ABSTRACT
The King of Glory shows Christ in the hours between his deposition and entombment—a time that intimates his descent into Hades and imminent Resurrection. It is an image of penance, self-renunciation, and salvation— the consummate ascetical and eschato-logical icon—that brings the viewer to an unprecedented proximity with the theanthropic body and the mystery of its living death. There are analogies in the Ladder between the death and burial of Christ and the ascetic life, and suggestions of theotic experiences in the thirtieth and final rudder that recall Maximus. In the same way, the ascetic, a whole person with all her senses, emotions and thoughts, seeks to participate in the divine life. This movement, as noted earlier, can be observed in the King of Glory. Ancient ascetic precepts and corporal discipline (including self-flagellation) were taught to the College's native students who in the early, idealistic years of the project were seen as potential candidates for the priesthood.
