The Deesis on Van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece: Its Potential for a Liturgical Theology Today

The core argument in this article is that it is meaningful and revealing to look at a world-famous medieval piece of art, in this case, the Ghent Altarpiece, to raise questions relevant for contemporary liturgical theology. The article starts with an evocation of where and how the Altarpiece is today exhibited for the public, and continues by elucidating the historical context for which it was created. This is followed by a brief interpretation of the Altarpiece's complex iconographic program showing how a focus on the Eucharist sheds light on the whole. The assertion is then made to argue that the central figure on the upper level of the opened polyptych is not God the Father, as is often held, but the Son of God. The major argument for this relies on the fact that the three central figures on the upper level together constitute a deesis, as often found in the Byzantine tradition of icons. Mary, the Mother of God, and Saint John the Baptist pray for humankind to Jesus Christ in his eschatological capacity of king, ruler, and judge. If and inasmuch as this is the case, this observation gives rise to intriguing questions for liturgical theologians, in particular questions related to the ways in which the connections between the earthly and the heavenly liturgy are to be understood.