What icon is this?

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Shoshana

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Could anyone help me in finding out what the icon in my signature means and the title? I’ve tried looking and haven’t been successful Thank you in advance! 🙂
 
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Shoshana:
Could anyone help me in finding out what the icon in my signature means and the title? I’ve tried looking and haven’t been successful Thank you in advance! 🙂
Hello Shoshana,

This icon is known as “Extreme Humility” This is the first time I have seen the Mother of God included.

If you do a www.google.com search it will bring up examples and explanations. Do a search in their “Images” section.
 
I want to thank you everyone especially Father Ambrose for taking the time to help me. It is my favourite icon and someone else was asking about it. I do not remember where I got this icon but I will certainly look into ALL of your links. But now, my grandchild wants on the computer and I must say adieu for now. Much gratitude!
 
The one Mickey shows is a different icon entitled Christ the Bridegroom.

See here for an explanation of the difference.
 
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Shoshana:
Could anyone help me in finding out what the icon in my signature means and the title? I’ve tried looking and haven’t been successful Thank you in advance! 🙂
It looks suspiciously like the image I scanned of our copy of the icon and posted on Christian forums in early 2004 🙂
I’m glad it seems to have found its way to a good home as it is one of our favourite icons.

The title of the icon is “The King of Glory”. The letters on the top bar above Christ’s head are an abbreviation of the phrase in Greek, much the same way as IC XC are an abbreviation of “Jesus Christ” as it is written in Greek.

We bought it from a monastery in Greece although I can’t remember which one. If any details come to mind I’ll try and find out if I can get you a copy. At the very least I suppose I could rescan it at a higher resolution and email it to you. You’ll have to wait until I get hold of a scanner to do that though 🙂

John (who has finally unpacked his computer).
 
Could anyone help me in finding out what the icon in my signature means and the title? I’ve tried looking and haven’t been successful Thank you in advance! 🙂
The inclusion of the Theotokos with the dead Christ is quite usual in Orthodox iconography and is a depiction of the Hirmos of the ninth ode of the canon sung at matins of Holy and Great Saturday, and takes its name from the opening words:

***Weep not for me O Mother *when you behold in the tomb the Son you bore in your womb without seed, for as God I shall rise and be glorified and I shall exalt in everlasting glory all those who with faith and love magnify you.’

Regarding the Icon of Christ in Extreme Humility, there has been some intermingling of the image of Christ alive, with or without the instruments of his passion, preparing for death, or prepared for death (by the executioners), stripped, cut off, separated, the ‘Suffering Servant’, and the image of Christ dead, His Sacrifice accomplished, and his body awaiting burial.
 
As you well see, I still love this icon as I still have it in my signature. It may stay put for the rest of my life! I feel drawn into it! So thanks everyone for responding…God bless you all!🙂
 
It is also called “Do not lament, Me, O Mother,” from a hymn of Holy Saturday:

Do not lament, Me, O Mother, seeing Me in the tomb,
The Son you conceived in your womb without seed,
For I shall arise,
And be glorified with eternal glory as God.
I shall exalt all who magnify you with faith and love.
 
Me!

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Hello, I find this icon also very beautiful.
My question is: does anyone know what the letters at the top of the cross mean? I have asked people that know Greek and they have not been able to decode the message. The king of the Jews would be translated in greek by " ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ". Only the first 2 letters would match… clearly there is something else written there… Does anyone know??? Thanks! 🤷
 
Hello, I find this icon also very beautiful.
My question is: does anyone know what the letters at the top of the cross mean? I have asked people that know Greek and they have not been able to decode the message. The king of the Jews would be translated in greek by " ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ". Only the first 2 letters would match… clearly there is something else written there… Does anyone know??? Thanks! 🤷
The sigma in Byzantine iconography is almost always written as a ‘c’. So βαcιλεὺς, then the first three would match. The t would probably stand for τῶν, so then the first 4 would match.

My guess is that it says ‘King of the Unworthy’, from the genetive plural of ἄναξιος. Just my two cents.
 
This icon is a variant of the Icon of Christ in Extreme Humility

Specifically, this one is called Icon of Christ in Extreme Humility and Panagia

Panagia means Holy Bread. It is a title ascribed to the Mother of God, as it is from her that the Bread of Life sprang forth.

She is depicted as the weeping Mother in this particular setting, hence the association of this icon with the hymn “Do not lament Me, O Mother” (Ninth Ode - Jerusalem Matins - Holy Saturday).
 
Hello, I find this icon also very beautiful.
My question is: does anyone know what the letters at the top of the cross mean? I have asked people that know Greek and they have not been able to decode the message. The king of the Jews would be translated in greek by " ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ". Only the first 2 letters would match… clearly there is something else written there… Does anyone know??? Thanks! 🤷
Abbreviated form of O VASILEUS TIS DOXIS - the King of Glory (TSAR SLAVYI on Russian icons) - sorry I don;'t have time to call up the appropriate fonts or to find a more standardised transliteration.

If the superinscription King of the Jews (I N R I) is used then the Greek letters are I N B I and the Slavonic (equivalents) I N Ts I.
 
Image: 1.bp.blogspot.com/_UOJjUH2o_wM/SURhAGA-YLI/AAAAAAAAAbE/qa2DHDJf-v8/s400/Panagia%2Band%2BChrist%2B-%2BExtreme%2BHumility.jpg

Thank you all so much for the promptness in trying to help me get rid of my anguish in finding out the meaning of the letters on this cross!!

That the sigma in Byzantine iconography is frequently written as a ‘c’ is for me a big discovery! That helps a lot!
One question: how is it decided which letters of a word would be written in iconography? I thought only the initials and sometimes also the last ones, but not the middle ones… Am I right?

That Panagia is a title also given to the Mother of God is extremely interesting, I am glad I have learned that!

Now, somewhere I also read that on top of many variations of this icon the sentence “The King of Glory” would be written, as Rowlands suggests. But my problem is that “ὁ Βασιλιάς της Δόξας” does not seem to match with the initials written on the cross… at least on this one.

Any other ideas? :confused:
Thanks a loooooooot!
 
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