Biblical art in Catholic churches
Author: Lo & Behold
The story of Christ blessing the children is found in three of the gospels (Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17). It reveals Christ’s positive attitude towards children, encourages adults to trust in God and is one of the reasons that the Church baptises newborns. Given his popularity, one day some people brought their children to … Continue reading Christ blesses the children (Mark 10:13-16)
The miraculous story of bread descending from heaven is described in the book of Exodus. Its themes include dependence on God, a test of faith and fair treatment for all. For Christians, this heavenly food, known as ‘manna’, came to be seen as a symbol of the Eucharist. After their escape from Egypt, the Israelites … Continue reading The Miracle of the Manna (Exodus 16:1-36)
Ezekiel was one of the Four Major Prophets of Israel. As Pope St John Paul II observed, he was “a witness of one of the most tragic ages the Jewish people lived through: the destruction of the Kingdom of Judaea and its capital, Jerusalem, followed by the bitter exile in Babylon.” Ezekiel was among a … Continue reading The Prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36:24-28)
The taking down of Christ’s dead body from the cross is traditionally known in art as the ‘Deposition of Christ’. Sometimes the episode is also known as the ‘Descent from the Cross’ or the ‘Lamentation of Christ’. The act is described very briefly in all four gospels (Matthew 27:55-57; Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-53; John 19:38-39). … Continue reading The Deposition of Christ (Mark 15:42-47)
St Mark, whose full name was ‘John Mark’, was the writer of one of the four gospels. Nevertheless, unless he was the young man who fled from the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:51), he’s not mentioned in any of them. From the other books of the New Testament, however, we learn that his mother’s name … Continue reading St Mark the Evangelist (Acts 12:12-13:15)
Most people probably know of the angel Gabriel because of his role in the Nativity. He was the one who told the Virgin Mary that she was to give birth to Christ (Luke 1:26-38). The New Testament says that he also informed St Zechariah about the birth of St John the Baptist (Luke 1:11-20). However, … Continue reading St Gabriel the Archangel (Daniel 9:20-27)
The Twelve Prophets were a dozen of the most famous prophets from Jewish history. In the name of God, they called the people to repentance, spoke out against injustice and made spiritual observations about the politics of the day. The Twelve were Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. … Continue reading The Twelve Prophets (Sirach 49:10)
