 |
 |
 |
|
Icons by Br. Robert Lentz, ofm.
Influenced by his Russian Orthodox background and a period of study with a master iconographer, Lentz's unique style blends classical Eastern iconography with contemporary elements and "witnesses."
Dimensions: 7.25" x 2.5"
The Lion of Judah
In this icon depicting the lion of Judah, Christ is a Maasai warrior. When Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene and to the disciples walking to Emmaeus, after his resurrection, these close friends could not recognize him. Perhaps his resurrected body had changed and taken on a more cosmic quality. Again, in Matthew 34, Jesus has told us that he has often appeared to us in the hungry, naked, homeless, and imprisoned, and we did not recognize him. At the end of the world, when he comes in glory, will we recognize the Lion of Judah, or will our pre-conceived notions blind us? Do we recognize him now, in our daily lives?
Christ is enthroned in a series of spheres and squares, which represent the way he has joined together time and eternity. The cross inside his halo bears the Greek letters for "I am who I am," the divine name given to Moses at the burning bush. The gold letters in the upper part of the icon are Greek abbreviations for "Jesus Christ." The four winged creatures each hold a Gospel book, for they represent the four evangelists: the lion, Mark; the ox, Luke; the eagle, John; and the human, Matthew.
© Robert Lentz, 1988
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
