Christ Crouched as a Lion (Greek Icon)
This type of icon of Jesus sleeping or reclining (Anapeson in Greek) was popularized in Greece and the Balkans in the 13th century. The scriptural basis for the icon comes from the book of Genesis 49:9 (Greek Septuagint):
…ἀναπεσὼν ἐκοιμήθης ὡς λέων καὶ ὡς σκύμνος· τίς ἐγερεῖ αὐτόν;
…anapeson ekoimethes hos leon kai hos skumnos; tis egerei auton
“..reclining he slept as a lion, and as a [lion’s] whelp; who shall rouse him up?”
The full verse is part of Jacob's final blessing of his sons in Genesis 49 (NRSV).
Judah is a lion’s whelp;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches down, he stretches out like a lion,
like a lioness—who dares rouse him up?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and the obedience of the peoples is his.
In Orthodox theology this blessing of Judah is traditionally regarded as the oldest prophecy of the coming of Christ. The prophecy suggests that Christ will come as the Lion of Judah. This could be expanded upon Christ, the Lamb of God will come as the Lion of Judah.
In old Greek churches the Anapeson was sometimes painted over the western door; because of that, it is at times associated also with Psalm 121:8:
“The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
The icon can be read as a culturally informed appropriation of a historic blessing interpreted as a Christ-centric prophetic vision.
In this particular icon Mary has spread out her divine reddish-brown purple maphorion on the ground as a royal bed for her child to sleep on. Mary wears her simple blue dress. Her headdress bears the cruciform star of heaven. Jesus is depicted as Emmanuel, the eternally young presence of “God with us” and is clothed in royal golden orange garments rather than swaddling clothes. Beside him is a sealed scroll representing Divine Wisdom, indicating that his knowledge is greater than that of the child he is depicted as. Three angels approach on bended knee, venerating Christ, and bearing gifts. The first angel bears a royal fan, symbolic of the kingship to come. The second angel carries in veiled hands the spear, the hyssop rod, and sponge, implements of the Holy Passion to come. While the third angel carries the cross and the crown of thorns, foreshadowing Jesus' future death and resurrection. Mary lovingly has her arms around Jesus, comforting and shielding him from the events to come. Jesus supports his head in his right hand in a gesture that could easily be replicated by a bored child. Jesus sleeps but his eyes are open.
The icon attempts to show the paradox of God becoming human. As a human, Christ has human needs for food, sleep, protection, care and love. But, simultaneously as God, Christ was with God and in God in the Creation and throughout history and bears the cumulative weight and burden of the ages.
This icon sets up an historic interpretation of a past prophetic vision as a prophetic model for the Second Coming of Christ. In this case the vision is of Christ Emmanuel coming as the Lamb of God represented by the Lion of Judah. This is a different prophetic vision than the imagery offered in the Acts of the Apostles or in the Revelation to John. Exploring different and alternative prophetic visions of the Second Coming of Christ can augment one’s appreciation of those various visions.
This is still an icon of love, of hope and aspiration; if it's not about love, it's not about God.