The Lenten Season is officially upon us, embodied by a spirit of reflection and repentance culminating in the Celebration of Easter on April 16th. As there is an undeniable influence of Christian theology on the history of art, every Sunday of Lent we will explore art with distinctly Christian themes in a methodology known as visual theology. Some posts will contain brief biographical, iconographic and/or formal analysis as well. This week is dedicated to the parable of the Good Samaritan: a story (and its imagery) indelibly tied to Jesus' story of sacrifice and salvation. "Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” LUKE 10: 25-37 The Good Samaritan, located in Luke 10: 25-37, is one of the most powerful parables within the Gospels. When asked how to inherit eternal life, Jesus responds with, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” He then proceeds to elaborate on what constitutes one’s neighbor. Jesus tells the story of a man who left Jerusalem only to be beaten and robbed. He was passed over by both a priest and a Levite before a Samaritan, a then despised people among the Jews, stopped to help the destitute man. The Samaritan bandaged the man's wounds, gave him clothing and found him shelter at a nearby inn, even paying for his lodgings. Ultimately, the despised Samaritan best exemplified the image of love and mercy Jesus preached to his followers. With love and mercy also being the crux of Christ's Message, it is not surprising that this parable is found in Gothic churches throughout Europe or became the subject of numerous religious paintings. We will look at three examples of stained glass windows found within the gothic cathedrals of Chartres, Bourges and Sens and examine how they build upon one another theologically. There will also be brief discussion on The Good Samaritan by Aime-Nicolas Morot painted in 1880. What these works serve to highlight is the evolving nature of the parable thematically. While the Good Samaritan is often viewed as a beautiful story reinforcing how we should love our neighbor’s. The discussed artists, however, have reshaped the parable of the Good Samaritan to tell a different message: how Christ paid for our sins to renew a broken covenant. Of the three stained-glass windows, Chartes is the most simplistic in its theological message. As the images of the traveling man and Samaritan run down the center of the window, the outside is filled with images from the Old Testament. It chronicles the Fall and expulsion of Adam and Eve, but takes the Genesis story even further by concluding with the death of Abel by Cain. The ending to the Old Testament sections are quite bleak. They continue to reiterate our separation from God as a result of the Fall by highlighting the destructive acts of the Fallen. Yet, rather than continuing to live in this separation we are reunited with him and rescued. Our life is the road to Jericho; we chose to leave Eden and live among thieves, but we have been saved. The connection is not explicit as it will be illustrated through the windows of Bourges and Sens, but the window is ultimately stating that the parable of the Good Samaritan is an allegory for our return to a relationship with God.Bourges presents a far more complex theological message with its stained glass representation of the Good Samaritan. The window also parallels Genesis alongside that of the parable, but it additionally draws upon the story of Moses and the Crucifixion in order to create a clearer and more profound storyline. Paired together in the top quatrefoil are the man leaving Jerusalem with the Creation of Adam and Eve by God. These are indicative of the beginning, when humanity was still in relationship with God. This is followed by the temptation of Adam and Eve alongside the man being attacked on the road by thieves and the very similar scene of the expulsion with the man being stripped and robbed of his possessions. Both of these quatrefoils are showcasing the same point: that the moment of the man's journey parallels the moment humanity was tempted in the Garden and was ultimately cast of Eden. This is the lowest point in the man's journey as well as one of the lowest points for humanity in the Bible. Yet, mankind's disgrace continues as the window pairs Moses and the creation of the golden calf with the priest and Levite passing the beaten man. Just as Moses was provided with the Law to redeem mankind from the Fall in the garden, the priest and Levite were given the opportunity to grant the man mercy. Yet, both fail as they turn their backs on God by turning their backs on their neighbor. Bourges does not end as bleakly as Chartres, however, and provides a final quatrefoil of redemption and grace. The Samaritan, who closely resembles a glorified Christ, rescues the man and brings him safely home towards the inn keeper. Strikingly placed with these images is the representation of Christ on the cross--saving man kind mind from sin, the ultimate symbol of God's mercy. Similar to Chartres, Bourges illustrates the results of humanity's separation from God. The window brings it to a more satisfying conclusion, however, by finishing the narrative with Christ's death on the Cross. It is only through Christ's death that we can finally return to a relationship with God. Thus, it is highly intentional that the Samaritan resembles Christ, for he is the one leading us away from the life among thieves back to the inn, symbolic of his Church: our place of salvation and restoration . He paid for our sins just as the Samaritan paid the innkeeper. Although Bourges provides a much more complete theological message than the window of Chartres, its attempts to create multiple parallels unintentionally weakens its powerful message. Therefore, this is why--theologically--Sens has the strongest of all three Good Samaritan Windows. The Good Samaritan window at Sens abbreviates the parable to its absolute essentials, while still expanding upon the stories from the Old Testament and Crucifixion. At the very top of the window is a holy city, symbolic of heavenly Jerusalem and the city the man leaves while setting out on the road to Jericho. Once again, the story of the Good Samaritan runs through the center of the window as parallels are drawn around it. First are the creation, temptation and expulsion, which are all, paired with the man being attacked on the road by thieves. The parallel is the same as it was in the other windows, but is stronger and more concise by keeping the beating/robbery with both the temptation and the Expulsion. Moses and the golden calf are again are paired with the priest and Levite continuing commentary on mankind's fall from grace as the holy men destroy their second chance at relationship with God. Sens concludes with a fuller description of the Passion and crucifixion with the Samaritan rescuing the beaten man and taking him safely to the inn. This time, the beaten man, rather than the Samaritan, heavily resembles Christ, but the overall theological implications are still similar. The most striking difference is the angel at the crucifixion. He is the same angel barring the gates of Eden following the expulsion of Adam and Eve. Yet, now his sword is sheathed for through Christ's sacrifice our sins have been redeemed. Both God's mercy through Christ's death and our mercy given to our neighbors restore the relationship with God that was destroyed by the Fall and perpetuated when we failed to uphold God's Law. Interestingly, most images of the Good Samaritan have one of the men resemble Christ. For instance, in Bourges the Samaritan was shown in the image of Christ, whereas Sens paints Christ as the beaten man. By switching which man is Christ, the theological message alters. As Christ, the Samaritan is symbolically returning us to God's kingdom. We are no longer living beaten and among thieves on the road to Jericho, but in close relationship with God. Yet, when the beaten man represents Jesus there are several implications. First it may be drawing upon the beatings prior to Christ's death on the cross, or they can be a reference to Matthew 25:40 "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
Meanwhile, Sens and Morot show that while Christ did redeem us, our relationship with God is not fully restored until we all see others as Jesus saw them: worthy of our unconditional love and mercy. Most importantly, they highlight that we have not walked among thieves alone. Since the expulsion, humanity has been barred from Eden and a true relationship with God. We have been beaten, robbed and shown a lack of mercy. Yet, Christ shared in our journey and shared in our pains. He paid the ultimate price for our sins and suffering through his sacrifice on the cross: a final act of mercy. The angel can finally sheath his sword. Our debt has been paid. A relationship with God finally restored. Full Size of the Chartres Good Samaritan Window Full Size of the Bourges Good Samaritan Window Full Size of the Sens Good Samaritan Window Should you be interested in looking more closely at the full windows, I encourage you to check out: http://www.medievalart.org.uk/index.html . It includes a wonderful repository of images for the discussed windows in addition to many others of the famous French Gothic cathedrals.
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