HOSPITALITY AND COMMUNITY Nick Papas
Books have helped, but when it came to understanding The Hospitality of Abraham icon, my favorite and clearest lesson was taught me by my elevenmonth-old granddaughter, Zoe. The icon of The Hospitality of Abraham is popular, found everywhere, often contemplated, and based only on a few verses from the Book of Genesis. It is such a significant icon that many believe it to be one of the most important images in Christendom. How did it gain such stature and fame? Many would rightly give most of the credit to Saint Andrew the Iconographer (Rublev), for having painted his perfect rendition of the Old Testament scene. (See two contemporary books for further background: Father Gabriel Bunge’s The Rublev Trinity, and Father Steven Bigham’s Image of God the Father in Orthodox Theology and Iconography.) The message of The Hospitality of Abraham is straightforward and powerful. It could easily be missed, but once known, it is not easily forgotten. It is amazing that a single icon can offer as much as this one does. Iconographers, spearheaded by Saint Andrew Rublev and using the simple tools of color, line, and composition, have made this image “iconic” (in the popular sense). All of this art, theology, contemplation, and writing originated with Abraham and his wife S arah receiving surprise guests. Three of them! Here is the story, from Genesis 18:1–8: And the Lord appeared unto him[Abraham] in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when
he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. From this small gem of a story, we can fast- forward a few thousand years to the artistic manipulation of color and the exploitation of a basic circle and a basic triangle found in The Hospitality of Abraham icon. As we wonder what on earth it is that we are looking at in this icon, and why are we looking so intensely, we see three angels, simultaneously in a triangular composition and a circular composition! If we ponder for a moment that central to the Christian faith is the reality that God is Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – then perhaps our wondering makes sense. The composition’s circle d epicts “The One,” and the composition’s triangle depicts “The Three,” It is a brilliant use of basic shapes. A picture of the Trinity is painted using the childlike
The Word
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