Orthodox icon | Holy New Testament Trinity | 24804

The “trinity” (from the ancient Greek “trias”: “a group of three”) is in Christian theology the essential unity of God in three persons or hypostases, not three substances. These are called “Father” (God the Father), “Son” (God the Son) and “Holy Spirit” (Spirit of God). This expresses their distinction and their indissoluble unity at the same time. The “New Testament Trinity” clearly shows the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and although far more familiar in the West is actually of Greek origin. This depiction, which probably first found its way into the Cretan school under Western influence, is probably based on Psalm 110: “The Lord said unto my lord, Sit thou at my right hand…”

The Council of Chalcedon in 451 brought the Christian faith based on the Holy Scriptures into the form of so-called “symbola” (formulas of faith), which are expressed in the creed. 325 was preceded by the 1st Council of Nicaea, which “was of the same nature” as the Son the Father, as well as the Council of Constantinople (381), that confirmed the divinity of the Holy Spirit. Even if the Holy Scriptures do not contain a doctrine of the Trinity, they contain many important triadic formulas, the most important of which is the command of the risen Christ to his disciples: “… baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit ” (Matt 28, 19). This icon of the Trinity was made according to the New Testament and is based on the Gospel of Luke (22, 69) “But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right side of God All-Powerful…” as well as in the Gospel of Mark (16, 19): “… he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God”.

Around the cherubim, an archangel and the symbols of the 4 evangelists: the winged man = Matthew, the lion = Mark (not visible anymore), the bull = Luke (not visible anymore) and the eagle = John.

Above the 7 Archangels, Christ Emmanuel and the heavenly disembodied powers: Raphael, Salathiel, Michael, Gabriel, Jehudiel, Barachiel, Uriel and the Christ monogram.