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Scenes from the Life of Jesus |
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In its early stages, Christian art drew its imagery from various sources. Scenes from the classical repertoire and motifs from Egyptian and Eastern Mediterranean art, even when unaccompanied by Christian symbols, were given a Christian interpretation. For example, depictions of a mother and child, which represent the Egyptian goddess Isis and her son Horus, were interpreted as portraying Mary and Jesus. Later on, in the Byzantine period, certain biblical scenes became popular, viewed as prefigurations of the life of Jesus. In addition, pictorial schemes of a clearly Christian nature gradually developed, remaining in use - albeit with stylistic changes - until this day. The most common subjects are portraits of Jesus, the Apostles, and the Prophets, and, in particular, scenes depicting the traditional cycle of events associated with the lives of Jesus and Mary. Choricius of Gaza, whose writings are actually the only detailed evidence of the magnificent wall mosaics that decorated the churches of the Holy Land, describes more than twenty scenes from the life of Jesus that graced the walls of the Church of St. Sergios in Gaza, among them the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Miracle at Cana, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and the Ascension. Only in rare instances have scenes of this type survived in monumental buildings, and we know of only a few such depictions on small objects. Nevertheless, it may be noted that certain scenes seem to have been especially popular in the Holy Land, such as the Annunciation and the Adoration of the Magi. This may be due to the close link between the scenes and the places where the events took place, such as Nazareth and Bethlehem, which became important pilgrimage centers.
Since the dawn of humanity, people have been concerned with the subject of fertility and motherhood, as “mothers and child” figurines from various periods suggest. In some representations of this theme, it is difficult to determine whether the figures represent Mary and Jesus or simple any mother and child. Unlike the compositions that represent the mother nursing, the most common rendition in Christian art portrays the Virgin seated on a throne and holding the infant Jesus in her arms, both of them looking forward, with halos about their heads.
Pottery figurine of a woman holding an infant
The episode in which Mary is informed by the angel Gabriel: "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus" (Luke 1:31), known as the Annunciation, is a frequent subject in Christian art. The details of this scene are based on an apocryphal work of the New Testament (called the Protoevangelion), in which Mary is described as sitting on a high-backed chair and spinning wool, while the angel stands before her with a staff in his hand. Depictions of the Annunciation are occasionally accompanied by the verse: "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" (Luke 1:28). Many of the objects bearing this scene are associated with pilgrimage and may have been produced in Nazareth.
Pottery ampulla depicting the Annunciation to Maria
"Behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him" (Matthew 2:1-2). The scene depicting the wise men from the East - the Magi - who came to see the infant Jesus was one of the most popular subjects in the cycle of scenes depicting to the life of Jesus. The event is portrayed in several different ways: Sometimes Mary is shown seated in the center with the infant in her lap. She is flanked by the wise men, whose dress clearly points to their eastern origin and who hold bowls containing gifts (gold, myrrh, and frankincense). There is also another, more schematic version of the scene, in which Mary is depicted from the side seated on a chair, while the three wise men, crowded together, are shown bowing slightly before her. Above Jesus' head is a star. These depictions may indicate that a large version of the scene, now lost, originally existed in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
Eulogia token with a depiction of the Adoration of the
Magi
In the Days of Jesus |In the Early Church |Pilgrimage |Images & Symbols |Monasticism in the Holy Land |
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