Orthodox Icon of the Crucifixion of Christ

The Crucifixion of Christ COPYRIGHTED ART. Do not copy or deep-link to without prior permission from "Come and See" Icons, Books & Art.

From Matins (after Resurrection Gospel)
In that we have beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us bow down before the Holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless One. Thy Cross do we adore, O Christ, and thy holy Resurrection we praise and glorify: for thou art our God, and we know none other beside Thee; we call upon thy Name. O come, all ye faithful, let us adore Christ's holy Resurrection. For lo, through the Cross is joy come into all the world. Ever blessing the Lord, let us sing his Resurrection: for in that He endured the Cross He hath destroyed Death by death.

Christ was crucified on Golgotha which means "place of the skull." The Jews believed Golgotha or Calvary to be the burial site of Adam. The Church accepts this liturgically. Here we have Jesus Christ, the Second Adam, triumphing over death by death. The skull is Adam's. The top bar reads "I.N.R.I." which stands for the inscription that Pilate put on the Cross "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews". To Jesus' right stands his Mother, the Theotokos; to his left is John the Beloved Apostle. In the background is the city wall showing that He died as an outcast. Notice how Christ is portrayed. He is not hanging like a dead man. His arms are outstretched in a way that conveys "welcome" and is an indication of the Resurrection and of his willingness to stay on the Cross out of his love for us. So let us join Him outside the gate.

This Icon is by the hand of Constantine Youssis. It is from St. Michael's Antiochian Orthodox Church, Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Order # ymg-05