Information on the back of the card:

THE OLD TESTAMENT TRINITY

Christianity has struggled to understand and to interpret the Holy Trinity both in words and in pictures throughout its history. The only icon to stand the test of time and become acceptable to Orthodox Christians is this one, presenting the Trinity symbolically as the three mysterious visitors to Abraham and Sarah described in Genesis, Chapter 18. Andrei Rublev created this remarkable design in the early fifteenth century. His original is now in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Our reproduction is of a twentieth century icon that follows Rublev’s design very closely and is easier to study than the original, which is heavily damaged.

The three visitors are depicted as angels, signifying that they belong to heaven rather than to earth. Their faces are essentially identical, representing the equality of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity. They are also essentially gender neutral in appearance. The angel on the left (Father) is wearing a cloak of an indefinite hue, pale pink with brown and blue-green highlights, symbolic of the impossibility of portraying God in visible form. The hand gesture could be pointing to the meat in the dish, or to the second figure (the Lamb of God) or simply holding out one finger signifying the first person of the trinity. Above this angel is a building, symbolic of the Church and worship of God. The angel in the centre (Son) is a wearing a dark reddish purple chiton or tunic and a dark blue cloak, which are the customary garments for Christ in most icons. The colour of the chiton is symbolic both of Christ’s human blood and His royal status. The blue signifies the mystery of His divine nature. Above this angel is a tree, the Oak of Mamre mentioned in the Genesis account but also symbolic of Christ’s crucifixion. The angel on the right (Holy Spirit) is dressed in a Greek cloak, traditionally the colour of life and renewal, and a blue chiton of divine mystery. Above this third figure is a mountain, symbolic in iconography of the spiritual journey, or spiritual ascent toward salvation. On the table is a dish containing the meat Abraham prepared for his guests. It rests at the focus of the circular arrangement as a symbol of the Holy Eucharist, the continuing renewal of the Covenant between God and man.

“Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?” Genesis 18:14