InChristian iconography,Christ Pantocrator (Ancient Greek:Χριστὸς Παντοκράτωρ,lit. 'Christ the Almighty')[1] is a specificdepiction of Christ.Pantocrator orPantokrator, literally 'ruler of all', but usually translated as 'almighty' or 'all-powerful', is derived from one of manynames of God in Judaism.
The Pantokrator is largely anEastern Orthodox orEastern Catholic theological conception and is less common under that name inLatin Catholicism. In the West, the equivalent image in art is known asChrist in Majesty, which developed a rather differenticonography.Christ Pantocrator has come to suggest Christ as a benevolent, though also stern and all-powerful, judge of humanity.
When theHebrew Bible was translated into Greek as theSeptuagint,Pantokrator was used both forYHWH Sabaoth (צבאות) "Lord of Hosts"[2] and forEl Shaddai "God Almighty".[3] In theNew Testament,Pantokrator is used once byPaul (2 Cor 6:18) and nine times in theBook of Revelation:1:8,4:8,11:17,15:3,16:7,16:14,19:6,19:15, and21:22. The references to God the Father and God the Son in Revelation are at times interchangeable, butPantokrator appears to be reserved for the Father except, perhaps, in1:8.
The most common translation ofPantocrator is "Almighty" or "All-powerful". In this understanding,Pantokrator is a compound word formed from the Greek wordsπᾶς,pas (GENπαντόςpantos), i.e. "all"[4] andκράτος,kratos, i.e. "strength", "might", "power".[5] This is often understood in terms of potential power; i.e., ability to do anything,omnipotence. Christ pantocrator signifiesChrist in Glory during hissecond coming seated on histhrone.[6]
Another, more literal translation is "Ruler of All" or, less literally, "Sustainer of the World". In this understanding, Pantokrator is a compound word formed from the Greek for "all" and the verb meaning "To accomplish something" or "to sustain something" (κρατεῖν,kratein). This translation speaks more to God's actual power; i.e., God does everything (as opposed to God can do everything).
The icon of Christ Pantokrator is one of the most common religious images of Orthodox Christianity. Generally speaking, inByzantine art church art and architecture, aniconic mosaic or fresco of Christ Pantokrator occupies the space in the central dome of the church, in the half-dome of theapse, or on thenave vault. Some scholars (Latourette 1975: 572) consider the Pantocrator a Christian adaptation of images of Zeus, such as the greatstatue of Zeus enthroned at Olympia. The development of the earliest stages of the icon from Roman Imperial imagery is easier to trace.[9]
The image of Christ Pantocrator was one of the firstimages of Christ developed in theEarly Christian Church and remains a central icon of theEastern Orthodox Church. In the half-length image, Christ holds theNew Testament in his left hand and makes the gesture of teaching or ofblessing with his right. The typical WesternChrist in Majesty is a full-length icon. In the earlyMiddle Ages, it usually presented Christ in amandorla or other geometric frame, surrounded by theFour Evangelists or their symbols.
The oldest known surviving example of the icon of Christ Pantocrator was painted inencaustic on panel in the sixth or seventh century, and survived the period of destruction of images during theIconoclastic disputes that twice racked the Eastern church, 726 to 787 and 814 to 842. It was preserved inSaint Catherine's Monastery, in the remote desert of theSinai.[10] Thegessoed panel, finely painted using a wax medium on a wooden panel, had been coarsely overpainted around the face and hands at some time around the thirteenth century. When the overpainting was cleaned in 1962, the ancient image was revealed to be a very high-quality icon, probably produced inConstantinople.[11]
The icon, traditionally half-length when in asemi-dome,[12] which became adopted for panel icons also, depicts Christ fully frontal with a somewhat melancholy and stern aspect, with the right hand raised in blessing or, in the early encaustic panel at Saint Catherine's Monastery, the conventional rhetorical gesture that represents teaching. The left hand holds a closed book with a richly decorated cover featuring theCross, representing theGospels. An icon where Christ has an open book is called "Christ the Teacher", a variant of the Pantocrator. Christ is bearded, his brown hair centrally parted, and his head is surrounded by ahalo. The icon usually has agold ground comparable to the gilded grounds ofByzantine mosaics.
Often, thename of Christ is written on each side of the halo, asIC and XC. Christ's fingers are depicted in a pose that represents the letters IC, X and C, thereby making theChristogramICXC (for "Jesus Christ"). The IC is composed of the Greek charactersiota (Ι) andlunate sigma (C; instead of Σ, ς)—the first and last letters of 'Jesus' in Greek (Ἰησοῦς); in XC the letters arechi (Χ) and again the lunate sigma—the first and last letters of 'Christ' in Greek (Χριστός).
In many cases, Christ has acruciform halo inscribed with the letters Ο Ω Ν, i.e.ὁ ὤν"The Existing One".
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Authority control databases: National |
|---|
