The Holy Trinity

Andrei Rublev (c. 1360–1430) — c. 1411 or 1420s · Tempera on panel (icon) · Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

“And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,” — Genesis 18:2 (KJV)

About

Andrei Rublev painted this icon about 1411 (or the 1420s) for the Trinity monastery of Saint Sergius: three angels seated at Abraham's table at Mamre, the house, oak, and mountain behind them. It is often called the greatest of all icons.

The Meaning

The angels' visit to Abraham became, in Orthodox teaching, a window on the Trinity itself — three persons in perfect, silent unity around one table and one cup. The composition is all circles and bows: concord without a word spoken.

For Us Today

Practise hospitality — thereby some have entertained angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2). And let the unity of heaven teach the church on earth: be of one mind, having compassion one of another (1 Peter 3:8).

Image: Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons — the file’s page. Tap the picture to open the full-size original there.