one might notice the similarities between the traditional depictions of the dormition of the theotokos in byzantine iconography and the account of the death of the egyptian desert father, sisoes the great. in both christ is seen coming to receive the soul of the dying saint surrounded by an aureola or cloud of blinding light and accompanied by the angels and prophets. in byzantine iconography the other christs shown surrounded by such a cloud of light are those also seen in icons of the transfiguration, the resurrection and the last judgment. one might further note that in some icons of the dormition the theotokos is depicted at the top of the icon in a similar aureola before the opening gates of heaven. this suggests that contemporary accounts of the deaths of the desert fathers accompanied by sudden burst of light came to influence the development of the iconography of the dormition.