Meeting of the Lord in the Temple
The iconographical image of “The Meeting of the Lord in the Temple”, known by the Catholic Church as “The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple”, is based on the Gospel text, namely Luke 2: 21-38.
The early representations of the theme show the Holy Family ready to enter the temple, depicted symbolically like a ciborium. They are greeted by Simon, the God-Receiver, who extends his covered hands towards the Infant. Anna, the prophetess, is not characterized by fixed canonical traits. Only the scroll she holds, a mandatory prophetic attribute, recommends her as such.
Along the time, the theme became more complex, due to a more elaborate architecture surrounding the ciborium and also to Simon’s High Priest’s vestments, detailing the phylacteries and the breastplate. Influenced by the Western art, the post-Byzantine representations of the scene in which the High Priest Simon is holding the Infant Jesus to his breast became more common.
The iconographical image of “The Meeting of the Lord in the Temple”, known by the Catholic Church as “The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple”, is based on the Gospel text, namely Luke 2: 21-38.
The early representations of the theme show the Holy Family ready to enter the temple, depicted symbolically like a ciborium. They are greeted by Simon, the God-Receiver, who extends his covered hands towards the Infant. Anna, the prophetess, is not characterized by fixed canonical traits. Only the scroll she holds, a mandatory prophetic attribute, recommends her as such.
Along the time, the theme became more complex, due to a more elaborate architecture surrounding the ciborium and also to Simon’s High Priest’s vestments, detailing the phylacteries and the breastplate. Influenced by the Western art, the post-Byzantine representations of the scene in which the High Priest Simon is holding the Infant Jesus to his breast became more common.
