Christ Pantocrator | מלך היקום
Pantocrator literally translates via Latin from Greek as ‘ruler of all’. In the translation from Hebrew to Greek the Septuagint uses Pantocrator in the place of Adonai Tzva’ot-Lord of Hosts, and El Shaddai-God Almighty. Even though his power is unfathomable, I want the viewer to feel comfortable looking into Jesus’ eyes. I hope to portray the universal power of his love.
While painting and meditating on the sovereignty of Jesus as God, I began to think about the symbol of his holding a book, or how sometimes he’s depicted holding a sphere or globe. I thought about the truth in that symbol; that my life, yours, everything is in his hands. All power is his. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things were created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16) This is what led me to choose to decorate the book he’s holding with the hexagon. Hexagons show up very often in nature. We see hexagons in the bee’s hive. The northern polar atmosphere of Saturn forms a hexagon. Water circulating at high speeds forms a hexagon. A dragonfly’s eye contains many thousands of hexagons. Snowflakes are hexagons. I could literally go on for a long time. Structurally speaking, the formation of hexagons could stretch through eternity without leaving gaps or overlapping. They also form the highest structural strength while using the least material. Aside from the intelligent design of the shape, I also thought about how the scriptures describe God’s word as honey. I wanted to paint the truth of his hands holding absolutely everything because he delights in it as we delight in the sweetness of honey.