Icon of Saint Thomas’ Confession (Dionysiou) – F102

Description

This 16th century icon is a part of a celebrated set of festal icons showing important events in the life of Jesus plus a few other renowned feasts of the year.  It was painted by George the Cretan for the Holy Monastery of Dionysiou on Mount Athos, and together they are known to be great examples of Post-Byzantine Greek iconographic art.  This icon is the 11th of that set of icons.

One week after the Resurrection, the Holy Apostles are gathered together again in the Upper Room at Jerusalem, but this time the Holy Apostle Thomas is with them.  He has doubted what they first doubted after being told by the Myrrh-Bearing Women: that Christ is risen from the dead and He alive and tangible in His very real Body.  The other Apostles had seen Him the previous Sunday, so they knew from more than Faith, but by both seeing and believing.  Saint Thomas here stretches his hand forth to touch the Saviour’s Side and the wound of the spear, and exclaims with great feeling and faith, “My Lord, and my God” (John 20:28)  Wounded in Love, the Lord of Life calls us to touch Him, but with living Faith and action, being transformed into Christians, or little Christs.