Zhdan Dementiev, 1630

Copy

Forefather Judah is depicted full-length and is turned to the central image. He is dressed in a red robe and a green himation. He is holding an open scroll with his prophecy in his hand. The margins, the halo and the background of the icon are decorated with a copper cover with stamping. 

Judah was the fourth son of Jacob and Leah, the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Judah. Judah was the patrilinear ancestor of the Davidic line that refers to the lineage of King David. Joseph of Nazareth who was married to Mary, Jesus’ mother, also came from this lineage. According to the book of Genesis, it was Judah who suggested that his brother Joseph should be sold to a caravan going to Egypt rather than killed as other brothers (except Reuben) wanted.  

At the moment when they left Egypt, the Tribe of Judah was the most numerous among all Israelite tribes. Later on, one of the Jewish states — the Kingdom of Judah, the people of the Kingdom of Judah in Hebrew and other languages (Jews) and the religion of Judaism were named after Judah.

The icon was restored by the team of I.P. Yaroslavtsev in the Inter-Regional Special Scientific Restoration Workshop of the Rosrestavratsiya Association in the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR in 1978-1979.