The Bible In Paintings, #49: – A SPY STORY

Bing Images (where no attribution appears, the artist is unknown) ^ | c. 2200 BC -- c. 95 AD | Father, Son & Holy Spirit

[Hebrews 11:6]

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Don't often check the Religion Forum?
Then you’ve missed seeing this series showing

THE BIBLE IN PAINTINGS

So, here's a glimpse of it in the News Forum.
If you like it, we'll be in the Religion Forum
most days—or you can join the Ping List.

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SPYING ON CANAAN

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N U M B E R S . . 1 3
New International Version, emphases added
Abridged – the complete text is in your Bible

1 4 4 5 . . B. C.

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.” 3 So at the Lord’s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran.

17 Moses said, 18 “See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 20 Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.”

21 So they went up and explored the land. 23 They cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. 25 At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.

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“Joshua and Caleb, the two spies returning from the promised land of Canaan bearing grapes” -- 16th century, Church of St. Leonard, Somerset, England

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by JAMES TISSOT
“The Grapes of Canaan”

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by JULIUS SCHNORR VON KAROLSFELD
“Return of the Spies”

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“Joshua and Caleb”

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“The Spies Return from Canaan Carrying a Large Bunch of Grapes”

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Fifth-century A.D. synagogue, Huqoq, Lower Eastern Galilee, Israel

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“The Spies Caleb and Joshua”

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by WILHELM EBBINGHAUS
“The Spies Return”

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THE SPIES REPORT

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27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.”

30 Then Caleb said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

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by GIOVANNI LANFRANCO
“Moses and the Messengers from Canaan”

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by GUSTAVE DORÉ
“Return of the Spies from the Land of Promise”

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“The Two Reports of the Spies”

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ALERT VIEWERS WONDERING WHY THE SEQUEL DOES NOT APPEAR share my frustration. Numbers 14 includes such well-remembered passages as:

* the people complaining in fear and wanting to return to Egypt

* Caleb and Joshua pleading for the people to believe God and enter Canaan

* God barring all those adults, except Caleb and Joshua, from entering the Promised Land, sentencing them to wandering in the wilderness for the rest of their lives

* the people then rebelliously trying to enter the Promised Land on their own, resulting in complete defeat (please notice this metaphor, re: Ephesians 2:8-9)

THE PROBLEM IS, THERE'S JUST NO ART! This is not a Bible Commentary but rather an Art Survey. So, where there is no art, we simply move on. Unlike those rebels, I'm just following God's pillar of cloud and fire.

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NOTES ON MY SUBJECTIVE SELECTION CRITERIA

Quality
Works need not be masterpieces to qualify for inclusion here—they don’t need to be housed at the Louvre nor auctioned by Sotheby’s. They only need to successfully illustrate some aspect of the Biblical text or, frankly, just tickle my fancy, which I pray the Holy Spirit is guiding.

Pacing
The pace may seem glacial to those eager to see their favorite events. My commission is to search for art on each Bible passage in sequence; if I find enough, then it becomes the next installment, even if undramatic.

I’m just having fun—and I certainly hope you are, too!
Thank you for your understanding.

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R E S O U R C E S

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Here are links to compendia of three masters
who painted Biblical scenes prolifically:

REMBRANDT van RIJN

GUSTAV DORÉ
(241 wood engravings for
La Grande Bible de Tours)

JAMES TISSOT

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Since this series moves constantly from one Bible passage to another,
here is a fascinating and enjoyable link to assist in following along:
BIBLE TIMELINE

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Finally, here are links to the
PREVIOUS 48 POSTS IN THIS SERIES

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SPECIAL THANKS
to FReeper left that other site,
who allowed God to make her His conduit
for incomparable enthusiasm, encouragement,
education, advice and technical assistance!

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SNEAK PEEK: Next time,

KORAH’S

S
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K
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FEELING

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[Hebrews 11:6]

At the Holy Spirit's prompting, I am surveying "Bible art" to give God glory, as many of these artists have done, and for my own amusement and learning; and I thought others might enjoy it and be blessed by it, too. My plan is to proceed methodically from left-to right, Genesis to Revelation, as the Lord wills. Back soon with another.

The Bible encourages us to meditate on it (Ps. 1:1-3, 119:11-16, etc.); these artists have done so, and their works can assist us and enrich our own thoughts about biblical characters, incidents and concepts, and increase our faith in He who is behind it all. As you encounter and consider these images and the related Scriptures and the Spirit enlightens your understanding, please share it with us!

But it is not only oil-on-canvas that can so help us; I refer to the astonishing video series The Chosen, which strolls through the four Gospels at the most leisurely pace. The eight episodes of Season 1 are finished, and the second of a planned seven seasons is coming soon. I say "leisurely" because after an entire year’s viewing Jesus still has only seven of the apostles (although He's preparing to call up Thomas from the minor leagues--but Thomas is skeptical, of course). Anticipating a canvas of fifty-plus hours instead of a movie's paltry two hours, The Chosen turns the characters (especially including Jesus!) into three-dimensional humans and brings the Gospels alive--you have never seen anything even remotely like it! Here is the Official Trailer.

Here is a link for free viewing of The Chosen: “Works with your phone, tablet, and you can cast to your Roku or Chromecast.” Last fall I paid $34.98 for DVDs and ongoing internet access—best 35 bucks I’ve ever spent (I don’t recall how much our marriage license cost, but then it was 42 years ago).

[Hebrews 11:6]

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[MonicaG]

Thanks for posting these images & info.

[Hebrews 11:6]

My pleasure—glad you approve.

[left that other site]

Those are SOME Grapes! :-)

[Hebrews 11:6]

And not a bit sour.

[left that other site]

Indeed! :-)

[Hebrews 11:6]

An excellent vintage. Who still has a bottle, now aged for 3,465 years? Chateaux Kadesh-Barnea.

[Rebelbase]

" We saw the Nephilim there. "

[Hebrews 11:6]

You've brought me face-to-face with my inadequacy: for reasons that are insufficient and not worth mentioning, I failed utterly to do an art search for "Nephilim." Thanks for your excellent addition and implied critical commentary!

I will do so now and probably add them after-the-fact to my next "Miscellany" post.

[Notthereyet]

Thank you, for the art!

It’s always wonderful to look at events through the eyes of different people.

[Hebrews 11:6]

It’s always wonderful to look at events through the eyes of different people.

Especially knowing that many of them are allowing the Holy Spirit to influence their perceptions, imagination, and execution.

[Rebelbase]

I can’t wrap my brain around the Nephilim. I guess it explains Goliath.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Goliath and his brother were two of the shorter ones. King Og had the famous 13' iron bed.

There is a raging debate whether "angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day" (Jude 6) mated with human women to produce the Nephilim, variously called "Rephaim" and "Anakim."

Aside from their enormous size and strength (Goliath's armor weighed 250 pounds), these other features argue for supernatural origin: persistent polydactylism (extra fingers and toes), exclusively male, and normal agility despite their size (humans above 8' are typically infirm).

[Hebrews 11:6]

Actually, aside from the picture you posted I’ve found very few works representing biblical nephilim, along with hundreds of fantastical/demonic offerings by occultish apocalyptic nincompoops. Whatever Goliath images there are must await our arrival at David’s little tete-a-tete with him.