Visual Source 10.2
The Nativity
Icons frequently portrayed important stories from the Bible, none of which was more significant than that of the nativity. Visual Source 10.2, from fifteenth-century Russia, graphically depicts the story of Jesus’ birth for the faithful. The central person in the image is not Jesus but his mother, Mary, who in Orthodox theology was known as the God-bearer.
Question
Why do you think Mary is pictured as facing outward toward the viewer rather than focusing on her child?
Question
Notice the three rays from heaven, symbolizing the trinity—God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—represented by the three figures at the top. What other elements of the biblical story of Jesus’ birth can you identify in the image?
Question
The figure in the bottom left is that of a contemplative and perhaps troubled Joseph, Mary’s husband-to-be. What do you imagine that Joseph is thinking? Why might he be troubled?
Question
Facing Joseph is an elderly person, said by some to represent Satan and by others to be a shepherd comforting Joseph. What thinking might lie behind each of these interpretations?