Our Lady of Perpetual Help: The words on the icon

Our Lady's icon. File made by Pablete [Public domain]

The Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help falls on the 27th of June. We are preparing for this great Feast by publishing a series posts about the famous icon that bears this inspirational and consoling title.

Sacred icons were painted by monks who had a thorough knowledge of theology and led ascetic lives. Before painting an icon, they would prepare themselves spiritually through fasting, prayer, penitence and meditation. Many would paint their icons while they were kneeling. A holy icon is not merely an image but a place where God Himself is present. This explains the reverence shown to icons in the Eastern Church even to this day.

Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt.

Tecum tutus semper sum.

Ad Jesum per Mariam

[  ] References in the text to numbered footnotes are not hyperlinked but may be found at the end of the relevant text.

The words on the icon

There are five sets of Greek letters on the icon. They are abbreviations of words and the two largest are at the top in capitals:

Mother of God (ΜΡ  ΘΥ)

These are abbreviations for : Μητηρ Θεου (Meter Theou), signifying Mother of God.

This title had been confirmed by the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD which rejected the heretical statements of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople. It solemnly affirmed that Jesus was one person and not two separate persons, yet possessing both a human and divine nature. It published 12 anathemas, the first of which was:

If anyone will not confess that the Emmanuel is very God, and that therefore the Holy Virgin is the Theotokos, inasmuch as in the flesh she bore the Word of God made flesh [as it is written, "The Word was made flesh"] let him be anathema.[1]

Theotokos is often translated as 'Mother of God' or 'God-bearer'. A literal translation, however, would be 'Birth-giver to God'.[2]

Jesus Christ

Next to Mary's son are two abbreviations signifying Jesus Christ. "Jesus" is a transliteration of the Latin Iesus,from the Greek Ιησους (Iēsoûs). This itself is a Hellenisation of the Hebrew יהושע (Yehoshua) or Hebrew-Aramaic ישוע (Yeshua ), (Joshua), meaning "the Lord saves".

"Christ" is His title derived from the Greek Χριστος (Christós), meaning the "Anointed One", a translation of the Hebrew-derived Mashiach ("Messiah"). In the Old Testament, priests, prophets and kings were anointed.[3]  These were types of the threefold role of the Christ. Both the Prophet and the priest stand between God and man. The prophet delivers the word of God to men. In the case of the priest, he offers the sacrifices of people to God. Christ, accordingly, is a prophet who delivers the word of God to us, and He is also the priest who delivers His sacrifice, on our behalf, to God the father.

St Michael and St Gabriel

The abbreviations here expand to ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Μιχαὴλ and ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριὴλ

ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Μιχαὴλ > archangel Michael
Μιχαήλ: מִיכָאֵל, Michael > quis ut Deus? >  'who is like unto God?'

ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριὴλ > archangel Gabriel
Γαβριὴλ:גַּבְרִיאֵל, > Fortitudo Dei, > 'strength of God'

Notes

[1] anathema: Latin anathema an excommunicated person, also the curse of excommunication, < Greek ἀνάθεμα , originally ‘a thing devoted,’ but in later usage ‘a thing devoted to evil, an accursed thing’ (see Rom. ix. 3). Originally a variant of ἀνάθημα an offering, a thing set up (to the gods), n. of product < ἀνατιθέναι to set up, < ἀνά up + τιθέναι (stem θε- ) to place.
The great curse of the church, cutting off a person from the communion of the church visible, and formally handing him over to Satan; or denouncing any doctrine or practice as damnable.
[2] Theotokos: Etymology: Greek θεοτόκος adjective, θεός God + -τοκος bringing forth, < stem τεκ-, τοκ-, of τίκτειν to bear.  = Deipara n.
[3] Examples of anointing: the priest Aaron, the prophet Eliseus and the king Saul.

[7] And thou shalt pour the oil of unction upon his head: and by this rite shall he be consecrated.
et oleum unctionis fundes super caput ejus : atque hoc ritu consecrabitur. [Ex 29]
[16] And thou shalt anoint Jehu the son of Namsi to be king over Israel: and Eliseus the son of Saphat, of Abelmeula, thou shalt anoint to be prophet in thy room.
et Jehu filium Namsi unges regem super Israel : Eliseum autem filium Saphat, qui est de Abelmeula, unges prophetam pro te  [3 Kings (1 Kings) 19:16]
[1] And Samuel said to Saul: The Lord sent me to anoint thee king over his People Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the Lord:
Et dixit Samuel ad Saul : Me misit Dominus, ut ungerem te in regem super populum ejus Israel : nunc ergo audi vocem Domini. [1 Kings (1 Samuel) 15:1]

Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt.

Tecum tutus semper sum.

Ad Jesum per Mariam