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Saint Michael the Archangel

Artist: Giovanni Francesco Caroto (Italian, 1480-1555)

Date: ca. 1524-1531

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary

Description

Saint Michael the Archangel is the chief leader of the heavenly hosts and God's mighty defender against darkness in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions. His name, meaning "Who is like God?," serves as a battle cry against pride. He is venerated as a spiritual warrior and protector.

Balaam and the Donkey

Artist: Rembrandt van Rjin (Dutch, 1606-1669

Date: 1626

Medium: Oil on panel

Collection: Musée Cognacq-Jay, Paris, France

Description

The biblical story (Numbers. 22:1-35) represented here is the following:

The arrival of the Israelites in the Jordan valley alarmed Balak, king of Moab, who sent for Balaam, a foreigner, to pronounce a curse on them. On his journey an angel, invisible to Balaam, barred the way, causing his ass to turn aside. This led to an altercation between the man and his beast in which the latter, like the animals of fable, acquired the gift of speech. Balaam's eyes were then opened and he saw the angel with a drawn sword.

Jesus Christ at the home of Martha and Mary

Artist: Jean Jouvenet (French,1 644-1717)

Date: c. 1688

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Louvre Museum, Paris, France

Luke 10:38-42, NIV

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

The Vision of the White Horse

Artist: Philip James De Loutherbourg (British, 1740–1812)

Date: 1798

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Tate Britain, London, United Kingdom

Description

Here, Loutherbourg shows the first two of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse: the ‘conquerer’ on a white horse, drawing a bow, and ‘War’ on a red horse, wielding a sword. With ‘Famine’ and ‘Death’, they ride out after the breaking of the first four seals of the Book of Judgement.

The first Horseman likely refers to the Antichrist. He is the false imitator of the true Christ, who is also associated with a white horse (Revelation 19:11–16). At the beginning of the tribulation, the Antichrist will be given authority (“a crown”), and he will wage war (“a bow”), conquering all who oppose him. This description agrees with Daniel’s vision of the “little horn” that rises to power and is bent on conquest: “This horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them” (Daniel 7:21; cf. Revelation 13:7).

When the Lamb opens the second seal, the second living creature says, “Come!” (Revelation 6:3). John looks and dutifully records what he sees: “Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword” (Revelation 6:4). The second Horseman refers to terrible warfare that will break out in the end times. Those wars will include the Antichrist’s rise to power, which requires the downfall of three other kings (Daniel 7:8), and possibly the Battle of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38—39).

Source: Who are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Landscape with Christ and the Disciples

Artist: Jean-François Millet (French, 1642-1679)

Date: Mid-17th century

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: The State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Virgin in Prayer

Artist: Sassoferrato (Italian, 1609-1685)

Date: c. 1640-1650

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: The National Gallery, London, United Kingdom

The Martyrdom of Saint Stephen

Artist: Bernardo Cavallino (Italian, 1616-1656

Date: ca. 1645

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain

Description

The scene illustrates a passage from the Acts of the Apostles (7:54-60). Stephen was one of the seven deacons chosen by the Apostles to assist them; accused by the Jews, he was ordered to be stoned at the city gates, and as this was happening, his face shone, and praying, he asked God not to impute the sin to his executioners.

When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:54-60, NIV)

King David

Artist: Guercino (Italian, 1591-1666)

Date: 1651

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: The National Gallery, London, United Kingdom

Description

King David was a biblical warrior king and musician, who is credited with writing several Psalms in the Old Testament. Here, David is not young but not yet old. He looks at a tablet inscribed with a line from a Psalm: ‘Glorious things of thee are spoken, O City of God’.

The Man with the Withered Hand

Artist: James Tissot (French, 1836–1902)

Date: 1886-1896

Medium: Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper

Collection: Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York, United States

Description

When Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, he flouts rules against work and further upsets the devout. Although Jewish law permitted the saving of lives on the holy day, Jesus defies the rigid rules of the Sabbath by extending his help to a man afflicted but not threatened with death.

A Man with a Withered Hand: Mark 3:1–6; Matthew 12:9–14; Luke 6:6–11

God Speaks to Noah after the Flood

Artist: Jacopo Bassano (Jacopo dal Ponte) (c. 1510-1592)

Date: c. 1578

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Uffizi Galleries, Florence, Italy

Description

Genesis 8:15–9:17 marks the end of the global flood and God's new covenant with humanity. God commands Noah and his family to exit the ark, establishes the sanctity of life, and sets the rainbow in the clouds as a perpetual sign that He will never again destroy the earth by flood.

Key details of God's post-flood address to Noah include:

God blessed Noah and his sons, commanding them to "be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth" (Genesis 9:1)

God granted humanity permission to eat meat, but strictly prohibited eating meat with its lifeblood still in it

God instituted capital punishment for murder, declaring that because human beings are made in His image, the life of a person is sacred.

God made an unconditional covenant with Noah, all his descendants, and every living creature, promising never to destroy the earth with a global flood again.

God set the rainbow in the clouds as the visible, permanent sign and reminder of His covenant promise.

Judith

Artist: Charles Landelle (French, 1821-1908)

Date: 1895

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, Bournemouth, England

Description

Judith is described in the Bible as a rich, beautiful widow who saved her town of Bethulia from the Assyrian army. She seduced the Assyrian General, Holofernes in his tent and when he collapsed from drink, beheaded him while he slept.

‘Then she came to the pillar of the bed, which was at Holofernes’ head… And approached to his bed, and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day. And she smote him twice upon his neck with all her might, and she took away his head from him’. (Judith, 13:6-8)

Landelle shows Judith drawing back the bed’s curtain, clasping the sword about to decapitate the general. Judith was a popular subject for artists because of her strength and beauty.

Bathsheba at her Bath

Artist: Luca Giordano (Italian, 1634-1705)

Date: c. 1685

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain

Bathsheba at her Bath

The Bible story of Bathsheba bathing (2 Samuel 11) centers on King David spotting her from his roof, summoning her, and committing adultery, which led to a devastating series of sins and cover-ups. Her story raises many questions about the nature of the encounter and its aftermath.

Contrary to popular artwork and assumptions, the biblical text does not say Bathsheba was bathing on a roof. The passage notes that David spotted her while strolling on his high palace roof. Most scholars agree she was likely washing in a private, walled-off courtyard in her own home, and was seen by the king who had a vantage point over neighboring houses.

Many commentators, including the analysis from GotQuestions.org, point out that the timing suggests she was performing a ritual purification (or mikvah) required by the Law of Moses after her menstrual cycle. This means she was likely fulfilling a religious duty in private and not intentionally trying to seduce the king.

Quo was Bathsheba in the Bible?

Madonna and Child

Artist: Unidentified Artist

Date: Last quarter of 15th century

Medium: Oil and tempera (?) with gold leaf on panel

Collection: Barnes Foundation Art Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States

The Resurrection of Jairus's Daughter

Artist: Ilya Repin (Ukranian-Russian, 1844-1930)

Date: 1871

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: The State Russian Museum / Mikhailovsky Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Description

The Resurrection of Jairus's Daughter is a New Testament miracle where Jesus restores a 12-year-old girl to life. Found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the story highlights the importance of faith in Jesus's power over death, even in the face of apparent tragedy.

A synagogue ruler named Jairus had a little girl who was dying. He begged Jesus to come to his house and heal her. Jesus agreed to accompany Jairus but was detained when He stopped to heal someone else. Meanwhile, the girl died. When Jesus arrived at the house, He told the mourners that the little girl was not dead but just “asleep.” They laughed at Him. Then, everyone was astonished as Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead.

You can also read this story in Matthew 9:18-26 and Luke 8:41-56. It takes place on the west side of the Sea of Galilee, possibly at Capernaum. As usual, a large crowd gathered around Jesus to hear Him teach and to see what miracles He might do.

The Sacrifice at Lystra

Artist: Sir James Thornhill (English, 1675/1676-1734), After Raphael (Italian, 1483-1520)

Date: 1729-1731

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Royal Academy of Arts, London, United Kingdom

Description

The Sacrifice at Lystra is a biblical event described in Acts 14: 8-18. After the apostles Paul and Barnabas miraculously healed a crippled man, the pagan citizens of Lystra mistook them for the gods Hermes (Mercury) and Zeus (Jupiter), and attempted to offer ritual sacrifices to them.

The Evening of the Deluge

Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner (British, 1775-1851)

Date: c. 1843

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, United States

The Holy Family Under an Apple Tree

Artist: Peter Paul Rubens and Studio (Flemish, 1577–1640)

Date: ca. 1632

Medium: Oil on panel

Collection: The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States

Description

Elizabeth kneels to support her praying son, John the Baptist, while his father Zachariah offers Jesus an apple branch. This act symbolizes Jesus’s role in Christian tradition as the savior, sacrificing himself to redeem humanity from Adam and Eve’s sin.

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