Elder Aimilianos and Christ Pantokrator

by little city hermit

christ sinai

Please have a look at the eyes of the Elder how much they resemble Christ’s ‘different’ eyes and left vs right features in that famous Sinai icon*. Isn’t this a striking similarity? I am completely mesmerised, if I may use such an expression, with this photograph of the Elder, and I have been spending really a lot of time simply looking at him, ever since his repose in Christ. Compassionate, Peaceful, yet Stern too. It feels like an icon to me, and not a photograph. Your thoughts?

Elder aimilianos

*

Many (1) agree that the icon represents the dual nature of Christ, illustrating traits of both man and god, perhaps influenced by the aftermath of the ecumenical councils of the previous century at Ephesus and Chalcedon. Christ’s features on his left side (the viewer’s right) are supposed to represent the qualities of his human nature, while his right side (the viewer’s left) represents his divinity.

(1) Cf. Manaphēs, Sinai: Treasures, 84; Robin Cormack, Oxford History of Art: Byzantine Art (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), 66.

 

5 comments on “Elder Aimilianos and Christ Pantokrator”

  1. MelissaBishop says:
    May 20, 2019 at 9:57 pm

    Our priest did a homily, Sunday based on some of the elder’s writings.

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    • little city hermit says:
      May 21, 2019 at 10:52 am

      Please tell us more about this when you can. Thank you.

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      • MelissaBishop says:
        May 21, 2019 at 1:20 pm

        I’m sorry there is not much to tell. He mentioned the elder’s passing and the faithfulness of the paralytic to stay at the spring and wait for the angel for so long. Our service was video taped. When it is edited and a link provided, I will put the link in this comment so that you can view it.

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  2. MelissaBishop says:
    May 27, 2019 at 10:56 pm

    Yesterday, our priest continued his teachings from, Elder Aimilianos. Fr. A- spoke of the Elder’s warning not to live a distracted spiritual life. It was also the Sunday of the woman at the well. Briefly, Jesus is the lion. We must let the Lion gobble us up until we are gone and only the Lion remains. We cannot do this if we are distracted all the time by the world. Jesus gobbled up the woman at the well and then she witnessed to everyone about the goodness, and wisdom, of God. God bless you brother.

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