Images of Christ

[BenL]

I am starting a new semester co-teaching with three others a spirituality course at an Episcopal church. The topic we are preparing for this five-session Lenten series is "Images of Christ."

We are going to ask participants (we usually get 20-30 people at these sessions) to identify images of Christ that help or hinder them in their spiritual journey. We will ask them to select one or more images for their personal use to prepare for Easter. We will urge them to stretch their souls by adopting images they may have rejected previously or may have never considered before.

I'm interested in hearing from some of you who incorporate Christ into your spirtual lives what images of Christ you find helpful, comforting or maybe problematic in your spiritual journey. You can post actual images or talk about how you vizualize Christ in your spiritual life.

Let me list a few possibilities to jumpstart the thread: the suffering servant, the peacable Jesus, the crucified Lord, the resurrected Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, the Word. These are traditional and scriptually based. Others are also welcome: friend, brother, lover, spouse, outcast, ... If possible, say a few words about why a particular image speaks to you ... or not.

Thanks,

BenL

[nmwolfboy]

One of the Christ images i really find myself responding to is Christ Pantocrator, though i view the image as Christ the Teacher, instead of the more traditional attribution of the omnipotence of Christ.

[nmwolfboy]

The image of Christ as portrayed on the San Damiano cross is another one that really speaks to me. Maybe it's the complexity of the symbolism & history of the icon. i also like that Christ seems serene.

This image represents for me the resurrected Son, triumphant over death. The Prince of Peace, gazing out to all of us, His cruciform stance one of welcoming, of pain transformed.

[novaseeker]

I also favor the Pantokrator icons, and there is one in particular that I prefer.

This one, which is a very old Egyptian icon, at first appears distorted or damaged, but in reality the icon writer expressed wondrously many Christian ideas, including the dual nature of Christ, the disfigurement of humanity and the suffering of God as a result of this and so forth. Of all the images of the Pantokrator, this is the one I've found the most powerful.

[BenL]

Wonderful responses, folks. Keep them coming.

I have reproductions of three different Russian versions of the Christos icon. I could bring them in and ask folks to meditate and then reflect on what "speaks" to them. Maybe use something from Henri Nouwen's little book Behold the beauty of the Lord: Praying with icons.

More images, verbal or pictorial, please. Other traditions/ethnicities besides Eastern Orthodoxy equally welcome.

BenL

[nmwolfboy]

Here's a New Mexican retablo painted by Ruben Gallegos. i like the contrast of Christ's serene countenance while bearing the burden of the cross. This rendering is well within the bounds of traditional New Mexico retablo style, which dates back to the 16th century. Some of the colonial Spanish era ones can be a bit grim, but the faces of Ruben's subjects are always so tranquil.

[Pablo Rafael]

Ben,

When I first read your question, I thought, "Well, that's easy. I see Jesus as ..." It has really made me think of what is the image of the Christ that I relate to most. Not an easy question after all.

I purposly avoided reading anyone else's posts until I responded so I wouldn't be influenced by the others.

It may sound a little irreverant, but I guess how I mostly see Jesus is as an older brother. He is God, yes, the universal God of all time and place. But he is one who always looks after me, always knows better, always gives advice and some needed correction. He feels when I am hurting and knows how to cheer me up. He loves his little brother enough to come to my aid and even gave his life for me. (I know, I know, it's a very idealized image of an older brother But I never had a brother, so I get to make mine up.)

The visual picture I see is the drawings by Richard Hook. I grew up with them. A masculine, sort of tough but loving guy with long, kind of messy hair.

Tu Amigo, Pablo

P.S. Now I will read what other have written and see how silly my response sounds.

[Daniel]

It made me dig out my materials on icon writing- and I found an interesting article that was given to me by my teacher Vladislav Andreyev http://www.prosoponschool.org/new/gallery.html, which might interest you.

Windows Into Heaven by Stephen Muratore, published in Gnosis Magazine, Spring 1993. http://www.lumen.org/ The article makes use of an image of Christ- Christ of Veronica- that resides in the Cathedral of the Domition, Kremlin, Moscow, and has a venerable history (see image on the left below). I have always found it to be rather compelling. A version of it hangs in the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine here in NYC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Veronica

The second attached image, that of the Shroud of Turin, closely resembles the image that has presented itself in meditation on more than one occasion. I have also, I should add, found myself meditating on the image of a Christ figure made of Holy Light, sitting in lotus posture over my head, his heart and mind radiating beams of light into my own. To anyone familiar with Tibetian meditative practices, this might sound familiar, and I find comfort in the thought that the very same Tibetians called Thomas Merton, the great Catholic writer and mystic, the Jesus Lama. Would he, did he, meditate on such things? I have no idea. But the practice seems right: I'm finding myself straddling the two worlds of Buddhism and Christianity. What better way than for my unconscious to create the image of Christ as Buddha...Buddha as Christ. I don't understand it myself, but then, I don't think this is something I should be overly left-brained about.

And if I may, I would like to quote two passages from lectures made by Mr. Andreyev.

Divine light pervades all things in an icon. There are no shadows- as there are no shadows in the Kingdom of Heaven. The movements of figures are restrained; they are as if just ready to move; they have sacramental and liturgical character. Nothing is accidental. All surrounding background is subject to the holiness of him who's image is represented and takes us, as it were, outside, or beyond, time. Architecture is used as a means through which an iconographer can show action in another dimension. This is a technique of so-called "reverse perspective". The outlines of the represented objects focus towards the spectator, and this frees the spectator from a horizonatal experience of the sensory world. The focus is located not behind the board, as in paintings, but in front of the icon. The possibility of standing in front of an icon with a trained mind, leads a praying person to self-immersion. (Or better, it allows a praying person to be immersed in himself.) It has been noticed that a true icon, an icon which is dogmatically correct, has precisely this effect, and this is its characteristic quality. We have difficulty in taking our eyes from such and icon, because our look imperceptibly is drawn into a different dimension and is now found within our own heart.

And

Early icon writers knew the Holy tradition about the Image of Jesus Christ. There exists the so-called "Holy Face" Icon in which a somehow self-printed Image on a white cloth is suspended in the cosmos. According to Holy Tradition, the Icon bears the Face of Christ printed on a towel which was sent to King Angir in his illness. The king was healed after recieving Christ's Image. There is another legend about Veronica's Napkin, which also bears Christ's Image. It should be noted that these are not necessarily different accounts of the same Image.

[BenL]

Thanks, Pablo and Daniel. These are very helpful -- both the images and the narratives. And thanks for the sources, Daniel.

Anyone else? C'mon, don't by shy! What, this group?

I usually do a bunch of academic research, including on the Internet. But then I find myself gravitating toward what speaks to ME. This time I'm trying to poll you folks to draw out other perspectives I might not even think of.

BenL

[andrewlittle]

... I tend to differentiate between images of Jesus and images of Christ. Now, that's just MY preference, as one who is not visually oriented.

I do thoroughly appreciate visual people and the imagery they produce, especially the intricacies of the oft-ignored-by-western-cutlure iconography, but they don't speak to me about my sense of Christ.

In my mind, Christ is a spirit of openness, gentleness, hope and positive action for others. Christ is the spirit that was enfleshed in Jesus.

I have seen Christ in the efforts of the Universidad de la Tierra - Chiapas, Mexico (Unitierra), in which various academics have committed themselves to pulling together Maya elders/teachers to re-educate the Maya indians about the cultures, customs and wisdom lost over centuries of subjugation. Try as they might the Mexican government, academic structure and Vatican have not succeeded in derailing a program aimed at re-valuing and learning from the simple beauty and practicality of indigenous practices.

I have seen Christ in the co-operation, in Senegal between Christians, Muslims and indigenous religious followers, to work together to overcome the elite's power and oppression through controlling water rights. Wells have been drilled and maintained that allows some autonomy of rural villages from the control and manipulation of government.

I have seen Christ in the face of a man who, while dying of Aids in the slums of Cuernavaca, Mexico, cleaned up (somewhat) a condemned building in the "worst" part of town to house the alienated and rejected sufferers of the same disease, who were dumped at the side of rural roads by their families and left to die.

I have seen Christ in the face of women who, while crying, gathered the children of "arrested" immigrants at the Swift plant in Marshalltown, Iowa, because these children were left unattended and uncared for by the federal officals making the arrests (contrary to official statements). These weren't immigrant women, they weren't poor women, they were women of dominant culture who, all of a sudden, recognized the inherent cruelty of their own culture and could do nothing but care, act and cry.

These are just some of the images I have actually seen. There are many more, but even these pale when compared to the sheer number that exist despite not being seen by myself or anyone else.

[BenL]

Originally Posted by andrewlittle

In my mind, Christ is a spirit of openness, gentleness, hope and positive action for others. Christ is the spirit that was enfleshed in Jesus.

I have seen Christ in the efforts of the Universidad de la Tierra - Chiapas, Mexico (Unitierra), ...

I have seen Christ in the co-operation, in Senegal between Christians, Muslims and indigenous religious followers, ...

I have seen Christ in the face of a man who, while dying of Aids in the slums of Cuernavaca, Mexico, ...

I have seen Christ in the face of women who, while crying, gathered the children of "arrested" immigrants ...

These are just some of the images I have actually seen. There are many more, but even these pale when compared to the sheer number that exist despite not being seen by myself or anyone else.

Andrew,

These are very powerful images. Thank you. One of my goals is to use iconography, whatever its origins, for its true purpose: to act as a window into the divine. I believe strongly in God's incarnation in Jesus. This means for me that Christ is incarnate in the world acting in humanity, may of whom identify as Christians, many of whom do not. The institutional church pays lipservice, I believe, to the poor and downtrodden ("As often as you do this to the least of my syblings ...") while continuing to amass fortune in terms of influence, a coinage that is not recognized in the kingdom if you read the Gospels closely. Now I sound like I'm preaching, which was not my intent. I simply wanted to convey to you how important your verbal images are. Now I need to find graphical images to illustrate your words. I hope to reach people in a deeper, more subtle way than language.

Thanks again.

BenL

[BenL]

Thanks for all the help with this.

We had our first team prep meeting yesterday. I was able to spread out some of the images you suggested, plus more I found on the Internet. Andrew, other team members agreed with you that they did not "vizualize" so much as "conceptualize."

The result is that for the opening class we're going to put on display a number of graphical images along with some succint word images. Participants will then "vote" with green sticky dots for the images that open a spiritual path for them and with red dots for the images they find a hindrance. Then we will adjourn into small groups and talk about what it was about the images people "green dotted" that made them select them, and likewise for the "red dotted" images what put them off. We will try to probe on both sides of the equation: what the artist/author was trying to convey, what cultural baggage came with it, and the same for our own perceptions of them.

It's shaping up to be an exciting course, IMHO.

Thanks again.

BenL

[Daniel]

pictures over the Holiday.

Actually, hubby and I had to exchange Xmas gifts to each other (different size for me, better color for him) at Brooksbrothers and we stopped in at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on 5th Avenue (NYC) on the way there.

I've always loved this icon.

[Gregory_de_Bois]

I see Jesus as my friend. Someone I can cry to, whose shoulder is always available. I don't know of any pictures for this, but it just resonates so well with me. As St. Gregory of Nyssa said, "The most important thing is to be God's friend."


reJesus

[Gregory_de_Bois]

I just realized this thread is over a year old. I was so perplexed that Ben's last post on it said January 17. I wondered how on earth it was possible that he could have sent us something from tomorrow. Looks like someone needs some sleep.

[BenL]

Originally Posted by Gregory_de_Bois

I just realized this thread is over a year old. I was so perplexed that Ben's last post on it said January 17. I wondered how on earth it was possible that he could have sent us something from tomorrow. Looks like someone needs some sleep.

Ooohhh, Ben's psychic, that's how.

That series went fairly well, I must admit. We developed the theme that icons or images serve as bridges to take us into the divine and to carry the divine into our lives. We talked about what kinds of things facilitate that and what kinds serve as barriers. But that was a year ago. Since then we have done a series on the parables of Jesus. Now we're setting up facilitator team meetings to prepare the next series, which will be post-Easter.

I had forgotten this thread, Daniel. Thanks for posting the photo of the icon. BTW, All Saints, Worcester, has called Kevin Bean from St. Bart's to be our new rector. I'll bet you and hubby have heard of him.

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by BenL

I had forgotten this thread, Daniel. Thanks for posting the photo of the icon. BTW, All Saints, Worcester, has called Kevin Bean from St. Bart's to be our new rector. I'll bet you and hubby have heard of him.

Actually, no, we haven't heard of him, though the Big Apple is something of a small town. I haven't subbed in the choir there for a few years now. Though I have a close friend who is there constantly. So I know he will know Mr. Bean.

1 degree of separation?

Makes me think that everything comes full circle, just like this thread.

[paul]

Okay, I guess I get to give the weird response to your question Ben.

The question of "image" has been a big one for me for a number of years as regards Jesus/God. My reading of the bible brought me to a place of expecting a relationship with God/Jesus. That the Holy Spirit and Jesus living inside of me would guide me into all truth. I think of image as being our idea's of God based on others claimed past experiences and that we are actually committing a type of idolatry if we follow that. Not that there are no descriptions of God, like, "God is love." But the defining is where the trouble occurs and the image becomes God. I believed that if I got to caught up in the image that I would miss God and who God is right now.

BTW, did anyone else notice that Pablo managed to find a hot picture of Jesus?

[BenL]

Originally Posted by paul

Okay, I guess I get to give the weird response to your question Ben.

The question of "image" has been a big one for me for a number of years as regards Jesus/God. My reading of the bible brought me to a place of expecting a relationship with God/Jesus. That the Holy Spirit and Jesus living inside of me would guide me into all truth. I think of image as being our idea's of God based on others claimed past experiences and that we are actually committing a type of idolatry if we follow that. Not that there are no descriptions of God, like, "God is love." But the defining is where the trouble occurs and the image becomes God. I believed that if I got to caught up in the image that I would miss God and who God is right now.

BTW, did anyone else notice that Pablo managed to find a hot picture of Jesus?

Of course, you're right, Paul. A physical image of God is a contradiction in the terms. The Jews and Muslims know that, that's why they ban images of the divine. But Jesus was a man, he had a body and could be seen. Of course, no one today knows what he looked like, the shroud of Turin notwithstanding. In every age, people have imagined Jesus in terms of their own humanity. The question we explored was: Do these images we have constructed draw us to God or turn us away. The answers from our group were as diverse as the people who attended.

[paul]

Originally Posted by BenL

Of course, you're right, Paul. A physical image of God is a contradiction in the terms. The Jews and Muslims know that, that's why they ban images of the divine. But Jesus was a man, he had a body and could be seen. Of course, no one today knows what he looked like, the shroud of Turin notwithstanding. In every age, people have imagined Jesus in terms of their own humanity. The question we explored was: Do these images we have constructed draw us to God or turn us away. The answers from our group were as diverse as the people who attended.

Ben,

I was actually going beyong the physical, which means I was probably going outside the parameters or intent of your original question...but I couldn't resist, it's a subject that is close to me. I gave the example of love, but it's when one goes the other direction that the trouble begins. When we start forming an "image" of who God is. In business we refer to it as branding.

Lets see, God says to Israel go over here to this nation and wipe them from the face of the earth. Image at that point would equal God is into genocide. If I am inclined towards commiting genocide, I can follow that image (a form of idolatry) or I can go directly to God and ask "what would you have me do in this instance." Does that help at all to clarify where I am coming from? It's a question of relationship with God or the image of God, which doesn't really represent God at all. Only God represents God, not peoples ideas of God.