Gospel in Art: If you openly declare yourself for me...

The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer, by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1863 and 1883. © Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 21 October 2023
Luke 12:8-12

Jesus said to his disciples:

'I tell you, if anyone openly declares himself for me in the presence of men, the Son of Man will declare himself for him in the presence of the angels. But the man who disowns me in the presence of men will be disowned in the presence of God's angels.

'Everyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

'When they take you before synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say, because when the time comes, the Holy Spirit will teach you what you must say.'

Reflection on the painting

In today's striking painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme, we see a group of Christian prisoners (on the right) who are saying their last prayers before being devoured by the wild beasts emerging from the lower ground trapdoors. The are surrounded by other Christian martyrs, hanging on crucifixes, covered in tar and several set on fire. This is a very vivid depiction of the persecution of early Christians. The setting is a combination of the Circus Maximus (the scale of our setting, the race tracks, the goal posts…) and the interior stands of the Colloseum (based on the layout of the surviving ruins of the Colloseum), in which gladiatorial combats and other spectacles were held. Similarly, the hill in the background surmounted by a colossal statue and a temple is nearer in appearance to the Athenian Acropolis than it is to Rome's Palatine Hill. So this painting is a juxtaposition of various different classical sites. Gerôme gave up historical accuracy to create this very dramatic composition.

Tacitus (56 - 120 AD) wrote about these cruel events, saying 'First, then, the confessed members of the sect were arrested; next, on their disclosures, vast numbers were convicted, not so much on the count of arson as for hatred of the human race. And derision accompanied their end: they were covered with wild beasts' skins and torn to death by dogs; or they were fastened on crosses, and, when daylight failed were burned to serve as lamps by night.'

These Christian martyrs could have lived if they had simply denied their love for Christ. And yet, they rather died than deny their faith. That is what makes them martyrs: their willingness to be killed to testify of their love for Jesus. And Jesus told them in today's reading, as he tells us: 'If you declare yourselves for me, I will declare myself for you'.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-12-8-12-2023/