Designs of Faith. Mark McGinnis

inhabited by tortured souls whose forms I have gleaned from various sections of the massive bronze doors, The Gates of Hell, by late 19th century French sculptor, Auguste Rodin.

       RIGHT SECTION

      Paul is the apostle depicted to the right of the lamb. I have chosen him because, to my understanding, it was Paul who truly formed Christianity as a religion. It was he who made Christianity an independent belief, did much to distance it from Judaism, and discarded much of the Jewish tradition. It was Paul who interpreted Christ as a new law that overrode many of the laws of the Jews. My portrait is based on the depiction of Paul by the 16th century German artist, Albrecht Durer, in his diptych, The Four Apostles.

       LEFT SECTION

      To the left of the lamb is the apostle James the Lesser (the “lesser” to differentiate him from James the Greater who was one of Jesus’ disciples). After Christ’s crucifixion James the Lesser rapidly rose in standing with the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem and became the primary leader of the Christians. He approached Christianity as an evolution of Judaism and maintained strong ties to the Jewish faith and traditions. James’ execution in 62 C.E. and the crushing of the Jewish rebellion in 70 C.E. by the Romans led to the near extermination of this form of Christianity, while Pauline Christianity grew in Greece and Asia Minor. My image of James is also partially based on the Four Apostles by Durer. I have taken the body and robe design used by Durer for his depiction of the apostle John, and added the head of James, loosely based on the likeness created by the 15th century Venetian artist, Mantegna, in a now destroyed series of murals concerning the life of James. I have James holding a book written in Hebrew, while on the right, Paul holds a book labeled in Greek with the first three letters from the name Jesus.

      Christianity Essay

      Christianity is a faith that grew on the fertile, aged soil of Judaism. Jesus of Nazareth was born a Jew; he was circumcised and two doves were sacrificed at the Temple in Jerusalem to mark his birth as laid down in the law of Moses. In the six centuries before the birth of Jesus, the Jewish nation had suffered domination by the Babylonians, Persians, and Hellenistic Greeks, and were currently subservient to the Romans. They had learned how to survive under these conditions and maintain their ancient traditions, including the elaborate system of temple sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and maintenance of the covenant with God as set forth in the book of Leviticus.

      According to Scripture, Jesus was born to Mary from conception of the Holy Spirit before her marriage to Joseph. Jesus had four brothers and also a number of sisters. What we know of his life comes to us primarily through the Gospels that were written some two generations after his death (Frend 55). Little is know of his early life other than a few incidents noted primarily in the Gospel of Luke. Most accounts begin with his travel to his cousin, John the Baptist, who had established a following as an ascetic, recluse prophet. Jesus went to him for baptism and at that time had a powerful experience of the Holy Spirit entering him. The Holy Spirit then led him into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the Devil to prove his worthiness. Instead of following John’s example of ascetic ministry, Jesus chose a different mission. He recruited disciples from the fishermen and working class of Nazareth and took his message to the common people. One of his earliest and most profound teachings was the Sermon on the Mount:

       Blessed are the poor in spirit;

       the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

       Blessed are the sorrowful;

       they shall find consolation.

       Blessed are the gentle;

       they shall have the earth for their

       possession.

       Blessed are those who hunger and

       thirst to see right prevail;

       they shall be satisfied.

       Blessed are those who show

       mercy;

       mercy shall be shown to them.

       Blessed are those whose hearts are

       pure;

       they shall see God.

       Blessed are the peacemakers;

       they shall be called God’s

       children.

       Blessed are those who are

       persecuted for the cause of right;

       the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

       (Matthew 5:3-10)

      With this remarkable statement of humility and compassion, the basis of Christianity was set. Jesus was adamant that he had not come to abolish the law of Moses but to complete it; he went so far as to say, “not a letter, not a dot will disappear from the law….” (Matthew 5:18). But in completing this law he made some dramatic changes and additions. He said not only must you not murder, but you must not even feel anger against another. He said that the prohibition against adultery extended so far as to not even looking lustfully at anyone other than your spouse. He said that you must not only love your neighbor but you must also love your enemy. He said you must forgive others for whatever wrongs they have done to you. He said you cannot serve both God and money. He said it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. He said we were not to judge others. Many of these new commandments are stated in another of his sermons, the Sermon to the Disciples:

       But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who treat you spitefully. If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also; if anyone takes your coat, let him have your shirt as well. Give to everyone that asks you; if anyone takes what is yours, do not demand it back.

       Treat others as you would like them to treat you. If you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. Again, if you do good only to those who do good to you, what credit is there in that? Even sinners do as much. And if you lend only what you expect to be repaid, what credit is there in that? Even sinners lend to each other to be repaid in full. But you must love your enemies and do good, and lend without expecting any return; and you will have a rich reward: you will be sons of the Most High, because he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be compassionate, as your Father is compassionate.

       Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned; give, and gifts will be presented you. Good measure, pressed and shaken down and running over, will be poured into your lap; for whatever measure you deal out to others will be dealt to you in turn. (Luke 7:27-37)

      Jesus’ teachings often took the form of parables to stress the point of his new or revised commandments. When challenged by a scribe of the Temple as to which of the commandments was greatest, Jesus stated that to love God is the greatest followed by loving your neighbor. Jesus said that all the law and teachings of the prophets were based on these two commandments. The scribe then asked how he was to know who was his neighbor, and Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan: how a man badly beaten by robbers lay by the side of the road and was ignored by a Jewish priest and a Levite, but was not only cared for, but taken to an inn and his recovery financed by a Samaritan, a Gentile (non-Jewish). Jesus asked the lawyer which of the men had acted like a good neighbor, and the scribe responded the Samaritan had. Jesus told him to go and act like that. In another case he illustrated his teaching of being non-judgmental. Jewish leaders brought a woman accused of adultery and asked what should be done with her, knowing well that the law of Moses required stoning her to death. After