Global Christianity: Christianity in the City Papers

KN Simon

Global Christianity: Christianity in the City Papers

The crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ play very significant roles in the life of Christian and Jewish believers. In both deities, Jesus is known to be the Messiah and was sent by God to mark the salvation of humanity. God made Adam using clay and made him with his likeness he transformed the clay to be flesh. Out of Adam, God created Eve from Adam’s ribs. Adam said, “This is the flesh of my flesh” (Holmes 2). God gave Adam and Eve the power to procreate. As more and more generations emerged, sin entered the World, and human beings became wicked. God was not happy with the action of humans to defy his guidance and instead turn up for wicked ways. God sent Jesus Christ with human flesh so that to save humankind on the earth. Throughout the life of Jesus Christ, Jesus taught the believers the important of living a righteous life as ordained by holy trinity. Crucifixion, which marks the climax of the suffering of Jesus Christ, is very important to the life of Christians; it shows them Jesus suffered for the sin of the humanity. The death of Jesus Crist came exactly at 3 o’clock on Friday and thereafter there was darkness. Consequently, this signifies that God who had authority over the light and darkness sent Jesus. Mary Magdalene confirmed the resurrection of Jesus Christ after she visited the tomb and found that Jesus had already arisen (McClain 83). This is significant to Christians because it shows them that there is life after the death. During the ascension, Jesus promised his disciple to come back, therefore Christian lives with hopes that Jesus Christ will come to earth for the second time. After visiting metropolitan museum art in NYC, I was able to come across various picture related to resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.

Global Christianity: Christianity in the City Papers

The first picture to come across with was the picture of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione the picture has an Italian, Genoa origin dated 1609-1664 Mantua. The picture is the representation of the ancient Cristian martyr Saint Francis between 1181-1226AD. In the picture, there is a man holding the cross in a rocky place and is in the evening. In the picture, there is also an open book and skull, which are symbolic. St. Francis was one of the ancient Christian who was devoted to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The open book and skull they are a representation of egotisms that are going on in the world and mortality, and varied techniques that Castiglione used to emphasize the transition from the bodily world to spiritual world. This picture depicts the suffering of Jesus before his crucifixion; Jesus was forced to carry the cross, beaten by Pharisees he felt many times, represented by the obstacles of the rocky ground in the picture. The strain in this picture is the same as the struggle of Jesus Christ before his crucifixion. It signifies that Christian has to sacrifice in their life to accomplish spiritual righteousness. According to Holmes (5), Sacrificing and suffering are acceptable by God, if it is not conflicting with soul, fasting, abstinence. The duty of the flesh is to withstand humiliation and suffer repeatedly (Holmes 5). The picture warns those who clinch on world material possession and avoid listening to the scripture their ultimate destiny is death as represented by the skull. Resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ are much related to this picture since it promises thet even after death those that are spiritually righteous will inherit the kingdom of God. After the resurrection, Jesus asked the believers to be strong in faith since his body is no longer visible.

As I go around the museum, I came across bronze models of Crucifixion Group, which was much related to the first picture I saw of Giovanni Benedetto. The model was a representation of Jesus Christ crucifixion when hanged on Cross on the company of the two thieves. The model is from Rome in the mid-16th century. The model has six statues three of them are hanging while the rest are on the ground. One of the thieves was looking directly to Jesus statue as if for the forgiveness. Jesus forgives him as seen on the model on the ground the side that Jesus cast his hand. The other thief rebuked Jesus and never looked to him directly, after the resurrection the model clearly shows he was cursed. The thief granted forgiveness lived a happy life of reading the Scripture while the other one lived a miserable life. The death of Jesus Christ does not mean the end of salvation. Jesus resurrected and forgave the sin of all those who believed and had faith in him. Those who never believed in Jesus Christ they were cursed and eventually lived the dejected life. Pollard (57), said those who die for faith would be compensated with good fortune they did not enjoy in their earthly body. Christian usually does not abominate their bodies since they believe there is life after death like shown in the statues of Jesus and the two thieves.

Pacino di Bonaguida is another picture I came across while in the museum. The picture is of Italian origin dated between1302-1340. The picture is a collection of many occasion that took place after Jesus crucifixion. The picture has four different occasions, which are Saint John on Patmos, the crucifixion of Christ, the death of virgin, and child of Enthroned (Labriola 1001). The Pacino shows the spread of the Gospel after the resurrection and death of Jesus Christ. After the ascension of the Messiah, the Holy Spirit was the one who was left in charge to help the saints to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ so as to save the world. When Jesus died the Holy Spirit descended from heaven, he guided the early saint such as Saint John, Saint Paul, and Saint Francis who were early Saints to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ about his resurrection and ascension and salvation. Through the help of Holy Spirit, the gift of the spreading gospel was passed to Evangelist and Bishop Saints who were to tell people about salvation, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. 

Works Cited

Holmes. “Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. III: On the Resurrection of the Flesh.” Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. III: On the Resurrection of the Flesh. N.p., n.d. http://www.tertullian.org/anf/anf03/anf03-41.htm#P9676_2650295. Accessed 03 Apr. 2017.  

Labriola, Ada. “Pacino di Bonaguida.” The Alana Collection, Newark, Delaware, USA, 2009, pp. 1000-1002. 

McClain, Lisa. “” They have Taken Away my Lord”: Mary Magdalene, Christ’s Missing Body,    and the Mass in Reformation England.” The Sixteenth Century Journal, 2007, pp. 77-96.

Pollard, T. “Martyrdom and Resurrection in the New Testament.” Bulletin of the John Rylands Library, vol. 55, no.1, 1972, pp. 240-251.

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