At the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai, the oldest monastery in the world, lies the oldest preserved wooden Icon depicting Christ in the image of Pantocrator.
It portrays Christ, on the one hand, as a Merciful God, and on the other, as a Just Judge!
Dating back to the 6th century AD, it is one of the few Icons that survived the Iconoclasm.
Considered by many as the oldest representation of Christ immediately recognizable as such, even today.
This is due to the fact that it bears all those characteristics of Christ that were established in Byzantine art and later adopted in the West.
This ancient Icon is painted in an unusual manner.
The depiction of Christ is not symmetrical!
It is believed that this was done intentionally to highlight the dual nature of Jesus, representing characteristics of both God and man!
Thus, the right side of Christ, with the right hand raised in the gesture of blessing, represents the Divine nature of Jesus, while the left side, with the left hand holding the Gospel, represents the human nature!
Wisdom of Solomon 35:19 "The Lord will not delay, and he will not show patience for a long time towards the unjust."