The Icon of the Holy Mother of God of the Three Hands

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尼古拉前执事
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Post by 尼古拉前执事 »

I think so.

JOVAN
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Тројеручица

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Mor Ephrem
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Post by Mor Ephrem »

It is a print of precisely this icon that I have. I love it!

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Грешник
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Post by Грешник »

If possible, could someone allay my ignorance and explain the meaning of the icon to me? I have seen the icon during several searches of image searches, but have yet to understand the meaning. Thank you and I appologize in advance.

JMM

JOVAN
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Post by JOVAN »

Dear Joseph,

This icon appeared in first centuries of Christianity.. The holy apostol Luka the Evangelist, who was a medicine doctor and a painter, made four icons of Mother of God.. This icon is one of those four.. It used to be a normal icon, the "third hand" originates from 8th century, and here is the short story about it..
At the 7th or 8th century the Arabs (Moslems) attacked Bizantia (Eastern Roman Empire).. The Bizantian Emperor Leo III perceived that the only way to permanently resolve that grave threat is to convert the Arabs to Christianity.. Then he found out that the biggest obstacle to converting the Muhamedans to Christianity was their aversion to christian common practice of venerating the holy icons.. So, he simply ordered that icons are no longer to be venerated in Bizantium Empire.. At first, he just decided that the icons in the churches were supposed to be elevated 7-8 feets above the ground so the faithful could not kiss them, but that didn't help much becouse faithful people still used to venerate the icons by prostrating and praying in front of them, etc.. Then, the Emperor Leo ordered that all icons are to be collected from churches and burned.. The people resisted to these inovations, and the Emperor found himself engaged in a kind of a civil war.. The fight for icons continued for several decades, emperors on one side and faithful people on the other..
Now, there was a famous christian theologian Jovan, who lived in the Arabian Caliphat, and actualy was a very respectable statesman in Damask (he was something like minister of architecture).. (The Caliphat still had much multicultural elements at that time, the moslem religion was not more then 100 years old).. He remained faithful to the Patriarch and supported the veneration of icons, and emerged as a most prominent defender of icons.. The Bizantian Emperor dethroned the Patriarch and prosecuted the scholars in Bizantia, but couldn't reach Jovan in Damask.. So he tried different ways and managed to slander him to Caliph of Damask.. Caliph was enraged and he ordered the soldiers to seize Jovan and cut off his right hand.. The emperors commandement was executed right away.. The soldiers brought Jovan to the city square, cut off his hand and hanged it on the rope.. However, later in the evening Jovan asked the emperor to give him his hand back and the emperor allowed it.. Then poor Jovan took his right hand, put it in place where it used to be before they cut it, and prayed in front of this icon that the Mother of God may heal his hand.. He fell asleep in tears few hours later and when he woke up, his hand was back in it's place, leaving only a red line where it used to be cut.. For the memorial of this miraculous healing, he made out the hand out of clean silver, in size of his hand and nailed it to the icon.. That's how the icon got it's THIRD HAND..
When the Caliph later found out that Jovan's hand was healed, he understood that Jovan was innocent, he asked Jovan to forgive him for trusting the slanders, and Jovan forgave him but decided that he wants to become a monk.. Jovan gave all his property to poor and needy, and took with him only this icon and joined the monastery of Saint Savva in Jerusalem.. In that monastery Jovan later wrote superb theological works and liturgical songs which are in use to this day.. For example, Saint Jovan Damascin wrote The Ladder, Irmologion, Oktoih, etc.. He died in this monastery in 776.AD at the age of 104.. He left a prophecy that a prince from a far land will come to that monastery, and he foretold the signs by which the prince is to be recognized, and he instructed the monastery brotherhood that they should give this icon to that prince only.. The brotherhod of Saint Savva monastery kept the prophecy for more than 4 centuries.. At 13th century archbishop Savva, the youngest son of king Stefan Nemanya of Serbia, came to visit the monastery, and the prophecy and signs occured by which the brotherhood recognised that this was the prince that Saint Jovan Damaskin foretold about.. They gave him numerous gifts, including this icon, and Savva took those sacred gifts back to Serbia, and the icon was placed at monastery Hilandar at Holy Mount Athos.. And the miraculous icon still remains in that monastery to this day..

JOVAN
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Post by JOVAN »

I'm sorry.. JOVAN means - JOHN..

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Грешник
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Post by Грешник »

:mrgreen: That's ok. As I got half way down I finally realized what the post said and what my brain was saying it said and I was like, "Oh, wait! That doesnt say John! oops, well, I think thats what he means! Thank you for the post. It was extremely informative and edifying to boot! :mrgreen:

JMM

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