Motyw dziecka w prawosławnej ikonografii Chrystusa i Bogurodzicy – historia i podstawy teologiczne (wybrane przykłady dzieł)

The theme of a child in Christian art appears from the very beginning of its existence. Usually, it carries a meanings related to the innocence, that belongs to children, a vocation to a new, unknown Life. Works of art remind believers of the need to conform their souls to a child’s ones in order to fulfill this vocation (Mark 10: 13–16). In the context of the Orthodox Christology depiction of the Savior as a child always expresses faith in the true Incarnation of the Logos. Faith in God’s adoption of entire human nature for its divinization and salvation. With the help of art, the Orthodox Church presents the Mysteries in which Almighty God becomes a helpless child while maintaining his divine nature. Church, using artistic medias, indicates a tight connection between Incarnation of Christ and His redeeming Resurrection presented also in Eucharist.