Scholars name 'Pieta' as art summing up Gospel

At least, that's what several theologians and historians answered when they were asked this question: "Other than the Bible, what work of art (painting, book, sculpture, movie etc.) best illuminates or captures Christ's message?"

They were responding to the fourth in a series of questions posed by The Evangelist in anticipation of the coming millennium. Previously, the panel of scholars from Catholic universities throughout the nation had selected Martin Luther as the top non-Roman Catholic Christian of the past 2,000 years (see Jan. 21 issue), John XXIII as the most outstanding pope (Feb. 4) and the first few centuries after Jesus as the most pivotal time in Church history (March 18).

As for a work of art that encapsulates the message of Christ, the panel selected:

THE PIETA

"Now 500 years old, this representation of Mary seated at the foot of the Cross and holding the inert body of our Crucified Lord uniquely captures the fullness of the Christian belief in the Incarnation. The beauty and strength of the Crucified, with face turned towards the Father, move all who see it to acknowledge: 'Truly, this was the Son of God.'

"The figure lying weak and exhausted in death is the fragility of our human nature. Christ's body, lying extended in the arms of Mary, is the victim of a love which offered itself in perfect obedience to the Father for us who share His nature but not His innocence. The Mother holds her Son's body in deep sorrow. Hers is not a bitter, hysterical grief railing at God or the executioners, but a painful acceptance of the sacrifice that had to be because her Son wanted it to be. She is the Mother of all the living who sees before her the price of the world's sin, and weeps.

"The work perfectly captures Christ's message of total loving dedication to the Father. If art can be inspired, who would deny the Power that guided Michelangelo's hand?"

Also selecting the Pieta was Jude P. Dougherty, dean of the School of Philosophy at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., who lauded the sculpture "for its beauty and because of the redemptive act of Christ, which it represents."

Maureen A. Tilley, associate professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton in Ohio, said that the Pieta "portrays the image of God's redemptive love in the battered and broken body of Jesus. Even when humanity immersed itself in sin, God did not cease to love, but loved even more deeply. God's love is seen in Christ incarnate. In addition, this sculpture portrays the response of Mary as model and Mother of all believers. She was not shielded from sorrow; but even in her darkest hour, she believed in the transforming love of God. Her poignant sadness and her serene hope provide inspiration for those who suffer even today."

Another vote for the Pieta came from Rev. Robert Scully, SJ, assistant professor of history at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, who said it "captures both the power and the humility of God, and both the humanity and divinity of Christ. It evokes great sorrow but also intimates hope. Lastly, the immeasurable love of God flows through Mary's tender embrace of the Son."

CREATION OF ADAM

"It demonstrates better than anything else the idea that we are made in the divine image," he said, "not in the sense that we are pale reflections of the divine but that we have the divine spark which is about to jump from God's finger to Adam's. Recognition of this truth stands behind all we do as Catholics -- our obligation to see all people as God sees them, to use our energy as God did and be a positive force, and to always be conscious of our origins in the divine."

THE CRUCIFIXION

"It certainly captures Jesus' humanity and God's suffering in His death," he explained. "The Protestant theologian Karl Barth once remarked that John the Baptist's position and gesture capture the relationship between Scripture (John the Baptist) and the Word of God (Jesus Christ)."

THE MESSIAH

The same choice was made by Dr. Mary Meany, associate professor of religious studies at Siena College in Loudonville, who noted that "this work is a meditation on the importance of this person in and for human history. Drawing on texts from Isaiah, from other prophets, from the Psalms, as well as from the New Testament epistles and Book of Revelations, this oratorio is an extended prayer.

"Handel not only places Jesus in the context of the history of salvation, originating in the relationship between God and the Jews, but he also leads us to reflect on the 'cosmic Christ,' who sits upon the throne of the world."

EARTH SEEN FROM SPACE

Father Wiseman noted that "in Colossians, we read of what some call 'the cosmic Christ,' that is, 'the firstborn of all creation, [in whom] were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible' (Col 1:15-16). The photos illustrate this in a striking way: not only do we here see the Earth as whole, with none of the artificial national or ethnic boundaries that have plagued human history, but we also see our planet against the backdrop of all the other heavenly bodies, which we believe are also in some way under Christ's lordship."

THE LAST SUPPER

"The Last Supper, renewed and celebrated in both the West and the East, is the focal point of the Christian central act of worship because of its theological and practical significance. The Eucharist sacramentalizes the central mystery of faith -- the suffering, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. It is the summit towards which all our actions tend and the source from which all our actions flow. The painting embodies the origin of the celebration of the Eucharist."

ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS

(04-15-99) [[In-content Ad]]