiece, whilst inside there is a radiant scene of the Resurrection. Even so, it is notable that western art shows the actual moment of the Resurrection from the tomb, whilst Orthodox icons do not.

The stress on Christ's human suffering is questionable for us because it may suggest that Christ only in His human nature died on the Cross. (I hope I've got that right - I'm a bit hazy on the theology of Who died on the Cross.) It also detracts from the Cross as a Victory, not a failure that was put right by the Resurrection.

[Olga]

It's only fair to mention, though, the serenely contemplative depictions of the crucifixion seen, for example, in the San Marco frescoes of Fra Angelico in Florence.

This is not surprising, Andreas, as Fra Angelico, like other artists of the Early Renaissance (late 1200s to early 1400s) such as Giotto and Cimabue, produced religious paintings and frescoes in a style resembling iconography. It was after this period that the full-blown realism associated with the Renaissance came into being.

[Andreas Moran]

I would say that even certain later works of the Renaissance, such as some Madonna and Child works by Giovanni Bellini, are still rooted in the icon tradition and have a contemplative quality lacking, I would say, in the Madonna and Child works of Raphael. Of course, as you suggest, the growth of realism, propelled by humanism and and philosophy, deprived much western religious art of an authentic spiritual content. Wouldn't you agree, though, that Rembrandt's religious etchings, and his great 'Return of the Prodigal Son' are full of spiritual content even though their form is not iconographical?

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Let us remember though that art arises in a post Schism world. In some sense it represents a falling away from an ecclesiological way of seeing. In other ways however it represents precisely a longing for what it has lost.

To lose sight of either of these realities & what they actually mean is to misunderstand art and its place for us.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Nina]

The stress on Christ's human suffering is questionable for us because it may suggest that Christ only in His human nature died on the Cross. (I hope I've got that right - I'm a bit hazy on the theology of Who died on the Cross.)

Answer from the amazing book:
Entering the Orthodox Church: The Catechism and Baptism of Adults by Metropolitan of Nafpaktos Hierotheos


3. Did Christ actually die on the Cross?
His human nature really did die. However, His Divinity did not die, it remained immortal.p.170

I do not plan to become Orthodox because I already am Orthodox, but I purchased this book for my fiance and I am reading it myself also! Like the golden reminder of Paul Cowan, back to the basics.