Biblical art in Catholic churches
Category: Arts and Crafts
St Luke was the writer of two of the books included in the New Testament – the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. As such, he is known as St Luke the ‘Evangelist’, which means ‘gospel-writer’. According to the start of his gospel, he had not known Christ personally – he was … Continue reading St Luke the Evangelist (Colossians 4:14)
Three months after they left Egypt, the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai. This was because God had previously told Moses to return to this holy mountain, accompanied by the people (Exodus 3:1-12). There they set up camp and prepared to meet God. After three days, Moses got them all to gather around the mountain. A dark … Continue reading Moses receives the Law (Exodus 19:1–20:21)
Another of Christ’s famous ‘I am’ sayings, found in St John’s gospel, is where he spoke of himself as ‘the Good Shepherd’. While teaching the people in Jerusalem, he shared with them a parable about a shepherd who protected his sheep. The shepherd, he said, “calls his own sheep by name and leads them out… … Continue reading I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-21)
St Luke’s gospel is the only one to include any details of the childhood of Christ. This is probably because he spoke to the Virgin Mary, who shared her memories of the Child Jesus with him. The main story he tells is of Christ’s disappearance during a family trip to Jerusalem – and of being … Continue reading Christ among the Doctors (Luke 2:41-52)
The book of Revelation, otherwise known as the ‘Apocalypse’, is the last book of the Bible. Its writer, named John, records a series of prophetic visions he had while exiled on the island of Patmos. He was told by God to write them down for the seven churches of Asia (1:1-9). For a variety of reasons, … Continue reading The Revelation of St John (Revelation 1:1-20)
The account of Christ walking on water is found in three of the gospels, although only St Matthew’s version tells us about St Peter’s involvement in the miracle. (Matthew 14:22-23; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:15-21) After Christ fed the 5,000, he told the apostles to set sail for the town of Capernaum, on the other side … Continue reading Christ walks on water (Matthew 14:22-33)
The imprisonment and brutal death of St John the Baptist is recorded in three of the gospels, although St Mark’s account is the most detailed (Matthew 14:3-12; Mark 6:17-29; Luke 3:19-20; 9:7-9). As background, King Herod of Galilee had married Herodias, his brother's wife. Not one to hold back, St John the Baptist told him … Continue reading The Beheading of St John the Baptist (Mark 6:17-29)
