CUP O’ CHRIST

No, it’s not a new spicy flavor of instant ramen; it is a general category of icons, and of course that is not the official name — but it is descriptive.

Here is a Greek example:

Obviously, as one can tell from the chalice, it is a Eucharistic icon.

Though rather difficult to see in the photo, the signboard above the head of Jesus has an inscription. It is:

Ο ΒΑΣΛ ΤΔΞ

It abbreviates Ο ΒΑCΙΛΕΥC ΤΗC ΔΟΞΗC (ὁ Βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης) — Ho Basileus Tes Doxes, meaning “The King of Glory.”

Now if you have been a studious student here, you will recall that title from a previous icon type that is also called “Extreme Humility.” You will find it here:

“HOLY WEEK” ICONS

Be warned, however. This general category of icons I call “Cup o’ Christ” icons varies somewhat. This form (a recent icon) is more common:

(Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license)

That one bears the title Ὁ ἌΡΤΟς Ὁ ΖΩΝ / Ho Artos Ho Zon — “The Living Bread.”

It comes from John 6:51:
 ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς· ἐάν τις φάγῃ ἐκ τούτου τοῦ ἄρτου ζήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ὁ ἄρτος δὲ ὃν ἐγὼ δώσω ἡ σάρξ μού ἐστιν ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ζωῆς.

“I am the living bread that comes down from Heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever, and the bread that I give is my body for the life of the world.”

So we can see that in spite of the different appearance of Jesus, this is still a Eucharistic icon.

Often the image of Jesus in the cup is in the “Emmanuel” form — the youthful Jesus. The fresco below shows us the obvious Eucharistic origins of such “Cup O’ Christ” icons.

The child Jesus is shown twice.  Below he lies as the Eucharistic bread, holding a scroll reading Λάβετε φάγετε, τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ σῶμά [μου]/Labete phagete, touto estin to soma [mou] — “Take, eat, this is [my] body.” 

Above in the chalice, the child Jesus represents the Eucharistic wine.  There he holds a scroll reading Πίετε ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες, τοῦτο ἐστιν τὸ αἷμά μου / Piete ex autou pantes, touto estin to haima mou — “Drink of it all of you, this is my blood.”

The scroll wordings are taken loosely from Matthew 26:26-28.

And of course there are the many Marian icons showing the child Jesus in a chalice, such as the Russian Nikeyskaya (Никейская =Nicene), also called Бысть чрево Твое святая трапеза / Buist’ chrevo tvoe svyataya trapeza  — “Your Womb Becomes the Holy Table.”  The “Holy Table” is of course the altar on which the Eucharistic ritual is performed. 

The two border saints are the Martyr Alexandra at left and Venerable John at right.