a visit with jesus

 Bible Art

The Preaching of John the Baptist
Artist: Bartholomeus Breenbergh:
 1634    Painting

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This well-preserved picture by Breenbergh dates from a few years after his return from Rome to Amsterdam. The subject of Saint John preaching in the wilderness was often employed by Dutch artists as an analogy to Protestant worship when the Netherlands was still ruled by Catholic Spain.

this oil on wood painting measure 21 1/2 x 29 5/8 in. (54.6 x 75.2 cm). It can be seenin The Met on Fifth in NYC.

The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
Artist: Guercino
 1623    Painting

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Mary and Joseph brought the infant Christ, forty days after his birth, to be presented in the Temple in Jerusalem. According to Jewish custom, all first-born male children were to be taken to the Temple to be presented to God in a ceremony that involved the sacrifice of two doves or pigeons, which can be seen here at the foot of the altar.

The elderly seated figure on the right is the high priest Simeon. The Gospel of Luke says the Holy Ghost had told Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. With the aged priest about to receive the infant Christ in his arms, Guercino captures the moments preceding this story’s climax. In the seconds that follow, Simeon recognizes Christ and realizes that his destiny has been fulfilled. Embracing death, he utters, ‘Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation’ (Luke 2: 29.)

This work is oil on copper and measures 72.5 × 65 cm.