The Bible In Paintings, #52: THE BRONZE SNAKE, & THE CROSS

Bing Images ^ | c. 2200 BC -- c. 95 AD | Father, Son & Holy Spirit

[Hebrews 11:6]

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THE BRONZE SNAKE

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N U M B E R S . . 2 1
New International Version, emphases added
Abridged – the complete text is in your Bible

1 4 4 5 . . B. C.

4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

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by PETER PAUL RUBENS
“The Brazen Serpent”

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by PIETER FRANSZ DE GREBBER
“Moses and the Brazen Serpent”

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by TINTORETTO
“The Brazen Serpent” (study for the one following)

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by TINTORETTO
“Moses with Bronze Serpent During the Plague of Snakes”

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by ANTHONY VAN DYCK
“Moses and the Brazen Serpent”

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by FYODOR BRUNI
“Moses and the Brazen Serpent”

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by SEBASTIEN BOURDON
“Moses and the Brazen Serpent”

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by JAMES TISSOT
“The Brazen Serpent”

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by MICHELANGELO
Sistine Chapel ceiling, Rome, Italy

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by GIUSEPPE MARIA CRESPI
“Moses and Bronze Serpent”

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“Moses & the Bronze Serpent”

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“Serpent on a Tree”

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by GUSTAVE DORÉ
“The Brazen Serpent”

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“Moses & the Bronze Serpent”

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“Moses & the Bronze Serpent”

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by FRANCESCO CAMPORA

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by ESTEBAN MARCH
“Moses & the Brazen Serpent”

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“Moses Showing the Brazen Serpent”

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by JULIUS-SCHNORR-VON-CAROLSFELD
“The Brazen Serpent”

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“Moses and the Brass Serpent”

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by LUCA GIORDANO
“Moses and the Brazen Serpent”

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by SIMON VOUET
“The Brazen Serpent”

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by WILLIAM BLAKE
“Moses Erecting the Brazen Serpent”

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“Bronze Snake of Moses” – Tapestry, Museo del Duomo, Milan, Italy

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“Moses & the Bronze Serpent” – All Saints' Church, London, England

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“Moses and the Bronze Serpent”
St Patrick's seminary chapel, Dunwoodie, NY

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“Moses and the Snake” – St Mark’s Church, Gillingham, England

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Lincoln College Chapel, Oxford, England

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by VINCENZO DANTI
“Moses and the Brazen Serpent”
Bronze, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence, Italy

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by BARUCH MAAYAN
“Moses and the Bronze Snake” – Hotel Gilgal, Tel Aviv, Israel

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by GIOVANNI FANTONI
“Brazen Serpent Monument” – Mount Nebo, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

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SNEAK PEEK: Next time,

JESUS EXPLAINS
THE BRONZE SNAKE

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R E S O U R C E S

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If you'd like to see for yourself the Bing page
which yielded most of the works above, here is the link:

"Moses' Bronze Snake"

(Where no attribution appears below a work,
the artist's name is unknown.)

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Links to three masters who painted Biblical scenes prolifically:

REMBRANDT HARMENSZOON van RIJN

GUSTAV DORÉ
241 wood engravings for
La Grande Bible de Tours

JAMES TISSOT
180 paintings depicting Bible scenes

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This series keeps moving from one Bible passage to another,
so 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 51 POSTS IN THIS SERIES
with descriptive titles, to assist you in finding those which interest you

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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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NOTES ON MY SELECTION CRITERIA

Quality
The Bible is my focus, not the art. So, 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'm asking the Holy Spirit to guide. So, with such forgiving filters, it means that you're seeing practically everything I'm finding.

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. The Bible is a thick book, as you know; but we'll get there eventually, Lord willing. Remember:
love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control is a fruit of the Spirit!

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

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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]

Ping List for the series
"THE BIBLE IN PAINTINGS"

To receive an alert for each new posting
in this series, either reply here or FRmail me.

[Scarlett156]

Haha, one thing about the story I find amusing is that it illustrations that often people would rather live in comfortable, well-fed slavery than risky freedom.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Yes, indeedy, they illustrated that over and over again—they were the poster children for it. As wise old Ben Franklin warned, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” God never let them get away with it: You asked Me to rescue you and I am, so get in, buckle up, and shut up!