The Life of Christ in Art Form

Crown of Thorns

Volume 1

Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 The Annunciation ........................................................................................................................ 2 The Nativity ................................................................................................................................. 3 The Epiphany .............................................................................................................................. 4 The Presentation ......................................................................................................................... 5 Flight into Egypt .......................................................................................................................... 6 The Finding of the Savior in the Temple ...................................................................................... 7 John the Baptist .......................................................................................................................... 8 Baptism in the Jordan ................................................................................................................. 9 Temptation of Jesus .................................................................................................................. 10 The Calling of the Apostles ....................................................................................................... 11 The Wedding Feast of Cana ..................................................................................................... 12 Sermon on the Mount (Beatitudes)............................................................................................ 13 Christ and the Centurion ........................................................................................................... 14 The Good Samaritan ................................................................................................................. 15 Christ in the Storm of the Sea of Galilee ................................................................................... 16 Jesus Summons Matthew to Leave the Tax Office .................................................................... 18 The Miracle of the Healing of the Blind Man .............................................................................. 19 The Transfiguration ................................................................................................................... 20 The Miracle of Raising Lazarus from the Dead .......................................................................... 21 The Prodigal Son ...................................................................................................................... 22 Christ in the House of Martha and Mary .................................................................................... 23 Christ's Entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday) ............................................................................ 25 The Betrayal by Judas .............................................................................................................. 26 The Last Supper ....................................................................................................................... 27 The Agony in the Garden .......................................................................................................... 28 The Kiss of Judas ..................................................................................................................... 29 The Arrest of Jesus ................................................................................................................... 30 Jesus Before Caiaphas ............................................................................................................. 31 Jesus Mocked ........................................................................................................................... 32 Christ and Pilate. ....................................................................................................................... 33 The Flagellation ........................................................................................................................ 34 Christ Crowned with Thorns ...................................................................................................... 35

Ecce Homo (Behold the Man) ................................................................................................... 36 The Carrying of the Cross ......................................................................................................... 37 The Crucifixion .......................................................................................................................... 39 The Lamentation ....................................................................................................................... 40 The Resurrection ...................................................................................................................... 42 Supper in Emmaus.................................................................................................................... 43 Doubting Thomas ...................................................................................................................... 44 The Ascension .......................................................................................................................... 45 St Paul and Saint Peter ............................................................................................................. 46 The Light of the World ............................................................................................................... 48

Introduction
This volume was compiled so as to provide possible inspiration and assistance in the meditation of the life of Christ. The painters who depict various events in the life of Christ have reproduced paintings which some think have been inspired by God. Whether or not there is such inspiration within these paintings the main point is that they vividly depict Jesus at the most important stages of His life. In compiling this volume it has not been possible to present the life of Christ as comprehensively as the written word in the New Testament. This was not the purpose the intention was only to provide an aid to giving a more pictorial version of some aspects of Jesus's life when meditating on verse from the New Testament. Another volume is under preparation depicting the miracles of Jesus in art form to be followed up by the parables of Jesus. In the words of Thomas OKempis He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness says Our Lord. In these words Christ counsels us to follow His life and way if we desire true enlightenment and freedom from all blindness of heart. Let the life of Jesus Christ, then, be our first consideration ". The hope is that this volume will act as an aid to some to walk in the light of Christ through meditation assisted by the images of Jesus's life as portrayed in this volume. "May the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, and the fullness of his message live within you." (Col 3 15:16)

The Annunciation

Annunciation by Paolo de Matteis (also known as Paolo de' Matteis; born 9 February 1662 26 January 1728) was an Italian painter. He was born in Cilento near Salerno, and died in Naples. He trained with Francesco di Maria in Naples, then with Luca Giordano. He came to the employ of the Spanish Viceroy of Naples. From 1702 to 1705, de' Matteis worked in Paris, Calabria, and Genoa. In Genoa, he painted an Immaculate conception with St. Jerome appearing to St. Sevrio. Returning to Naples, he painted decorative schemes for Neapolitan churches, including the vault of the chapel of San Ignatius in the church of Ges Nuovo in Naples. He also painted an Assumption of the Virgin for the Abbey at Monte Cassino. Between 17231725, de' Matteis lived in Rome, where he received a commission from Pope Innocent XIII. The Annunciation (anglicised from the Latin Vulgate Luke 1:26-39 Annuntiatio nativitatis Christi), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, marking his Incarnation. Gabriel told Mary to name her son Jesus, meaning "Saviour".

The Nativity

The Nativity by Gerard van Honthorst (Gerrit van Honthorst) , (4 November 1592 27 April 1656) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Early in his career he visited Rome, where he had great success painting in a style influenced by Caravaggio. Following his return to the Netherlands he became a leading portrait painter. The Nativity of Jesus, also The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus, primarily based on the two accounts in the gospels of Luke and Matthew, and secondarily on some apocryphal texts. The word is anglicized from Latin De nativitate Iesu, a section title in the Vulgate. The canonical gospels of Luke and Matthew describe Jesus being born in Bethlehem, in Judea, to a virgin mother. Luke features the Christmas story, in which Joseph and Mary, as part of a census, travel to Bethlehem, where Jesus is born and laid in a manger.

The Epiphany

The Adoration of the Magi by Diego Rodrguez de Silva y Velzquez (1599-1660), born in 1599 in Seville, the first child of Juan Rodriguez de Silva and Jeronima Velzquez, members of the lesser nobility. Almost nothing is known about Diegos siblings five brothers and a sister. Velzquez seems to have started his apprenticeship with Francisco de Herrera the Elder (c.1590-1654), but a short while later (in 1611) his father put him with Francisco Pacheco (1564-1644), who was an artist of modest talent, but a tolerant teacher and a man of society. Francisco Pacheco had good contacts in the royal court and besides, intellectuals of the city, poets, scholars, and artists, liked to meet at his workshop to discuss the subjects of classical antiquity, Raphael, Michelangelo and above all Titian, as well as the theory of art. At this time, Velazquez became familiar with the school of Caravaggio Epiphany, ("manifestation", "striking appearance") or Theophany (Ancient Greek), heophaneia meaning "vision of God"), which traditionally falls on January 6, is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. Western Christians commemorate principally (but not solely) the visit of the Magi to the Baby Jesus, and thus Jesus' physical manifestation to the Gentiles. Eastern Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, seen as his manifestation to the world as the Son of God.
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The Presentation

The Presentation in the Temple by Vittore Carpaccio (c.1455/65-1525/26), neither the date of Capriccio's birth nor the date of his death are known precisely. This master was born in Venice c. 1455/60. His first known works, however, do not appear until 1490, the date on one of the canvases in the cycle illustrating the Legend of Saint Ursula for the Scuola di S. Orsola. The cycle was completed by 1495; the life and times of the saint are used as a pretext for an imaginary reconstruction of the 15th century Venice. This most famous group of paintings by Carpaccio with crowds of people in exquisite clothes and wonderful architecture in the background evokes the magical charm of the city The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, which falls on 2 February, celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus. Other traditional names include Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, and the Meeting of the Lord. In the Roman Catholic Church the "Feast of the Presentation of the Lord" is a Feast Day, the major feast between the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle on 25 January and the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle on 22 February. In the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple is the fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary.
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Flight into Egypt

Flight into Egypt by Giotto, Giotto di Bondone (1266/7 January 8, 1337) is an Italian painter and architect, born in Vespignano, near Florence. The most innovative artist of his time, Giotto was described by Dante as the foremost painter, displacing the elder Cimabue in fame and fortune. Posterity, however, has seen Giotto in stronger terms, as the revolutionary who altered the course of painting in Western Europe, striking out of the Gothic and Byzantine styles towards the Renaissance. Giotto's masterwork is the decoration of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, also known as the Arena Chapel, completed around 1305. This fresco cycle depicts the life of the Virgin and the life of Christ. Flight into Egypt is recorded by Matthew (2:13-15). After the birth of Jesus and homage paid to him by shepherds and the Magi, an angel came to Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary, in a dream and ordered him "to take the young child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." So Joseph got up took the baby and his mother by night and departed into Egypt, where they stayed till Herod's death. "This was to fulfill what the Lord had declared through the prophet: 'Out of Egypt I have called my son." (Matthew 2:13-15)

The Finding of the Savior in the Temple

The Finding of the Savior in the Temple by William Holman Hunt (1827-1910) born in London, the son of a warehouse manager. He worked as an office clerk before being accepted at the Royal Academy Schools in 1844. He met J.E. Millais around this time. He exhibited at the Royal Manchester Institution from 1845, and at the Royal Academy and the British Institution from 1846. In September 1848, with D.G. Rossetti and Millais, he formed the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The passage illustrated is from the Gospel of Luke, 2:41, which states: Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

John the Baptist

John the Baptist by El Greco (1541-1614), who was a most unusual painter in 16th-century Europe, and combined the strict Byzantine style of his homeland, Greece, with influences received during his studies in Venice and the medieval tradition of the country where he worked, Spain. Domenicos Theotocopoulos, later called El Greco, the Greek, by the Spaniards, was born in Candia, on the island of Crete. Nothing is known of his parentage. He was trained as icon-maker in a monastery; he then went to Venice (soon after 1560), where Titian became his greatest mentor. St. John the Baptist, son of St. Elisabeth and the priest Zacharias, announces and precedes the coming of the Messiah and is therefore known as the Precursor. His story is told in the Gospels: Matthew 3: 1-17; 14:1-12; Mark 1:1-12; 6:7-29; Luke 3:1-20; John 1:29-34.The future apostles Peter and Andrew were numbered among his disciples. When time came, John the Baptist appeared in Judaea. He was wearing a 'rough coat of camel's hair, with a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locust and wild honey. (Matthew 3:4). John proclaimed: "Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is upon you!' And people from Jerusalem, Judaea, and the Jordan valley hurried to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. (Mathew 3:5-6).John baptized Jesus and recognized him as the Messiah. King Herod was much disturbed by the activities of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. John was imprisoned for censuring the incestuous marriage between Herod Antipas and Herodias, the wife of his brother. Herod would have liked to put John the Baptist to death, but he was afraid of the people, in whose eyes John was a prophet. At Herod's birthday party the daughter of Herodias, Salome, danced before the guests, and Herod was so delighted that gave an oath to fulfill any of her wishes. Prompted by her mother, Salome asked for the head of St. John the Baptist be presented to her on a dish. At this the king was distressed, but because of his oath he ordered the request be granted, and had John beheaded in prison. The head was brought on a dish and given to the girl; and she carried it to her mother. Then John's disciples came and took away the body, and buried it. (Matthew 14: 1-12).
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Baptism in the Jordan

Baptism of Christ by Bartolom Esteban Murillo (1618-1682), who was the youngest of fourteen children of a Sevillian barber, Gaspar Esteban, and his wife Maria Peres. In 1627, his father died, a year later he lost his mother. Murillos elder sisters and brothers were already grown up and could take care of themselves, while the 10 year old Bartolom was adopted into the family of his aunt, married to a wealthy Sevillian doctor. Baptism of Christ is decribed in the Gospels: Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:29-34. In the course of time John the Baptist appeared in Judaea and proclaimed: 'Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is upon you!' (Matthew 3:1-2). "Everyone flocked to him from Jerusalem, Judaea, and the Jordan valley, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins." (Matthew 3:5-6). Then Jesus arrived to the Jordan river and asked John to baptize him. At first John refused, saying 'It is I who need to be baptized by you.' (Mat.3:14), but Jesus insisted as it was commanded by God. Then John agreed. "No sooner had Jesus been baptized and come up out of the water than the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove to alight on him. And there came a voice from heaven saying, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I take delight.' (Matthew 3:1617).
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Temptation of Jesus

Temptation of Jesus by Fra Angelico (c.1395-1455). The life of Fra Giovanni da Fiesole, baptized as Guido di Piero (born around 1395 in Vicchio di Mugello, died in Rome in 1455) is the stuff of legend. "Angelic" was how he came to be known soon after his death; the name "Beato" was a comment on his painting and not a reference to his beatification, which happened only recently, in 1984. The Temptation of Jesus or Jesus in the Wilderness: As the apostles testify (Mark 1:12; Matthew 4:1-8; Luke 4:1-13) after Jesus was baptized the Spirit led him into the wilderness, to be tempted by the Devil. After forty days fast the Devil approached him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. And Jesus answered, Man is not to live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. The Devil then took Jesus to Jerusalem on the Temple and said, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down and angels will rescue you. And Jesus answered, that you are not to put the Lord your God to the test. The Devil then took Jesus on the highest mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and said that he would give them to Jesus if only he agreed to do homage to the Devil. And Jesus said, Out of my sight, Satan! Then the Devil left him.

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The Calling of the First Apostles

Landscape on the Coast, with the Calling of St. Peter and St. Andrew by Jan Brueghel the Elder (1601-1678). Pieter Bruegel the Elder, nicknamed Peasant Bruegel was probabl y the most significant and exciting painter in the Northern Europe during the middle part of the sixteenth century. His nickname Peasant Bruegel indicates to his subjects: peasant life, proverbs and genre scenes, the New Testament topics set among common folks of contemporary Flanders. The call of the first disciples of Jesus is a key episode in the life of Jesus in the New Testament. It appears in Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20 and Luke 5:1-11 on the Sea of Galilee. John 1:35-51 reports the first encounter with two of the disciples a little earlier in the presence of John the Baptist. Particularly in the Gospel of Mark, the beginning of the Ministry of Jesus and the call of the first disciples are inseparable. In the Gospel of John the first disciples are also disciples of John the Baptist and one of them is identified as Andrew, the brother of Apostle Peter: The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah". The Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark report the call of the first disciples by the Sea of Galilee: As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. The Gospel of Luke reports the call by the Sea of Galilee too, but along with the first Miraculous draught of fishes. In all Gospel accounts, this episode takes place after the Baptism of Jesus. The gathering of the disciples in John 1:35-51 follows the many patterns of discipleship that continue in the New Testament, in that those who have received someone else's witness become witnesses to Jesus themselves. Andrew follows Jesus because of the testimony of John the Baptist, Philip brings Nathanael and the pattern continues in John 4:4-26 where the Samaritan Woman at the Well testifies to the town people about Jesus.
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The Wedding Feast of Cana

Marriage Feast at Cana by Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516), Bosch lived and worked in Hertogenbosch, the place from which he takes his name, a fairly quiet Dutch city. His training as a painter Bosch, most probably, received in the family. Sometime between 1479 and 1481 Bosch married Aleyt Goyaerts van den Meervenne, evidently some years his senior. She came from a good family and had considerable wealth of her own. In 1486-87, Bosch's name appears for the first time in the membership lists of the Brotherhood of Our Lady, with which he was closely associated for the rest of his life. There was a wedding feast at Cana in Galilee (John 2:1). St John is the only evangelist who tells the story of the first miracle of Jesus, which he worked at a wedding celebration in Cana. At the request of Our Lady he turned the water into wine. It was also in Galilee that he worked the second of his miracles, the curing of the sick son of a court official, at Capharnaum (see John 4:46-51).
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Sermon on the Mount (Beatitudes)

The Sermon on the Mount by Carl Henrich Bloch, Bloch (May 23, 1834 - February 22, 1890) was a Danish painter. He was born in Copenhagen and studied with Wilhelm Marstrand at the Royal Danish Academy of Art. There. His early work featured rural scenes from everyday life. From 1859 to 1866, Bloch lived in Italy, and this period was important for the development of his historical style. The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 5, 6 and 7). It is the first of the Five Discourses of Matthew and takes place relatively early in the Ministry of Jesus after he has been baptized by John the Baptist and preached in Galilee. The Sermon is the longest piece of teaching from Jesus in the New Testament, and has been one of the most widely quoted elements of the Canonical Gospels. It includes some of the best known teachings of Jesus, such as the Beatitudes, and the widely recited Lord's Prayer. To most believers in Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount contains the central tenets of Christian discipleship.
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Christ and the Centurion

Christ and the Centurion by Paollo Veronese (1528-1588), Paolo Caliari was born in 1528 in Verona, Italy; he later came to be known as Veronese after his birthplace. At fourteen years old he was apprenticed to several local masters in turn, and eventually, he found himself a mentor in the architect Michele Sanmicheli, who introduced him to the styles of painters from outside Verona and also influenced the architectural style in Veronese's paintings. Veroneses talent quickly became apparent and he made a name for himself early on in his career. One of his earliest celebrated paintings, Christ Healing a Woman with an Issue of Blood, was painted when he was only around 20 years old. He developed his style based on Central Italian art, which set him apart from the other local artists, and he used elements from other masters such as Raphael and Titian. At his peak, Veronese shared the stage of Renaissance painting with Titan and Tintoretto, and the three often competed for patronage and prestige. Healing the centurion's servant is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. According to the Gospels, a Roman centurion asked Jesus for help because his boy servant was ill. Jesus offered to go to the centurion's house to perform the healing, but the centurion suggested that Jesus perform the healing at a distance. When Jesus heard this, he said: Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would. And the boy was healed at that very hour.

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The Good Samaritan

The Good Samaritan by William Hogarth (1697 1764). Hogarth is unquestionably one of the greatest English artists and a man of remarkably individual character and thought. He is the great innovator in English art. On one hand, he was the first to paint themes from Shakespeare, Milton and the theater, and the founder of a wholly original genre of moral history, which was long known as Hogarthian. On the other, he investigated the aesthetic principles of his art, which resulted in his book The Analysis of Beauty(1753). The Good Samaritan is a parable of Christ, which was recorded by St. Luke (10:30-35). One day a man, travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho, was attacked by robbers, who beat, bound and left him by the road. Many respectable people passed by, not offering help. A Samaritan (a member of a people despised by the Hebrews) saw the wounded man and helped him: treated his wounds, took him to an inn, left him there until full recovery, and paid the bill.

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Christ in the Storm of the Sea of Galilee

The Storm of the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669), born on 15th July, 1606, in Leiden. After seven years schooling (1613-1620), Rembrandt entered the Philosophical Faculty of Leiden University to study Classics. A short period at the university finished with starting a period of apprenticeship (1622-24) under the Italy-trained painter Jacob Isaacszoon van Swanenburgh. However, the succeeding half-year studies under Pieter Lastman, the Amsterdam artist of historical paintings, influenced Rembrandts work much deeper. In 1625 the 19 -year-old Rembrandt returned to Leiden and opened his own studio, which he shared with his friend of the same age, Jan Lievens THEN the evening came, after teaching all day by the sea and in the house, Jesus saw that the crowds of people were still pressing around him, and there was no time for him to rest. Jesus said, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake." So they took Jesus into the boat, and began to row across the Sea of Galilee. Other little boats were with them, for many wished to go with Jesus. While they were rowing, Jesus fell asleep, resting on a cushion of the boat.

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Suddenly a storm arose, and drove great waves of water into the boat, so that it was in danger of sinking, but Jesus slept on. The disciples woke him, saying, Master, Master, we are lost! Help us, or we shall perish! Matthew 8:23-34, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-40

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Jesus Summons Matthew to Leave the Tax Office

Jesus Summons Matthew to Leave the Tax Office by Jan Sanders van Hemessen (c.1500 - 1565/75), Jan Sanders van Hemessen is a Netherlandish, Flemish, painter of religious and genre scenes and portraits. Very little is known about him. He was born in Hemiksen, near Antwerp, around 1500. In 1524, he became a master of the Antwerp St. Lukas Guild. About 1550 he moved to Haarlem, where he died c. 1565-1575. His paintings on popular proverbs and religious parables are fulfilled in a realistic style. Hemessen possessed not only artistic skills but also a keen sense of humour, his paintings look like satire on everyday life. Hemessen is considered one of the founders of Flemish genre painting. As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, Follow me. And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? But when he heard this, he said, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Matthew 9. 9:12.

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The Miracle of the Healing of the Blind Man

Christ Healing the Blind by El Greco (1541-1614) Christ Healing the Blind Man. St. John (9:1-7) describes the episode how Christ restored the sight of a man blind from birth: He put an ointment on the eyes of the man and sent him to wash in a pool, on his return the blindness was cured. St. Matthew (20:29-34) describes a similar incident when 2 blind men were cured near Jericho.

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The Transfiguration

The Transfiguration by Raffaello Santi, known as Raphael, or Raphael of Urbino, (1483-1520) was born in Urbino on Good Friday 6 April 1483, the son of Magia di Battista di Nicola Ciarla and Giovanni Santi di Pietro. His father was a painter and poet at the court of Frederico da Montefeltre, one of the most famous princes and art patrons of Early Renaissance Italy Raphael (1483-1520) Transfiguration is described by Luke (9:28-36): (Jesus) took Peter and John and James, and went up into the mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. The two men, prophets Moses and Elias, came to talk to Jesus, while his accompanying disciples were fast asleep, and when they were awake, they, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. Peter suggests they erect three tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he was speaking, a cloud overshadowed them and a voice said: This is my beloved Son: hear him.
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The Miracle of Raising Lazarus from the Dead

The Raising of Lasarus by Giotto (1266-1337), Giotto di Bondone is an Italian painter and architect, born in Vespignano, near Florence. The most innovative artist of his time, Giotto was described by Dante as the foremost painter, displacing the elder Cimabue in fame and fortune. Posterity, however, has seen Giotto in stronger terms, as the revolutionary who altered the course of painting in Western Europe, striking out of the Gothic and Byzantine styles towards the Renaissance. Raising of Lazarus. The miracle of the raising of Lazarus is cited in the Gospel by St. John (11:1-44). Lazarus, a dweller of the village of Bethany, fell ill and his sisters, Martha and Mary, pleaded Jesus to heal their brother. They were far from Bethany at the moment and it took some time for Jesus to arrive to their house. Unfortunately they came four days after Lazarus had died. Jesus then had the stone of Lazarus' tomb removed and cried in a loud voice: "Lazarus, come forth. The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with linen bandages, his face wrapped in a cloth, and Jesus said: 'Loose him, and let him go.'" (John 11-43-44).

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The Prodigal Son

The Prodigal Son by Rembrandt (1606-1669) The Prodigal Son, also known as Two Sons, Lost Son and The Running Father is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears in only one of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament. According to the Gospel of Luke (Luke 15:11-32), a father gives the younger of his two sons his inheritance before he dies. The younger son, after wasting his fortune (the word 'prodigal' means 'wastefully extravagant'), goes hungry during a famine. He then repents and returns home, where the father holds a feast to celebrate his return. The older son refuses to participate, stating that in all the time the son has worked for the father, he did not even give him a goat to celebrate with his friends. His father reminds the older son that everything the father has is the older son's, but that they should still celebrate the return of the younger son as he has come back to them. It is the third and final part of a cycle on redemption, following the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Parable of the Lost Coin.
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Christ in the House of Martha and Mary

Christ in the House of Martha and Mary by Jan Bruegel the Younger (1601-1678) is the son of and Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), Jan Bruegel the Younger is the son of the elder. Peter Paul Rubens was born into the family of a Calvinist who had to live in exile from Antwerp. On his father's death, Rubens mother returned to Antwerp in 1587, where he was brought up and educated in the Catholic faith. At the age of fourteen (1591) he entered the household of a Flemish princess as a page, and began to study painting first under Tobias Verhaecht, then under Adam van Noort, and then under Otho Venius. In 1598, he was accepted as master in the Lukas Guild, though continued to work in Veniuss workshop until 1600. Truly, Mary and Martha were courageous women who loved and dared. They lived in a precarious situation. To commit themselves to the movement of Jesus, while living in Judea so close to Jerusalem was risky." The two women were bold followers of Jesus who have inspired others through the centuries to offer hospitality, study the scriptures, and love God and neighbor-- even in the face of danger. The first story about them occurs in Lukes gospel. It happened in a town near Jericho, which is between Galilee, where Jesus came from, and Jerusalem, where he died. Jesus visited their house. Martha prepared food for the guests; Mary sat and listened to Jesus. Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a
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sister named Mary, who sat at the Lords feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me. But the Lord answered her Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:38-42). A second story about Martha and Mary occurs in Johns gospel (John 11:1-44). It happened in the town of Bethany, a small town near Jerusalem but separated from it by the Kidron Valley. It was about three kilometers east of the city, a comfortable walk for people at that time. Lazarus was very ill, so Martha and Mary sent a message to Jesus, asking him to come. Jesus received the message, but put off coming for two days. In the meantime, Lazarus died of his illness. As was the custom, a continual stream of friends and relatives came to comfort Martha and Mary, and to mourn for Lazarus. After a funeral, the family of the dead person stayed at home for seven days, sitting barefoot on the floor or on a low bench. They did not wash themselves or their clothes, or do any work. They did not cook, but were given food by relatives. (See 'Major Events' for further information on death and burial in ancient Jewish culture.) When Jesus eventually arrived, Lazarus had already been buried in the tomb for four days. Present-day interior of the tomb said to have belonged to Lazarus. The length of time, four days, is important. It means that the custom of inspecting the body three days after burial, to make sure that the person was dead had already been carried out. As Jesus approached, Martha went out to meet him on the road. She reproached him for being so long in coming. "When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him. Jesus said to her Your brother will rise again. Martha said to him I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. Jesus said to her I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? She said to him Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world. (John 11:20-27)". The last story it is the last year of Jesus's ministry, Jesus again visited his friends at Bethany, just prior to going into Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. This was the week before his death. All his friends knew that Jesus was in grave danger. They did not want him to go anywhere near Jerusalem. The house at Bethany was a safe place, a refuge. Martha, Mary and Lazarus gave a dinner for Jesus and the people who were with him. In was the custom when guests arrived for dinner to give them a refreshing foot bath. Then they either sat at a table, or lay propped up on couches surrounding a central food table. Ancient table pots and plates, excavated in Israel People always ate from a communal centre platter, which contained the main dish. There might be small side dishes. It was essential to wash themselves before eating, because they ate with their fingers from the one plate knives and forks were not used, and food was scooped up with a piece of bread. Depending on the circumstances, women and men might share a meal, sitting together. Because they prepared the food, women also brought the food to the table, as Martha did in this story. Martha served at the meal. Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12:1-8) Jesus knew he was in great danger, and that the path he meant to take might end in a terrible death. Mary also knew the danger that Jesus was in, and that he faced an ominous future. She offered her gift as a comfort and a reassurance to him, and perhaps as something more. She believed he was the Messiah, and the nard was her anointing oil.
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Christ's Entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)

Christ's Entry into Jerusalem by Benjamin Robert Haydon (26 January 1786 22 June 1846) was an English painter, specialising in grand historical pictures, although he also painted a few contemporary subjects and, with some reluctance, portraits. He was troubled by financial problems throughout his life, which led to several periods of imprisonment for debt. He committed suicide in 1846. Haydon was impelled by strong personal faith to undertake his un-commissioned religious canvases. The years of labour he expended on them helped to ruin him. It was his aim to cast out doubt as well as win fame, and in Christ's Entry into Jerusalem, he addressed the issue of doubt directly, assembling past rationalists and sceptics like Voltaire and his own more devout friends like Wordsworth among the watching crowd. Their varied reactions to Christ's appearance amount to a debate on faith Christ Entering Jerusalem is the final visit to the city, described by all four evangelists: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-38; John 12:12-15. It happened several days before the Passover festival, and the crowds of pilgrims who had come for the festival went out to meet him "with palm branches in their hands, shouting, 'Hosanna! blessed is the king of Israel!" (John 12:13). "Crowds of people carpeted the road with their cloaks, and some cut branches from the trees to spread in his path." (Matthew 21:8) "Jesus found a donkey and mounted it, in accordance with the words of scripture: 'Fear no more, daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, mounted on a donkey's colt.' At the time his disciples did not understand this, but after Jesus had been glorified they remembered that this had been written about him, and that it had happened to him." (John 12:14-16). When he entered Jerusalem the whole city went wild with excitement. 'Who is this?' people asked, and the crowds replied, 'This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.' (Matthew 21:10-11)
25

The Betrayal by Judas

The Betrayal of Judas by Giotto (1266-1337) Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple. Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. Luke 21:37 and 22:1-6
26

The Last Supper

The Last Supper by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449-1494), Domenico di Tommaso Bigordi called Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449 Florence 1494 Florence) was one of the most popular Florentine artists of his time. His father, Tommaso di Curradi Bigordi, had a business with jewelry, and Domenico started as a goldsmith. His nickname of Ghirlandaio, i. e. the "Garland-maker", came from his specialty, namely, the manufacture of silver or gold crowns or diadems, popular with young women of Florence Last Supper, the last meal Christ took with his 12 disciples, is described in all four Gospels (Matthew 26:17-29; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-23; John 13:1-30). Knowing his hour had come and that he must leave this world, Jesus ordered the Passover supper be organized in the house of a certain man. (Passover is the Jewish festival celebrating Exodus from the Egyptian imprisonment). Before the supper Christ rose from the table, took off his outer garment and, taking a towel, tied it round him. Then he poured water into a basin, and began to wash his disciples feet and to wipe them with a towel. When he came to Simon Peter, Peter protested that the Lord must not wash the feet of his disciples and that he will never let Jesus wash his feet. Jesus replied, 'You do not understand now what I am doing, but one day you will.' 'If I do not wash you have no part with me.' (John 13: 6-8). After washing their feet Jesus put on his garment and sat down again. (John 13:4-5).

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The Agony in the Garden

The Agony in the Garden by Albrecht Altdorfer (1480-1538), Albrecht Altdorfer (14801538) was a German painter, engraver, architect and leading member of the "Danube School" of German painting. His most outstanding works are biblical and historical subjects set against highly imaginative and atmospheric landscape backgrounds. On the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:30-35; Mark 14:26-31; Luke 21:39-45). Following the Last Supper Jesus with his disciples went to the mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them that tonight you will all lose faith because of me; for it is written: I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I am raised, I shall go ahead of you into Galilee.' Peter replied, Everyone else may lose faith because of you, but I never will. And Jesus answered, that tonight before the cock crows you will disown me three times. (Matthew 26: 31-35).

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The Kiss of Judas

The Kiss of Judas by Giotto (1266-1337). Arrest of Christ, this event is usually divided into two episodes: the Kiss of Judas, by which the traitor showed the wanted man, Jesus, and the arrest itself. After the arrest the disciples flee. The tradition links Judasbetrayal to Cains murder of his brother Abel.

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The Arrest of Jesus

The Arrest of Jesus by Duccio di Buoninsegna (c. 1255-1319). The great age of the Sienese School started with Duccio. Neither contemporary accounts of him nor any personally written documents have come down to us. Though there are many records for Duccio in municipal archives: records of changing of address, payments, civil penalties and contracts, which help to get an idea of the life of the painter. The arrest of Jesus is a pivotal event recorded in the canonical gospels. The event ultimately leads, in the Gospel accounts, to Jesus' crucifixion. Jesus was arrested by the Temple guards of the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane, shortly after the Last Supper (during which Jesus gave his final sermon), and immediately after the Kiss of Judas, which is traditionally said to have been an act of betrayal.
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Jesus Before Caiaphas

Jesus before Caiaphas by Duccio di Buoninsegna (c. 1255-1319). Trial of Jesus. After the arrest, Christ was handed over to the jurisdiction of the Sanhedrin. First, He is brought in front of Annas (John 18:12-23), the father-in-law of the high priest Caiaphas. After interrogation he then sent Jesus to Caiaphas. (Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; Luke 22:66-71). Christ in answer to Caiaphas's questions said that he was the awaited Messiah and the Son of the God. Caiaphas constituted that Jesus was guilty in blasphemy, punishable in Jewish law by death.

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Jesus Mocked

Jesus Mocked by Duccio di Buoninsegna (c. 1255-1319). The beating prisoners was a Roman practice, but the scourging and mocking of Jesus is likely presented by Mark because it fulfills certain Jewish prophecies. Micah 5:1, in particular, declares that with a rod they strike the ruler of Israel on the cheek. The scourging which occurred at the end of the previous passage was an especially vicious form of torture. While the victim was tied to a pillar, soldiers would strike him with whips that had pieces of bone or metal inserted in the leather. This had the effect of stripping the flesh off a persons body, piece by piece. The Roman soldiers attempt to mock Jesus by giving him a royal cloak and a crown designed to be an instrument of torture (here the cloak is royal purple; in Matthew, though, the cloak is scarlet). In so doing, however, their actions are for Mark an example of deep irony: in mocking Jesus, the soldiers also express the truth that Jesus is the King of the Jews.

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Christ and Pilate.

"Quod Est Veritas?" (What is Truth) by Nikolay Gay (1831 - 1894), Nikolay Nikolayevich Gay, a Russian artist, was born into a noble family of French origin: his great-grandfather emigrated from France at the end of the 18th century during the Great French Revolution. The parents of Gay died when he was still a child. He was brought up by his serf nurse, who taught him, as he later said, compassion for the humiliated and insulted, a keen sense of other peoples sorrows The guards brought Christ to the Roman governor of Judaea, Pontius Pilate. After interrogation Pilate could find no fault in this man and sent Him, since He was Galilean, to Herod, the then King of Galilee. This last mocked Christ and sent Him back to Pilate, who proposed to release Him. But the high priests present cried that Christ should be crucified, while the other man, Barabbas, who was under the trial for murder simultaneously with Christ, should be released on the spot. Pilate then washed his hands, saying I am innocent of the blood of this just person; he then released Barabbas, had Jesus scourged, and handed him over for crucifixion.
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The Flagellation

Flagellation and Crowning with Thorns by Luca Signorelli (1441-1523), was born in a bordering area of Umbria and Tuscany, in the town of Cortona. His career developed not only in the great capitals of art, such as Florence and Rome, but also in minor provincial centers in Umbria, Tuscany and Perugia This episode takes place after interrogation by Pilate, who washes his hands and delivers Jesus over to soldiers, who beat Him with whips stuck with lead and fragments of bone; after that the soldiers dress Him in purple, give Him a reed sceptre and put on His head a crown made of thorns, then they marched past Him, shouting Hail, King of Jews!

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Christ Crowned with Thorns

Christ Crowned with Thorns by Hieronymus Bosch (Dutch, 1450-1516) Four tormentors, four humours, four temperaments, four elements - how could man escape from this imprisonment? Erasmus had written in his Enchiridion militis Christiani. "The chief hope and comfort of victory is if thou know thyself to the uttermost. There was never no storm of vices that did so overcome and quench the heat of charity but it might be restored again at the flint stone of Christ. Let Christ continue and abide as He is indeed a very centre or middle point unmoved. "Here is the stillness that we find in the heart of Bosch's painting: the face of Christ, unmoved and unmarked by his assailants. Here is the stillness that marks off Bosch's scene from a hundred others. There is no breathing space in the picture, yet there is all the time in the world: a single moment is projected beyond its present into an eternal dimension. This is the stuff of meditation, and the real function of any devotional image. This is why the people of late Middle Ages and up to the present dwell on the sufferings of Christ. It is not just morbid fascination. They believe that identification with the Passion of Christ is the only way through the torments of this world to personal salvation."
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Ecce Homo (Behold the Man)

Ecce Homo by Hieronymus Bosch (Dutch, 1450-1516) Ecce Homo, Latin for Behold the man, words of Pontius Pilate. The episode occurs after Jesus Flagellation and the Crowning with Thorns. As the soldiers jeer at Christ Hail, King of the Jews! Pilate announces that he is about to produce the accused to the high priests and says Behold the man! When they see Christ they all cry out that he should be crucified.

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The Carrying of the Cross

The Carrying of the Cross by Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516) Carrying the Cross and Crucifixion, the execution for slaves in Ancient Rome. Christ was commanded to carry His cross to the place of execution on the mount of Calvary. During the carrying of the cross Jesus falls for the first time We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Is 53:6). Jesus meets his mother.

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Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'Look, he is des-tined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is opposed, so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare. And a sword will pierce your soul too.' (Lk 2:34-35). Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the cross. As they were leading him away they seized on a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and made him shoulder the cross and carry it behind Jesus. (Lk 23:26). Veronica wipes the face of Jesus He had no form or charm to attract us, no beauty to win our hearts; he was despised, the lowest of men, a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering, one from whom men hide their faces. (Is: 53,2-3) Jesus falls the second time. Ill-treated and afflicted, he never opened his mouth, like a lamb led to the slaughter-house, like a sheep dumb before its shearers he never opened his mouth. (Is 53:7) Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem Large numbers of people followed him, and women too, who mourned and lamented for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, 'Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep rather for yourselves and for your children. For look, the days are coming when people will say, "Blessed are those who are barren, the wombs that have never borne children, the breasts that have never suckled!" Then they will begin to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" to the hills, "Cover us!" For if this is what is done to green wood, what will be done when the wood is dry?' (Lk 23:27-31) Jesus falls the third time. He was pierced for our offenses, crushed because of our guilt; the punishment reconciling us fell on him, and we have been healed by his wounds. (Is 53:5) Jesus is stripped of his garments. When the soldiers had finished crucifying Jesus they took his clothing and divided it into four shares, one for each soldier. His undergarment was seamless, woven in one piece from neck to hem; so they said to one another, 'Instead of tearing it, let's throw dice to decide who is to have it.' In this way the words of scripture were fulfilled: They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothes. (Jn 19:23-24)

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The Crucifixion

The Crucifixion by Hans Memling (1430/40-1494). Flemish artist of German origin, active in the Netherlands in the second half of the XV century. Hans Memling was born around 14301440 in Seligenstadt in the Main region. Little is known about his training and early work. Perhaps he was trained in Cologne. Already in 1465, he was mentioned in Brussels, and from 1466 he worked in Bruges. Many art historians agree that he was most probably a late pupil of Rogier van der Weyden; in any case, the latters influence is noticeable in Memlings earliest authenticated works, although in some works he surpassed his probable teacher Crucifixion. When they reached the place called The Skull Golgotha, there they crucified him and the two criminals, one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.' (Lk 23:33-34). A sign above His head said that Crucified was Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews. A crowd gathered, near to the Cross stood Christs mother, the Virgin, his mothers sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. (John 19:25) There are three crosses on Golgotha: that of Christ, and those of two thieves on the left and on the right of Him.

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The Lamentation

The Lamentation by Hans Baldung called Grien (1484-1545) born in 1484/85 in Gmnd (Schwabia), German painter and engraver, the most gifted of Drers pupils, worked in Nrnberg in 1503-07. Since 1509 till the end of his life he lived in Strasbourg, save for 1512-1516, when he painted the grandiose altar for the local cathedral in Freiburg. In his style, Baldung was influenced by the great masters of the German Renaissance, first of all by Drer, but also by Cranach the Elder and partly by Grnewald and Altdorfer. Lamentation (also Deposition, Pieta) Jesus dies on the Cross. It was now about the sixth hour and the sun's light failed, so that darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. The veil of the Sanctuary was torn right down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice saying, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' With these words he breathed his last. (Lk 23, 44-46) after Jesus death, And now a member of the Council arrived, a good and upright man named Joseph. He had not
40

consented to what the others had planned and carried out. He came from Arimathaea, a Jewish town, and he lived in the hope of seeing the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. And he took it down from the cross. (Lk:23,50-53). The closest people took the body from the cross, washed it and buried in a new tomb, not yet used for burial; and there, since it was the eve of the Jewish Sabbath, they laid Jesus. (John19:38-42).

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The Resurrection

The Resurrection by Agnolo Bronzino (1503-1572) was born on November 17, 1503. What little information is available reveals that he was of modest descent, being the son of butcher from a suburb of Monticelli. Due to his hailing from a lower class, he most likely did not have a surname. His full name was Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano di Agnolo di Antonio di Agnolo di Toro. His early training took place under the supervision of an unidentified artist, followed shortly afterwards by several years of work with Raffaellino del Garbo (1476-1524). Afterwards Bronzino joined the studio of Pontormo, from whom he learned his distinctive artistic style. The story of Resurrection is told with variation in details in all four Gospels: Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-9; John 20:1-18. Three days after Christs Entombment, at the end of Sabbath, the women (St. Mark names Mary of Magdala, Mary, mother of James, and Salome) went to Holy Sepulchre to embalm Christs body, wondering on their way how they would be able to rol l away the heavy stone in front of the tomb. They found the tomb already open and in front stood a youth clad in white, who told them, that Christ was not in the tomb but was risen
42

Supper in Emmaus

Supper in Emmaus by Rembrandt (1606-1669) Emmaus is a village about seven miles from Jerusalem. It became known thanks to an episode confirming Christ's Resurrection and described in St. Luke's Gospel (24:13-35). After all the unhappy events of the trial, Crucifixion and Entombment of Christ, two of the apostles were going from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. Christ resurrected joined them and asked about the subject of their conversation. They did not recognize Christ, and told him about the death of Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet 'mighty in need', about their sadness, and grief, and puzzlement after the women had found the tomb of Christ empty. "How dull you are!' he answered. 'How slow to believe all that the prophets said! Was not the Messiah bound to suffer in this way before entering upon his glory?' Then, starting from Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them in the whole of scripture the things that referred to himself." (Luke 24:25-27). By that time they had reached the village, and the travellers asked Christ to stay for supper with them. Christ accepted their invitation to a meal. "And when he had sat down with them at the table, he took bread and said the blessing; he broke the bread, and offered it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; but he vanished from their sight" (Luke 24:30-31). Without a moment's delay the two returned to Jerusalem, found and announced Christ's Resurrection to other disciples.
43

Doubting Thomas

Christ and Doubting Thomas by Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-1488) Andrea di Michele Cione was born in Florence c.1435. After his training under the goldsmith Giuliano del Verrocchio, whose name he adopted, he went on his own, trying himself and achieving success in different fields of fine arts: in jewelry, sculpture and painting, but it was in the field of sculpture that he excelled most. The works of Donatello had great impact on him. St. Thomas (apostle), his nickname is Doubting Thomas. His incredulity showed on a number of occasions. First, Thomas refused to believe in Christ's Resurrection, and Christ came to him and asked to touch him and his wounds, and to believe (John 20-24-29); then Thomas doubted the Assumption of the Virgin, and the Virgin undid her belt and let it fall into the hands of the doubting disciple. According to another legendary tradition St. Thomas was invited by the King Gondophorus to India to build a palace for him. St. Thomas came and declared that he would build a heavenly palace instead and distributed the money among the poor. For this he was put into prison, but later pardoned. He evangelized the region of Malabar, then was martyred at Mylapore, near Madras. In 394 his remains were brought to Edessa. Another version that his remains are still in India at a place now called San Tome.
44

The Ascension

Ascension by John Singleton Copely (1737-1815) John Singleton Copley was born into the family of an Irish immigrant named Richard Copley and his wife Mary Singleton Copley. Though no record of the birth was made, the date is believed to have been July 3, 1738. His parents owned and ran a tobacco shop in Boston. By 1748, Richard Copley had died, though the exact date of this is also unknown, but on May 22, 1748 his widow married Peter Pelham, an engraver and teacher, and moved with her son to a quieter and more respectable part of Boston. Ascension of Christ is the term used for the last appearance of Christ to the apostles after His resurrection, when He was taken up to heaven. The Ascension of Jesus is witnessed by Mark: Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to his pupils several times on different occasions. The last time He appeared to them "while they were at the table, and reproached them for their incredulity and dullness." (Mark 16:14). Then he said to them: "Go to every part of the world, and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Those who believe it and receive baptism will be saved; those who do not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16). " after the Lord Jesus had spoken with them, He was received up into heaven, and He sat on the right hand of God." - (Mark 16:19).
45

St Paul and Saint Peter

Saint Paul and Saint Peter by El Greco (1541-1614) St. Peter (Apostle). Fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, Peter and his brother Andrew were the first two disciples called by Jesus. Initially called Simon, he received from Jesus the name Peter (Latin petus means rock) as a sign of the founding role he was to play in the construction of the Church. Until Ascension Peters life was closely linked to that of Jesus. He was present at all important events. The embodiment of human strengths and weaknesses, Peter is the example of the struggle of faith and understanding that every disciple faces. Jesus clearly saw his disciples, at the Last Supper He predicted that Peter would deny Him three times (Matthew 26:31, 33, 34, 35). And He did not mistake. After Crucifixion and Pentecost Peter became the head of the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem. He was imprisoned by Herod, but set free by an angel. In A.D. 44 he left for Rome, where he remained until his death, preaching, drawing together Christs disciples and organizing
46

Church of Rome, of which he was the first bishop. He was crucified the same day as St. Paul beheaded; thinking himself unworthy to suffer the same fate as Jesus, he asked to be nailed to the cross upside down. In fine arts St. Peter is often depicted with keys, cockerel, as the bird which heralded his betrayal of Christ (John 13:38), inverted cross, fishing boat, net, fish, chain, papal tiara. The key has a three-fold symbolic meaning: it indicates ownership and authority; it is a metaphor for a new life, the door to which it can open; and it represents a house. The key as an attribute of St. Peter includes all these meanings and derives from the Christ's words to St. Peter: "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:19). Later the key became first a papal (who keep those keys) and then an ecclesiastical symbol. St. Paul (Apostle). After Christ himself, St. Paul is the second most important figure in the history of Christianity. His life is known through the Acts of the Apostles and through his own writings. Although he never knew Jesus, he is nonetheless called an apostle (disciple). St. Paul was born around A.D.10, at Tarsus, in Asia Minor. He was called Saul, after his conversion he changed his name into Paul (Latin paulus means small). Saul, an enemy to Christians, asked the high priests to authorize him to arrest Christians at Damascus and bring them back to Jerusalem. On his way to Damascus at the head of his armed men Saul fell to the ground when he heard the voice of Christ, saying: 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' and temporarily lost his sight. And he said, 'Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man' (Acts 9:5-7). Saul got up from the ground, but could not see, and his men brought him to Damascus. There he stayed in the house of Judas in the Straight Street. To that house the Lord sent a disciple named Ananias to heal Saul. Ananias came to the house, laid his hands on Saul and said, 'Saul, my brother, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me to you so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit' (Acts 9:17). And his sight returned to Saul, and he got baptized. On his return to Jerusalem Paul found Peter and other disciples and was accepted into the Christian community. He traveled all over the Roman Empire on missionary voyages. At length he arrived in Rome, where he again joined Peter. Emperor Nero, around A.D. 64, martyred them both during the persecutions of Christians. Paul as a Roman citizen was beheaded; Peter was crucified like a slave. Paul is considered to be the founder of the Universal Church since he not only took the Gospel to all corners of the Roman Empire, but also separated Christianity once and for all from Judaism. His cult has always been linked to that of St. Peter and numerous churches are dedicated simultaneously to both saints.

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The Light of the World

The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt (1827-1910) an English painter, born in London. In 1844, he was admitted as a student to the Royal Academy, where he met John Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. For some time he shared a studio with Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and the pair, along with Millais and a few others, who had a common contempt of contemporary English art and its academic rules, started the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, which aimed at restoring English painting to its former heights. John Ruskin supported the group and supplied a theoretical foundation for its aims. The Light of the World (185354) is an allegorical painting by William Holman Hunt representing the figure of Jesus preparing to knock on an overgrown and long-unopened door, illustrating Revelation 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me". According to Hunt: "I painted the picture with what I thought, unworthy though I was, to be by Divine command, and not simply as a good Subject." The door in the painting has no handle, and can therefore be opened only from the inside, representing "the obstinately shut mind". Hunt, 50 years after painting it, felt he had to explain the symbolism.
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