James and Tatiana Jackson Collection This is an important icon subject, although it is rarely seen. It depicts Jesus reading Isaiah in the synagogue. The significance is that it is the icon of the first day of the church year. And the reason this particular type (Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth) was chosen is that it not only represents the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, but also directly connects to the topic of the beginning of the “year” through the words of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor: he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18). In this “double” scene, Christ is depicted reading from the Torah at mid center. On the left he is shown after having read and at which time he announces, “This day is fulfilled this scripture in your ears” (Luke 4:21). Along the top border is written the title for this icon, “The Beginning of the Indiction, Which Is The New Year.” The exceptionally high quality of painting, combined with the distinctive style and pallet would strongly suggest that this icon was executed in the famous icon painting village northeast of Moscow called Palekh.
previous
next