Art and the Bible

The Destruction of Pharaoh’s Army

Artist: Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg (French, 1740–1812)

Date: 1792

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States

Description

The Israelites, having been freed from slavery in Egypt, found themselves pursued by Pharaoh's army as they camped by the Red Sea. Pharaoh, having hardened his heart once more, regretted letting the Israelites go and sought to recapture them. The biblical text describes the scene as follows: "As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians marching after them, and they were terrified and cried out to the LORD" (Exodus 14:10).

In response to the Israelites' fear, Moses reassured them of God's deliverance, saying, "Do not be afraid; stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again" (Exodus 14:13). God instructed Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea, and He miraculously parted the waters, allowing the Israelites to cross on dry ground.

As the Egyptian forces pursued them into the sea, God intervened once more. The text recounts, "At morning watch, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and He threw them into confusion" (Exodus 14:24). The waters then returned to their place, engulfing Pharaoh's chariots and horsemen. "The waters flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had chased the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived" (Exodus 14:28).

Christ in the Wilderness

Artist: Moretto da Brescia (Alessandro Bonvicino) (Italian, c. 1498-1554)

Date: ca. 1515–1520

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, NY, United States

Description

The Resurrection

Artist: Cecco del Caravaggio (Francesco Boneri; Italian, 1588/90–after 1620)

Date: c. 1619-1620

Medium: Oil on canvas

Saint Paul Writing

Artist: Master of the Papagayo

Date: 16th century

Medium: Oil on panel

Pentecost

Artist: Workshop of Bernard van Orley (Netherlandish, 1490–1542)

Date: c. 1520

Medium: Oil on panel

Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States

Description

The descent of the Holy Spirit, also known as Pentecost, is a significant event in the Bible that marks the beginning of the Church of Christ's missionary work. Some say it's the "birthday of the Church of Christ" because the apostles began spreading the Gospel after this event.

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost (Acts 2:2-4)

Queen Esther

Artist: Edwin Long (English, 1829-1891)

Date: 1878

Medium: Oil on canvas

The Vision of Jacob and the Ladder

Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851)

Date: c. 1830

Medium: Oil on canvas

Abraham and the Three Angels

Artist: Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (Italian, 1696-1770)

Date: c. 1770

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain

Description

David with his Sword

Artist: Salomon de Bray (Dutch, 1597-1664)

Date: 1636

Medium: Oil on canvas

Esau Selling his Birthright

Artist: Follower of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (Italian, 1573-1610)

Date: c. 1625

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary

Esau Sells his Birthright

Genesis 25:33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.

Jacob’s name meant “supplanter.” This account shows us how Jacob lived up to that name. Esau, as the firstborn twin, was to be the recipient of the birthright blessing from his father Isaac. But Jacob, understanding the value of the birthright more than Esau did, desired the birthright for himself and his descendants. Jacob schemed to get the birthright blessing from his brother.

On a particular day, Jacob was cooking a stew when Esau came in from the fields very hungry. He was so hungry that he felt physically weak and desired food immediately (verse 29). Jacob, seizing on Esau’s moment of weakness, offered to feed him in return for Esau’s birthright blessing. Esau, being driven by his hunger and emotion, foolishly reasoned that he would die without Jacob’s stew—and what good would the birthright be to a dead man?

Esau then swore to sell his birthright to Jacob in return for the stew (verse 33). We are told that Esau “despised his birthright” (verse 34). This does not mean that Esau hated his birthright—later we will see that it did have value to him (Genesis 27:38). This means that Esau did not place a high enough value on the birthright. He allowed his momentary hunger to cloud his judgment and did not think past the feeling in his belly to grasp what he was truly giving up and how it would affect his descendants.

Samson with the Jawbone

Artist: Salomon de Bray (Dutch, 1597-1664)

Date: 1636

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Description

The biblical account states that Samson was a Nazite, and that he was given immense strength to aid him against his enemies and allow him to perform superhuman feats, including slaying a lion with his bare hands and massacring an entire enemy army of Philistines using only the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 15:19).

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

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:

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

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).

Landscape with Christ and the Disciples

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

Date: Mid-17th century

Medium: Oil on canvas

The Virgin in Prayer

Artist: Sassoferrato (Italian, 1609-1685)

Date: c. 1640-1650

Medium: Oil on canvas