给儿子的话 #2 奉献

关于奉献

若不是基督徒，不必奉献；

若不明白了解，不用奉献；

若不甘心乐意，不要奉献。

神所喜爱的奉献 «歌林多後書9:7»

寡妇的奉献 «馬可福音 12:41»

亚伯拉罕献以撒 «創世記 22:1-14»
活祭 «羅馬書 12:1»

Renaissance Art - The Last Supper ( Il Cenacolo ) 1495-1498

The Last Supper

Artist : Leonardo da Vinci,  1452-1519

Date : 1495-1498

Medium : fresco-secco

Dimensions : 460x880cm

Current Location : Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy

The work is presumed to have been started around 1495–96 and was commissioned as part of a plan of renovations to a Dominican monastery in Santa Maria delle Grazie, by Leonardo's patron Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. 

The painting represents the scene of the Last Supper of Jesus with his apostles, as it is told in the Gospel of John.  Leonardo has depicted the consternation that occurred among the Twelve Disciples when Jesus announced that one of them would betray him.

All twelve apostles have different reactions to the news, with various degrees of anger and shock. The apostles are identified from a manuscript (The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci p. 232) with their names found in the 19th century.

From left to right, according to the apostles' heads:

Bartholomew¹, James², son of Alphaeus, and Andrew³ form a group of three; all are surprised.

Judas Iscariot⁴, Peter⁵, and John⁶ form another group of three.

Apostle Thomas⁷, James⁸ the Greater, and Philip⁹ are the next group of three.

Matthew¹⁰, Jude Thaddeus¹¹, and Simon¹² the Zealot are the final group of three.

Judas Iscariot⁴ is wearing green and blue and is in shadow, looking rather withdrawn and taken aback by the sudden revelation of his plan. He is clutching a small bag, perhaps signifying the silver given to him as payment to betray Jesus, or perhaps a reference to his role within the 12 disciples as treasurer.  He is also tipping over the salt cellar. This may be related to the near-Eastern expression to "betray the salt" meaning to betray one's Master. He is the only person to have his elbow on the table and his head is also horizontally the lowest of anyone in the painting.

Peter⁵ looks angry and is holding a knife pointed away from Christ, perhaps foreshadowing his violent reaction in Gethsemane during Jesus' arrest.

The youngest apostle, John⁶ , appears to swoon.

Thomas⁷ is clearly upset; the raised index finger foreshadows his incredulity of the Resurrection.

James⁸ the Greater looks stunned, with his arms in the air. Meanwhile, Philip⁹ appears to be requesting some explanation.

Both Jude Thaddeus¹¹ and Matthew¹⁰ are turned toward Simon¹² , perhaps to find out if he has any answer to their initial questions.

Renaissance Art - The Last Supper ( Tapestry ) 1500s

Probably the world’s most recognizable painting, the Last Supper has been copied, referenced, or reproduced as painting, mosaic, embroidery, tapestry etc.

The tapestry found in the Vatican Museum was made in a Flemish workshop ( a region occupied today by parts of Netherlands, Belgium and France ) in the early  1500s.  It was presented by King of France, François I to Pope Clement VII in 1532.

It is now displayed at Room VIII of the building of Pinacoteca, Vatican Museum.

Orientalism Art - Judas se pend 1886-1894

Judas Hangs Himself

(Judas se pend)

Artist : James Tissot, French, 1836-1902

Medium : Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper

Place Made : France

Dates : 1886-1894

Dimension : 11 7/8 x 6 1/8 in. (30.2 x 15.6 cm)

Location : Brooklyn Museum, NY, USA

Matthew 27

1 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. 2 So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

   “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

 5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

 6 The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. 8 That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, 10 and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

Renaissance Art - The Sacrifice of Abraham 1636

The Sacrifice of Abraham

Artist : Rembrandt van Rijn. 1606-1669

Date : 1636

Material : canvas

Technique : oil

Dimensions : 195x132 cm

Current Location : Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany

Note :

This painting was started by one of Rembrandt’s students. 

At some point, Rembrandt took over and finished it.

The composition and figures are similar to the  1635’s The Sacrifice of Isaac.

Renaissance Art : Sacrifice of Isaac 1635

 The Sacrifice of Isaac

Artist : Rembrandt van Rijn. 1606-1669

Place : Holland

Date : 1635

Material : canvas

Technique : oil

Dimensions : 193x132 cm

Current Location : The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

God ordered Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of his faith (Genesis, 22: 1-13). Abraham set out to carry out the command, proving his belief, but God sent an angel to stay his hand just as he was about to sink the knife into his son's body. 

Rembrandt captures all the the dramatism of the culminating moment in this terrible intended sacrifice. Abraham's amazement as the angel stops him with hand raised is revealed in his expressive gesture and the strong expression of his face, which almost borders on madness. 

We see a moment of great emotional tension, expressed in dynamic forms and lines. The heightened dramatism, monumental form, turbulent movement, sharp contrasts of light and shade are typical of Rembrandt's works of the 1630s and reflect in this painting the features of the Baroque style.