The Four Greek Fathers are St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great,
St. Athanasius, and St. Gregory Nazianzen. To these, in Greek pictures,
a fifth is generally added, St. Cyril of Alexandria.
From the time of the schism between the Eastern and Western Churches,
these venerable personages, who once exercised such an influence over
all Christendom, who preceded the Latin Fathers, and were in fact their
teachers, have been almost banished from the religious representations
of the west of Europe. When they are introduced collectively as a part
of the decoration of an ecclesiastical edifice, we may conclude in
general, that the work is Byzantine and executed under the influence of
Greek artists.
A signal example is the central dome of the baptistery of St. Mark’s at
Venice, executed by Greek artists of the 12th and 13th centuries. In
the four spandrils of the vault are the Greek Fathers seated, writing
(if I well remember), and in the purest Byzantine style of art. They
occupy the same places here that we find usually occupied by the Latin
Doctors in church decoration: each has his name inscribed in Greek
characters. We have exactly the same representation in the Cathedral
of Monreale at Palermo. The Greek Fathers have no attributes to
distinguish them, and the general custom in Byzantine Art of inscribing
the names over each figure renders this unnecessary: in general, each
holds a book, or, in some instances, a scroll, which represents his
writings; while the right hand is raised in benediction, in the Greek
manner, the first and second finger extended, and the thumb and third
finger forming a cross. According to the formula published by M.
Didron, each of the Greek Fathers bears on a scroll the first words
of some remarkable passage from his works: thus, St. John Chrysostom
has ‘God, our God, who hath given us for food the bread of life,’ &c.:
St. Basil, ‘None of those who are in the bondage of fleshly desires are
worthy,’ &c.: St. Athanasius, ‘Often, and anew, do we flee to thee, O
God,’ &c.: St. Gregory Nazianzen, ‘God, the holy among the holies, the
thrice holy,’ &c.: and St. Cyril, ‘Above all, a Virgin without sin or
blemish,’ &c.
[Illustration: _The five Greek Fathers._]
The Greek bishops do not wear mitres; consequently, when in the Italian
or German pictures St. Basil or any of his companions wear the mitre,
it is a mistake arising from the ignorance of the artist.
The Fathers of the Greek Church have been represented by Domenichino
at Grotta Ferrata, placed over the cornice and under the evangelists,
their proper place: they are majestic figures, with fine heads, and
correctly draped according to the Greek ecclesiastical costume. They
are placed here with peculiar propriety, because the convent originally
belonged to the Greek order of St. Basil, and the founder, St. Nilus,
was a Greek.[290]
The etched outline, from a beautiful ancient Greek miniature, will give
an accurate idea of the characteristic figures and habits of the Greek
Fathers.
* * * * *
As separate devotional and historical representations of these Fathers
do sometimes, though rarely, occur, I shall say a few words of them
individually.