Misplaced Pages

#676323

81-526: Due to social practices that involved pilgrims venerating the relics of saints in this period, the Bishop of Autun ordered the creation of a larger cathedral to house the relics and accommodate the influx of pilgrims into Autun. The column capitals and main façade of the church are embellished with realistic sculptures carved by Gislebertus. The artwork is a means of teaching the masses of Christian ethics with dramatic scenes of heaven and hell. Other features include

162-527: A new exodus and the end of exile , marking him out further as the true representative of Israel." Another reading of Hosea's prophetic declaration is that it only recounts God summoning of the nation of Israel out of Egypt during the Exodus , referring to Israel as God's son in accordance with Moses ' declaration to Pharaoh: "Israel is my first-born son; let my son go, that he may serve me" ( Exodus 4:22–23 ). The Masoretic Text reads my son , whereas

243-506: A Christian. The two were arrested, tortured, and imprisoned for their faith. They were released on condition they would not preach at this place any longer. They preached in the Alps and built a chapel at Embrun , and then continued on to Geneva , and then Trier . They preached in Trier, and converted many to Christianity , and they were imprisoned once again there. Celsus was entrusted to

324-645: A dream telling him to flee to Egypt with Mary and the infant Jesus since King Herod would seek the child to kill him. The episode is frequently shown in art, as the final episode of the Nativity of Jesus in art , and was a common component in cycles of the Life of the Virgin as well as the Life of Christ . Within the narrative tradition, iconic representation of the " Rest on the Flight into Egypt " developed after

405-474: A number of years after 1146 the two cathedrals operated in tandem, with Saint Lazare as the summer cathedral (from Easter to All Saints' Day) and Saint Nazaire as the winter cathedral. The cathedral was finished in 1146, (with the exception of the porch which was added a few years later); Abbé Grivot writing in his excellent guide to the cathedral explains that the interior of the building is not Gothic, as there are no crossed diagonal ribs, but Romanesque vaulting as

486-570: A publication now in the public domain :  Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Sts. Nazarius and Celsus". Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company. Flight into Egypt The flight into Egypt is a story recounted in the Gospel of Matthew ( Matthew 2:13 – 23 ) and in New Testament apocrypha . Soon after the visit by the Magi , an angel appeared to Joseph in

567-600: A rare tympanum signed by Giselbertus of Autun. The Autun Cathedral is a magnificent display of Romanesque Art and Architecture. The sculptures created by Gislebertus successfully integrate biblical iconography relating to the new and old testament's with ease and amazing artistic ability. The size and quality of the tympanum of the Last Judgment, and the lintel of the Temptation of Eve are impressive and exquisitely detailed pieces of art. The Autun Cathedral remains on

648-465: A serene figure. Christ is placed in perfect symmetrical position with a balanced composition of elongated figures. Jesus is flanked by his mother, the Virgin Mary and his apostles cast as penitents and observers of the last judgment. St. Peter guards the gate to heaven and looks on as resurrected individuals attempt to squeeze in with the assistance of the angels. Gislebertus successfully integrated

729-634: Is likewise tradition that the Holy Family visited Coptic Cairo and stayed at the site of Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga) and the place where the Church of the Holy Virgin (Babylon El-Darag) stands now. At Al-Maṭariyyah , then in Heliopolis and now part of Cairo, there is a sycamore tree (and adjacent chapel) that is a 1672 planting replacing an earlier tree under which Mary

810-422: Is my country.” No land was Gregory’s country, because heaven was his country. Again, every land was his country, because he looked upon the whole world as his country. Thus Socrates , when he was asked what countryman he was, replied, “A citizen of the world.” Justus Knecht notes that the flight shows The Omniscience of God , writing, "God knew that in the morning Herod would send soldiers to Bethlehem, to slay

891-463: Is no reason to doubt the historicity of the story of the family's flight into Egypt. The Old Testament abounds in references to individuals and families taking refuge in Egypt, in flight either from persecution or revenge, or in the face of economic pressure." British scholar R. T. France has also argued in support of the historicity of the narrative. "[Joseph's] choice of Egypt as a place of exile ...

SECTION 10

#1732775722677

972-405: Is represented on the main relief. Dębicki rejects all these interpretations. According to him, the symbolism of the relief consistently reflects the theological views expressed by Honorius Augustodunensis in his Elucidarius . Specifically, the doubling is based on the idea that "on judgement day two classes [of people] will be divided into four" ( in die judicii duo ordine in quattuor dividentur ):

1053-629: Is sometimes holding the child on his shoulders. Before about 1525, it usually formed part of a larger cycle, whether of the Nativity , or the Life of Christ or Life of the Virgin . From the 15th century in the Netherlands onwards, the non-Biblical subject of the Holy Family resting on the journey, the Rest on the Flight into Egypt became popular, by the late 16th century perhaps more common than

1134-404: Is to prevail. This Romanesque capital would provide a didactic function for pilgrims that were illiterate and unable to read the script. The vice and virtues capital contains acanthus leaves on the background with Charity and Patience stepping upon the "vices" which are demonic creatures. Gislebertus' Temptation of Eve (French: La Tentation d'Ève ) was originally the lintel of the north door of

1215-485: The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible , "Hosea 11.1 points back to the Exodus, where God's 'first-born son' (Ex 4:22), Israel, was delivered from slavery under the oppressive Pharaoh. Matthew sees this text also pointing forward, when Jesus, the eternal first-born Son (Rom 8:29), is delivered from the tyrant Herod and later brought out of Egypt (2:21)." Likewise, The Orthodox Study Bible states that

1296-577: The Roman Missal of the Catholic Church provide a Mass commemorating the event for 17 February. The Maronite Catholic Church commemorates the Flight into Egypt on 29 December and the "Return from Egypt into Nazareth" on 30 December. The Flight into Egypt was a popular subject in art, showing Mary with the baby on a donkey, led by Joseph, borrowing the older iconography of the rare Byzantine Journey to Bethlehem . Nevertheless, Joseph

1377-601: The Septuagint reads his sons or his children ; the Masoretic Text is to be preferred, the singular being both consonant with the other words which are in the singular in Hosea 11:1 and with the reference to Exodus 4:22–23. The Septuagint reading may be explained as having been made to conform to the plurals of Hosea 11:2 , they and them . The Gospel of Luke does not recount this story, relating instead that

1458-751: The 14th century. When the Magi came in search of Jesus, they went to Herod the Great in Jerusalem to ask where to find the newborn "King of the Jews". Herod became paranoid that the child would threaten his throne, and sought to kill him ( 2:1–8 ). Herod initiated the Massacre of the Innocents in hopes of killing the child ( Matthew 2:16 ). But an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and warned him to take Jesus and his mother into Egypt ( Matthew 2:13 ). Egypt

1539-465: The 4th century, was found in the church of San Nazaro Maggiore in Milan (Venturi, "Storia dell' arte italiana", I, Milan, 1901, fig. 445–49). The Milanese church of San Celso is dedicated to Celsus. There is a sanctuary dedicated to Nazarius at Monte Gargano . Camillo Procaccini painted his Martirio dei santi Nazaro e Celso around 1629. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from

1620-525: The Bible carved in stone in a very particular style. The Cathedral of St. Lazare has a ground-plan in the form of a Latin cross, with an aisled nave, a plain transept and a three-stage choir with a semicircular end. The Gothic spire dates from the 15th century although the west towers were rebuilt in the 19th century, based on the Romanesque style of Paray-le-Monial. St. Lazare Cathedral contains some of

1701-670: The Deacon's Vita Ambrosii , Ambrose, at some time within the last three years of his life, after the death of the Emperor Theodosius (d. 395), discovered in a garden outside the walls of Milan the body of Nazarius, with severed head. Nazarius's blood was reportedly still liquid and red when his body was exhumed by Ambrose. Ambrose had it carried to the Basilica of the Apostles. In the same garden Ambrose likewise discovered

SECTION 20

#1732775722677

1782-611: The German composer Max Bruch take the flight into Egypt as their theme – The Flight of the Holy Family (1863) and The Flight into Egypt (1871). The German composer Valentin Ruckebier wrote an opera called The Flight To Egypt which was produced and performed in 2021/22 at Teatro Comunale Modena , Linz State Theatre and Serbian National Theatre Novi Sad. While Luke places Jesus' family as being originally from

1863-467: The Gospels have been written, and that the passage almost parallels one about the birth of a hero who was a Nazirite, has led many to propose that Matthew originally had Jesus being a Nazirite, but it was changed to Nazarene, inventing a location named Nazareth , when the ascetic requirements fell foul of later religious practices. Biblical scholar R. T. France rejects this explanation, stating that Jesus

1944-564: The Holy Family went to the Temple in Jerusalem, and then home to Nazareth. Followers of the Jesus Seminar thus conclude that both Luke's and Matthew's birth and infancy accounts are fabrications. A theme of Matthew is likening Jesus to Moses for a Judean audience, and the Flight into Egypt illustrates just that theme. Regarding Matthew's infancy narrative, the 20th-century British scholar William Neil has said that "when we look beneath

2025-546: The Jewish historian Josephus vividly relates a gory death. The land that the holy family return to is identified as Judah , the only place in the entire New Testament where Judah acts as a geographic description of the whole of Judah and Galilee ( Matthew 2:20 ), rather than referring to a collection of religious people or the Jewish people in general. It is, however, to Judah that they are described as initially returning, although upon discovering that Archelaus had become

2106-570: The Rocks . The " Flight into Egypt " was a favorite theme of Henry Ossawa Tanner , depicting the Holy Family's clandestine evasion of King Herod's assassins (Matthew 2:12–14). In it Tanner expresses his sensitivity to issues of personal freedom, escape from persecution, and migrations of African-Americans from the South to the North. Two plays of the medieval Ordo Rachelis cycle contain an account of

2187-427: The area at the time of Jesus. Clarke notes that the location of Nazareth is just to the north of where the large town Sepphoris was located. At the time, Sepphoris had been largely destroyed in the violence following the death of Herod the Great , and was being rebuilt by Herod Antipas , hence Clarke speculates that this could have been seen as a good source of employment by Joseph, a carpenter. The difficulty with

2268-626: The arrival in Egypt is the meeting of the infant Jesus with his cousin, the infant John the Baptist , who, according to legend was rescued from Bethlehem before the massacre by the Archangel Uriel , and joined the Holy Family in Egypt. This meeting of the two Holy Children was to be painted by many artists during the Renaissance period, after being popularized by Leonardo da Vinci and then Raphael with works like Leonardo's Virgin of

2349-406: The belief that they were relics of Lazarus of Bethany , the friend of Jesus. These became an object of pilgrimage and the crowds became too great for the cathedral building. The Bishop of Autun, Etienne de Bâgé, therefore decided in about 1120 on the construction of a new cathedral as a pilgrimage church and for the better veneration of the relics. The new cathedral was allotted a site to the north of

2430-506: The birth of Jesus is very similar to the account of the Flight in the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew : Mary gives birth leaning against the trunk of a date palm, which miraculously provides her with dates and a stream. It is therefore thought that one tradition owes something to the other. Numerous later Muslim writers on the life of Jesus did transmit stories about the Flight into Egypt. Prominent examples include Abu Ishaq al-Tha'labi , whose ʿArāʾis al-madjālis fī ḳiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ , an account of

2511-490: The body of Celsus, which he had transported to the same place. The Catholic Encyclopedia states: "Obviously a tradition regarding these martyrs was extant in the Christian community of Milan which led to the finding of the two bodies." Nazarius was a citizen of Rome whose father was Jewish or pagan . His mother was Perpetua . Nazarius was a student of the apostle Peter and was baptized by Pope Linus . During

Autun Cathedral - Misplaced Pages Continue

2592-533: The brief quote he will be called a Nazarene is that it occurs nowhere in the Old Testament, or any other extant source. The most similar known passage is Judges 13:5 where of Samson it says the child shall be a Nazir ite , where a nazirite was a specific type of religious ascetic. That the Nazirite and Nazareth are so similar in name, while Nazareth isn't mentioned in any other source until after

2673-400: The care of a pagan lady, who attempted to make him abjure his faith. Celsus refused, and was eventually returned to Nazarius. An additional legend that describes their time at Trier states that they were tried by Nero there, who ordered the two to be drowned. Nazarius and Celsus were taken in a ship and thrown overboard, but a storm suddenly arose, frightening the sailors. The sailors pulled

2754-418: The cathedral has a narthex of two bays topped by two towers, followed by a 7-bay nave flanked by side aisles and a transept with the tower surmounting cross. The twin flanking towers date from the 19th century. The nave elevation is composed of three levels: grand arcade, triforium and clerestory, each marked by a cornice. The three-story elevation of St. Lazare was made possible by the use of pointed arches for

2835-512: The cathedral. It is stated that the Temptation of Eve was created around the 1130s at the same time in which the Last Judgment and the narrative capitals were made. This large sculpture is now displayed in the Musée Rolin, Autun, France. The Last Judgment is believed to have been created around 1130. The tympanum was saved from potential ruin as the canons who were managing the cathedral in the eighteenth century believed that Gislebertus' work

2916-406: The citation of Hosea 11.1 "refers first to Israel being brought out of captivity. In the Old Testament 'son' can refer to the whole nation of Israel. Here Jesus fulfills this calling as the true Son of God by coming out of Egypt. The Anglican scholar N. T. Wright has pointed out that "The narrative exhibits several points of contact with exodus and exile traditions where Jesus' infancy recapitulates

2997-642: The date on which Nazarius suffered martyrdom is unknown. Gregory of Tours states that they were martyred at Embrun. The discourse eulogizing the two saints which has been attributed to Ambrose (Sermo lv, in Patrologia Latina , XVII, 715 sqq.) is not genuine, according to some critics. Ambrose sent some of Nazarius and Celsus's relics to Paulinus of Nola , who placed them in honor at Nola . Paulinus of Nola speaks in praise of Nazarius in his Poema xxvii (Patrologia Latina, LXI, 658). A magnificent silver reliquary with interesting figures, dating from

3078-425: The desert (originally separate, these are often combined). In other less commonly seen legends, a group of robbers abandoned their plan to rob the travelers, and a date palm tree bent down to allow them to pluck the fruit. During the 16th century, as interest in landscape painting grew, the subject became popular as an individual subject for paintings, often with the figures small in a large landscape. The subject

3159-425: The detailed high relief sculpture. The bottom of the tympanum underneath the weighing of the souls has an inscription that states, "May this terror terrify those whom earthly error binds for the horror of the images here in this manner truly depicts what will be". The tympanum is framed by two archivolts. The inner one has carved foliage while the outer archivolt consists of magnificently detailed medallions representing

3240-447: The earlier cathedral of Saint Nazaire, of which some remains may still be seen. Work on the new cathedral of Saint Lazarus (St. Lazare) began in around 1120 and advanced rapidly enough for the building to be consecrated in 1132. It was mostly finished by 1146, when the relics of Lazarus were translated from the old cathedral. The Tomb of Lazarus, the shrine of the relics, was constructed in the choir in 1170–1180. The narthex or portico

3321-470: The emerging genre of landscape painting . In the Miracle of the corn , the pursuing soldiers interrogated peasants, asking when the Holy Family passed by. The peasants truthfully said it was when they were sowing their wheat seed; however the wheat has miraculously grown to full height. In the Miracle of the idol a pagan statue fell from its plinth as the infant Jesus passed by, and a spring gushed up from

Autun Cathedral - Misplaced Pages Continue

3402-563: The engaging poetic decor, we come face to face with highly probable history. ... The flight of the Holy Family to nearby Egypt until after Herod's death, and the reason for their settling in Galilee on their return, apart altogether from Luke's information that Nazareth was their home, are also circumstantially probable." In their commentary on Matthew in the Anchor Bible Series , W. F. Albright and C. S. Mann state that "there

3483-579: The family stayed. The most important of these is the Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church , which is claimed to have been built on the place where the family had its home. One of the most extensive and, in Eastern Christianity, influential accounts of the Flight appears in the perhaps seventh-century Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew , in which Mary, tired by the heat of the sun, rested beneath a palm tree. The infant Jesus then miraculously has

3564-478: The figures on the lintel represent the two general classes of people (the saved and the damned), while the figures on the tympanum represent the four particular classes. Meanwhile, Philippe Ariès suggests that the two scenes in the tympanum represent distinct and even exclusive conceptions of the resurrection. In the scene on the left, the "fate of the dead is determined from the moment of their resurrection" and they move directly either to paradise or to hell, while in

3645-463: The flight into Egypt, and the one found in the Fleury Playbook contains the only dramatic representation of the return from Egypt. The oratorio L'enfance du Christ (1854) by French composer Hector Berlioz relates the events from Herod's dream and his meeting with the Magi through the angels' warning and the flight into Egypt until the Holy Family arrive at Sais. Two choral works by

3726-435: The four seasons, zodiacs, and labors of the months. There have been various attempts to explain the fact that the figures and scenes on the lintel seem to be an unnecessary doubling of some of the figures and scenes from the main relief. It was argued, for example, that the people represented on the lintel await judgement or that the scene represents the idea of " particular judgement " as opposed to " general judgement ", which

3807-523: The highest elevation in Autun, France and is considered a fine example of the French Romanesque. The first cathedral of Autun was built from the 5th century onwards (later dedicated to Saint Nazarius (St. Nazaire), as it held relics of Saints Nazarius and Celsus ) and was several times refurbished and enlarged. In about 970 it obtained from Marseille some of the relics of Lazarus of Aix , in

3888-512: The historiated capitals that adorn the columns within St Lazare were carved by Gislebertus that include fine representations of the Flight into Egypt and Adoration of the Magi . The capitals adorn columns along the nave. What makes St. Lazare a masterpiece of Romanesque art is the quality of Gislebertus' sculpture that appears on dozens of capitals in the nave and chancel including scenes from

3969-526: The infant Jesus, Jesus taming dragons, the beasts of the desert paying him homage, and an encounter with the two thieves who would later be crucified alongside Jesus. In these later tales the family was joined by Salome as Jesus' nurse. These stories of the time in Egypt have been especially important to the Coptic Orthodox Church , which is based in Egypt, and throughout Egypt, there are a number of churches and shrines marking places where

4050-421: The little boys under two years old; therefore He ordered St. Joseph to flee in the middle of the night. The Lord God knew also the moment of Herod’s death, as well as the evil disposition of his son and successor, Archelaus. He therefore warned St. Joseph not to return to Judaea, but to take up his abode at Nazareth in Galilee." Roger Baxter reflects on the flight in his Meditations writing, "How different are

4131-582: The lives of the prophets, reports the Flight, followed by a stay in Egypt of twelve years; and al-Tabari 's History of the Prophets and Kings . The Coptic Orthodox Church commemorates the "Entry of the Lord into Egypt" on 24 Pashons (1 June on the Gregorian calendar ). The Eastern Orthodox Churches and Greek Catholic Churches commemorate the Flight into Egypt on 26 December. The pre-1962 editions of

SECTION 50

#1732775722677

4212-512: The modern view of heaven and hell and created a sculpture that would act as a visual educational device for individuals that were illiterate. Viewing the tympanum would allow pilgrims to know what would happen to them if they were to end up in hell. Two men near the centre of the lintel carry bags bearing a cross and a seashell. These are the symbols of pilgrims that travelled from Jerusalem to Santiago de Compostela. The tympanum would have inspired terror in believers that passed beneath it and viewed

4293-582: The most spectacular Romanesque capitals done by Gislebertus in its nave and choir. Gislebertus created capitals that used the tendrils of the actual Corinthian capital to create an architectural frame for the narrative of the story to develop. The capitals of the portal are carved with biblical and traditional scenes. One depicts St. Jerome removing a thorn from a lion's paw; another shows the Presentation of Christ. Over 60 capitals within St. Lazare are known to be

4374-410: The nave. Each nave bay is separated at the vault by a transverse rib. Each transept projects to the width of two nave bays and the west entrance has a narthex which screens the main portal. The triforium base is decorated with a frieze of rosettes and consists of three blind arches. The pointed arch has been debated to be adapted from Islamic Art architecture where it had been used for some time. Many of

4455-525: The new king, they went instead to Galilee. Historically, Archelaus was such a violent and aggressive king that in the year 6 AD he was deposed by the Romans, in response to complaints from the population. Matthew 2:15 cites Hosea 11:1 as prophetically fulfilled in the return of Joseph, Mary and Jesus from Egypt: "... and out of Egypt I called My son". Matthew's use of Hosea 11:1 has been explained in several ways. A sensus plenior approach states that

4536-526: The original traveling family. The family were often accompanied by angels, and in earlier images sometimes an older boy who may represent James the Brother of the Lord , interpreted as a son of Joseph, by a previous marriage. The background to these scenes usually (until the Council of Trent tightened up on such additions to scripture) included a number of apocryphal miracles , and gave an opportunity for

4617-534: The originals can be viewed up close in the upstairs chapter house (entrance to the right of the choir). Among the scenes on the capitals in the chapter house are the Flight into Egypt, God Questioning Cain, the Hanging of Judas, and the Adoration of the Magi. Gislebertus is conceiving the capitals through liturgical drama. This capitals depicts the angel's attempt to wake the three sleeping magi. The angel points to

4698-415: The palm tree bend down to provide Mary with its fruit, and release from its roots a spring to provide her with water. The Quran does not include the tradition of the Flight into Egypt, though Al-Muʼminun , 50 could conceivably allude to it: “And we made the son of Maryam and his mother a sign; and we made them abide in an elevated place, full of quiet and watered with springs”. However, its account of

4779-482: The period 1462-1469, Bishop Jean Rolin had a new belfry built in replacement of the Romanesque one that was unfortunately destroyed by a bolt of lightning. The inspiration of the new building, both in layout and decoration, was Cluniac . The designs were the work of the bishop Etienne de Bâgé, who was particularly influenced by the Cluniac abbey of Paray-le-Monial . St. Lazare Cathedral was consecrated in 1132. For

4860-521: The persecutions of Nero , Nazarius fled Rome and preached in Lombardy , visiting Piacenza and Milan , where he met the brothers Gervase and Protase , who had been imprisoned and who inspired Nazarius by their example. Nazarius was whipped and condemned to exile by the authorities. He traveled to Gaul , where a young boy of nine, Celsus, was entrusted to his care after the boy's mother asked Nazarius to teach and baptize her son. Nazarius raised him as

4941-442: The pony. She seems to be floating on the donkey rather than sitting on him, a position similar to the enthroned Madonna and Child. When Judas realizes what he has done to Jesus he repents. In his horror he hangs himself, unable to bear betraying his master. The capital shows Judas with an open face shown in a grimace with his tongue out. The capital also depicts demons pulling Judas up and hanging him. Gislebertus actually uses one of

SECTION 60

#1732775722677

5022-417: The scene on the left, the depicted "judicial operations" stand between the moment of resurrection and the final judgement. From left to right, and clockwise, we recognize: Nazarius and Celsus Nazarius and Celsus ( Italian : San Nazaro e San Celso; German: Nazarius ) were two martyrs of whom little is known beyond the discovery of their bodies by Ambrose of Milan . According to Paulinus

5103-439: The star in attempt to have the three magi to follow the star. The narrative of the three magi extends along the columns in the nave. Each capital shows great detail and a vivid depiction of the story it is telling. The Flight into Egypt capital by Gislebertus is located on the column opposite of the Adoration of the Magi narrative. The Flight into Egypt capital depicts Mary with a calm demeanour showing us her child as she sits upon

5184-544: The tendrils of the Corinthian capital in an innovative way to demonstrate what was used to hang Judas. The fire hair of the devils represents a reference to hell. Gislebertus displays a strong didactic image within the Suicide of Judas capital. This capital depicts Charity defeating Greed and Patience conquering Wrath. Such a carving would remind parishioners that evil intentions must be overcome if purity of heart and life

5265-469: The text in Hosea contains a meaning intended by God and acknowledged by Matthew, but unknown to Hosea. A typological reading interprets the fulfillment as found in the national history of Israel and the antitypical fulfillment as found in the personal history of Jesus. Matthew's use of typological interpretation may also be seen in his use of Isaiah 7:14 and 9:1 , and Jeremiah 31:15 . Thus according to

5346-524: The thoughts of God from the thoughts of men! Christ was no sooner born, than sent into banishment. The Almighty could easily have rid the world of Herod, or have appeased his anger, or have rendered His divine Son invisible; but He adopted the ordinary means of safety, and His Son must fly. Reflect how derogatory this was to the dignity of the Redeemer, and how full of inconveniences. Thus God always treats those whom He loves best. Are you greater or better than

5427-569: The title Nazarene, given to Jesus, alludes not so much to his town of origin as to his royal descent. While this piece of wordplay is meaningless when translated into Greek , Hebrew wordplay is not unknown in Matthew, underlining the opinion that some parts of this gospel were originally written in Hebrew. The Flight into Egypt is one of the listed Seven Sorrows of Mary . A local French tradition states that Saint Aphrodisius , an Egyptian saint who

5508-452: The town of Nazareth , Matthew has the family moving there, fearing Archelaus who was ruling in Judea in place of his father Herod . Nazareth , now a town, is not mentioned by the Old Testament, Josephus or rabbinical sources, though many Christian Bible archaeologists , such as the evangelical and egyptologist Kenneth Kitchen , state that they are fairly sure that a village existed in

5589-531: The two back on board. Nazarius and Celsus left Trier and reached Genoa , and then returned to Milan, and were arrested again. They refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods , and were beheaded . This legend, written much later, is without historical foundation and places the martyrdom of Nazarus and Celsus during the persecution of Nero, and describes with many details the supposed journeyings of Nazarius through Gaul and Italy. However, Paulinus says distinctly that

5670-421: The works of Gislebertus and include other biblical narratives including Samson, the prophet Habakkuk, Cain & Abel, St. Peter, as well as capitals containing Christ and the Apostles. The intricate carvings that make up the capitals by Gislebertus vividly display the narrative it is meant to be picturing. Owing to a near-collapse in the 19th century, the capitals under the central tower were replaced by replicas;

5751-482: Was a logical place to find refuge, as it was outside the dominions of King Herod, but both Egypt and Judea were part of the Roman Empire , linked by a coastal road known as " the way of the sea ", making travel between them easy and relatively safe. After a time, the holy family returned from Egypt. The text states that Herod had died. Herod is believed to have died in 4 BC, and while Matthew does not mention how,

5832-406: Was a patron. The sheer size of the tympanum required that double lintels support it with a middle column to further support the sculpture. The left side of the tympanum displays the rise to the heavenly kingdom, and on the right is a portrayal of the demons in hell with an angel and a devil weighing the souls on a balance. Zodiac signs surround the arch vault with Christ in the center portrayed as

5913-406: Was especially popular with German Romantic painters , and later in the 19th century was one of a number of New Testament subjects which lent themselves to Orientalist treatment. Unusually, the 18th century artist Gianbattista Tiepolo produced a whole series of etchings with 24 scenes from the flight, most just showing different views of the Holy Family travelling. A subject taking place after

5994-466: Was in line with the practice of other Palestinians who feared reprisals from the government; as a neighbouring country with a sizeable Jewish population it was an obvious refuge. And his subsequent avoidance of Judea under Archelaus, and expectation of safety in Galilee, accords with the political circumstances as we know them." The story was much elaborated in the infancy gospels of the New Testament apocrypha with, for example, palm trees bowing before

6075-524: Was not a Nazirite and claiming that he is never described as one. Another theory is that it is based on a prophecy at Isaiah 11:1 , which states there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse , and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: — the Hebrew for branch is נצר (netzer) . The priestly clan of the "netzerites" possibly settled in the place which became known as Netzereth/ Nazareth. Bargil Pixner in his work "With Jesus Through Galilee" says that

6156-408: Was not completed until the very end of the century. St. Lazare Cathedral stands in the highest and best fortified corner of the town, and through external modifications that have been applied to the building the appearance has been much altered by the addition of a Gothic tower, a spire and side chapels in the 15th century. The cathedral still contains a highly Romanesque appearance on the interior. In

6237-547: Was preserved underneath the plaster with the exception of the head of Christ which was documented to have been removed so that the plaster could fill the tympanum completely. The North façade of St. Lazare contains the tympanum (1130–1135), signed Gislebertus hoc fecit ("Gislebertus made this") within the portico which is ranked amongst the masterpieces of Romanesque sculpture in France. However, art historian Linda Seidel challenged this reading, arguing that instead Gislebertus

6318-615: Was said to have rested, or in some versions hidden from pursuers in the hollow trunk, while pious spiders covered the entrance with dense webs. Cornelius a Lapide , commenting on the flight into Egypt wrote that, " tropologically , Christ fled into Egypt that He might teach us to despise exile , and that we, as pilgrims and exiles on the earth, might pant after and strive for heaven as our true country. Whence Peter Chrysologus says (Serm. 115), “Christ fled that He might make it more tolerable for us, when we have to flee in persecution.” S. Gregory Nazian . (Orat. 28) says—“Every land, and no land

6399-431: Was ugly, they covered it with plaster. The tympanum was rediscovered and released from the plaster in 1837. In 1766, the canons decided that the sculpture was not worth keeping because it was mediocre. They then covered everything in a layer of plaster in order to affix other art work on top of the tympanum. Not until 1837 when another canon curiously began to chip away at the plaster was the tympanum discovered. Luckily, it

6480-455: Was used at Cluny III. Saint Lazare was eventually confirmed as the one cathedral of Autun in 1195. From 1793 until 1805 it was home to the famous painting Madonna of Chancellor Rolin by Jan van Eyck , now in the Musée du Louvre . The interior has a nave and two aisles, divided by massive columns with longitudinal carvings punctuated with beautifully decorated Romanesque capitals. The plan of

6561-650: Was venerated as the first bishop of Béziers , was the man who sheltered the Holy Family when they fled into Egypt. In Coptic Christianity , it is also held that the Holy family visited many areas in Egypt, including Musturud (where there is now the Church of the Virgin Mary), Wadi El Natrun (which has four large monasteries), and Old Cairo, along with Farama , Tel Basta, Samanoud, Bilbais , Samalout , Maadi , Al-Maṭariyyah , Arganus and Asiut among others. It

#676323