Herald Angels

Angels have always been mysterious beings for artists to attempt to depict. They are essentially envisioned by the Scripture writers as messengers from God and their messages are as varied as their physical appearance. They are usually described as men and without wings. They can be their own sources of light and are sometimes almost blinding to the viewer, or just be ordinary looking people, but with something unusual about them that the different writers were hard pressed to specify. Were the living creatures with multiple heads and wings of Ezekiel types of angels, or were the six winged beings of Isaiah another category of angel? The standard image of a male or female with one set of wings came about in Medieval depictions, since it was thought that Heaven was a place just above the highest clouds and angels must have wings on their backs in order to easily descend and ascend in carrying out all their messenger duties. That is why artists today usually stick wings on their backs, regardless of how they are presented by all the different Bible writers. Otherwise, how do we instantly recognize them as angels? (This image is from an Advent PowerPoint presentation. A Herald Angel's right hand is always lifted in a welcoming greeting, heralding good news.)

The Seven Headed Dragon

The Book of Revelation was written in the very late years of the first century or very early years of the second and is full of images and metaphors that would have been much more clear to its original readers than to us. We do know that a lot of the various creature references were familiar as visions first used by their own Hebrew prophets and other surrounding civilizations. In those days, the Empire of Rome had destroyed their whole way of life by devastating their holy city of Jerusalem and burning their magnificent Temple to the ground. The writer of Revelation saw Rome as the Seven Headed Dragon, and in fact, Satan. There was no greater monster to him than Rome. The sad fact today is that many of us still follow the example of allowing our anger to gradually remove all of the attributes of humanity from those we hate, eventually transforming them into irredeemable monsters. And of course, we can more easily kill monsters without remorse. (Image from Beasts of the Bible.)

Jonah and the Great Fish

One of the Bible stories told most often to children is about the Prophet Jonah being swallowed by a huge fish or whale or sea monster, depending on the translation and interpretation of the storyteller. Of course, none of these stories were originally intended for children and the imaginative image of a person being swallowed by a sea creature of generous proportions and then surviving is a side event to the central theme, which is all about compassion and inclusion in regard to our neighbors and enemies. Jonah, the most reluctant of prophetic preachers, is sent by God to Nineveh, the Capitol of the Assyrian Empire, to deliver a sermon to enlighten them and save them from themselves. Jonah, who hates the Assyrians in abundance, does everything he can to escape his commission, but still winds up being deposited on the shores of Nineveh covered in fish vomit and finally preaches to the hated Ninevites, who actually hear his words. The whole city changes its course to the good. The message of loving your neighbor and in fact, your enemy is obvious and made clear to Jonah, who is still grousing at the end. The fish story was essentially a symbol that God was prepared to use any means necessary to show compassion toward the 120 plus thousand people and the animals who lived with them. It's ironic that the fish plot device has inspired centuries of heated debates about the species and physical makeup of the fish and Jonah's methods of survival for three days in stomach acid, when the story's real point is just to love our neighbor. (Digital mural design: Jonah and the Great Fish.)

Astonished and Overwhelmed

The Prophet Ezekiel, who was active in the sixth century before the birth of Jesus, spoke to his people through visions and metaphors that attempted to describe his wonder for the Divine. Among his most memorable images are the Heavenly messengers he calls the four living creatures, each with four faces; of a human, a lion, an ox and an eagle. They were also equipped with two sets of wings, one set for flying and the other for covering their bodies and with human hands extended beneath the wings. Ezekiel's visions seem bizarre to us today and have inspired innumerable interpretations throughout the centuries, but they were probably not that unusual as symbols of awe to his original readers, who were surrounded by Babylonian statues and murals of marvelous composite creatures such as winged sphinxes and horse- like dragons that illustrated their civilization's own quest to depict the invisible world of the spiritual. The whole exercise left Ezekiel astonished and overwhelmed. (Image from Prints of the Prophets series.)

A Woman of Determination

In the Genesis story from the Ancestor Period, Abraham sends his trusted servant Eliezer back to his own tribe to find a wife for Sarah and Abraham's son, Isaac. Eliezer returns with Rebekah, a woman who would forever change the course of a nation. After their long journey, Rebekah halts her camel and asks Eliezer the identity of a man walking in the field ahead. On finding out it is Isaac, she jumps down from the camel and begins to run across the field to greet him. Isaac takes her to his late mother, Sarah's tent and Rebekah turns out to be more than a replacement for Sarah. Years later, she will determine the future leader of the yet-to-be nation of Israel by successfully scheming to make sure her favorite son Jacob, disguised as his slightly older twin brother Esau, receives the irrevocable Patriarchal Blessing from his aging father Isaac. She then arranges for Jacob to journey back to her tribe where he will marry and later become the founding father of the 12 Tribes of Israel. Rebekah was a mother who recognized her sons' gifts and never hesitated to act on her instincts. (Image from the PowerPoint presentation, From Eden to Esau.)

The First of Many

The earliest Christian symbol was not the cross, but the Ichthus, in Greek, "Fish." 
(Iota, Chi, Theta, Upsilon, and Sigma; in English IXOYE.) The symbol was used as early as the 1st and 2nd centuries and probably originated in the seaport of Alexandria, Egypt. The five letters are an acrostic describing the nature of Christ. What do they mean? The first correct answer will receive an 8 x 10 print of the art of your choice from this blog. (Image from Our Christian Symbols, a PowerPoint presentation.)

Family bonds

Certainly one of the most disturbing stories in Genesis is the Binding of Isaac. Like a lot of these ancient narratives, it leaves us with many more questions than answers, which makes it one of the more tantalizing of the tales. What did the original readers think of this? Did they get the idea that their God was telling them that through this example, God would provide and they were not required to burn their children like some of their Idol worshiping neighbor's did? Isaac was no child in this story. Some say he could have been in his late 30's. Was the plot about Abraham neglecting his patriarchal duty of finding his son a wife? (In those days, those not married and perpetuating the family line might as well have been dead!) I personally wonder where Sarah stood in this situation. She is not mentioned in the story, but we do know that Abraham never went back to her encampment after this, but to Beersheba where he later married Keturah. Who would want to face the strong willed Sarah after the attempted sacrifice of her beloved Child of Laughter? What does this story mean to you? (Image from Binding of Isaac PowerPoint presentation. -We know the text really says Abraham just heard the voice of the Angel of the Lord, but we were tired of drawing close-ups of Abraham with his hand cupped behind his ear.)

Thank You for following!

Fellow seekers: We believe there is a place for all things historical.

Our sample work on this blog spans over 60 combined years so far and we've just started compiling. Backed up by our work in television, puppetry, animation and the art and graphics world, we are focusing our efforts in the not-so-new subject, the Bible, with source material that dates back 4000 plus years.

In this blog, we are sharing illustrations and observations and hope to hear other peoples' thoughts on the stories and traditions inspired by the Bible.  We hope the information will contain something new or bring back memories which may have been lost over the years.

We are truly grateful for everyone who has chosen to follow.  Feel free to comment or question anytime. Really!! We love all constructive feedback.

back to blogging.....CR

Wise Judgments

Around 1100 years before the birth of Jesus at the beginning of the Iron Age, Judges ruled the various tribes of Israel. In the hill country of Ephraim, under a palm tree, Deborah served as one of these leaders, rendering wise judgments and settling disputes for all the people of her region. The era of the Judges was a time of unrest both between the tribes and with their neighbors; a time of wars and civil wars and the Judges were a combination of governors and military leaders. Deborah was one of the best, seen here giving advice to the general Barak, who refused to go into battle unless Deborah came along to personally give the command to advance. She was a remarkable woman in a time dominated by male leadership and the only Judge the Bible writers also named as a Prophet. In Hebrew, the name Deborah means bee, a symbol of wisdom in ancient times. The Song of Deborah is one of the oldest writings of Scripture. (Illustration from Prints of the Prophets.)

Pansies as symbols

Many plants have been used throughout the years as symbols of the various aspects of the Christian faith; holly, the rose, evergreens, the poinsettia, the lilly, etc. One of the most colorful symbols, dating back a few hundred years in Europe, is the Pansy, which is yet another symbol of the Trinity. The pansy has three predominant petals and is usually a harmony of three colors, all making up the unity of the one flower. (Illustration from Our Christian Symbols, a Powerpoint presentation.)

Lot Between the Lines

Abraham and Sarah's nephew Lot is a very busy supporting character and we can learn some interesting information about Abraham from Lot's placement in the Ancestor stories. For instance, when Lot is taken prisoner by a rival tribe at war with the cities of the south, we learn Abraham's wealth and influence must have been considerable in order for him to rally enough servants to defeat the rival's army and rescue his nephew. We also learn from the later Sodom story that Lot's hospitality skills do not match his uncle's impeccable protocol.  At the end, Lot cannot have been remembered too fondly by the Hebrew people. His two sons Ammon and Moab were the patriarchs of  two of Israel's ubiquitous antagonists, the Ammonites and the Moabites. (Illustration from the PowerPoint presentation, From Eden to Esau.)

The Stag as a Symbol

Medieval Knights were always on a quest for noble symbols to decorate their coats of arms. The majestic stag became a popular image because its antlers reminded them of the Tree of Life from Eden. The animal was also a Christ figure since it shed the antlers yearly to grow new stronger ones; a Resurrection metaphor. Added to that, it was a well known enemy and destroyer of the snake, a natural in the type casting of the era. (Image from Our Christian Symbols, a PowerPoint presentation.)

A Fish Story

It's fun to explore the variations of designs artists through the years have turned out when they have attempted visualizations of God. Of course, when the concept of the Trinity entered into the picture, the task became three times as challenging. The ichthus (or fish) symbol was probably the earliest graphic reminder for Jesus, so somebody came up with the idea of multiplying it into three and arranging them into the eternal never ending, never beginning circle of God; a very creative attempt at the impossible. (Image from Our Christian Symbols, a PowerPoint presentation.)