Depicting the Holy Trinity can be a challenge. Endeavoring to capture the Threeness and Oneness of our Lord God on any medium is a challenge. Generally circles or triangles are employed and they intersect to be one. Well without any further adieu, here is the Trinity Collection!
Rublev’s Three Vistors or the Holy Trinity, depicts the scene when Abraham invited the Holy Trinity to eat, “The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground. “My Lord,” he said, “if it pleases you, stop here for a while. Rest in the shade of this tree while water is brought to wash your feet. And since you’ve honored your servant with this visit, let me prepare some food to refresh you before you continue on your journey.” (Genesis 18:1-5). There is a rumor that below the gold dish was a mirror, so that the observer would see them self and thus get the feel they are invited to the table. The medium is tempera, which is the traditional for . Christ is in the purple and blue robe extending two fingers that represent the two natures Christ, “concerning his Son, who was descended from David[b] according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,” (Romans 1:3-6, ESV).The Father is seen on the left in pinkish salmon color, probably alluding to Ezekiel, “Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.” (Ezekiel 1:4). The Holy Spirit is in green and blue, the green meaning life and greenery in nature, and perhaps the sea, “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Genesis 1:2). The blue that all share probably alludes to the vision Ezekiel saw of God, “ And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it.” (Ezekiel 1:26). Perhaps the most bizarre motif is that all three have wings like angels, but if you understand Medieval art, wings denote flight and are not isolated to angelos alone but anything that can fly.
In this very Romantic depiction, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are seen in more traditional imagery. Here Jesus has the long hair and beard and is wearing a red robe to pay homage to His sacrifice on the cross, His nnblood (Hebrews 9:14), and the robe He wore at the Crucifixion (Matthew 27:28) and will wear when He returns (Revelation 19:13). The Father is seen as an aged Man, like Father Time or Father Christmas, His clothes being purple with a gold cape; the purple nrepresenting regality and that He is King of the Universe and it combines the red of Christ’s blood and the Blue of the Holy Spirit. The gold representing heaven and splendor, and it happens to be what the magi gave Jesus. These cross over colors help connect the Father and Son and Spirit as One, but also accentuating their unique natures. The Holy Spirit is seen as a dove as described at the Baptism of Jesus, “And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him” (Luke 3:22). Other motifs are nimbus or haloes around the Holy Trinity go denote holiness and importance, and cherubs which are babies with wings that in the Victorian Era represented thepresence of God . N
In this painting of the Holy Trinity The Father is present at the Crucifixion of His Son, as is the Holy Spirit. This actually has Scriptural support, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily,” (Colossians 2:9), and “For God in all his fullness was pleased to dwell in Christ,” (Colossians 1:19). The fact is God the Father dwells in Jesus and He in Jesus (John 10:30, John 14:9-10), and the Holy Spirit dwells and comes from both Father and Son (John 14:26, John 15:26, John 20:21-22). So the Trinity cannot be separated, it is One God in three persons, Blessed Trinity. Jesus has a unique individuality, a unique and individual personality, unique mind, and etc; as does The Father and Holy Spirit, and yet the are One, “Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work,” (John 14:10) and “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5, cross ref Matthew 3:17). A motif that alludes to Jesus and Father being One is that the Pater in this painting is wearing red and Jesus’ blood is red. In the Father’s hand is the Book of Life (Revelation 20:12) with the Greek letters for Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End, which is proper because a the Alpha and Omega is Christ (Revelation 1:12-18) who is in the Father and Father in Him.
As aforementioned our Holy Trinity is often represented by circles or triangles. Here is an assortment of the symbols representing The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is a reaso circles are used, the circle is the oldest symbol for the Lord because it is infinite, a never ending circumference. Triangles are used because it is one shape bit has three distinct points to represent the Pater, Christus, and Spiritus Sancti. The most famous triangle is the Celtic one (see pic one of three) which looks like triangles within a larger triangle in Gothic window. A very common symbol for the Trinity in Ireland is the three leaf cloverleaf:
The three leaves representing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and intersecting to represent, “One God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity.”
A very unusual icon of the Trinity. The Father is represented by hands or hand which is very common in iconography. Christ’s face is present to represent His Incarnation, His head having a nimbus and a cross with the Greek letters. Below is the Holy Spirit in the shape of tongues of Fire, “Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance,” (Acts 2:3-4) and there are eight flames which represent the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22-23).
An impressionism take on the Holy Trinity. A very traditional piece, Jesus has a red robe but it is unfurled which is common in Resurrection scenes, and in His hand is the wooden cross He died upon for the sins of the world, “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.”
(1 Peter 3:18, cross ref 2 Peter 2:22). The Father holds a scepter, perhaps the one He presents to His Son that will be used to crush the nation (Revelation 19:11-16). The Holy Spirit as perusal is a white dove, which aside from tongues of fire is one of few ways He is depicted.
The Ghent Altar Piece by Van Eyck is perhaps the most famous depiction of the Holy Trinity. The Alpha and Omega wears a honey comb triple crown to represent the Father, Son, and Spirit. Many popes, like Innocent III wore a triple crown. The colors are significsnt, the red represents the Blood of Christ for sinners and the robe dipped in blood when Jesus returns in wrath, ““Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh[a] was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.” (Revelation 19:11-16)” (. The Green priestly shawl combined with the red robe are the colors of the Lord on His throne, “At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit[b] of God. In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
“You are worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
and they exist because you created what you pleased.”(Revelation 4:2-11). The sapphire stones in gold brooch on the Lord chest represent the sapphire color around the Lord when Ezekiel saw Him, “Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man, ” (Ezekiel 1:26), “Then I looked, and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in appearance like a throne,” (Ezekiel 10:1), and the gold Christ says to purchase from Him, “So I advise you to buy gold from me--gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.” (Revelation 3:18 NLT). The four giant pearls in the the brooch represent the Four Gospels, the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:46-46), and the pearls in the gates of the New Jerusalem, “The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass,” (Revelation 21:21).
A very unusual piece that depicts the Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, but has three persons above with nimbuses and crosses to represent the Holy Trinity. There are Belgian influences in the ornamentation and colors, specifically the reds and golds. Most usual of all is that a man and woman are tied to both sides of Christ on the cross, they being Adam and Eve. For sin came in with the First Adam, but forgiveness of sins with the Second Adam (Jesus), “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).
This painting of the Trinity depicts the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in three faces of the Almighty and the Trinitarian triangle. It is s very unusual and even disturbing piece of art, but its symbolism is clear. Granted, the Holy Trinity does not look like this; it is symbolic picture trying to capture The Oneness and Threeness of God.
It is exceedingly rare to find a three dimensional statue of resin or stone of the Holy Trinity. In this very rare find Jesus is robed in red and holding a pole with s flag of the Life Giving Cross on white which denotes, “"Come now, let's settle this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18). Most Paintings of Jesus Rising from the dead have Him carrying the triumphant flag as He steps out of the Tomb and startles the centurions that guarded Him. The Holy Spirit once again is a white dove, however He is surrounded in rays of light, probably to allude to the sunshine around the Alpha and Omega’s face, “In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance,” (Revelation 1:16), and “There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” (Matthew 17:2). The Father looks traditionally like an old man, almost Santa Clausesque. What is unusual is He is wearing green and red instead of the more common purple and gold or blue. The green and red probably alludes to the verse from Revelation, “At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. ” (Revelation 4:2-3).
Our Lord and God is the Holy Trinity. As Christians we must be Trinitarian because our God and Savior is One God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:19)
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you,” (John 14:16-17)
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you,” (John 14:26)
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me,” (John 15:26)
“I and the Father are One,” (John 10:30) and “Jesus then breathed on them ans they received the Holy Spirit,” (John 20:20-22)
“According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you,” (1 Peter 1:2)
“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17)
“For in him the whole fullness of Godhead dwells bodily,” (Colossians 2:9 NKJV)
“For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,” (Colossians 1:19)
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all,” (2 Corinthians 13:14)
“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all,” (Ephesians 4:4-6)
“All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him,” (Luke 10:22)
“this time, Philip, and yet you still don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” (John 14:9-10)
“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,” (Luke 4:1)
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (1 John 5:20)
“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,” (Titus 3:5)
“And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God,” (Luke 1:34-35)
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He [a]made us accepted in the Beloved.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and [b]prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:4-14)
“Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. 3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. 4 This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names. For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus:
“You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.”
God also said,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son.”
6 And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said,
“Let all of God’s angels worship him.”
7 Regarding the angels, he says,
“He sends his angels like the winds,
his servants like flames of fire.”
8 But to the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
You rule with a scepter of justice.
9
You love justice and hate evil.
Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you,
pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”
10 He also says to the Son,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth
and made the heavens with your hands.
11
They will perish, but you remain forever.
They will wear out like old clothing.
12
You will fold them up like a cloak
and discard them like old clothing.
But you are always the same;
you will live forever.”
13 And God never said to any of the angels,
“Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
until I humble your enemies,
making them a footstool under your feet.”
Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.” (Hebrews 1:1-14)
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth,” (John 1:14)
“Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground,” (Genesis 1:26)
“And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." (Genesis 3:22)
“Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech,” (Genesis 11:17)
“The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground.
“My lord,” he said, “if it pleases you, stop here for a while. Rest in the shade of this tree while water is brought to wash your feet. And since you’ve honored your servant with this visit, let me prepare some food to refresh you before you continue on your journey.”
“All right,” they said. “Do as you have said.”
6 So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, “Hurry! Get three large measures[a] of your best flour, knead it into dough, and bake some bread.” 7 Then Abraham ran out to the herd and chose a tender calf and gave it to his servant, who quickly prepared it. 8 When the food was ready, Abraham took some yogurt and milk and the roasted meat, and he served it to the men. As they ate, Abraham waited on them in the shade of the trees.
9 “Where is Sarah, your wife?” the visitors asked.
“She’s inside the tent,” Abraham replied.
10 Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!”
Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. 11 Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. 12 So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?”
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
15 Sarah was afraid, so she denied it, saying, “I didn’t laugh.”
But the Lord said, “No, you did laugh.” (Genesis 18:1-15)
“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me,” (Isaiah 6:8)
“Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.” And now the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit.” (Isaiah 48:16)
“The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,” (Ezekiel 28:11)
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