New to the world: A life-sized baby Jesus doll on sale at the Mercado in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Photo by Barbara Newhall
By Barbara Falconer Newhall
Christmas was coming up soon — today — and I needed a Christmassy, Jesusy post. I could string some words together about choirs of angels and a poor baby in a manger, but why not just post some of the photos I’d taken over the years and let them say it all?
I opened up my photo gallery, I clicked on text search, and I searched for Jesus.
Here’s what I found.
A man with a view: At St. Peter’s Square, Rome, a bigger-than-life Jesus stands atop the grand facade of St. Peter’s Basillica flanked by eleven of the apostles . Photo by Barbara NewhallAfterthought: At an Austin, Texas, gas station, a sketchy image of Jesus on the cross gets a fraction of the space awarded to a mosaic of his mother Mary, represented here as Mexico’s beloved Virgin of Guadalupe. Photo by Barbara NewhallJudge: A replica of the Deesis mosaic of Jesus as Pantocrator — “ruler of all” — on a wall of Istanbul’s ancient Hagia Sophia gives visitors a close up look at a centuries-old Eastern Orthodox image of a powerful but compassionate Jesus. Photo by Barbara NewhallIn need of baptism: John the Baptist pours water over Jesus in this “Baptism of Christ” by Sansovino and Spinazzi. At the time of this photograph the work was still at the Battistero di San Giovanni in Florence, Italy. It’s since been moved to Florence’s Opera del Duomo Museum. Photo by Barbara NewhallTeacher: Jesus preaches to the people on a huge mosaic over the entrance to Stanford University’s Memorial Church. Photo by Barbara NewhallThe weight of the world: The Catholic Church no longer considers St. Christopher a saint, yet images of him carrying the young Jesus show up in churches everywhere, this one as a fresco in the church at Atotonilco, Mexico. Photos by Barbara NewhallOn the other side of the world, in the monastery on the Isle of Patmos, Greece, the legendary St. Christopher carries the young Jesus — who bears the weight of the world — to safety across the water.
Dying. New Mexico History Museum, Santa Fe. Photo by Barbara Newhall
Merry Christmas, everyone! Wishing you and the world a peace-filled New Year. — Barbara
Thank you, Barbara, for those glorious photos! Even though I’m spiritually wishy-washy, (Sometimes I think Bill Maher’s atheistic rants make sense!) I love religious imagery. A framed painting of Jesus is on my bedroom wall. Looking forward to your soon-to-be released book.
Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.
Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.
0 Responses
Thank you, Barbara, for those glorious photos! Even though I’m spiritually wishy-washy, (Sometimes I think Bill Maher’s atheistic rants make sense!) I love religious imagery. A framed painting of Jesus is on my bedroom wall. Looking forward to your soon-to-be released book.
Thanks. Spiritually wishy-washy. I like it.