Portrait of Jesus: Ruler of All

As explained in Shroud of Turin the Mandylion was discovered in 544, hidden away in Edessa. Shortly thereafter, a new common image of Jesus emerged and dominated in the Middle East. The earliest extant example of this bearded Jesus was uncovered in 1962 at St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai desert. This icon is called Christ Pantocrator and is dated to around 550, or about six years after the discovery of the Mandylion. The fact that this icon survived the destructive forces of iconoclasm is probably attributable to the Monastery’s remote location, just as the fact that the Shroud of Turin survived the iconoclastic period is probably attributed to the fact it was hidden away.

As with all icons (they are described as ‘writings’ because they impart theological lessons) the Christ Pantocrator tells of profound theological teachings about Christ. It’s not just a nice picture. You can see that Christ’s face is in two halves, merged seamlessly. His left side holds the Bible and he presents a severe and powerful Christ; he is the eternal judge. His right side is calm and serene; he is the savior. This is the dual nature of Christ. Moreover, and as portrayed in the icon, Jesus is the perfect union of both divine and human nature. These are fundamental teachings of all Christianity regardless of sect or sub-faith.

Now, go to Heaven is for Real and look again at the Prince of Peace painted by eight-year-old Akiane Kramarik. This is not intended to be an icon but her incredibly gifted rendering of Christ as she saw him during her heavenly vision and as confirmed by Colton Burpo when he was seven years old and recalling his heavenly visit three years earlier. Akiane essentially tells us that her painting represents the divine nature of Christ (the light side of his faith representing truth) and the human nature of Christ (the dark side representing suffering and, by implication, Calvary).

Finally, and to bring together some loose ends, return to the Shroud of Turin. Compare the face of the physically dead but resurrecting Christ on the Shroud with that of the Pantocrator and then again with the Prince of Peace. You will see startling similarities. The Christian faith truly is universal. In the Pantocrator we see a visual portrait and theological lessons presented through Eastern Orthodox eyes but expressing the universal Christian teaching about the dual nature of Christ as savior and judge and as divine and human. We see a slightly different perspective from the Shroud of Turin, commonly associated with Catholicism. There we see the suffering and glory of Christ – again a universal Christian teaching. Finally, we see Christ as seen by a child of a Protestant minister and by the child of non-believers (now Christians). The Prince of Peace reveals, yet again, the expansive dual nature of Christ and his love.

The Shroud of Turin, the Pantocrator, the Prince of Peace. This trinity of portraits are one; they are Christ.

Clearly, the Mandylion (also see The Shroud of Turin: Historical Documentation) was the model for the Pantocrator, and just as clearly the Mandylion was the Shroud of Turin hidden away for centuries because of the assault by pagans, Muslims, and iconoclasts against all images Christ. Then, to make Christ more understandable for all Christianity and the modern world we have a little girl gloriously painting the Christ she saw in her visions confirmed by a mysterious carpenter model who appeared one day at her front door in answer to her prayers.

Who at your Door is Standing?

Some websites and references

Footnotes and Attributions

Christ Pantocrator icon retrieved from the  Catholic Exchange website.

Last modified July 31, 2019