The cross and art
Modern evangelical preaching and movies from Hollywood are not the first to dramatize the cross, of course. Take, for example, the following quote that I ran across recently. It will keep me on the lookout next time I’m in an art museum…
“In some ancient Eastern traditions, Adam was buried on Golgotha and his son, Seth, planted a tree on his grave which was later used to make Christ’s cross. From the late tenth century onward in Western art Adam’s skull was sometimes shown at the foot of Christ’s cross, where the atoning blood touches it, removing Adam’s sin and atoning for all humanity” (M. Eugene Boring, Mark: A Commentary, note on p. 427).
October 11th, 2007 at 10:30 am
Now that is interesting.
October 11th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Ditto Cecil’s comment!
October 11th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Interesting thought … cheesy painting!
October 11th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
In context with the time this picture was painted, I think the imagery might have been pretty powerful. An interesting feature of this work is that it shows Jesus and the Cross in the foreground outside of and between two city enclaves, one near to the starting point of a spiritual journey and new life. It speaks of the accessibility of his atonement and the cup(s) of fellowship in eternity for all pilgrims making the spiritual journey to embrace him closely — no matter what class of society they could come from.
There I go again, THINKING too hard! Where’s the cheese?
Thanks, Deb, for the information. I enjoy art museums, but I don’t pay much attention to the art after a few hours. I find I spend more time reading the labels and signs near the paintings than the paintings themselves. But please, don’t tell anyone. Brady
October 11th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
I meant to include the following thought in my above comment: if it weren’t for the abundance of religious art, before or after the 10th Century and printing presses, then how would the illiterate societies have had the Great Stories come alive in their day?
Sometimes we in our society today are quick to make judgements on religious art and certain traditions that held relevance for those seeking God from times past.
NOW my brain hurts (sorry, don’t mean to inflect the pain onto you!)
October 11th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
That’s one of those traditions that I want to be true.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:10 am
I did not notice the skull right away and when I did see it, I did not think it was anything significant. That is interesting.
I kind of like how in art, angels (both the holy and fallen) are shown working, while the people don’t seem to notice.