Christ Pantocrator (Sinai)

[6] Many agree that the icon represents the dual nature of Christ, illustrating traits of both man and God,[7] perhaps influenced by the aftermath of the ecumenical councils of the previous century at Ephesus and Chalcedon.

[14] As with many of the early icons from Sinai, the Christ Pantocrator was created by using encaustic—a medium using hot wax paint—that was rare in the Byzantine world after the iconoclastic controversies of the eighth and ninth centuries.

[17] The Muslim Arabs quickly took control of the southern Levant, including Egypt and Sinai, severing the monastery's of Saint Catherine's ties with Constantinople in 640 AD.

[18] Thus by the era of iconoclasm initiated by Emperor Leo III in 726, the Monastery of Saint Catherine had already been protected under Muslim rule for nearly a century and was insulated from the destruction.

[19] Furthermore, the location of St. Catherine's in the rocky desert of Sinai, far away from any major trade or military route, kept the religious art housed within the monastery away from raiders as well as conquering armies.