Essay 2a - Knowledge and Immorality

ESSAY #2a
Knowledge and Immortality

QUESTION: Using specific art references and passages from the story in the Bible of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and specifically their choice to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; what similarities do you see, pertaining to immortality and knowledge that is also found in Egyptian art? 

SUMMARY: Like the Biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Egyptian culture also provides many examples of the tree of life symbol. For example, the Egyptians depictions of the lotus plant and the papyrus are found on numerous artifacts. For them, the lotus was a symbol of rebirth and was often depicted as life emerging from both the lotus and the papyrus. 

Like Christians, the Egyptians were very concerned about the afterlife. For them to avoid being “damned” in the afterlife, they had to not only worship their gods, but they also had to live by the standard that they would be judged after they died.

Herodotus tells us that the Egyptians "are religious to a higher degree than any other people" Like the members of any other human culture, the ancient Egyptians were driven to find meaning in existence.

I believe the parallels of the tree of life is in making the truths it symbolizes in both the beliefs held by the Egyptians as well as Christianity.

 

REASON: I believe the reason for this question was to help us to see the similarities in religions thoughout the centuries and also the differences in how they were depicted in art. 

PURPOSE:  I believe this question is intended to help us understand how relgion was such an integral part of the lives of the Egyptians and how their beliefs about not the afterlife but how to strive toward and achieve it closely resemble the beliefs of Christianity.

 

DIRECTION: The exercise of researching and answering this topic has taught me to see religious art of a particular period in history differently. Having studied the ancient Egyptians over the years, I never realized the similarities in their beliefs until I began to research this topic and more closely examine their art.

IMPRESSIONS: I was surprised by the fact that, unlike Christian art (depictions of Christ, icons, etc.), the Egyptians did not use relgious art in their worship but rather they used it to depict ones journey into the afterlife.

 

Part Two

QUESTION: Using specific art references and passages from the story in the Bible of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and specifically their choice to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; what similarities do you see, pertaining to immortality and knowledge that is also found in Egyptian art?

In the Biblical story of The Garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve; "you may eat freely of every tree in the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." (Genesis 2: 15-17)

After they ate the forbidden fruit, they did not immediately fall dead therefore the story suggests that upon committing the original sin, God imposed an indirect penalty of death on Adam and Eve. This story tells us that humans were created to live forever in a physical body, but God removed their means to immortality when they sinned against Him.

God also placed a tree in the garden called the Tree of Life which represented physical immortality for humans, and although God had not forbidden Adam and Eve from eating its' fruit, they first ate from the Tree of Good and Evil. Because of this God immediately removed Adam and Eve from the garden, and placed a flaming sword to guard the tree so they could not eat from it. In Genesis 1:22, God is says to them "and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever" therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden", suggesting that Adam was removed from the garden before he would have the chance to eat of the tree of life and become immortal.

On the day Adam and Eve ate of the "Tree of Knowledge" they experienced their immortal death because God removed the "Tree of Life" which had been placed there for them. (Chris Ashcraft, Immorality and the Original Sin, http://www.nwcreation.net/immortality.html)

Of the story of Adam and Eve, C. Wilifred Griggs wrote that “commentators agree that the cypress tree is a tree of life symbol, the spring nearby is a spring of life, and the other spring is a source of forgetfulness and punishment. They also agree that the most likely origin for the mythology is Egypt.” (C. Wilfred Griggs, The Tree of Life in Ancient Cultures)

Until Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, there was nothing preventing them from eating the fruit of the Tree of Life. But once they had eaten from the Tree of Knowledge, access to the Tree of Life was taken from them.

"I, the Lord God, said unto mine Only Begotten: Behold, the man is become as one of us to know good and evil; and now lest he put forth his hand and partake also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, "Therefore I, the Lord God, will send him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.” (Genesis 3: 17-19)

Griggs suggests that if Adam and Eve had only eaten of the fruit of the Tree of Life, there wouldn’t have been the sentence of death on them for eating from the Tree of Knowledge. However, they would have lived forever in a sinful condition, separated from God. Therefore, he took the two away from Eden, away from the Tree of Life.

“We might suppose that Adam and Eve and their posterity, distracted by the labor necessary to support themselves outside the garden, would have eventually forgotten the life-giving tree in paradise. Quite the contrary. The tree of life seems to have continued throughout antiquity as a major religious symbol. In fact, man's quest to return to the tree of life in the paradise of God has never ceased.” (Griggs, http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/transcripts/?id=16)

Egyptian culture also provides many examples of the tree of life symbol. For example, the Egyptians depictions of the lotus plant and the papyrus are found on numerous artifacts. For them, the lotus was a symbol of rebirth and was often depicted as life emerging from both the lotus and the papyrus. Another plant the Egyptians considered sacred was the Ished tree. A small statue of Ramses that shows the pharaoh stretched out in a ritual position with his hands extended, making an offering to the gods. Ramses is kneeling on the leaves and branches of an Ished tree inscribed into the base of the statue. The inscription says that Ramses's deeds are written upon the sacred Ished tree.

Ancient Egyptians also believed the Ished which was a persea tree grew in the temples at Heliopolis and Abydos. Ancient Egyptian rituals required the names of each pharaoh to be written on the leaves of this “tree of life” during their coronation ceremonies.

Statue of Ramses making an offering to the gods. Ramses is kneeling on the leaves and branches of an Ished tree.

Egyptian coffin covers often depict the deceased eating and drinking from a tree of life, out of which is growing the goddess Nut. She pours drink from a pitcher and offers food from a tray to a man, who needs nourishment as he wanders through the dark netherworld.

I believe the parallels of the tree of life is in making the truths it symbolizes an integral part of our lives. We continue to eat only the deadening fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The tree of life, however, is available to all who do not wish to live forever in their sins.

Egyptian art existed only for religious, symbolic, or magical purposes but never as an artistic expression. Works of art documented the events around them and strictly adhered to established religious and symbolic guidelines.

Throughout the centuries, Egyptians worshipped more than 2,000 gods and goddesses however any hope of immortality was upon Osiris, the jackal-god of the underworld who offered eternal life to all however eternal life was not guaranteed. Upon death, people was judged upon the scales of the goddess Ma’at, who weighed their soul against an ostrich feather. (Erik Hornug, The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt)

Osiris and his wife, Isis

In “An Overview of the Ancient Eqyptian Relgion” John Watson wrote that “Egyptian religion can be said to encompass their ancient gods, the mythology or accounts of those gods and other aspects of the religion such as creation, death and the afterlife, and the cults who worshipped the gods. However, there are certainly more complexities to the religion, such as how the king played into this structure of religion, and moral dogma concerning what the god's expected of humans.”

Unlike other religions, the Egyptians did not worship statues or paintings of their gods which they considered to be the manifestation or temporary habitats of the gods who they worshipped.

In “Ancient Landmarks – Egyptian Immortality”, the authors, H. P. Blavatsky and William Q. Judge tell us that if nothing remained of the Egyptians but the Book of the Dead, the Judgment Scene alone “furnishes abundant evidence of the Egyptian teaching of Karma -- the universal Law of Balance.” Referenced is the Papyrus of Ani in which the scene is made up of five "acts," with the first three depicting the judgment and the last two completing the journey of the soul by depicting its resurrection and introduction by Horus into the presence of Osiris.

Papyrus of Ani

In the upper left corner sit twelve great gods. Underneath, Ani, leading his wife, enters the Hall of the double Maati which are “Truth and Right.” Next, Ani, separated into his component parts, stands before the scales. These parts are represented by a human-headed bird -- the soul; a tri-colored cubit bearing a human head which symbolizes the "principles", a human figure representing his destiny, two goddesses of birth; and the heart enclosed in a vase balanced against the feather of Truth and Right. “Here are plainly typified the ideas that death involves a separation of the principles; that out of these is to come another body; and that the future birth or destiny, whether into post-mortem states or into a new human form, will be the result of the life just passed.”  (http://www.blavatsky.net/magazine/theosophy/ww/additional/ancientlandmarks/EgyptianImmortality.html)

The Egyptians believed that even though they did good deeds and avoided committing evil, the measure of character was the determining factor for their afterlife. “If it were possible to summarize in a sentence Egypt's contribution to the human race, it might be expressed in the Hermetic teaching that death does not exist, and man never steps outside of universal life; nevertheless, conscious immortality must be gained by each individual for himself." (Ancient Landmarks – Egyptian Immortality”)

In "What is Man?" Keith W. Stump tells us that the idea of an "immortal soul" long predates the founding of today's major religions. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus tells us that the ancient Egyptians were the first to teach that the soul of man is separable from the body, and immortal.

“Nowhere in the ancient world was the afterlife of more concern than in Egypt. The countless tombs unearthed by archaeologists along the Nile provide eloquent testimony to the Egyptian belief that man possessed a spiritual aspect extending beyond his physical life.”

Tombs Along the Nile River

Stump explains that the Egyptians believed that a person consisted of a physical body and not one but two souls that lived on after his death: a ka soul and a ba soul.

The ka was said to be a spirit replica of a man, containing the "vital force" given to him at birth. At death, the ka was believed to take up residence in a statue or picture of the deceased. The statue or picture was placed in the tomb for that very purpose. As the tomb was to be the eternal home of the ka, it was provided with everything the ka would need for a happy afterlife such as food, furniture, games, reading material, grooming aids and the like.

Items Found in the tomb of King Tuthankhamun

The other soul, the ba, was believed to be that part of man that enjoyed an eternal existence in heaven, and was often depicted on tomb paintings as a human-headed hawk hovering over the deceased's body.The soul was believed to fly from the body with the last breath. The ba was often depicted on tomb paintings as a human-headed hawk hovering over the deceased's body. (http://www.british-israel.ca/immortalsoul.htm)

The spiritual world of the ancient Egyptians was a fascinating one that is unique in the history of religion although strangely similar to other religions in many ways. The character of that spiritual world was both accessible and mysterious, hidden under layers of ritual and myth. While there are parallels to the Bible’s story of The Garden of Eden, the overall beliefs are different. The greatest similarity, I believe, is that we are judged by what we do in the here and now. The greatest difference? Well, we all know that you can’t take it with you when you go.

Essay 7b - Discretionary and Disposable

ESSAY 7b 

Discretionary and Disposable 

QUESTION: Look back on the art of the last 4,000 years that we have just explored and, if it can be truly considered an asset to humanity, how was it ever considered discretionary and, if ever, disposable? 

Part I.

SUMMARY: In all art, there is context: the history, the movement of ideas, and what has come before.  Some people might say that all art is quantifiable, even if subjectively. In assessing and appreciating art, we look at quality of execution, the importance within an artistic movement, its place in art history, and brilliance of vision.

I believe it is important to recognize that both disposable and discretionary art are assets to humanity because they have the capacity to add something of value to humanity to a greater extent than humanity depletes its things of value. The most unique contribution of art is that it enhances human progress through imagination.

“It is important to shift understandings of what is important and characteristic about the art process from its physical manifestations in the ‘expressive object’ to the process in its entirety, a process whose fundamental element is no longer the material ‘work of art’ but rather the development of an ‘experience’. Through the expressive object, the artist and the active observer encounter each other, their material and mental environments, and their culture at large.” (Art as Experience, John Dewey, 1934)

Constantino Brumidi's  "The Apotheosis of Washington" on the canopy of the Capitol Rotunda in the United States Capitol Building.  

REASON: I believe you asked this question because throughout the many years, art has had many influences. This question challenges us to look at art throughout the ages as having contributed to humanity. It is actually seeing art as one of the greatest intellectual achievements in the history of humanity. (Dewey)

Wesiman Art Museum

PURPOSE: I believe the purpose of this question is to help us recognize that art appeals directly to our senses and imagination and therefore expand and intensify the experience of our lives. For example, we value objects because they are interesting. We don't just buy a piece of furniture, we buy one that looks interesting and pleases us to look at.

I believe it is also intended to help us consider how past civilizations have conceptualized art.

DIRECTION: This question has helped me to understand that you have to be completely open-minded when appreciating art. Just because someone considers one form of art to be better than another doesn’t mean it is so. Dewey wrote that “there is no one word to combine "artistic" and "aesthetic," unfortunately, but "artistic" refers to the production, the doing and making, and "aesthetic" to appreciating, perceiving, and enjoying. For a work to be art, it must also be aesthetic. The work of the artist is to build an experience that will be experienced aesthetically.”

IMPRESSIONS: Art requires dedication and reflection, and is experienced by both the artist and the audience. An artist must reflect on past experience as well as the emotions and meanings associated with that experience. I learned that for this to be converted into artistic expression, there has to be a good balance of both excitement and frustration with the desire to outwardly express oneself. I believe art is both expressed and experienced when there is complete absorption.

The Art Critic by Normal Rockwell 1955, Detroit Institute of Arts

What helped me to more fully understand this was the following passage:

“A painting by Van Gogh of a bridge is not representative of a bridge or even of Van Gogh's emotion. Rather, by means of pictorial presentation, Van Gogh presents the viewer with a new object in which emotion and external scene are fused. He selects material with a view to expression, and the picture is expressive to the degree that he succeeds.”

Van Gogh - Langlois Bridge 1888

Part II

QUESTION: Look back on the art of the last 4,000 years that we have just explored and, if it can be truly considered an asset to humanity, how was it ever considered discretionary and, if ever, disposable? 

Discretionary art allows the violation or transgression of the rules that define and govern it. In other words it is art that does not constrains the artist. It essentially opened the door for interpretation. But I believe that art is not discretionary but that it is actually necessary. It makes us feel good. It brings back memories of places we remember, and it reminds us of the things we love.

The Tragic Muse: Art and Emotion 1700-1900

In The Shaping of Art History: Meditations on a Discipline, I believe Patricia Emison uses a good analogy. Of discretionary art, she wrote that it “helped open the door for the idea that interpretations could be offered like flowers in a bouquet, jostling against one another for attention, rather than like a single long-stem rose.

Art that is considered disposable offers vision but there is nothing "special" about the artwork that gives it any intrinsic value over discretionary art. It is art that cannot truly be appreciated for its uniqueness or influence. Like conceptual art, disposable art requires narrative because it is nowhere to be seen.

Indianapolis Museum of Art

Historically, some theories have been known to favor certain heavily-classicized forms of art, also known as 'High Art' or Fine Art. It is easier, it seems, to create disposable art than truly meaningful art but I think the quality of art is most important. Glorifying art can actually separate it from life and the community by preventing people from realizing the artistic value of their daily activities.

“We must recover the continuity of aesthetic experience with the normal processes of living. It is the duty of the theorist to make this connection and its implications clear. If art were understood differently by the public, art would gain in public esteem and have wider appeal.” (Dewey)

I believe that the aesthetic experience Dewey refers to cannot really be distinguished from other experiences, but can aesthetically be felt and emotionally experienced. “That” is art.

Essay 7a. Faith and Belief

7a. Faith and Belief

Is Art in any way, an intrinsic part of, or primary factor in religion or religious expression and if so, how did it specifically play a part in the development of Christianity.

"Faith in the whispers of the lonely muse is to them the evidence of things not seen; and therefore true Art requires the service of mind and heart."

William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

Part One:

SUMMARY: Christian art is a timeless, absolute and essential cornerstone of culture. Throughout the centuries, artists have used their art to express their own faith and beliefs or to depict events of the Bible and Christian views. In most cases, their works are designed to have a profound effect on the audience. Some of these works are intended to make the audience really think about faith and beliefs and some are intended to teach the audience something. Some of this art is very dramatic and emotional and designed overcome the audience with feelings of a sense of love and respect for, and even fear of, Christianity. 

But does religion and art affect everyone the same way? Everyone perceives things differently and what the artist may have intended can be perceived by the audience in a different way, such as depictions of Jesus on the cross or people that felt in those magnificent cathedrals were oppressive rather than awe-inspiring. Our beliefs influence our view of things and if these are different than what the artist may have intended, you might see the art differently. (http://www.artsmia.org/world-religions/christianity)

REASON: I believe the reason for this question was to help us to understand how Christianity impacted art and how art could also be used to influence Christianity. 

PURPOSE:  I believe this question is intended to help us understand how a person's own personal convictions, faith and spirituality could affect the way a particular work of art was perceived but that external influences also played an important part in their perception.

DIRECTION: The exercise of researching and answering this topic has taught me to see Christian art of a particular period differently. I have a better understanding and renewed respect for iconography which is significant to the Greek Orthodox Church. As a non-denominational Christian with respect for the Orthodox faith, my own personal convictions had actually led me to wonder if it was considered idolatry.

IMPRESSIONS: My research of this topic reinforces just how powerful an impact religion has had on art. I believe that understanding the influences surrounding Christian art of each period can result in greater appreciation. There is no doubt that the beauty of Christian art has moved even the most hardened of hearts.

Part Two

7a. Faith and Belief

Is Art in any way, an intrinsic part of, or primary factor in religion or religious expression and if so, how did it specifically play a part in the development of Christianity.

Christianity has become an important part of the cultures in which it is practiced, so much that  Western culture would not at all be the same without its influences of Christianity. Christianity has also extended its influence to works of Western art. Throughout the centuries, artists have used their art to express their own faith and beliefs or to depict events of the Bible and Christian views. In most cases, their works are designed to have a profound effect on the audience. Some of these works are intended to make the audience really think about faith and beliefs and some are intended to teach the audience something. Some is very dramatic and emotional and designed overcome the audience with feelings of a sense of love and respect for, and even fear of, Christianity. Finally, some of these works of art were and still are used in Christian rituals.

The Christians not only accepted Christ as the Messiah, but they felt that it was important that Christ be thought of as God, or in other words, that Jesus was God in a human form. Christians were also concerned about the human soul after death. From its beginning, Christianity was a religion that wanted to convert all people.

Statues of Jesus on the cross have been painted and carved for centuries to portray the suffering of Christ and have also unintentionally portrayed Jesus as weak and picked on. European and Russian Orthodox churches have used art for centuries in their large cathedrals and churches to evoke a feeling of awe and worship in their followers.

Pietà by Michelangelo in St.Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Rome 

But does religion and art affect everyone the same way? Everyone perceives things differently and what the artist may have intended can be perceived by the audience in a different way, such as depictions of Jesus on the cross or people that felt that the magnificent old cathedrals were oppressive rather than awe-inspiring. Our beliefs influence our view of things and if these are different than what the artist may have intended, you might see the art differently. (http://www.artsmia.org/world-religions/christianity)


In determining the influence of art and its importance in the development of Religion, one might assume that art has some relation to Religion. Art deals unites two seemingly opposed ideas, the spiritual and the material therefore people might consider its influence as nothing but a “refined impression on the sensual nerves and therefore easily mistaken for true religious feeling. But there is a point in which art does come into very close contact with Religion.

As Edward Carpenter wrote in 1870 in “The Religious Influence of Art”, “There can be no doubt, it seems to me, that, whether it be in music or in architecture or in painting, true Art does, without exception, suggest to the mind the existence of something which is beyond, though ever present in, the sphere of everyday life; something which cannot easily be expressed at all, never clearly, which yet we feel to be akin with our deepest consciousness. I do not think that anyone who has loved music can be ignorant of the irresistible sense it awakens of another world, as it were, flowing ceaselessly around us, into which we are for the time translated with a passing insight into its mystery; nor is it possible to stand amidst beautiful architecture, whether it be in some joyous conception of human Art, or amongst the woods and mountains of Nature's handiwork, without experiencing that feeling of strange wonder and delight, whose very indefiniteness seems to im print it all the deeper on our minds. Whatever its phase, and Art has many phases, it always comes to us with the sense of something veiled, of something still half-unexpressed, which in its fulness we desire yet find not.”

(http://www.edwardcarpenterforum.org/web-books/the-religious-influence-of-art/page-5.html)

Historically, early Christian art dates to the period when the religion was still a modest and often persecuted sect, and became accepted after 313, when the Christian emperor Constantine the Great made toleration of Christianity official. Only then did the church begin to produce art and architecture to reflect its newfound dignity and social status.

After Constantine’s mother, Helena, visited Palestine around 325, she convinced him to build a number of churches and shrines in Jerusalem. (Marilyn Stokstad, 297)

Hagia Sophia
"Worshipers standing on the church floor must have felt such a spiritual uplift as they gazed at the mosaics of saints and angels in the central dome." (Stokstad, 311-312)

Art during this period had its roots in classical Roman style, but began to evolve into a more simplified artistic expression focused not some much on physical beauty but spirituality. (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2747231/roman_influence_in_early_christian.html)

During this time the body was less important. Sculptors took less time with the body and at times the body was not in the correct proportions. Many figures were sculpted with the eyes looking towards heaven. (http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_rome/art.htm)

Christian art began to illustrate, supplement and portray the principles of Christianity. Images of Jesus and narrative scenes from His life are the most common subjects but scenes from the Old Testament also were an important part of art of most denominations.

Stories about the life of Jesus form the basis of Christian iconography. (Stokstad, 306)

Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem (14th Century icon from St. Catherine's Monastery of Mount Sinai:http://www.rel.gr/photo/displayimage.php?album=33&pos=107)

As Western European society emerged in the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church essentially led the way in art, commissioning both painting and sculptures.

During the development of Christian art in the Byzantine empire, more abstract art replaced the naturalism that was predominant in Hellinistic art and its primary purpose was to convey religious meaning rather depict objects and people. During this period, the controversy over the use of graven images of the Second Commandment led to a standardization of religious imagery within the Eastern Orthodox church. Much art focused on the expression of Biblical and religious truths, and showed the higher glory of a heavenly world. The use of gold in the background of paintings or glass in mosaics or windows became popular. 

Detail from the icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos, depicting the Theotokos being translated to heaven, and her giving St. Thomas her Holy Zoni (www.eikonografos.com u)

The early Christian church faced many philosophical and doctrinal controversies, some of which resulted in serious splits or “schisms” within the church. (Stokstad, 304)

For Orthodox Christians, there was and remains a strong and relationship between the spiritual and material. Orthodox Christians don’t worship the images themselves, but rather the subjects they depict. “This is why frescoes and other religious images or icons are two-dimensional - the flatness serves as a reminder that it is a representation, minimizing the potential for idolatrous worship of the image itself.” (http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/byzantine.htm)

In 1453, the fall of Constantinople brought an end to Byzantine art but Orthodox art, or "icons" continued with minimal change,

The transfiguration of Christ

In the West, the Renaissance resulted in an increase in secular works, and Christian art continued to be produced in large quantity until the Protestant Reformation which had a big effect on art. It essentially stopped the production of public Christian art in Protestant countries and destroyed much most of the art that existed. Artists switched to secular portraits and landscape paintings rather than saints. In Catholic countries, iconic art continued, and actually increased during the counter-reformation, but was brought under much more stringent control by the church.

The Last Judgment by Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Veneto, Italy

The seven virtues and seven vices are sometimes shown in opposition. The Last Judgement shows God with his right hand palm up towards the saved, and along the right wall are the seven virtues. His left hand is palm down towards the damned, and along the left wall are the seven vices, each opposite its corresponding virtue.

As a secular, non-sectarian, art emerged in 19th century Western Europe, ancient and Medieval Christian art was  collected more for art appreciation than for worship.

“Art is inescapably a religious activity. Man, in all his activities, manifests his faith. Henry Van Til, in The Calvinistic Concept of Culture (1959), defined culture as a religion externalized. Man expresses his faith in his daily life, in his art, music, work, and play.”

In “The Meaning and Greatness of Christian Art,” R.J. Rushdoony wrote that “art is most certainly a form of communication.”  He tells us Christian art stresses an objective frame of reference whereas modern art stresses self-expression.  “In no other civilization than in the Christian world has art gained a higher status and function. The artisan has been a member of a communion, and his function therein has been to enable man better to attain self-realization in the framework of theonomy. It is the good use of things, the right way of doing something: it is communication, and it presupposes a communion in a common faith. Without the presuppositions of the God of Scripture, there can be no art. With that presupposition, every artisan in the arts has the function of bringing forth a common self-realization under God. He externalizes, develops, and gives voice to the growth and awareness in his day of God's glory and grace as it is realized in and through man's world and experience. Instead of being a lone outsider, he is the concert violinist in a great concerto, because he is the high realization of a common life and experience. This is the greatness of truly Christian art. It is a media of communication, communion, and an enhanced common life.” (http://www.artsreformation.com/a001/rr-great-art.html)

Recently I saw a news feature about Donald Jackson, who in 1970 told Barbara Walters that it was his dream to handwrite the entire Bible. 

In 1998, Minnesota's St. John's Abbey and University commissioned him to create the 2-foot tall, 3-foot wide St. John's Bible, which features biblical scripture and images of mankind's accomplishments throughout the last 500 years. 

The purpose of the St. John's Bible is to bring the Word of God to today's population in a way they've never seen it before. Reproductions of the Bible can be viewed at more than 40 establishments throughout the world. The piece is the only "handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine Monastery since the advent of the printing press more than 500 years ago," according to the press release about the St. John's Bible. (http://www.saintjohnsbible.org/)

Excerpt from the St. John's Bible (http://www.saintjohnsbible.org/see/)




This demonstrates to me that art was, is and will always be a vehicle for

sharing, and perhaps helping to develop, Christianity.

"Art was given for that-

God uses us to help each other so,

Lending our minds out."

                       Robert Browning