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The Art of Faith 
 Exploring Sacred Images
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15 ~ Christian Art and the Unseen World

10/8/2012

16 Comments

 
Picture
A contemporary fresco of the Ladder of Divine Ascent from the Twelfth Century.
From the first paintings on catacomb walls, Christian art affirmed the Judeo-Christian belief in an unseen world. In the Old and New Testaments, the Lord’s people struggled against Satan and called for
assistance from angels. They relied on God’s Spirit for comfort and strength. They feared hell’s fires and longed for heaven’s glories. 
 
Artists recorded this spiritual world, with Satan orchestrating Job’s
severe trials (Job 1), tempting a weary Jesus (Mt. 4:1-11), binding people in illness (Lk. 13:16), and tormenting a perplexed apostle Paul (2 Cor. 12:1). 

Post-biblical battles against the devil also occupied artists. Medieval and Renaissance painters created many versions of Saint Anthony in the fourth-century Egyptian desert, warding off Satan with the sign of Christ’s cross. More than a millennium later, Martin Luther wrote about a night he debated and rebuked the devil. In between, Satan and his minions lurked in paintings and sculpture that warned Christians about his evil influence. In a twelfth-century icon titled, “The Ladder of Divine Ascent,” monks climbed a ladder to heaven with Christ waiting in heaven at the top. Demons tested the monks’ resolve, poking them with spears and shooting arrows, while angels
encouraged them from above. 

Yet Satan and his demons seldom won. Scripture stories and their
accompanying artwork emphasized God triumphing over the Evil One and his spirits. The Lord’s power and rescuing angels delivered his people. The Holy Spirit guided their paths. But the choice belonged to them. Would Christians travel the broad or narrow path (Mt. 7:13)? For that matter, would anyone? 

Medieval and Renaissance art, especially Church art, warned people about their eternal destination. According to Church doctrine, accepting Christ rewarded them with heaven; rejecting Christ condemned them to hell. The sculptor Giselbertus carved the front portal to the
Cathedral of Saint Lazare in Autun, France, with the sobering prospect of the archangel Saint Michael weighing souls in the afterlife. Christ stood at the composition’s center, dividing groups of the saved and the damned. Entering the church each Sunday, the grand entrance reminded parishioners of the coming judgment.

The seventeenth-century English poet John Milton claimed, “Death is the golden key that opens the palace of eternity.” Christians hoped for that eternal palace.
Picture
Last Judgment detail from a tympanum on the Cathedral of Saint Lazare in Autun, France.
Learn more about Christian art in Judith Couchman’s book, The Art of Faith (Paraclete Press). Purchase the book at www.paracletepress.com and receive a 25 percent discount. Use the check-out code, Judith25.
16 Comments
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10/25/2012 06:36:08 pm

The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist.

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11/21/2012 06:18:21 pm

The picture describes best and you dont have to write anything after putting this image. Really awesome representation of God.

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12/26/2012 08:41:10 pm

I want to read book called Ladder of Divine Ascent. I have heard about it that it describes very good points about how as christian should live and calculate his life cycle.

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4/7/2013 06:59:15 pm

The value of ancient and sacred art cannot be predicted. Especially the paintings that were in the time of Jesus. The paintings and artifacts that you given here are very impressive and difficult to find. Some of these are strange to the new generation. Thank you.

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Christ stood at the composition’s center, dividing groups of the saved and the damned. Entering the church each Sunday, the grand entrance reminded parishioners of the coming judgment.

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Concerning, Satan in addition to his or her minions lurked in pictures in addition to sculpture of which cautioned Christian believers concerning his or her unpleasant impact.

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    Judith Couchman is an author, speaker, and college art-history instructor. Her recent book release is The Art of Faith: A Guide to Understanding Christian Images (Paraclete Press). Scroll down to view the book cover and video trailer.


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    The Art of Faith: A Guide to Understanding Christian Images by Judith Couchman. Click on the photo to purchase the book through Paraclete Press.
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    The Mystery of the Cross by Judith Couchman. Inspirational readings about images of Christ's cross and how early believers used and respected this sign. Click on the photo to purchase from InterVarsity Press.
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