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The doctrine of the Trinity, though ultimately rooted in the Bible, was first formalised in the fourth century when the First Council of Nicea (325 AD) decreed there was: 'one God: Father almighty‌ Christ, the Son of God‌ and the Holy Spirit'. The idea that God was formed of three individual persons but remained one united being became central to Christian belief. This zine presents the diversity of imagery in late medieval Europe.
Despite its importance, the Trinity was a complex concept to understand and to visualise. Medieval artists continually wrestled with the problem of how to convey the idea of a 'threein-one' God. Their solutions, limited by the unspeakability and unrepresentability of the full glory of the divine, resulted in some of the most imaginative images of the Middle Ages.
The Trinity hidden beneath sunrays Book of Hours (England, 1505) British Library MS Royal 2 B XV, f. 10r
Medieval images of the Trinity typically show the Father and Son as male humans, whilst the Holy Spirit is nearly always depicted as a dove. This imagery drew on the Biblical story of the baptism of Christ, when the Holy Spirit descending from heavens in the form of a dove, confirming Christ’s identity as the son of God after Christ emerges from the water.
The Baptism of Christ Miscellany (Germany, c. 1495) Badische Landesbibliothek, MS Donaueschingen 106 f.64v
In many Trinitarian images the Father and the Son are distinguished from one another visually. In this English book of hours, Christ is not only depicted as a young man in contrast to an old, white-haired and bearded Father, but he is also shown with blood dripping from his hands into the chalice, a sign of the torture his human body endured during the crucifixion.
The Trinity with a communion chalice The Entwisle Hours (England, c. 1440) BL MS Sloane 2321, f.101v
Other images show the Father and Son as visually identical, underscoring their unity. In this example, both are depicted as older, bearded men, linking hands beneath a globe representing the world. The Holy Spirit flies between them, touching their mouths with its wings. This gesture alludes to the importance of the ‘Word’, the ‘divine truth’ spoken by God.
The Trinity holding the world Petites Heures de Jean de Berry (France, 1375) Bibliotheque Nationale de France MS Latin 18014 f.183r
The most popular image of the Trinity in the Middle Ages, the 'Throne of Mercy', shows the Father holding the crucified Son on the cross while the Holy Spirit flies between them. This
image communicated the mercy of god towards humans, the idea that the Father, along with the Spirit, had offered the Son on the cross for mankind.
The ‘Throne of Mercy’ Trinity Missal (France, c. 1475) BnF MS Latin 879, f.150r
Other Biblical stories also provided inspiration. The Creation passage in Genesis in which God refers to himself in the plural, announcing: 'let us make man in our own image', was seen as evidence that, even at the beginning of time, God was formed of more than one person, therefore depicted as Father, Son and Spirit creating Adam and Eve together.
The Trinity creating Adam Bible moralisĂŠe (France, 15C) BnF, MS Fr 166 f. 2v
Some artists pushed the boundaries of convention in order to encapsulate something of the ‘unimaginable’ qualities of the Trinity. The 'tricephalous' Trinity, in which the three persons were represented by three faces on one head, or three (identical or different) heads on one body, offered a particularly striking visualisation of the 'three-in-one' God.
‘Three-faced’ Trinity Book of Hours (Netherlands, c1460) Oxford Bodleian Library MS Douce 243 f.142r
Occasionally, for ease of remembering, for teaching purposes or (after Reformation) due to iconoclasm, the Trinity was represented with a symbol or diagram. In this example, the hand, cross and dove in the outer circles, representing the Father, Son and Spirit, are all shown to connect to the single head in the central circle representing the ‘one-ness’ of God.
Symbol of the Trinity Table of Christian Faith (Netherlands, 1404) Walters Museum, Ms. W.171, f.2r
If you want to learn more: Pocket Miscellanies #11: Anna Selbdritt; #13: Tricephali Friedman (2010) Medieval Trinitarian Thought From Aquinas to Ockham McGinn (2006) ‘Theologians as Trinitarian Iconographers’ in The Mind’s Eye: Art and Theological Argument in the Middle Ages Newman (2013) Contemplating the Trinity, Gesta COVER: Throne of Mercy Table of Christian Faith (Netherlands, 1404) Walters Museum, Ms. W.171, f.1r
#12
Sophie Kelly