Biblical art in Catholic churches
Tag: Stained glass
The Song of Judith is a thanksgiving hymn that tells the story of one woman’s courage in the face of the enemy. It forms most of the last chapter of the Old Testament book of Judith. The book tells the story of Judith, a brave and beautiful woman who saved Israel from destruction by assassinating … Continue reading The Song of Judith (Judith 15:14-16:17)
After the death of Joseph, the descendants of Jacob – the Hebrews – grew in number in the land of Egypt. But the time came when a new Pharaoh began to rule Egypt, one who had not known Joseph. Fearing that the Hebrews had grown too powerful, he sentenced them to slavery. They were forced to do hard labour, working … Continue reading The Early Life of Moses (Exodus 1:1-2:25)
The book of Esther tells the story of how Esther, the queen of Persia, bravely saved her fellow-Jews from certain death. It’s a tense political drama with a young woman as its central character. The book begins by explaining how the king of Persia, Ahasuerus, divorced his first wife. Afterwards, he ordered that a search … Continue reading Queen Esther protects the Jews (Esther 8:1-8)
The book of Genesis tells us that Jacob, the ancestor of the nation of Israel, had twelve sons in total. His favourite son was Joseph, the firstborn son of his beloved wife Rachel. However, the teenage Joseph was not popular with his other brothers. There were three reasons for this. Firstly, he used to report … Continue reading Joseph is betrayed by his brothers (Genesis 37:1-36)
The weird and wonderful story of Moses raising the Bronze Serpent in the wilderness includes a number of hidden messages about salvation. Pope John Paul II explained: “During Israel’s march from Egypt to the Promised Land, God permitted - because of the murmuring of the people - a plague of poisonous snakes, as a result … Continue reading Moses raises the Bronze Serpent (Numbers 21:4-9)
After his resurrection, Christ continued to appear to his disciples for forty days, at various times and in various ways. His third appearance was on the shores of Lake Galilee (known in St John’s gospel as the ‘Sea of Tiberias’). This was where Christ had previously called several of the apostles, as well as fed … Continue reading The Breakfast at Lake Galilee (John 21:1-17)
The story of Christ calming the storm on Lake Galilee is found in three of the gospels (Matthew 8:18-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25). St Mark’s account is the most graphic. Its attention to detail (such as Christ asleep on a ‘cushion’) suggests that it originally came from someone who was there - probably St Peter. … Continue reading Christ stills the Tempest (Mark 4:35-41)
