The Holy Trinity is one of the fundamental concepts of the Christian faith. It distinguishes Christianity from other Abrahamic religions: there is faith in the One God both in Islam and in Judaism, but the concept of the Trinity is inherent only in Christianity. It is not surprising that such an important concept is reflected in iconography.
Trinity is not only one of the most important concepts in Christianity, but also one of the most mysterious. "One in three persons" - it is impossible to understand, comprehend to the end, comprehend with the mind, it can only be taken for granted, sincerely believing. It is even more difficult to imagine the Holy Trinity in the form of a concrete visible image, but the writing of an icon requires exactly this, and icon painters found a way out, relying on Holy Scripture.
Old Testament Trinity
The Old Testament tells how God appeared to Abraham and Sarah in the form of three pilgrims. The couple welcomed them warmly, not immediately realizing that before them the Triune God. This episode is one of the foundations of the Christian teaching about the Holy Trinity, and it is he who is often used to depict the Trinity on icons.
The Trinity is depicted as three angels sitting under a tree or at a table with refreshments, sometimes Abraham and Sarah are present next to them.
The most famous icon of this kind is the "Trinity" by Andrei Rublev. The icon is notable for its laconism - there is not a single superfluous detail in it: neither Abraham and Sarah next to the angels, nor "still life" on the table - only a cup that echoes the "cup of suffering" that God the Son is about to drink. The figures of angels are perceived as a vicious circle, correlated with the concept of eternity.
New Testament Trinity and Fatherland
In another version of the image of the Trinity, God the Father appears in the image of an old man. The peculiarity of this image is that the Elder's head is surrounded not by a round halo, as usual, but by a triangular one. On the halo of God the Father are placed the letters denoting "I am", as well as on the halo of the Savior, thereby emphasizing the unity of God the Father and God the Son.
Next to God the Father sits God the Son - Jesus Christ in the same form as He is depicted in other icons. In His hands He holds the cross and the opened Gospel. The third face of the Holy Trinity is God the Holy Spirit. He is represented by a white dove hovering over the Father and the Son - it is in this image that the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus Christ at His baptism in Jordan.
The version of the New Testament Trinity - Fatherland: God the Son in the form of a child sits on the lap of an elder - God the Father, the Holy Spirit, as in the previous version, is presented in the form of a dove.
In 1667, the Great Moscow Cathedral condemned any images of God the Father (with the exception of images of the apocalypse). Thus, at present, only the "Old Testament Trinity" is the canonical depiction of the Holy Trinity.
