Apostle Luke: biography, icon and prayer. About the icon - Nizhny Novgorod Orthodox Women's Theological School
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It is believed that Saint Luke wrote not only the most detailed of the four Gospels and the book of the Acts of the Apostles.
According to Christian traditions, he is the author of the first icons - the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The legend about the painting of icons of the Mother of God by the Evangelist Luke is widespread in the Christian world.
As an undoubted fact of religious life, it was included in the Greek Iconographic Original, establishing the pictorial canon of the Icon and the holy Apostle Luke himself, capturing the image of the Mother of God.
SOURCES
For the first time, the story of Luke, the author of the Icons of the Mother of God, dates back to the 6th century; in Greek manuscripts it was recorded in the 10th century.
The earliest historical document that mentions an icon painted by the apostle and evangelist Luke dates back to the first quarter of the 6th century and is associated with the name of the historian Theodore the Reader (Anagnost), who lived during the time of the emperors Justin and Justinian. He tells the story of Empress Eudokia, the widow of Emperor Theodosius the Younger, who went to Jerusalem to worship the holy places and discovered there the image of the Mother of God, painted by St. Luke, which she sent to Constantinople to her sister-in-law Pulcheria, the wife of Emperor Marcian.
The next news appears only in the 8th century from St. Andrew of Crete. He reports that there were images written by Ev. Luka. He says that up. Luke “with his own hand depicted both the incarnate Christ himself and His immaculate Mother” and that these images, known in Rome, are in Jerusalem.
There is a mention of the image of the Virgin Mary, painted by the evangelist Luke and then sent somewhere from Jerusalem in the life of Stephen the New. It dates back to the second half of the 8th century.
In the “Conciliar Epistle of the Three Eastern Patriarchs to Emperor Theophilus,” attributed by scientists to the year 845-846, it is reported that the divinely inspired Luke, during the life of the Most Holy Theotokos, while She lived in Zion, drew Her honest image on a board with picturesque compositions.
In Western literary sources, Evangelist Luca Cennino Cennini is called “the first Christian painter” in his “Treatise on Painting,” written in the 14th century.
From here came the famous and respected Madonna of St. Bows known in fairly significant numbers in Rome, Italy, Spain and other countries.
It is difficult to say when the legend about Luke as an icon painter spread to Rus', but in the Moscow chronicle of the late 15th century, under the year 1204, it is said that the icon of Hodegetria was painted by Luke: “this same icon was copied by Luke the angelist [...]”; and under 1395 - that the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God was written by the evangelist Luke: “The word about the miracle of the Most Holy Theotokos, when the icon of her honest image was brought, the evangelist Luke wrote from the city of Volodymyr to this glorious city of Moscow.” In the Gospel of 1507, stored in the State Public Library in St. Petersburg, under the miniature of the Evangelist Luke it is indicated: “Luke [...] icon painter.” In the Makaryev Menaions of the Fourth, in the chapter about Luke, it is said that he was not only a doctor and the author of the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel, but also an artist who painted images of the Mother of God.
This kind of illustration can be found in Russian manuscripts, such as: “Tales about the icon image, how and when it began” and “Tales about the painting of the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria.”
They are located opposite the following words of the text: “After the resurrection and after the ascension into heaven of our Lord Jesus Christ and after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the past fifty years, the glorious apostle and evangelist Luke, to whom be praised in the gospel of Christ, who wrote the gospel about Christ and the ever-virgin Mary who gave birth to Him, and also the Acts of the Saints in the books of the Apostle.
And again, the first of the divine icon images of hedgehog painting, self-wisely inexperienced, wrote on the table the outline of our most pure Lady Theotokos and the Ever-Virgin Mary, dangerously resembling Thy’s graceful vision... And brings it to the prototypes of the Lady and all the Queen. She, having laid Her eyes on that icon and... having rejoiced, said to him with reverence and with authority: “Let My grace be with you.”...
LEGENDS
Of course, there are no reliable ones, including historical facts How the Evangelist Luke painted the first and subsequent icons of the Most Holy Theotokos.
There are only legends and traditions.
According to one of them, the Virgin Mary with the baby Christ appeared to Luke in a dream. Waking up, he sketched this vision, and this picture is considered the first icon of the Mother of God.
Another legend says that the Mother of God appeared to St. Luke in the temple during prayer. She was shrouded in clouds, two angels held over her royal crown, and in his arms, with his head pressed to his left cheek, sat the baby Christ. And supposedly, Saint Luke knelt down, and then, as if in oblivion, he rose and began to paint a portrait of the Madonna on a canvas standing on a small easel.
The third legend says that the news about the Icon of the Mother of God not made by hands from the city of Lydda reached the Mother of God, next to whom was the Evangelist Luke. And one day Luke felt a strong desire to paint Her Most Pure Image and came to ask the Mother of God for a blessing to paint Her icons. She gave him what he asked for.
After receiving the blessing from the Mother of God, the Angel of the Lord came to him (most likely it was Archangel Gabriel - he always helped the Mother of God) and handed him 3 boards, on which Apostle Luke subsequently painted his first icons.
Taking the first board, he painted the icon of the Mother of God with paints. After completing the icon, he brought it to the Most Pure One to find out her opinion. She liked the icon, but she told him to paint it with the Baby Jesus in his arms. So he did.
All of his next icons he painted the image of the Mother of God with the Baby Jesus in her arms. Taking the second board, he painted the icon with wax and mastic, and upon completion showed it to the Mother of God. She approved the icon, after which he began to paint the third icon. He painted the third icon with gold and silver and again brought it to the Mother of God. The Immaculate One took all three icons painted by the Apostle Luke and said: “Let the grace of Him who was born of Me and My mercy be with these icons,” that is, the Grace of Her Son will always come with these icons.
OPINION
Art critic Irina YAZYKOVA, head of the department of Christian culture at the Biblical and Theological Institute of St. Andrew the Apostle:
“There is a legend that the very first icon was painted by the Apostle Luke, and there is even an iconography where the apostle writes and the Mother of God poses for him. Historians have doubts about this, but the Tradition did not arise out of thin air. “We know from the New Testament “that the Apostle Luke was a doctor, an educated man, but the fact that he was an artist is not said in Scripture,” says Irina Yazykova, “besides, icon painting as a tradition arose no earlier than the 4th century. But it is in the Gospel of Luke that most of all. it speaks of the Mother of God, and it was the Apostle Luke who created for us the image of the Mother of God. And since the Gospel in ancient times was called a verbal icon, just as the icon was called a pictorial Gospel, then in this sense we can say that the Apostle Luke was the first icon painter, although directly with a brush on a board, most likely he didn’t drive.”
Jacob Beinhart. Saint Luke painting the Madonna Our Lady. 1506. National Museum. Warsaw
Thus, it is believed that Apostle Luke painted three icons of the Most Holy Theotokos during the earthly life of the Mother of God, having received a blessing from her.
This is what is written in the book “The Earthly Life of the Most Holy Theotokos and a Description of Her Holy Miracle-Working Icons,” first published in 1897:
“Of the three icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary, painted by St. by the Apostle and Evangelist Luke, who were worthy of Her blessing and graced by Her, one is called Hodegetria, or Guide; it depicts the Blessed Virgin with the Eternal Child on her left hand.
(Her shining example in Russian Orthodox iconography - Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.)
The other two are called Merciful, because they depict the Mother of God pleading with her Son and Her God for the salvation of the Christian race.
On one of these icons the Mother of God is written alone, without her Only Begotten Son, and is called the Most Merciful.
On the other, She is depicted holding Her Son with right side and is also called Gracious, but to distinguish it from the first - Gracious-Kykkos, from Mount Kikos, located on the northwestern side of the island of Cyprus.
(One of the most famous icons of this type is Vladimir icon Mother of God).
It is believed that these three icons were sent by the holy Evangelist Luke to Egypt to the Nazirites (Nazarenes), that is, pious Christians who lived there and learned monastic life from the Evangelist Mark.”
Two icons: the Kykkos Icon (Kikkotis, the Merciful) and the Sumel Icon have survived to this day.
All three icons were in Russia and are known under the names: Vladimir - Gracious, Smolensk Hodegetria and Filermskaya (it is believed that the original icon has not survived. However, there are miraculous copies from this icon).
It is assumed that they were brought in the XI-XII centuries from Constantinople.
Also, according to legend, after the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, while in Greece, Russia, Georgia, Egypt, Serbia, Bulgaria and other countries, from memory, Evangelist Luke painted 70 (80, 150 in different sources in different ways) icons depicting Holy Virgin.
These images are known throughout the Christian world; many icons will be painted from them both in Greece and in Russia, Egypt, Serbia, and Bulgaria, which is evidence of the great veneration of these images among the Orthodox.
Ap. Luke. Miniature from the Gospel of the 1st half of the 15th century. Moscow. 2nd half of the 15th century. RSL. Moscow.
Currently, there are 20-21 icons on Mount Athos and the West, 8 of them are in Rome.
Let us list the icons that are believed to have been painted by the Apostle Luke and have survived to this day:
The Vladimir icon (according to legend, written on the board of the table at which the Holy Family had a meal), the Tikhvin, Iverskaya, Czestochowa (located in the Catholic monastery on Jasna Gora near Czestochowa), Sumelskaya (located in Greece, in the village of Kastanya. On it the Virgin Mary holds God-Infant on the left side, as if directing us to Right way, therefore it is also called Hodegetria the Guide), Kykkos (Merciful) - located in Cyprus in the Kykkos monastery (on it the Divine Infant is depicted on the right side), Korsun, Fedorov, Jerusalem (according to legend, written by him in the year 15 in Gethsemane, after the Ascension Savior), Nikopea (Kyriotissa), Blachernae (Hodegetria, “Guide”), Malevi, Great Cave (Spiliotissa), Khakhul (located in the Gelati Dormition Monastery near Kutaisi), icon of the Virgin Mary of Sant’Alessio (“Intercessor”, “Patroness”), Madonna di Santa Maria in Araceli (“Altar of Heaven”), Santa Maria Maggiore, Santa Maria della Grazia, Santa Maria del Popolo, Santa Maria della Consolazione, etc.
It is also believed that the Evangelist Luke painted the Smolensk Icon (Hodegetria-Smolenskaya), its location has not been known since 1943, the Vilemskaya and some other icons, the location of which is also unknown.
If you look carefully at all the icons that are attributed to the Evangelist Luke, we will definitely notice that on three of them - Smolensk, Korsun-Ephesus and Philermos - the image of the Mother of God is significantly different from the rest. Which once again, albeit indirectly, confirms the very fact that they were written by the Evangelist Luke, and therefore gives us amazing opportunity imagine what the Mother of God looked like in her earthly life.
However, the legends about the creation of the “first portrait” of the Mother of God, unfortunately, can neither be confirmed nor refuted, since not a single image of the Mother of God has survived that could be dated to the 1st century AD.
Of course, it is worth noting that the existing icons, although very ancient, are still only copies of icons of the holy evangelist, since not a single image of the Mother of God has been preserved that could be dated to the 1st century AD and fully prove that the ancient icon belongs to the brush of the Luke.
Most likely, these are not even lists from the originals by Luka, but lists from lists.
L.A. Uspensky in the book “The Theology of the Icon of the Orthodox Church” writes about the icons painted by the Evangelist Luke: “Of course, all these icons are attributed to the evangelist not in the sense that they were painted by his hand; none of the icons he painted himself has probably reached us. The authorship of the holy evangelist Luke here must be understood in the sense that these icons are copies (or rather, lists from lists) from icons once painted by the evangelist<…>
And their value is also great because Luke was the person who saw the Mother of God with his own eyes during her life, as well as the Savior himself. Therefore, all icons that are subsequent lists and lists from the lists of his icons, one way or another, bear the authentic divine imprint of the lifetime appearance Mother of God <…>
The Church emphasizes the continuity of grace and power inherent in all copies of these icons, as reproducing (with their characteristic symbols) the authentic features of the Mother of God, captured by the Evangelist Luke.” I hope I have satisfied your curiosity. Now you know about the first miraculous icon of the Mother of God - the Lydda icon and about the first and subsequent hand-made icons painted by the Apostle and Evangelist Luke.
The most serious argument against the possibility of the existence of icons painted by the holy evangelist is the absence of any mention of this fact among the fathers of the VII Ecumenical Council, the reason for this fact is not clear, but having considered all the arguments presented, we can confidently conclude that, according to Holy Tradition and According to historical evidence, the holy evangelist Luke painted one or more icons of the Mother of God with his own hand.
For these heartfelt tears, Jesus gave Luke indescribable joy, which the apostle himself talks about in the Gospel, without naming himself by name. On the day of the Resurrection of Christ, Luke and another apostle, Cleopas, went to the village of Emmaus, near Jerusalem. At this time, the Risen Jesus Himself approached them. But their eyes were held, and they did not recognize Him. The Lord asked what they were talking about and why they were so sad. Luke and Cleopas spoke with emotional anguish about the free suffering and death on the cross of their beloved Teacher. “And we hoped,” they continued, “that He was the One who should deliver Israel. But some of our women astonished us: they were early at the tomb, and did not find His body, and when they came, they said that they had also seen the appearance of angels, who said that He was alive.”
Then the Lord answered: “O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have foretold! Wasn’t this how Christ had to suffer and enter into His glory?” And beginning with Moses, he explained to them from all the prophets what was said about Him in the Scriptures. Walking and talking with the Lord, Luke drew from His own lips the depth of ineffable wisdom, and, as good student Christ, learned the mysteries of God and thereby subsequently converted many nations to the faith of Christ. But at that time the apostle had not yet recognized the divine Companion.
And only when Christ, reclining with Luke and Cleopas at the evening meal, took bread, blessed, broke and served, then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. But Jesus became invisible. There's fire here divine love, hitherto hidden in Luke’s heart, was revealed with the words: “Did not our heart burn within us when He spoke to us on the road, and when He explained the Scripture to us?” And, getting up at the same hour, Luke and Cleopas returned to Jerusalem and told the eleven apostles about the appearance of the risen Lord on their way. During this story, in the upper room where they gathered, Christ himself appeared and taught everyone peace and instruction (Luke 24:13-49).
After Christ’s ascension into heaven, Luke and the other apostles received the Holy Spirit, who descended in tongues of fire. When, after the murder of the first martyr Stephen, persecution of Christians began, and the apostles, except for a few, left Jerusalem to preach the Gospel in other countries, then Luke went to his homeland, to Antioch. On the way, he preached through the city of Sebastia, where the incorruptible relics of John the Baptist and the Baptist of the Lord were located. The Apostle wanted to take them with him, but the local Christians, diligently honoring the Baptist, did not allow them. Then Luke took from the relics only his right hand, under which Christ had once bowed his head, receiving baptism from John. With this priceless treasure, Luke arrived home, to the great joy of the Christians there.
In Antioch, Luke joined the staff of the Apostle Paul and became a participant in his labors and sufferings. He and Paul preached the name of Christ not only to the Jews, but also to the pagans, and was in Rome, as can be seen from the book of the Acts of the Apostles. The Apostle Paul loved Luke very much and in his letters called him brother, beloved physician. And Luke loved Paul with all his heart and revered him as a teacher and father. One of all the disciples of the chief apostle, he was with him during his deathbed imprisonment in prison, about which Paul wrote from there to Timothy: “I am already becoming a victim, and the time of my departure has come. For Demas left me, having loved this present age, and went to Thessalonica, Criscent to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia; Only Luke is with me." (2 Tim. 4:6-10).
Perhaps Luke, with his medical skill, alleviated the illnesses of the prisoner, who, as legend says, suffered from headaches, weakness of vision and other bodily ailments.
After the suffering death of the supreme apostle Paul, Luke preached the word of God in Italy, Dalmatia, Gaul and Greece. Already in old age, the Apostle Luke, who in the course of his life accepted many sufferings for the name of Christ, visited Libya, walked through it all and arrived in Egypt. Here he multiplied the flock of Christ, converting the pagans to the holy faith.
Returning from Egypt, Luke preached the Gospel in the Greek city of Thebes, built churches there, appointed priests and deacons, and, having cured many of both physical and mental illnesses, finally received the crown of martyrdom from idolaters in this city. In the absence of a cross, he was hanged on an olive tree. This is how the apostle and evangelist Luke ended his life at the age of eighty-four.
Saint Luke was buried in Thebes, and the Lord, glorifying and after the death of his apostle and evangelist, in commemoration of his medical skill, rained down on the place where his body rested, healing callurium - a medicinal lotion for eye disease. At the tomb of Luke, through the prayers of the saint of God, believers received healing from many other diseases.
In the second half of the 4th century, the Greek emperor Constantius, the son of Constantine the Great, having heard about the healing relics of the Apostle Luke, sent his commander for them. The holy relics were transferred with great honor from Thebes to Constantinople. And a miracle happened. One of the royal bed-guards, Anatoly, who had been lying on his sick bed for many years, hearing that the relics of the Apostle Luke were being brought into the city, fervently prayed to the saint and ordered himself to be carried to him. As soon as he, having bowed with faith, touched the ark with the shrine, he instantly received healing and, together with others, carried the relics to the church built in the name of the holy apostles.
The Apostle Luke bears the name of the evangelist because he wrote in Rome, by inspiration from the Holy Spirit, the Gospel, which contains all the details of the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle conveyed to us in the Gospel not only what he himself saw and heard, but also what others saw and heard, who had previously followed Christ, others like him, and at first those who witnessed themselves.
Luke begins his Gospel with a story about the service of Father John the Baptist, Saint Zechariah, one of the Old Testament priests who were obliged to sacrifice calves to God, among other offerings. That is why a calf is usually depicted on icons with the Evangelist Luke.
"Saint Luke Painting the Virgin Mary" Barbieri
The Apostle Luke also wrote the book of the Acts of the Apostles, in which he depicted in detail the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, their labors and miracles, the spread of the Gospel among unbelievers through the apostolic preaching and the structure of the original church of Christ on earth, and especially spoke in detail about the life and deeds of the Apostle Paul.
Tradition says that Evangelist Luke was the first in the world to paint an image of the Mother of God holding the Eternal Child in her arms, and then two more icons of the Most Holy Theotokos and, wanting to find out whether this pleased the Mother of God, he brought them to Her. The Mother of God, seeing her image, said with her most pure lips: “The grace of Him who was born of Me and Mine be with these icons.” Evangelist Luke, who tells the same legend, also wrote images of saints on the boards supreme apostles Peter and Paul. Thus, from the Apostle and Evangelist Luke, icon painting began in the world.
In the middle of the 12th century, one of the icons of the Mother of God, attributed to the Apostle Luke, was delivered from Constantinople, where it had previously been kept, to Kyiv. From here it was soon transported to Vladimir, and in 1395, during the invasion of Tamerlane, it was solemnly transferred to Moscow, after which Tamerlane abandoned his intention to take possession of the capital and left Russia. The miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was placed in Moscow in the Assumption Cathedral.
The memory of the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke is celebrated by the Church on October 18 (31), and the day of the transfer of his holy relics is April 22 (May 5).
We offer to buy the icon on the website of the PravLife online store. The catalog presents a wide selection of Orthodox icons, both for church and home iconostasis. The products were made in icon painting workshops: Sofrino, Russian Gifts, Kursk Artel, some of which work at monasteries.
First of all, icon painters divide images into two types: canonical and non-canonical. The first correspond to the church rules of painting; the second - no.
In our store there are only canonical icons. The point is that the canons Orthodox Church They demand that the images of the Lord, the Mother of God and the saints be not distorted, since only then are they considered consistent with the church spirit.
In our online store you can buy Orthodox icons of the following types:
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Wedding shrines are called paired shrines, on which, as a rule, the Savior and the Blessed Virgin Mary are depicted.
The image depicting the heavenly patron of an Orthodox believer is considered personal. Note that Orthodox name given at Baptism may differ from a person’s worldly name: do not make a mistake when choosing!
Icons that depict details of a particular day in church history belong to the category of holiday icons. For example, this could be the Nativity of Christ, the Ascension of the Lord, the Beheading of John the Baptist.
Order for the baptism of a child. In our online store they usually have a standard size: width – 25-30 cm, height – 50 cm (which approximately corresponds to the height of a newborn). Ideally, this shrine should be preserved throughout the life of a Christian.
To pray on the road, believers take travel icons with them. Their distinguishing feature– small in size, they can easily fit in a purse or on the dashboard of a car.
Also, shrines are divided according to the plot, which most often coincides with the name of the righteous person depicted. The names of ascetics in the corresponding filter are arranged in alphabetical order (first the name, then the face). For example: St. Andrew of Crete.
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People please God in different ways: the Heavenly Father endows everyone with talents in due measure and accepts labors from everyone for His glory, therefore the Church glorifies the saints of God in different faces.
Holy prophets
Prophets include holy people who received from God the gift of insight into the future, who proclaimed to the world the ways of His Providence; at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they predicted future events, especially about the promised Savior.
The most revered prophets: Elijah (August 2), John the Baptist (July 7, September 11). There are well-known prophetesses, for example, righteous Anna (February 16).
In the iconography of the prophets there is always an image of a halo as a symbol of holiness and special chosenness of God; on their heads there are prophetic caps (for example, the prophet Daniel) or a crown, like the kings David and Solomon; The prophets are also depicted with their heads uncovered; the scrolls in their hands contain excerpts from the texts of their prophecies. The prophets are dressed in tunics ( underwear in the form of a shirt to the toes) and himation (outer clothing in the form of a cloak), on the shoulders of some (the prophet Elijah) a mantle - a sheepskin cape.
The last of the prophets who proclaimed: “...repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2) and who saw with his own eyes the fulfillment of all the prophecies about the Savior was John the Baptist, whose iconography is very diverse.
He is depicted wearing camel hair or a chiton and himation; The “Angel of the Desert” icon is widespread, where John the Baptist has wings behind his back - a symbol of the purity of his life as a desert dweller. On this icon, the holy prophet John the Baptist holds in his hand his own severed head, which is a feature of icon painting when events that are far apart in time are depicted simultaneously, and also in the same way as St. martyrs are depicted with the instruments of their suffering for the Lord, and virgins are depicted with a palm or flower branch as a symbol of purity. The figures of the prophets are most often depicted waist-length and full-length.
Holy Apostles
Apostles(in Greek - messengers) - disciples of Christ who accompanied Him during public service, and subsequently sent by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself to all ends of the earth, spreading faith throughout the world. The apostles Peter and Paul (July 12) are called supreme.
Traditionally, the holy apostles are depicted with scrolls or a book in the form of a codex, with halos around their heads; the clothes of the apostles - tunic and himation.
On icons, the Chief Apostle Peter is usually depicted with a bunch of keys, which means a set of church Sacraments, which are symbolic keys to the Kingdom of Heaven: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it; and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19).
Four icons of the holy evangelists are always placed on the Royal Doors. The evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke are depicted while working on the Gospels, sitting indoors behind open books, and the holy evangelist John is among the mountains on the island of Patmos, where, according to Tradition, he dictated the inspired text to his disciple Prochorus.
Saints Equal to the Apostles
Equal to the Apostles- these are saints, like the apostles, who labored in converting countries and peoples to Christ. Such, for example, are Tsars Constantine and Helen (June 3), the baptist of Rus', Prince Vladimir (July 28), and Grand Duchess Olga (July 24).
Images of saints equal to the apostles have basically the same iconographic symbolism; differences may be in the images of clothing that is characteristic of its time and people. Often in the iconography of saints equal to the apostles, the image of a cross appears - a symbol of baptism and salvation from eternal death.
Saints
Saints - patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops and bishops who have achieved holiness through purity personal life and became famous for their tireless care for their flock, for the preservation of Orthodoxy from heresies and schisms. Among their great host, the most revered saints among the Russian people are: Nicholas the Wonderworker (December 19 and May 22), Universal teachers Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom (common memory February 12); Moscow saints Peter, Alexy, Jonah, Philip, Job, Ermogen and Tikhon (common memory October 18).
Only bishops can be counted among the saints, since they, leading the community, receive the gift of teaching and continue the continuity of apostolic succession through the ordination of new bishops.
On the icons the saints are depicted in their liturgical episcopal vestments. On their head they may have a miter - a special headdress decorated with small icons and precious stones, symbolizing the Savior’s crown of thorns (but more often the saints are depicted with their heads uncovered); they are dressed in sakkos - outer clothing, signifying the scarlet robe of the Savior; on the shoulders there is an omophorion - a long ribbon-shaped cloth, decorated with crosses, which is an obligatory part of the bishop's vestment. The omophorion symbolizes the lost sheep that the gospel good shepherd carries home on his shoulders.
Saints are most often depicted with a book in their left hand; right hand- in a blessing gesture. Sometimes the saints hold a cross, chalice or staff in their hands. The figures of saints can be full-length or waist-length.
Holy Martyrs
Martyrs- which includes the majority of saints - those who endured suffering and death for the name of Christ, for the right faith, for refusing to serve idols.
Those who have undergone particularly severe torment are called great martyrs. Among them are the healer Panteleimon (August 9), St. George the Victorious (May 6), Saints Barbara (December 17) and Catherine (December 7).
The holy martyrs accepted death in the priesthood, and the holy martyrs died in monastic vows.
Separately in Rus' they honor passion-bearers who died at the hands of murderers and villains. The first Russian saints were the passion-bearing princes Boris and Gleb (August 6).
The prototype of martyrdom is Christ Himself, who witnessed own blood salvation of the human race.
Martyrs(from the holy first martyr Stephen (Acts 7) to the new martyrs of our time) - continuers of the apostolic ministry, and therefore there is a cross on their icons. It is depicted in the hands of a saint and is a symbol of both the apostolic gospel and the symbol of sacrifice. Joyfully giving earthly existence in exchange for heavenly existence, the martyrs become co-workers with Christ Himself.
The iconography of martyrs uses the color red as a figurative expression of suffering for the faith, and the red robes of martyrs are a symbol of shed blood.
Confessors The Church refers to those who suffered a lot for Christ, openly professing their faith, endured persecution, torment and torture for this, but survived, escaping martyrdom. Since the 6th century, confessors have been called saints who have attested to the Christian faith through the special righteousness of their lives.
Reverends
Reverends (those who have become like the Lord) are saints who became famous in monastic feats. Through fasting, prayer, and labor, they created great virtues in their souls - humility, chastity, meekness. Almost every monastery is glorified before God by a holy saint. In Rus' they are especially loved Venerable Sergius Radonezhsky (July 18 and October 8) and Seraphim of Sarov (January 15 and August 1). Among the venerable women, the most famous is Saint Mary of Egypt (April 14).
Monastic asceticism is a special type of following Christ, which involves a complete renunciation of all worldly attachments. The basis of monastic feat is fasting and prayer as the path of knowledge of God and the desire for life in God. But monasticism is not only a means of personal salvation. “Save yourself, and thousands around you will be saved,” these words of St. Seraphim of Sarov indicate that the difficult monastic feat is marked by special gifts of God, using which the ascetic leads to the salvation of all his spiritual children.
The monks are depicted in full height and to the waist, in monastic vestments; right hand - in a nominal blessing finger; in the left - there may be an unfolded or, most often, a rolled scroll; A characteristic detail of the iconography of the saints is the rosary - a symbol of monastic prayer work.
The background for icons of saints can be a panoramic image of the monastery in which the saint labored.
Standing on the pillars are depicted the holy venerable pillars, who have chosen this type of extreme asceticism for themselves as a way of withdrawing from the world and concentrating on unceasing prayer.
Often on icons (this applies to all the iconography of saints) there is an image of the blessing right hand of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the Mother of God, angels and archangels.
The figures can be single, but there are also multi-figure compositions, called “icons with selected saints.” Single figures are depicted surrounded by hagiographical marks - individual scenes from the life of the saint.
Unmercenary
Unmercenary had the gift of healing and used it free of charge, healing illnesses both physical and mental. Such doctors were, for example, Saints Cosmas and Damian (July 14), the great martyr and healer Panteleimon (August 9), etc.
Blessed (foolish)
Holy Fools For Christ's sake, taking on the guise of madness, enduring reproaches from those around them, they exposed human vices, admonished those in power, and consoled the suffering. Among them (Aug. 2), Ksenia Petersburgskaya(February 6) and other saints.
External madness, combined with the gift of foresight, behavior that goes against the generally accepted, but allows, regardless of their faces, to expose sinners and call for salvation through awareness of one’s own imperfection and repentance - these are the main features of the feat of foolishness.
The blessed ones are depicted on the icons in the form in which they accomplished their feat: naked or with a light bandage around their loins, in shabby clothes, with chains on their shoulders.
An obligatory element of the iconography of holy fools - nimbus.
Holy saints
Being family people and living in the world, the righteous saints were awarded holiness for a particularly pious and pleasing way of life to God.
Forefathers- the first righteous people in human history.
These are the Old Testament patriarchs (forefathers Adam, Noah, Abraham etc.), as well as the righteous Joachim and Anna(September 22) - parents of the Mother of God (to whom the Church has adopted the still high title of Godfather), righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth(July 8) - parents of St. John the Baptist, and the betrothed of the Mother of God - righteous Joseph. The forefathers participate educationally in the history of the salvation of mankind, being in the flesh the ancestors of Jesus Christ, and in the spiritual sense, they are an example of combining the righteousness of life with the anticipation of future liberation from eternal death. On the icons, the patriarchs are depicted with scrolls containing texts from the Holy Scriptures; the forefather Noah is sometimes depicted with the ark in his hands.
The great Russian saint, the Righteous One, also belongs to the list of righteous saints John, the Wonderworker of Kronstadt(January 2), who was a priest - a representative of the white (married) clergy.
The figures of saints are depicted both in full height and waist-length. The background is often a panorama of the city where the saint lived, a monastery or a church.
Holy saints
Holy saints- these are kings and princes who used the greatness and wealth received from God for works of mercy, enlightenment, and preservation of people's shrines. Among them - (September 12 and December 6) and Dimitry Donskoy(June 1st).
The main theological meaning of all the iconography of the saints is victory over sin, and therefore over eternal death, salvation and entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. According to St. John of Damascus, “the saints were filled with the Holy Spirit during their lifetime, but when they died, the grace of the Holy Spirit is present with their souls, and with their bodies in tombs, and with figures, and with their holy icons - not in essence, but by grace and action."
Icons help us overcome mental suffering and become stronger. Icons protect our home and give a sense of calm in difficult moments of life.
The icon of St. Luke is famous among Christians. Of course, he himself was known as the author of icons of the Mother of God. This is one of the most ancient icon painters in the history of Christianity. The icon of the saint himself must be in your home if you want to be protected by one of the apostles of Jesus Christ.
The Story of Saint Luke
Luke was one of the first seventy disciples of Christ, and he began to serve God during the life of the Messiah. The Bible is silent about who Luke really was. No one knows his background, but we can say with confidence that he was the author of the New Testament, which was called the Gospel of Luke. This was the third book of four known.
During his lifetime, Luke painted many icons, which later became very important for the Christian world. The icon of the holy apostle himself is also very important. This image has various variations of execution. On some icons Luke is sitting at work, on others he is depicted writing the Holy Gospel. Somewhere he is drawn from the waist up, holding a holy scripture in his hands.
Where is the icon of St. Luke located?
Many icons of St. Luke are kept in museums, but there are some ancient images that adorn the churches of God. You can venerate the image of the apostle in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Suzdal, as well as in Moscow, in the Church of St. Nicholas.
What does an icon help with?
Since the apostle was enlightened and smart person, he and his image help in learning. Luke was known as an experienced doctor, which is why many doctors consider Luke their patron. Many writers also ask the apostle for help and keep an icon of the saint in their home.
They pray to Luke for health, oh good mood, about finding inspiration and finding meaning in life. If you are sick, you can pray to Luke for a speedy recovery.
Prayer to the Apostle Luke before the icon
“Oh, Saint Luke, chosen by God and Holy Mother of God blessed, preaching the holy Gospel of Christ throughout the world, martyr and Apostle. Help everyone who prays to you for spiritual help, help the servants of our Lord while we are distant from God, mired in mortal sin, and live in darkness. Pray to God for forgiveness, we ask you, O great Apostle Luke. Pray to God for us, so that our souls can enter the Kingdom of Heaven and receive God’s mercy. Ask Him, Saint Luke, that we may gain the fear of God, for it drives away sin from us. We are accustomed to sin every day and every hour, in reality and in our dreams. Every hour and every minute we ask you to pray for us, because we don’t know when He will call us to His Kingdom. Awaken fear and wisdom in us. May we receive repentance through your prayers in order to cleanse our souls from great sin. For we live blind, not seeing our sins. Help us, foolish ones, to understand the Holy Scripture, which you yourself wrote. Help us to understand the meaning of the Gospel, to be saved from sin as from fire, and to give up all our strength in order to become closer to God. May we understand that sin is death and God is life. Help us, Saint Luke, so that we can pass from death to eternal life. So that God surrounds us in everything. And now, and always, we want to remain near Him so that our souls may be at peace. May the light of Heaven descend on us, which will protect us from the Devil and drive away demons from us. Let us glorify the Holy Trinity: God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".
Celebration day icon
There is more than one day of remembrance of the icon. The first day of remembrance is October 31. The second is on the day of the 70 apostles, January 17. Both of these holidays are celebrated in the church. Do not miss the opportunity to attend the service if you need the guidance of St. Luke, if you are experiencing problems with school, work or health.
Many people, praying in front of the icon of the Apostle Luke, received salvation and healing from illnesses and gained faith in God, strengthening it. Read any prayers in front of the icon on All Saints’ Day and any great holiday so that they can be heard. Good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and
31.10.2017 05:45
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