At SBL in November, John Dominic Crossan spoke about Eastern Orthodox iconography of the resurrection (I previously blogged about this). Here is an example of the iconography:
I was struck by the consistent depiction of Jesus grasping Adam by the wrist, which I assumed symbolized that the entirety of the salvation was accomplished by God, with humanity passively rescued and unable to contribute.
The day before yesterday, in a presentation by a colleague in Classics, I discovered that this gesture (usually referred to by the phrase cheir' epi karpo, “hand on the wrist”) is particularly associated with weddings in ancient Greek art. Here is an example:
So I wonder whether that symbolism was in view when this iconographic tradition was developed. Is the imagery intended to depict merely that Jesus “abducts” Adam from Hades? Or is the idea of the “bride of Christ” more to the fore?
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In