Readings from the Icon of the Nativity of the Lord

“Saviour, Source of all good,
Giver of blessings,
enlighten my mind with Your light-bearing ray,
Lover of mankind,
that I may praise the glorious commemoration of Your prophet.”

The Icon of the Nativity of the Lord brings heaven and earth before our eyes in a peaceful fulfilment of the ancient prophecy. Everything depicted there—the visible and invisible worlds, heaven and earth, the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms—all seem, at first glance, to be the result of the criteria or whims of the icon painters who deemed it best to depict them thus and not otherwise. In reality, an analysis of the themes of the Nativity icon reveals that what is depicted there was first rendered through words, and that the iconographer is a translator, through visual means, of the written message – of which only a small part will be highlighted in this study.

A first reading of the Gospel message – the Holy Gospels

The first account of the Nativity of the Lord can be found in the Holy Gospels, those of Matthew and Luke, each providing certain telling details that unfold vividly before our eyes, as if everything were happening now and not so long ago.

Saint Matthew describes this pivotal event in the economy of salvation as follows:

‘Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way: Mary, His mother, being betrothed to Joseph, though they had not yet come together, was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her betrothed, being a righteous man and not wishing to expose her, intended to divorce her quietly. Whilst he was considering these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying: ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet, who said: ‘Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us’. And when Joseph awoke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his betrothed wife into his home. And though Joseph had not known her, Mary gave birth to her only-begotten Son, whom she named Jesus’ (Matthew 1:18–25)1.

He then goes on to provide details regarding the next episode, namely the arrival of three wise men from somewhere in the Far East, who, with their enquiry, threw Jerusalem into turmoil, thus heralding a new order:

‘Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking: “Where is the King of the Jews who has been born? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him. And when King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he sought to learn from them: ‘Where is the Christ to be born?’ And they said to him: ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means the least amongst the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.”’ Then Herod summoned the Magi in secret and, having ascertained from them the exact time when the star had appeared, And sending them to Bethlehem, he said to them: ‘Go and search diligently for the Child; and when you have found Him, bring me word, so that I too may come and worship Him.’ And they, obeying the king, set out; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary, His mother, and falling to the ground, they worshipped Him; and opening their treasure chests, they presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route’ (Matthew 2:1–12)2.

And Saint Luke the Evangelist provides further details (Luke 2:1–20) concerning the census that led the Virgin Mary and the righteous Joseph to leave Nazareth and go to Bethlehem:

‘In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the whole world. This census took place whilst Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the town of David called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David. This was so that he might be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. But whilst they were there, the time came for her to give birth, and she gave birth to her first-born Son; she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And in that region there were shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were filled with great fear. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. For behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this will be the sign: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there appeared, together with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill amongst men!’ And after the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another: ‘Let us go, then, to Bethlehem, and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the Child lying in the manger. And when they had seen Him, they made known the message that had been spoken to them concerning this Child. And all who heard it marvelled at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as they had been told” (Luke 2:1–20).

Thus, in these three chapters of the Holy Gospels, the events concerning the Nativity of the Lord are depicted in rather sober words and expressions, without literary embellishments, suitable for a reading that is more narrative and informative in nature, and in which we note that no mention is made of the beam of light from the star that guided the Magi. The way of relating to the Nativity scene was to be enriched through homilies, whilst prose literature was to be complemented by a poetic dimension, supported by music, — through the gradual yet firm emergence and development of Christian hymnography, whose authors, poets and composers, depicted it in poetic images better suited to touching sensitive souls.

A second reading of the Gospel message – the hymnography of the Orthodox Church

Leafing through the liturgical books, one observes that, at almost every turn, mention is made of all the participants in that drama which was played out on the stage of the history of salvation, on that unique night, and who are present in a stichera that distils the essence of the Incarnation into a few verses: ‘What shall we bring to You, Christ? Since You have appeared on earth as a man, for our sake, every one of the creatures You have created offers thanks to You: the angels their song, the heavens a star, the Magi their gifts, the shepherds the miracle, the earth a cave, the wilderness a manger, and we the Virgin Mother. (author’s note)’3

All these also constitute the key figures of the iconography of the Nativity, appearing in either limited or expanded forms, depending on what was deemed appropriate to depict in the painting. However, unlike in icons, the texts frequently mention the star, whilst the ray is absent; the latter is, in fact, the very path along which the former glides.

Only Roman the Melodist (5th–6th centuries), the composer of the kontakion of the Nativity of the Lord, is the one who, in the First Kontakion of the service, mentions the ray, identified with Christ who ‘appeared as a luminous ray’ and ‘flashed forth from Bethlehem’, illuminating the whole world:

‘To the people of Galilee,
to the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali
, as the prophet said,
a great light has dawned, Christ;
to those in darkness, a bright ray has appeared4
which flashed
forth from Bethlehem and even more powerfully from Mary;
the Lord spreads His rays throughout the world
,

the Sun of righteousness 5;
Therefore, all you who are naked in Adam
, come, let us all
clothe ourselves in Him6
that we may be warmed;
for He covers the naked and
enlightens those in darkness:
‘You have come and revealed Yourself,
the Unapproachable Light!’7

And in the stichera of the Praises on 20 December, as well as in the stichera of Vespers on 22 December, mention is made of the ‘ray of Divinity’, heralded by the star: “Isaiah rejoices, receive the Word of God; prophesy to the Virgin Mary that the bush will be set alight and yet not be consumed by the fire, that is, by the ray of Divinity (author’s note). Bethlehem, prepare yourself; Eden, open your gates; Magi, go and behold the Saviour, swaddled in a manger, Whom the star announced above the cave, the Lord, the Giver of Life, He who saves our people’8”. And at the service of Saint Euthymius, ‘Being illuminated by the radiance (author’s note: sic! that is, by the ‘ray’) which appeared from the sunrise on high, and dazzled by the manifestations of light from the star that has now risen supernaturally from Judah, you have passed on to the Lord”9.

Perhaps these faint glimmers of the hymnographic ‘ray’, or perhaps others as well, constituted the reasons that led to the appearance of the ray in the icon of the Nativity of the Lord, at first barely sketched and rather hesitantly rendered visually.

The third interpretation of the Gospel message – the creation of the Nativity icon

One of the earliest icons of the Nativity that has survived to this day appears on a small casket dating from the mid-6th century, which is currently housed in the Sancta Sanctorum chapel at the Lateran. Intended to house holy relics from the Holy Places, it was fitted with a sliding lid, the interior featuring several scenes depicting the great moments of the history of salvation, amongst which, on the left-hand side, at the bottom, there is also an early depiction of the Nativity, one in which, alongside those of the Baptism and the Ascension of the Lord, ‘that form of representation was found which, in the Byzantine world, has remained unchanged over the centuries.’10

Within a frame measuring 7.1 × 7.7 cm, the icon depicts the cave in Bethlehem, where the Virgin rests, gazing at the Infant, both clad in imperial blue purple. The two animals mentioned in Isaiah’s prophecy guard the Child, whilst the righteous Joseph, in the lower right-hand corner, sits pensively, gazing at the mystery unfolding before his eyes. Above the entire scene, extremely concise yet no less eloquent, a star watches over it, resembling a small flower with eight petals, or drops of dew.

Following this, but employing various techniques, a multitude of icons dedicated to the Nativity began to appear on the stage of Byzantine iconographic history; in some of these, at a certain point, a ray of light appeared, either emanating from the star or serving as a support for it. The present study does not aim to pinpoint the moment or the icon in which it first appeared, but merely to highlight the fact that, within the iconography of this feast, a detail emerged which was initially overlooked by some icon painters but which, over time, was to become a fundamental convention, namely the star’s ray.

Thus, from this point onwards, nearly twelve centuries would elapse between the earliest iconographic depictions of the Nativity scene from the 6th century and Dionysius of Furna’s Erminia from the early 18th century, a period during which an iconographic type was to take shape, described with his characteristic meticulousness by the most humble of iconographers:

‘a cave, and within it, on the right-hand side, the Mother of God kneeling, placing Christ, swaddled like a little babe, in the manger; and Joseph kneeling on the left, with his hands crossed over his chest. And behind the manger, an ox and a donkey, gazing at Christ. And behind the Most Holy Virgin and Joseph, the shepherds, holding their staffs and gazing in wonder at Christ; and outside the cave, [further up the mountain], [many] sheep and shepherds [beside them], one playing a flute, and others looking up in awe: and above them an angel blesses them [and announces the birth of Christ]. And above the cave, amidst the clouds, a multitude of angels, holding scrolls, say: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill amongst men.’ And the star [in the sky], in their midst, above [the cave], with a broad beam (author’s note), which descends down to the head of Christ. And from the other side, [round a corner of the mountain, three] Magi appear, dressed in royal robes, [wearing crowns], riding on horses [holding gifts in their hands and] pointing out the star to one another. (When the two women washing the infant are also depicted, one is the midwife Zelemi, the other Salome)”11

Thus, alongside the scriptural and hymnographic texts, an iconographic canon was to be established, intended to convey through visual means what had been expressed in words.

The fourth interpretation of the Gospel message – its translation into visual/artistic forms

In the case of the Nativity icon, as can be seen, there are three levels of interpretation, from top to bottom: the first is the theophanic and prophetic level; in the middle comes the mystical level; and at the bottom it concludes with the human aspect ‘12’, so that it can be structured into nine panels, each with three compartments, as follows:

In the case of the Nativity icon, there are three levels of interpretation, from top to bottom: the first is the theophanic and prophetic level; in the middle comes the mystical level; and at the bottom it concludes with the human aspect.

The angels. In the upper part of the icon are the angelic hosts, representations of that multitude of heavenly hosts which appeared at the Nativity, ‘praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, on earth, and goodwill amongst men!’” (Luke 2:13–14). Some are worshipping the Infant, with their hands clasped in a sign of respect, in accordance with the ritual of the Byzantine court, others fulfil their role as angels (denoting those who announce something, who bring people the good news of salvation), telling the shepherds of the miracle.

The Star. It reveals to those ready to see the miracle that took place that night: ‘in secret Thou wast born in a cave, but heaven proclaimed Thee to all, setting the star before them as a herald (author’s note), O Saviour’13 Although the ray is mentioned only very rarely in the writings and never in the Holy Gospels, in icons, it descends from the vault of heaven, from above the mountain, which is sometimes semicircular in shape, just as in the icon of the Annunciation, ‘a ray of divine light, reaching down to the head of the Christ Child. In the middle, the ray forms a star’14 In some icons, the ray splits into three, a sketched Theophany which emphasises that all three Persons of the Holy Trinity are involved in the economy of salvation.

The newborn Child. These three levels – the upper, heavenly one; the middle one, where heaven descends and unites with earth; and the lower, earthly—all revolve around the Infant and His Mother, often depicted at the centre of the icon and larger than the other figures, thus respecting the hierarchical perspective traditional to Byzantine iconography and emphasising His majesty: ‘He who cannot be contained anywhere—how did He fit into the womb? He who is in the bosom of the Father—how does He now rest in the Mother’s arms? Truly, as He knew, as He willed, and as He deemed fit. For, though bodiless, He became incarnate of His own free will; and ‘He who is’ became for us what He was not, and, without changing His nature, He shared in our afflictions. Christ was born in two natures, desiring to fulfil the ‘world above’15

The Mother of God. She does not hold the Infant in her arms, but stands beside Him, marvelling at the mystery that has taken place: ‘Why are you marvelling, Mary? Why are you frightened by what is within you? ‘For I have given birth to the Son who is from eternity whilst still a child,’ says the Virgin, ‘and I do not know how the conception of the One who was born came about. I have no husband, so how shall I give birth to a Son? A birth without a seed—who has ever seen such a thing? But, as it is written, where God wills, the order of nature is overcome. And so, Christ was born of the Virgin in Bethlehem of Judea’16

The manger. It is mentioned in the Holy Gospel according to Luke (‘and she gave birth to her Son, her only-begotten Son, and she wrapped Him up and laid Him in a manger, for there was no room for them in the inn’ Luke 2:7), and it was to be the distinguishing sign for the shepherds, to whom the angels had announced and sent them to worship Him: “And this will be the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12).

The cave. It features in hymnography (“I behold a marvellous and wondrous mystery: the cave is the heavens, the Virgin is the throne of the cherubim, the manger is the dwelling-place, in which the One Who cannot be contained, Christ God, has lain down; and by praising Him we glorify Him’17”) and in icons, where it takes on profound meanings. In a homily attributed to Saint Gregory of Nyssa, a comparison is drawn between the Nativity of Christ in a cave and the spiritual light shining in the shadow of death that had engulfed humanity. In this sense, “the black mouth of the cave in the icon is, in its symbolic meaning, precisely this world overwhelmed by sin through the Fall of Man, in which the ‘Sun of Righteousness (n.n.)’ shines”18

The ox and the donkey. That darkness, illuminated by the Infant, is also the place from which the heads of two animals emerge; these do not appear in the Holy Gospels, but in the Old Testament, in the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know Me; My people do not understand Me’ (Isaiah 1:3), and they may symbolise Christians of Jewish origin and those who have come from among the pagans.

The Magi. They are directly linked to the star; in almost all the hymns of the Nativity services, the role of the star is recalled—that of announcing the Saviour to the world and guiding the Magi: ‘…and brought to You the Magi, who worshipped You in faith; together with them, have mercy upon us’19 These Magi were among the wise men or philosophers of the ancient world from the region of Persia, who were engaged in the study of the heavenly bodies. Observing an unusual star, they realised that it signalled the birth of the Messiah, the long-awaited Saviour 20, and so, guided by it, the Magi managed to reach Bethlehem, where they found the infant Jesus 21.

The shepherds. They were the first to come and see Jesus Christ, having been directly guided by angels (“and in that region there were shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night” Luke 2:8) and so they also feature in hymnography: “When the Lord Jesus was born of the pure Virgin, all things were illuminated; for whilst the shepherds sang with their flutes, the Magi worshipped and the angels gave glory, Herod was troubled. For God was revealed in the flesh, the Saviour of our souls’22

Righteous Joseph. He is mentioned in numerous passages of the Holy Gospels, when the shepherds ‘hastened and came, and found Mary and Joseph, and the Child lying in a manger’ (Luke 2:16) and in the hymns of the feast: ‘Joseph was filled with awe, seeing a wonder beyond nature, and in his mind he thought of the rain upon the fleece, in your seedless conception, O Mother of God, the bush unconsumed by fire, the rod of Aaron that sprouted anew. And his betrothed and protector, testifying to this, spoke to the priests: ‘The Virgin gives birth, and after giving birth she remains a virgin’”.

The midwives and the washing of the Infant. Although not mentioned in the canonical Gospels, but only in the apocryphal ones, on the opposite side to the Righteous Joseph are two women bathing the Infant: Zelemi and Salome, the midwives brought by the Righteous Joseph. This detail, present in most icons, is evidence of the loving condescension of the Son of God, Who submits Himself entirely to the natural requirements of human nature.

*

Now, at the beginning of the third millennium, we enjoy a diversity of achievements – so many models and subjects for study – which can be adopted and analysed, created using traditional or less conventional techniques, and within which one can find, from the simple to the complex, the people, places and events mentioned earlier, which have come to life through visual and artistic means. Moving from the words of the Gospel to those rendered poetically in the hymnography of the Orthodox Church, little by little, the icon of the Nativity of the Lord took shape, conveying, through visual and artistic means, the fulfilment of the Good News, so that all creation might sing and cry out: ‘Christ is born, glorify Him! Christ from heaven, welcome Him! Christ on earth, bow down! Sing to the Lord, all the earth!…’

• 1

  At Matins on the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, the Gospel according to Matthew 1:18–24 is read.

• 2

  During the Liturgy for the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, the Gospel according to Matthew 2:1–12 is read.

• 3

  Vespers of the Nativity of the Lord, Stichera ‘O Lord, I have cried out…’, the Menaion for December, p. 426.

• 4

  Isaiah 7:23–9:1; Matthew 4:15–16.

• 5

  Maleachi 4:2–3, 20.

• 6

  Romans 13:14.

• 7

  Saint Romanos the Melodist, Hymns, translated by Sabin Preda, Bizantină Publishers, Bucharest, 2007, p. 61.

• 8

  The Menologion for the Month of December, Neamț Monastery, 1846, pp. 314 and 429; The Minei for the Month of December, Printed during the reign of our Most High King MICHAEL I and under the guidance of His Eminence Patriarch Miron, with the blessing of the Holy Synod of the Holy Autocephalous Romanian Orthodox Church, 3rd edition, 1927, Cernica Holy Monastery Press, pp. 314 and 332; The Menaion for December, published by IBMBOR, Bucharest, 2005, p. 344. In this latest edition of the Minei published in 2005, the stichera for Lauds of the Pre-Feast Service reads ‘The Manger dances and receives…’ (p. 327) rather than ‘Isaiah dances…’: Ἡσαία χόρευε, Λόγον Θεοῦ ὑπόδεξαι, προφήτευσον τὴ Κόρη Μαριάμ, Βᾶτον πυρὶ καίεσθαι, and do not be consumed by the fire, the splendour of divinity, Bethlehem, be prepared, open the gate, O Eden, and you Magi, set out to behold the Saviour, lying in a manger, whom the Star has announced, above the Cave, the Life-giving Lord, who saves our people.

• 9

  Minei for December, p. 454. The splendour of that which has appeared from the depths, illuminated by the rising sun, and a star shining with radiance, from Judah now having risen, shining supremely, you have departed to the Lord.

• 10

  Wilhelm Nyssen, The Origins of Byzantine Painting, IBMO, Bucharest, 1975, p. 81.

• 11

  Dionysius of Furna, Erminia on Byzantine Painting, text revised and supplemented by C. Săndulescu-Verna, published by the Metropolis of Banat in 1979, reprinted by Sophia Publishers, Bucharest, 2000, p. 13.

• 12

  Dionysius of Furna, An Introduction to Byzantine Painting, pp. 101–102.

• 13

  Troparion for the Vespers of the Nativity, in the Miney for December, p. 428.

• 14

  Constantine Cavarnos, A Guide to Byzantine Iconography, translated by Anca Popescu, Sophia Publishers, Bucharest, 2005, p. 72.

• 15

  The Sedealna, 4th tone, at Matins on the feast day.

• 16

  The Sedealna, 4th tone, at Matins for the feast.

• 17

  The Katavasia for the Feast of the Nativity of the Saviour, the ninth hymn.

• 18

  Leonid Uspensky and Vladimir Lossky, Guides to the World of the Icon, translated by Anca Popescu, Sophia Publishers, Bucharest, 2003, p. 170.

• 19

  Troparion for the Vespers of the Nativity, in the Minei for December, p. 428.

• 20

  St Basil the Great says that the Magi, who were Persian astronomers, passed down Balaam’s prophecy from generation to generation: ‘A star shall come out of Jacob’ (Numbers 24:17).

• 21

  Irineu Crăciunaș, ‘The Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God in Exterior Painting in Moldova’, in Mitropolia Moldovei și Sucevei, vol. XLVIII, nos. 5–6, May–June 1972, p. 320.

• 22

  A verse from ‘O Lord, I have cried out…’, in the Minei for December, p. 426.