Gospel in Art: I have not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets

An Allegory of the Old and New Testaments, by Holbein the Younger © Scottish National Gallery

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 15 March 2023
Matthew 5: 17-19

Jesus said to his disciples: 'Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.'

Reflection on the painting

In today's Gospel, Jesus states 'Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them'. Both Old Testament and New Testament are equally important and relevant to us as Christians. One can't be read without the other. Hans Holbein has masterfully painted this idea onto the one panel, where Old and New Testaments meet, all part of the same story… the story of Israel.

We see depicted various scenes from the Old and New Testaments, each one clearly identifiable by golden lettering. The large tree (dead branches on the left and fertile branches on the right) divides the painting: the Old Testament on the left; the New Testament on the right. We can see, to list only a few:

Top left: Moses on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments (Lex)
Middle left: Adam & Eve below the tree of knowledge (Peccatum)
Middle upper left: the brazen serpent given to Moses to save the Israelites (Mysterium Iustificationis)
Top right: the Angel Gabriel carrying the cross towards Our Lady (Gratia)
Middle right: Christ is seen being followed by His disciples (Agnus Dei)
Bottom right: we see Christ's victory over death and sin, acting as a antithesis to the disobedience of Adam and Eve (Victoria Nostra)

Holbein masterfully summarises parts of the Bible in one panel. Note how the human person is portrayed: sitting between the prophet Isaiah (Old Testament) and St John the Baptist, who points the viewer to Christ 'the Lamb of God'. Furthermore, man (Homo in the middle) had neglected Moses' Law (Lex, on the left) which then led to sin (Peccatum), eventually leading to spiritual death (Mors); on the right Christ offers us his grace (Gratia), justice (Justificatio nostra) unlimitedly victory over death (Victoria Nostra).

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-5-17-19-2023/

(Note to readers. So sorry this is the picture intended for the Gospel of 15th March 2023. Yesterday I posted up the picture meant for the Gospel of 16th March. Please find that here: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/46750 )