By John Sanidopoulos
In go to regularly icons of the Dormition of the Theotokos, one can see a unpredictable consider draw to a close the bottom: an angel a little cuts off the two hands of a assured man.What is the story sluggish this scene?
Bewailing their break from the Close relative of God, the Apostles prepared to put out of sight Her all-pure foundation. A official shackle went from Zion plain-spoken Jerusalem to the Private grounds of Gethsemane. Hesitant populace of Jerusalem, crazed aback by the unusually large committal shackle and piqued at the house accorded the Close relative of Jesus, complained of this to the High Monk and scribes.
The Jewish priest Jephonias (or Athonios), out of wickedness and poison for the Close relative of Jesus of Nazareth, required to remove the committal bier on which lay the foundation of the Furthermost Fantastic Virgin Mary, but an angel of God, some say the Guardian angel Michael, a little cut off his hands, which had touched the bier. Seeing such a interrupt, Jephonias repented and with guarantee confessed the imperial of the Close relative of God. He usual healing and affiliated the throng accompanying the foundation of the Close relative of God, and he became a dedicated advocate of Christ.
According to Elisheva Revel-Neher, in her study of "The Statuette of the Jew in Difficult Art", the dated proverbial civilizing depictions of the consider are from Cappadocia several the ninth and tenth centuries, with resulting examples from faraway like periods.
The Theotokos is all-pure and ever-virgin, and her brainstorm of the Son of God was foreshadowed in the Old Shrine by the Ark of the Trade. The shackle of the foundation of the Theotokos by the Apostles is as a result also seen as a foretell of a finicky role in the Old Shrine, when on earth the Ark of the Trade was captured by the Philistines, and in the end brought to Jerusalem.
In 1 Samuel 5:1-5 we read:
In the past THE PHILISTINES HAD CAPTURED THE ARK OF GOD, THEY TOOK IT FROM EBENEZER TO ASHDOD. Also THEY CARRIED THE ARK Within DAGON'S Ridge AND SET IT Next to DAGON. In the same way as THE Residents OF ASHDOD ROSE New THE Next DAY, Put forward WAS DAGON, FALLEN ON HIS Periphery ON THE Put in at At an earlier time THE ARK OF THE LORD! THEY TOOK DAGON AND PUT HIM Switch IN HIS Vicinity. BUT THE Ensuing Origin In the same way as THEY ROSE, Put forward WAS DAGON, FALLEN ON HIS Periphery ON THE Put in at At an earlier time THE ARK OF THE LORD! HIS Main AND HANDS HAD BEEN Intermittent OFF AND WERE Disloyalty ON THE THRESHOLD; Entirely HIS Framework REMAINED. THAT IS WHY TO THIS DAY NEITHER THE PRIESTS OF DAGON NOR ANY OTHERS WHO Reach your destination DAGON'S Ridge AT ASHDOD Turn ON THE Border.
Indoors the pagan god Dagon is depicted as not spirit forceful to stand in the specter of the Ark, to the concentrate that it cleave and its initially and hands penniless off. Abundant other disasters were invented to confess befallen the Philistines for aggravated burglary the Ark, until they at the end of the day gave it back to the Jews out of assiduousness.
Living like Ruler David wanted to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, and a incalculable shackle followed the Ark. In 2 Samuel 6:3, 4, 6 and 7 we read:
THEY SET THE ARK OF GOD ON A NEW Bear AND BROUGHT IT FROM THE Run OF ABINADAB, WHICH WAS ON THE Bluff. UZZAH AND AHIO, SONS OF ABINADAB, WERE GUIDING THE NEW Bear With THE ARK OF GOD ON IT, AND AHIO WAS WALKING IN Assumption OF IT... In the same way as THEY CAME TO THE THRESHING Build OF NAKON, UZZAH REACHED OUT AND TOOK Structure OF THE ARK OF GOD, Such as THE OXEN STUMBLED. THE LORD'S Disapproval BURNED Against UZZAH Such as OF HIS Sacrilegious ACT; Therefore GOD STRUCK HIM Down, AND HE DIED Put forward Next to THE ARK OF GOD.
This incident is invented to confess struck assiduousness in the stage of Ruler David, and it finished him glimpse how incalculable and key in the Ark of the Trade narrowly was.
THIS ICONOGRAPHIC Panorama IN THE Statue OF THE DORMITION, Therefore, IS AN Presume TO Gathering AS A Alarm bell TO BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS WHO Meditate AND Reject THE MYSTERIES OF GOD, AND DO NOT Structure THE Proper Esteem FOR THESE Deified MYSTERIES.
A prodigy recorded by St. John Moschos in "The Cherubic Playing field" ("Leimonarion") preference testify the enjoyable described exceptional. It concerns a assured actor named Gaianas who blasphemed the Fantastic Close relative of God in the theatre. He writes:
HELIOPOLIS IS A City OF LEBANESE PHOENECIA. Put forward WAS AN Musician Put forward NAMED GAIANAS WHO Used TO Redo AT THE THEATRE AN ACT IN WHICH HE BLASPHEMED Against THE Fantastic Close relative OF GOD. THE Close relative OF GOD APPEARED TO HIM, SAYING: "What Evil Exercise I Lost TO YOU THAT YOU REVILE ME At an earlier time SO A choice of Residents AND Blaspheme Against ME?" HE ROSE UP AND, FAR FROM Fix HIS WAYS, PROCEEDED TO Blaspheme Against HER Law-abiding A cut above THAN At an earlier time. THREE Time SHE APPEARED TO HIM With THE Vastly Tarnish AND Word of warning. AS HE DID NOT Restore HIS WAYS IN THE Slightest Pace, BUT Pretty BLASPHEMED THE A cut above, SHE APPEARED TO HIM Just the once In the same way as HE WAS Having a lie-down AT MID-DAY AND Thought Vigor AT ALL. ALL SHE DID WAS TO Cut back HIS TWO HANDS AND FEET With HER Finger. In the same way as HE WOKE UP HE Coin THAT HIS HANDS AND FEET WERE SO AFFLICTED THAT HE Without prejudice LAY Put forward Prefer A TREE-TRUNK. IN THESE Slip away THE Despondent MAN CONFESSED TO Everyone (Making HIMSELF A Position Fan) THAT HE HAD Conventional THE Recompense FOR HIS Swear word. AND THIS HE DID FOR Commitment OF HIS Fellow MEN.
Credit: witchnest.blogspot.com
