Images of Jesus Of Nazareth Hymn from the

Images of Jesus Of Nazareth

Hymn from the Eastern Church Jesus, invincible power
 Jesus, unending mercy
 Jesus, radiant beauty
 Jesus, unspeakable love
 Jesus, Son of the living God
 Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner
 Jesus, hear me, for I was conceived in iniquity
 Jesus, cleanse me, for I was born in sin
 Jesus, teach me, for I have been a fool
 Jesus, enlighten me, for I have been in darkness
 Jesus, purify me, for I am defiled
 Jesus, restore me, the prodigal
 Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.

Gospels • The Gospels unfolded as theological and historical documents growing out of the early Christian communities. Early Christian writers overlaid onto the historical person of Jesus their ideas and beliefs about who Jesus, the Christ was. Each of the Gospels gives a particular portrait of the person of Jesus.

Gospel of Matthew • The Gospel of Matthew is dated between 60 and 70 AD and was possibly written in Syria. It is a very Jewish Gospel and gives us insights into the painful transition from Judaism to being a follower of Jesus. For Matthew’s community there is the challenging problem of self-identity – who are we? Where do we belong? The Gospel sets Jesus in a very Jewish context, modelled on Moses the great leader and lawgiver of the Hebrew Bible. It is often a Gospel of conflict as Jewish Christians discuss among themselves what it means to follow Jesus and remain Jewish. • Catacombs Christ

Gospel of Mark • The Gospel of Mark was probably written in Rome for a persecuted and suffering community. Hence the portrait of Jesus in Mark is one of distress and misunderstanding. The community hearing the Gospel is suffering, misinterpreted and even being put to death because they believe in Jesus; so, Mark’s Jesus suffers, is misunderstood and dies alone.

Christ/Messiah • Mark has an early form of Christology. He even uses the device called the messianic secret. This suggests that the “Christ / Messiah” identity of Jesus is deliberately kept hidden. The Gospel ends abruptly with the women running away from the empty tomb afraid (16: 8). Most scholars accept this as the end of the Gospel. Some further verses were added to the last chapter (16: 9 -21). The style of these verses is so different from the rest of the Gospel, it is suggested that they were a later addition.

Gospel of Luke • Many scholars suggest that a Gentile, a person who is not Jewish, wrote the Gospel of Luke’s community would seem to be mainly Gentile. It is written in good Greek and is dated at a similar time to the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel is inclusive of foreigners and women. Women are certainly more obviously represented in this Gospel although some commentators argue that even the author of this Gospel has diluted the inclusive qualities of the very early group of Jesus’ followers to fit in with the cultural requirements of the times. It is also the Gospel of Jubilee. • Eastern Icon: The purpose of this icon of Jesus is to encourage us to pray – not just to look. That is why Jesus is looking straight out at us. It is as if he is calling us to respond to him, calling us to come home to God.

• God’s promises and gifts are revealed and available to unexpected people in unexpected ways. Shepherds and not wise men first receive the news of Jesus’ birth. The poor have the good news given to them. There is abundance for all but perhaps especially for those who do not generally receive it – like the elderly, shepherds, lepers, Samaritans, foreigners and women. The Acts of the Apostles is considered to have been written by the same author and is thus like a second volume of the Gospel.

Gospel of John • In the Gospel of John, the image of Jesus is of God among us, the Incarnate Word, the Light of the World, the Way the Truth and the Life; Jesus is much more than human. Painted by Holman Hunt in the 19 th century, it is one of the most famous images of Jesus, reproduced countless times.

Jesus of Nazareth • Using the Christian Scriptures as their basis, the early Church communities developed a number of titles to describe Jesus of Nazareth; each of these described a particular aspect of Jesus, and communicated different beliefs about him. Some of these titles are: the Christ, Saviour, Lord, Redeemer, Son of God, Son of Man, Lamb of God, the second Adam, the new Moses, Emmanuel, the Word of God, and the Good Shepherd.

Understanding Faith • . See KWL Cath. Studies 2. 5 -10 (Chapter 2 Jesus the Christ pages 36 -46 2. 5 -2. 10 The Character and mind of Jesus, The claim of Jesus, The miracles of Jesus, The Passion of Jesus Christ, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, The greatest miracle) ; (Chapter 9: The Arts and Religion pages 245 -249 9. 7 -8 Movies about Jesus, Christ-figure movies; Chapter 11: The Scriptures pages 285 -289 11. 5 The Gospels; (Chapter 12: Prayer and Spirituality pages 324 -325 12. 9 Well-known prayers). • Understanding Faith Series Book 23 ‘Understanding the Gospel Story’, Part 3 How the Gospels were written page 8 & Teacher’s book p 29.

Faces of Jesus • Access the site http: //www. rejesus. co. uk/ and click on Faces of Jesus to compare the many images of Jesus that are presented. Spend time alone to experience the images. Then journal which image(s) had the greatest impact on you and why. • Which Gospel would you most expect to reflect this image? * Ruler of Creation image -

Salvador Dali • Consider Salvador Dali’s ‘Corpus Hypercubicus’ and ‘Christ of St John of the Cross’. Experience the works and then share responses. Make observations on: the direction in which the crucified Jesus is looking; the condition of the body of the crucified Jesus; the source of light; the distance of the cross from the earth. Explore how one could argue that these each represent a triumphant Christ, reflecting a descending Christology (i. e. : the eternal Word of God who becomes human).

Salvador Dali’s: Corpus Hypercubicus

Christ of Saint John of the Cross is a painting by Salvador Dalí made in 1951

Suffering human Christ • By contrast, consider Peter Paul Rubens’ ‘The Entombment’ and Guido Rocha’s ‘The tortured Christ’ (for example). What is the immediate impact and message of these images? Explore how one could argue that these each represent a suffering human Christ, reflecting an ascending Christology (i. e. : the human Jesus who enters fully into the suffering of humanity).

Peter Paul Rubens: The Entombment http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=3 YCvr. O 0 b. PCo

Guido Rocha’s The tortured Christ

Michelangelo Caravaggio’s ‘The Incredulity of Saint Thomas’. • Students view Michelangelo Caravaggio’s ‘The Incredulity of Saint Thomas’. Make comments on your response and interpretation of this work, particularly in relation to: Jesus’ hands and the expression on the face of Saint Thomas. Reflect on the physicality of this image; consider how it is based on John 20. 2429. Jesus appears to Thomas the Twin http: //www. biblegateway. com/passage/? sear ch=John+20%3 A 24 -29&version=NIV

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio

Christology from above & below • Summing up, compare and contrast the above, and any other images, in terms of the Christology (ascending or descending) they reflect • Refer to Understanding Faith Series Book 39, Jesus the Christ, Chapter 6 Teacher’s Book, pp 32 -33, Student Book pp 23 -24. As a class, discuss Activity 1 on ‘Christology from below’ and ‘Christology from above’

Mark 8. 27 -20 • Read and reflect together on Mark 8. 27 -20. See ‘Scripture: Background Information’. Check the following Scripture references: John 1. 1 -5, 14, 16 -18; Philippians 2. 1 -11; Matthew 13. 53 -58; Matthew 27. 45 -50; Mark 2. 15 -17. Mark 3. 20 -21. Identify which are ascending and descending images of Christ. Explain reasons

Mark 2: 15 -17 • Read Mark 2. 15 -17 as an incident from Jesus’ life which could speak powerfully to the contemporary world. Identify the key impressions of Jesus that emerge from this passage using De Bono’s ‘six coloured hats thinking strategy’. White Hats – the facts of the incident • • • Red Hats Black Hats Yellow Hats Green Hats Blue Hats – – – personal opinions and feelings negative judgements of Jesus’ actions and words positive assessment of Jesus’ actions and words alternatives to others’ thoughts and to give a fresh approach summaries, overviews and conclusions Mark 2: 15 -17 15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? ” • 17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. ”

Movies • View segments of 5– 7 minutes from a variety of films about Jesus that cover a common theme or the same event. Discuss the similarities and differences, e. g. ‘Jesus of Nazareth’, 1977, Director: Franco Zeffirelli who made use of all four Gospels, but the filmmaker favoured Luke and John Jesus of Nazareth full movie on *Youtube www. youtube. com/watch? v=t. I 11 w. Et. AUVQ ‘Jesus’ (aka ‘The Jesus Film’) 1978, Director: Peter Sykes and John Kirsh which presents basic facts based entirely on the Gospel of Luke; ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ the musical (1960 s - 1970 s hippy culture), ‘Superstar the musical’ (2000), ‘Jesus of Montreal’, ‘Jesus’ (TV mini-series) 1999, Director: Robert Young incorporates the modern world with Jesus’ world. ‘Godspell’. • Follow-up: As a 21 st century film maker, and drawing on the Gospels as your source, how would you portray Jesus as the lead character in your film? Write one paragraph about your film to brief the casting director.

Extension Task • Extension Activity: There are images drawn from Scripture which may have a particular significance for the contemporary world or for a specific context; e. g: servant leader; teacher of truth; true light of the world; Savior and friend of the oppressed; upholder of human dignity. Are there images of Jesus that you are drawn to? Explain why

Multimedia • • • • http: //www. rejesus. co. uk/ www. acbc. catholic. org. au (see: Fr Richard Leonard’s film reviews) Jesus of Nazareth (1977) – Franco Zeffirelli Jesus (‘The Jesus Film’) – Peter Sykes and John Kirsh Jesus Christ Superstar the Musical (2000) Jesus of Montreal Jesus (TV mini-series) (1999) – Robert Young Godspell Art works Christ of St John of the Cross – Salvador Dali Corpus Hypercubicus – Salvador Dali The Last Supper – Salvador Dali

Bar Code Jesus by Scott Blake, from Savannah, Georgia, makes portraits which combine art (Shroud of Turin) with technology. He says: “As a computer artist, I am in the business of selling pixels. The bar code represents technology, efficiency and commodities. It is the universal icon for the computer revolution. ”