The Visual Commentary on Scripture

POSSIBLY FORREST & BROMLEY The Risen Christ with Moses, c.1858, Stained glass, 50 cm (width of each), Church of St Rhuddlad, Llanrhyddlad, Anglesey; Given in memory of Revd James Hughes, ©️ Martin Crampin

This stained-glass window on the island of Anglesey depicts Moses as he stands in relation to Christ.

Find out more about the relationship between Jesus and central figures in the Jewish Scriptures in this week's exhibition, 'Faithful in all God’s House':

thevcs.org/faithful-all...

Genesis 14:17–24 Melchizedek, Abraham, Bread, and Wine Commentaries by Mark Scarlata

The meeting between Abraham and Melchizedek arises from a political and military incident which becomes a sacred experience.

Find out more in this week's exhibition, 'Melchizedek, Abraham, Bread, and Wine':

thevcs.org/melchizedek-....

UNKNOWN GERMAN ARTIST Paten, Chalice, Fistula, c.1230–50, Silver, partly gilt; niello, jewels, 2.2 x 22.2 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Cloisters Collection, 1947, 47.101.27, www.metmuseum.org

The design of this chalice and paten remind the Christian worshipper of Abraham’s meeting with Melchizedek.

The bread and wine once offered by the priest-king of Salem to Abraham are now offered by Christ the heavenly high priest to his worshippers.

Take a closer look:

thevcs.org/melchizedek-....

PETER PAUL RUBENS The Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek, c.1626, Oil on panel, 65.5 x 82.4 cm, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Gift Of Syma Busiel, 1958.4.1, Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Who is Melchizedek the mysterious priest-king from Salem? Why does he bring bread and wine to Abraham? And why does Abraham offer him a tithe from his plunder?

Find out more in this week's exhibition and take a closer look at Rubens' painting:

thevcs.org/melchizedek-....

UNKNOWN ARTIST Wine set, 13th century BCE, Bronze, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; 1996-1312, 1996-1313, 1996-1314, ©️ The Israel Museum, Jerusalem

The meal of bread and wine offered by Melchizedek in Genesis 14:17–24 is the first of its kind recorded in the Bible.

Our exhibition of the week is called 'Melchizedek, Abraham, Bread, and Wine'.

thevcs.org/melchizedek-...

Matthew 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:38-41 Peter's Mother-in-Law

The healing of Peter’s mother-in-law is a short, but powerful, Gospel episode. It captures a moment of faith, compassion, and divine intervention—themes central to the Gospel narrative.

Explore our exhibition of the week:

thevcs.org/peters-mothe...

HUBERT VAN EYCK AND JAN VAN EYCK The Ghent Altarpiece (Adoration of the Mystic Lamb), 1432, Oil on panel, 350 x 461 cm, St. Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent; St. Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium / © Lukas - Art in Flanders VZW / Bridgeman Images

What does Jan and Hubert van Eyck's 'Adoration of the Mystic Lamb' from the Ghent Altarpiece have to do with All Saints’ Day?

Find out more in our exhibition on Matthew 5:1–12 and Luke 6:20–26:

thevcs.org/blessed#jour...

#CofEPeeps #narthex

PIETER BRUEGEL I The Fight between Carnival and Lent, 1559, Oil on oak wood, 118 cm x 163.7 cm, Gemäldegalerie, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna; 1016, ©️ KHM-Museumsverband

Pieter Brueghel's painting is filled with vignettes from daily life in the southern Netherlands in the mid-16th century. These figures represent two opposed sides of the forty days preceding Easter.

Click here to zoom in on this lively scene:

thevcs.org/peters-mothe...

Bible and Art Daily Free, thought-provoking artworks and commentaries straight to your inbox

Bible and Art Daily Free, thought-provoking artworks and commentaries straight to your inbox

Bible and Art Daily Free, thought-provoking artworks and commentaries straight to your inbox

Free, thought-provoking artworks and commentaries straight to your inbox.

𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 presents an opportunity to pause and reflect on art, theology, and scripture.

Click on the link to find out more:

thevcs.org/bible-and-ar...

UNKNOWN ARTIST Ex-voto in the shape of a woman, Early 15th century, Wax, Exeter Cathedral Library and Archives; Dean & Chapter, Exeter and S. Klopf, The RAMM

This tiny wax sculpture was offered at the tomb of Bishop Edmund Lacey (d.1455) in Exeter Cathedral alongside countless others—feet, hands, people, horses, pigs, and cows to name a few.

Read about this unusual object in our exhibition of the week:

thevcs.org/peters-mothe...

REMBRANDT VAN RIJN The Healing of the Mother-in-Law of Saint Peter, c.1656, Pen and brown ink, brown wash, in some places rubbed with a finger, corrected with white bodycolour, 171 x 189 mm, Fondation Custodia, Collection Frits Lugt, Paris; Bought 18-03-1942, 5794, Fondation Custodia, Collection Frits Lugt, Paris (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

#Rembrandt depicts the crucial moment from Mark’s account where Jesus takes the hand of Peter’s mother-in-law and helps her to her feet—thus effecting a miraculous cure by touch.

Take a closer look in this week's exhibition:

thevcs.org/peters-mothe...

Ecclesiastes 9:1–12 In the Shadow of Certainty Commentaries by Gianna French Works of art by Adolfo Wildt, Cy Twombly and Jessina Leonard

#Ecclesiastes 9:1–12 may make us uncomfortable. Bold in its questioning, it abandons traditional wisdom, the comforts we rely on when life seems unfair or painful.

Our Exhibition of the Week is called 'In the Shadow of Certainty':

thevcs.org/shadow-certa...

Bible and Art Daily Free, thought-provoking artworks and commentaries straight to your inbox

Bible and Art Daily Free, thought-provoking artworks and commentaries straight to your inbox

Bible and Art Daily Free, thought-provoking artworks and commentaries straight to your inbox

Free, thought-provoking artworks and commentaries straight to your inbox.

𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 presents an opportunity to pause and reflect on art, theology, and scripture.

Click on the link to find out more:

thevcs.org/bible-and-ar...

CY TWOMBLY Untitled, 1959–61, Graphite, coloured pencil, ball point pen and wax crayon on paper, 69.8 x 99.3 cm, Private Collection; ©️Cy Twombly Foundation, Christie's Images / Bridgeman Images

Cy Twombly’s works often appear spontaneous and random, but his compositions are highly intentional, revealing a deep engagement with form, space, and rhythm.

It is precisely this duality—between chaos and control—that resonates with #Ecclesiastes 9:3–6:

thevcs.org/shadow-certa...

JESSINA LEONARD Untitled (Bee in Mouth), from the series First Sweet Truth, 2020, Archival Pigment Print in Handmade Alder Wood Frame, 87.5 x 70 mm; Edition of 5, 1 AP, ©️ Jessina Leonard, courtesy of artist

#Ecclesiastes 9:11–12 reminds us of the limits of our knowing.

Jessina Leonard's project 'First Sweet Truth' explores our inherent desire and consequent failure to capture the ineffable.

Find out more in this week's exhibition:

thevcs.org/shadow-certa...

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#CofEPeeps #narthex

𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 presents an opportunity to pause and reflect on art, theology, and scripture.

@benquash.bsky.social and the Visual Commentary on Scripture would like to introduce you to free thought-provoking artworks and commentaries, straight to your inbox every day.

ADOLFO WILDT Anime nella notte cercano il loro cammino interrogando le stelle, 1913, Ink and gold paint on vellum, 265 x 195 mm, Private Collection, Milan; Andrea Speziali / Alamy Stock Photo

The first work in our exhibition on #Ecclesiastes 9:1–12 is a drawing by the Italian artist Adolfo Wildt.

The prominent inscription translates as 'Souls in the night seek their path by questioning the stars'.

Click here to take a closer look:

thevcs.org/shadow-certa...

Acts of the Apostles 19 In Search of Authentic Discipleship Commentaries by Rebecca Dean

Acts 19 recounts Paul’s missionary adventures in and around Ephesus and is the subject of our exhibition of the week.

Click here to read Rebecca Dean's comparative commentary:

thevcs.org/search-authe...

ANGU WALTERS The Evening Prayer II, 21st century, Oil on canvas, 100 x 78 cm, Collection of the artist; Courtesy of Angu Walters, Cameroon

'The Evening Prayer II' is an oil painting by Cameroonian artist Angu Walters.

A focus on community—the corporate and the collective—emerges gradually from his abstract imagery.

Read about it in our exhibition on Acts of the Apostles 19:

thevcs.org/search-authe...

DESIGNED BY PIETER COECKE VAN AELST THE ELDER, POSSIBLY WOVEN BY WILLEM DE PANNEMAKER Three Episodes in the Life of Saint Paul, from the series The Story of Saint Paul, Second third of 16th century, Tapestry, 405 x 686 cm, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Charles Potter Kling Fund, 65.596, Photograph ©️ 2023 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Commissioned by Henry VIII, this tapestry depicts three scenes from Paul’s ministry in Ephesus: the laying of hands upon the disciples in Ephesus , the miraculous revival of Eutychus, and the burning of the magic books.

Take a closer look in our exhibition on Acts 19:

thevcs.org/search-authe...

NORMAN LEWIS Ritual, 1962, Oil on canvas, 130.2 x 161.9 cm, Private Collection; ©️ Estate of Norman Lewis; Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY

This week we take a closer look at #Acts of the Apostles 19.

Norman Lewis was a 20th-century American artist and political activist who contributed to Abstract Expressionism. Click here to read about Lewis's painting 'Ritual':

thevcs.org/search-authe...

Psalm 27 The Lord is my Light Commentaries by Frederica Law Turner

The Psalter was the fundamental devotional text of the Middle Ages, and our exhibition of the week on Psalm 27 features three different ones.

Click here to read the comparative commentary:

thevcs.org/lord-my-ligh...

UNKNOWN ENGLISH ARTIST Psalm 27 (26 Vulgate), initial showing the Anointing of David with armies, from the Ormesby Psalter, 1250–1330, Illuminated manuscript, 377 x 250 mm, Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford; MS Douce 366, fol. 38r, The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, MS Douce 366, fol. 38r, Photo: ©️ Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford

Do not forget to take a close look at some of the remarkable details in the manuscript's decorated borders!

Click here to find out more:

thevcs.org/lord-my-ligh...

UNKNOWN ENGLISH ARTIST Psalm 27 (26 Vulgate), initial showing the Anointing of David with armies, from the Ormesby Psalter, 1250–1330, Illuminated manuscript, 377 x 250 mm, Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford; MS Douce 366, fol. 38r, The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, MS Douce 366, fol. 38r, Photo: ©️ Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford

The Ormesby Psalter is the most sumptuous manuscript in this week's exhibition on #Psalm 27.

In the historiated initial D, the prophet Samuel pours oil over the head of the kneeling David. Above, God descends from Heaven, carrying a blue shield emblazoned with a gold cross.

UNKNOWN ENGLISH ARTIST [OXFORD] Psalm 27 (26 Vulgate), initial showing scenes from the life of David, from the Cuerden Psalter, c.1270, Illumination on vellum, 293 x 198 mm, The Morgan Library & Museum, New York; MS 756 fol.40v, The Morgan Library & Museum, New York

The initial in this illuminated psalter depicts David twice:

In the top half, a tonsured cleric holds a lighted candle, extending his right hand towards the naked king. In the lower half, an angel defends the king against a group of armed men.

thevcs.org/lord-my-ligh...

YouTube video by The Visual Commentary on Scripture VCS Bible and Art Daily: Exclusive Preview

New from @thevcs.bsky.social - Bible and Art Daily will take you on a series of journeys through the world of Scripture and the history of art. Watch the exclusive preview by @benquash.bsky.social here: www.youtube.com/shorts/Mpy9w...

UNKNOWN BELGIAN ARTIST [LIÈGE] Psalm 27 (26 Vulgate), Initial showing Christ healing the Blind Man, from a Psalter, c.1290–1305, Illumination on vellum, 160 x 110 mm, The Morgan Library & Museum, New York; MS M.155 fol. 22v, The Morgan Library & Museum, New York

Our exhibition of the week on Psalm 27 features three medieval psalters.

Psalters made in the Mosan region of the Netherlands expanded their response to the words of the #psalm with a typological image of Christ healing the blind man.

Find out more:

thevcs.org/lord-my-ligh...

I mentioned these Hogarth murals in my @thevcs.bsky.social Good Samaritan essay and almost included them in my The Parables after Jesus book. Glad they are now open to the public!

Take a better look at Sassetta's painting in our exhibition on Matthew 10:16–36 and Luke 12:2–12, 49–53:

thevcs.org/sheep-among-...