The Virgin Mary and the Icon of the Unburnt Bush

Just as the bush burned with fire without being consumed, the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ while remaining a virgin.

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Every year on September 4, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Feast of the Most Holy Theotokos the Unburnt Bush Icon. This significant iconographic representation of the Virgin Mary, most commonly referred to as “The Unburnt Bush Icon” is rooted in the biblical story of Moses going up Mount Horeb, as told in the Book of Exodus.

The account in Exodus describes Moses tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, when he encounters a miraculous sight on Horeb –the mountain of God. The narrative goes:

“There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a bush of fire. Moses saw that although the bush was on fire, it did not burn up. So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush is not being consumed. When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from inside the bush, “Moses! Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am. Come no nearer,’ God said. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. Then he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”
Exodus 3, 1-5.

In the Orthodox tradition, the Burning Bush is seen as a typological prefiguration of the Virgin Mary. Just as the bush burned with fire without being consumed, the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ while remaining a virgin. This interpretation is in line with the theological views of many Greek Fathers and early Ecumenical Councils, who held that in this encounter Moses heard the pre-incarnate Word of God, theLogos –as introduced in the opening verses of John’s Gospel.

The iconography of this miracle often depicts the bush and the flames symbolically by means of two overlapping diamonds: a green one symbolizing the bush and a red one representing the flames. Together, they form an eight-pointed star, symbolizing the “Ancient of Days,” a title for God found in the Book of Daniel. This visual representation encapsulates the profound theological significance of the event and its connection to the Virgin Mary, emphasizing her unique role in salvation history as the Theotokos, or “God-bearer.”