Icons are painted as windows into Heaven, and therefore to show the
Heavenly, rather than earthly, reality. Nevertheless, Icons are made of
the people we love: of the heroes of the faith who are remembered and
whose earthly lives are considered instructive and worthy of imitation.
Therefore it is natural that, as well as depicting them in a stylized
“spiritual” way, the Saints are also depicted as recognizable people,
with distinct features. This guide is just a brief description of how
the Holy Apostles are depicted in Icons, so that they can be more easily
recognized when encountered in churches, monasteries, or wherever else
an icon is found.
St. Peter
The fiery and impulsive Leader of the Twelve, Peter is easily
recognizable by his white, short, curly hair and beard. He is often
shown holding a scroll, which may have words taken from one of his
Epistles written upon it. In some icons he may also be shown with keys
hanging from his belt, a reference to the words Jesus said to him: “And
I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou
shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” He is often found
in Icons with St. Paul, who were both martyred in Rome, holding together
the Church, and showing their shared pre-eminence among the Apostles.
St. Paul
Though not one of the original Twelve, St. Paul has always been known as an Apostle (literally meaning “one who is sent out”), and moreover a leader of the Apostles. As such, he is often shown in Icons of the Apostles, including the one at the top of the page. Paul is always depicted with brown hair and beard tapering to one or two points. He is balding with a high forehead (signifying great wisdom and learning) but with a tuft of brown hair in the centre. He is often shown carrying a large Gospel book, an affirmation of the number of epistles he contributed to what became the New Testament. In addition, the Evangelist Luke was a physician who followed St. Paul on his missionary trips, so it is fair to say that Paul would also have had an influence upon the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.
St. John
John the “Beloved Disciple”
St John theTheologian
When John is painted in a “portrait”, rather than as part of a
Biblical scene, then he is usually shown as the elderly John “the
Theologian”. This is the John who, sixty years or so after the
Resurrection of Christ, is exiled upon Patmos and writing both the
Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation. He is shown with long white
beard and high forehead, holding the Gospel book which led to his title
“the Theologian”, often shown open to reveal some verses from the book.
He may also be shown with an Eagle, the symbol of both John and his
Gospel.
St. Matthew
Like John, St. Matthew also authored a Gospel account, and so likewise is usually depicted holding a large Book. Whether in portrait or in Icons depicting Biblical scenes, Matthew has long, wavy, white beard and closer-cropped hair. As a deliberate anachronism to aid identification, he may also be shown holding the Gospel Book in Icons with Christ depicting Biblical scenes. Matthew may sometimes be shown with a winged man, the symbol associated with his Gospel.
St. Andrew “the First Called”
Andrew, the brother of the Apostle Peter, was formerly a disciple of St. John the Baptist. Because of this, Andrew is depicted with long unkempt hair, in the manner of the prophet he followed. This makes him one of the most recognizable of Apostles when depicted in scenes showing Jesus’ earthly ministry. Andrew holds a small scroll not to indicate he authored any famous works, but to identify him as a preacher of the Gospel, “one who is sent out”, i.e. an Apostle.
St. Bartholomew
Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, is shown as a middle-aged man, with short beard and hair. He is also shown holding the scroll of an Apostle. After his martyrdom, St. Bartholomew has appeared to a number of people in vision and dream, so his appearance can be deduced. He has appeared to St. Joseph the Hymnographer, blessing him that he might be able to sing spiritual hymns, saying, “Let heavenly water of wisdom flow from your tongue!” He also appeared to Emperor Anastasius I (491-518) and told him that he would protect the new town of Dara.
St. Simon theZealot
Not to be confused with St. Peter, who was previously named Simon
bar-Jonah, the Apostle Simon was from Cana, and is the bridegroom of the
famous Wedding at Cana. He is always shown with grey curly hair and
beard, though with a higher forehead than St. Peter.
St. Thomas
The Apostle Thomas is most famously known as “Doubting Thomas”, on
account of his refusal to believe the accounts of the other disciples
that Christ had risen. Often maligned for this, in Orthodox teaching it
is recognized that through his initial doubts, Thomas came to confess
Jesus Christ as “Lord and God” – a greater confession of faith than any
of the Apostles had previously uttered. Sometimes this confession of
faith is held in Thomas’ hands in icons depicting him, though more
commonly it is the scroll denoting his rank of Apostle that is shown.
The most striking thing about the Icons of Thomas is that he is shown as
a beardless youth, a teenager as John was. This is a consistent feature
of how Thomas is shown in icons, as in this Icon of Thomas touching the wounds of Christ.
The youthfulness of the Apostle Thomas is something worthy of consideration when thinking about his “doubts”.
The youthfulness of the Apostle Thomas is something worthy of consideration when thinking about his “doubts”.
St. James, Son of Zebedee
There are two Apostles named James. The son of Zebedee is the James
often nicknamed “the Greater” in the West. This is largely because among
the Twelve he was part of the “inner-circle” which also contained St.
Peter and St. John. The Apostle John is also the brother of James and
together they were known as the “Sons of Thunder”. James is shown with
medium length brown hair and beard. Though often difficult to identify
by sight alone in Icons of the Twelve, he is recognizable in the
bottom-right of this Icon of the Transfiguration,which along with the young John and curly-haired Peter, James was
privileged to witness.
He is depicted as a young man (short beard, not white) in all icons, as he never got to live to an old age, being martyred a little over 10 years after the Resurrection.
He is depicted as a young man (short beard, not white) in all icons, as he never got to live to an old age, being martyred a little over 10 years after the Resurrection.
St. Jude
St Jude Thaddeus
Jude is also sometimes called Levi or Thaddeus, and “Jude” is sometimes rendered Judas. Nevertheless, he is not to be confused with the Apostle Matthew (also called “Levi”), St. Thaddeus one of Jesus’ seventy disciples, or especially Judas Iscariot. The author of the Biblical Epistle which carries his name, the “Apostles’ Scroll” in his hand may sometimes show a quote from his own writing. Otherwise, St. Jude is identified as a mature man with curly brown (sometimes grey) beard and hair. As he was related to Jesus Christ through Joseph, husband of Mary, the appelation “brother of the Lord” (or “adelphos” in Greek) may be found on Icons.
St. James Alphaeus
The son of Alphaeus and the brother of the Apostle Matthew, James is shown with brown wavy or curly hair and a pointed beard. He is not to be confused with St. James “Adelphos”, which means “brother of the Lord”. In iconography, the two Jameses are easily distinguished, as “the brother of the Lord” is always shown in the robes of a bishop, being the first bishop of Jerusalem. Here is an Icon of James Adelphos.
St. Phillip
Holy Tradition and Scriptures maintain that the Apostle Philip was well versed in the Old Testament prophecies, and eagerly awaited the coming of the Saviour. He immediately responded to the call of Jesus, and recognized him as the Messiah (John 1:43); and subsequently led Nathaniel (the Apostle Bartholomew) to become a follower of Jesus too. Therefore it is remarkable to come into contact with icons of the Apostle Philip – who is always shown as beardless youth. Like the youthfulness of Thomas, it is something worthy of consideration.
St. Matthias
Matthias is the disciple of Christ who replaced Judas Iscariot as one
of the Twelve Apostles after the latter’s betrayal and suicide. His
appearance in icons is entirely in keeping with what is known about him.
Schooled in the Law by the Prophet Simeon,
who received the infant Christ in the temple, Matthias was already a
man of maturity before becoming a disciple of the adult Christ. By the
time of his martyrdom in 63A.D., Matthias would be the elderly man
depicted in Icons of him.
Judas Iscariot
JudasIscariot at the LastSupper
Whilst Judas is obviously not a saint, and isn’t shown in icons of “the Twelve”, he is nevertheless depicted in icons of the Last Supper or else kissing Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. In icons of the Last Supper he is easily recognizable as the one dipping his hand into the dish, thus revealing his future betrayal of the Lord. Often, the Apostles are not shown with halos in scenes prior to Pentecost, but needless to say when they are shown with halos, Judas is conspicuous by not having one.
Whatever it may be worth – and it may be worth nothing – in Orthodox
Iconography Judas is almost always shown beardless, like John, Philip,
and Thomas; thus, like them, he was perhaps still a teenager at the time
he betrayed his Saviour.
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