Books, Icons, & Prayer

After finishing The Jesus Way, I've started another book on my Christian Non-Fiction TBR List: Reading is Believing: The Christian Faith through Literature and Film by David S. Cunningham. Very interesting so far. The first chapter used Iris Murdoch's novel The Time of the Angels as a discussion point for the first phrase of the Apostle's Creed: "I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth" It wasn't so much that Murdoch's novel was an example of characters who believed in God but rather those who didn't.

Cunningham mentions that The Time of the Angels "offers, in a very subtle way, a point of severe contrast to the various self-serving relationships to God among its various characters. Its subtlety is due to the fact that this alternative is offered not through human character at all, but rather an icon."

He then goes on to discuss Rublev's icon of the Trinity and how Murdoch uses it throughout her novel, allowing it to touch the life of each character, who then sometimes carelessly set it aside and sometimes eagerly seek it out (but for their own purposes.) Of course, this piqued my interest in the icon, so a-Googling I went.

Above is a painting based on the icon. Russian artist Andrei Rublev painted it in 1410 as a representation of Genesis 18:1-15 when Abraham was visited by the three angels at the oak of Mamre but the painting is full of symbolism and is often interpreted as an icon of the Holy Trinity. It now resides in a museum in Moscow.

Here's a short blurb from Henri Nouwen about the image:

"Andrew Rublev painted this icon not only to share the fruits of his own meditation on the mystery of the Holy Trinity but also to offer his fellow monks a way to keep their hearts centered in God while living in the midst of political unrest. The more we look at this holy image with the eyes of faith, the more we come to realize that it is painted not as a lovely decoration for a convent church, nor as a helpful explanation of a difficult doctrine, but as a holy place to enter and stay within. As we place ourselves in front of the icon in prayer, we come to experience a gentle invitation to participate in the intimate conversation that is taking place among the three divine angels and to join them around the table. The movement from the Father toward the Son and the movement of both Son and Spirit toward the Father become a movement in which the one who prays is lifted up and held secure...

Through the contemplation of this icon we come to see with our inner eyes that all engagements in this world can bear fruit only when they take place within this divine circle. The words of the psalm, "The sparrow has found its home at last. . . . Happy are those who live in your house" (Ps 84: 3,4) are given new depth and new breadth; they become words revealing the possibility of being in the world without being of it. We can be involved in struggles for justice and in actions for peace. We can be part of the ambiguities of family and community life. We can study, teach, write and hold a regular job. We can do all of this without ever having to leave the house of love. . . . Rublev's icon gives us a glimpse of the house of perfect love." - from Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons

I've read a little about the practice of praying with icons, but haven't really thought much about it. Here's a link to a short explanation of icons from a Protestant point of view. Also, for more information on the symbols in Rublev's icon of the Trinity, take this very well-done virtual tour.

Thought provoking. Blessings to you today, bloggy friends!