Bleeding Edge

The Dormition of Mary, mother of Jesus is a holiday that traditionally signals solemn spiritual celebrations around the world for Christians, who wish to pray & meditate upon the journey to the nether world that awaits all of us at some point sooner or later…

And as we celebrate today, the world’s most revered icon of the Mother of Lord Jesus, since tradition has it that this icon, which is now preserved in a church attached to the Tretyakov Art Gallery in Moscow, was originally painted by the disciple of Christ and holy Apostle Luke, to whom the Most Holy Mother entrusted the painting of her image that was to be used for the support of the faithful…

The holy Christian Church from the days of antiquity to the present times, preserves the tradition that the apostle Luke the Evangelist, was the first person to paint the icon of the Mother of Jesus, and that this is that icon.

In a psalm from the anniversary of the Dormition of the Mother of God (August 15th) we hear: “The proclaimer of the Gospel mysteries, who was the first to write Thy icon, brought it to Thee, O Sovereign Lady and Thou didst make it thine own; and having made it powerful to save those who honor Thee, Thou didst rejoice for Thou art merciful, and bring us salvation.”

The dedication of the icon of the Mother of God, “Hodigitria” is based on early Roman Byzantine sources, and further, the Christian tradition confirms that this icon was painted by the Evangelist Luke himself at the behest & by the blessing of the Mother of Jesus Christ herself who is rumored to have said: “May my grace be with this icon.”

Yours,

Dr Churchill

PS:

After the icon was painted by the Evangelist — was then sent to King Theophilus in Antioch, and quite some time later it was transferred to Constantinople, where it was placed in the Blachernae Church.

The whole web of these traditions is woven around certain historical facts, but either of varying times, or in another order.

The ancient tradition that says that the holy Evangelist Luke painted this icon of the Mother of God goes back as far as the third century after Christ.