109-745: The Isenheim Altarpiece is an altarpiece sculpted and painted by, respectively, the Germans Nikolaus of Haguenau and Matthias Grünewald in 1512–1516. It is on display at the Unterlinden Museum at Colmar , Alsace , in France . It is Grünewald's largest work and is regarded as his masterpiece. It was painted for the Monastery of St. Anthony in Issenheim near Colmar, which specialized in hospital work. The Antonine monks of
218-601: A cathedral (in Chur Cathedral in Switzerland). In the 18th century, altarpieces like Piero della Francesca 's Saint Augustine Altarpiece were often disassembled and seen as independent artworks. The different panels of the polyptych of St Augustine are thus today spread out among several different art museums. Double-sided wing panels were often sawn apart by dealers or collectors, to give two paintings for hanging. Altarpieces have never been made compulsory in
327-472: A different space to our own. He also distinguishes the theory from reincarnation , where a person lives in several successive bodies. Other scholars reivse the replica theory with the "counterpart theory", where it is believed that God creates a resurrection counterpart to one's current body, which is new and improved. Although it is defined by one's soul and history, it is not identical to the current body, which remains destroyed after death . A useful analogy
436-732: A large piece of white cloth. Also at Christ's right is Mary Magdalene , kneeling with hands clasped in prayer. At Christ's left, John the Baptist is accompanied by a lamb, symbolising the sacrifice of Jesus. The presence of John the Baptist is anachronistic. Beheaded by order of Herod in 29 AD, he could not possibly have witnessed the death of Christ. This last figure announces the New Testament by crying out in Latin , illum oportet crescere me autem minui ( Vulgate , John 3:30 ), "He must increase, but I must decrease." The inclusion of John
545-416: A locked room. He would reappear alive years later. However, Greek attitudes toward resurrection were generally negative, and resurrection was considered neither desirable nor possible. For example, Asclepius was killed by Zeus for using herbs to resurrect the dead, but, by his father Apollo 's request, was subsequently immortalized as a star. Many other figures, like a great part of those who fought in
654-546: A new dimension in philosophy. John Hick argues that the "replica theory" makes the religious doctrine of bodily resurrection somewhat plausible. For example, if a man disappears or dies in London and an exact "replica" suddenly re-appears in New York , both entities should be regarded as the same, especially if they share physical and psychological characteristics. Hick extends this theory to parallel universes , which occupy
763-545: A popular scene. Lucas Cranach the Elder 's Wittenberg Altarpiece of 1547 is a leading example, with the side panels showing scenes of the sacraments with a modern setting, and the single predella scene Martin Luther preaching; the reverses are also painted. But Calvinism opposed all large public religious images such as altarpieces, and by about 1560 production of Protestant ones had mostly ceased. The Reformation regarded
872-644: A rather conservative format, in a medieval church. Increasingly, the size and shape of altarpieces became dictated by the overall design and decoration of the church, which the artist was required to fit in with. If funds allowed several altarpieces were commissioned for Baroque churches when they were first built or re-fitted, for the main and side-altars, giving the whole interior a consistent style. Medieval churches had mostly acquired altarpieces gradually over time, from different donors. Sculptural altarpieces, or designs integrating painting with sculpture, became more common. Examples by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680),
981-400: A religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church . Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, or a set of them, the word can also be used of the whole ensemble behind an altar, otherwise known as a reredos , including what is often an elaborate frame for the central image or images . Altarpieces were one of
1090-552: A resurrection of the dead could take place at the end of the cosmos . He posits that humans will evolve into robots which will turn the entire cosmos into a supercomputer which will, shortly before the Big Crunch , perform the resurrection within its cyberspace , reconstructing formerly dead humans (from information captured by the supercomputer from the past light cone of the cosmos) as avatars within its metaverse . David Deutsch , British physicist and pioneer in
1199-571: A single dramatic action. This much height typically required a composition with an in aria group to fill the upper part of the picture space, as in Raphael 's Transfiguration (now Vatican), though The Raising of Lazarus by Sebastiano del Piombo (now London) is almost as tall, using only a landscape at the top. In Italy, during the Renaissance, free-standing groups of sculpture also began to feature as altarpieces. The most famous example
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#17327840398071308-547: A single pictorial space. Other types of Italian composition also moved towards having a single large scene, sometimes called a pala (Italian for "panel"), often dispensing with the predella. Rather than static figures, narrative scenes from the lives of the main figures grew in popularity; this was to become the dominant style for large altarpieces over the next centuries. Originally mostly horizontal ("landscape") in format, they increasingly used vertical ("portrait") formats. Some were as much as 4 metres tall, and concentrated on
1417-400: A wide screen composed of large icons , placed in front of the altar, with doors through it, and running right across the sanctuary. Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death . Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body
1526-534: Is the Pietà by Michelangelo , originally placed as the altarpiece in a side chapel of Old St Peter's . In the north of Europe, the Protestant Reformation from the early 16th century onwards led to a swift decline in the number of altarpieces produced in the parts of Europe affected. Outbursts of iconoclasm locally led to the destruction of many altarpieces. As an example, during the burning of
1635-791: Is "little or no clear reference ... either to immortality or to resurrection from the dead" in the texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls . C.D. Elledge , however, argues that some form of resurrection may be referred to in the Dead Sea texts 4Q521 , Pseudo-Ezekiel , and 4QInstruction . Too, there is the Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones in the Book of Ezekiel , and the Book of Daniel , which mentions resurrection. As Professor Devorah Dimant notes on TheTorah.com , "Originally an allegorical vision about
1744-573: Is a row of much smaller scenes running below the main panel; often these showed narrative scenes related to the subject of the main image. They were only properly visible from close up, but the extra height allowed the main panels above to be clearly seen by the congregation, and any shutters to be opened and closed with less disturbance to other items on the altar. Many altarpieces have now been removed from their church settings, and often from their elaborate sculpted frameworks, and are displayed as more simply framed paintings in museums and elsewhere. In
1853-480: Is another similar but distinct belief in some religions. With the advent of written records, the earliest known recurrent theme of resurrection was in Egyptian and Canaanite religions , which had cults of dying-and-rising gods such as Osiris and Baal . Ancient Greek religion generally emphasised immortality , but in the mythos, a number of individuals were made physically immortal as they were resurrected from
1962-508: Is found in the writings of some ancient non-Abrahamic religions in the Middle East . A few extant Egyptian and Canaanite writings allude to dying-and-rising gods such as Osiris and Baal . Sir James Frazer , in his book The Golden Bough , relates to these dying-and-rising gods, but many of his examples, according to various scholars, distort the sources. Taking a more positive position, Tryggve Mettinger argues in his book that
2071-470: Is no wonder that he is associated with an event that breaks the usual prohibition on displaying such powers. Here is the account from Irmgard Schloegl's "The Zen Teaching of Rinzai." "One day at the street market Fuke was begging all and sundry to give him a robe. Everybody offered him one, but he did not want any of them. The master [Linji] made the superior buy a coffin, and when Fuke returned, said to him: "There, I had this robe made for you." Fuke shouldered
2180-657: Is preordained by God but unknown to man. The trials and tribulations preceding and during the Qiyāmah are described in the Quran and the hadith , and also in the commentaries of scholars . The Quran emphasizes bodily resurrection , a break from the pre-Islamic Arabian understanding of death. According to Nasir Khusraw (d. after 1070), an Ismaili thinker of the Fatimid era, the Resurrection ( Qiyāma ) will be ushered by
2289-612: Is the miracles – and particularly his resurrection – which provide validation of his incarnation. According to Paul the Apostle , the entire Christian faith hinges upon the centrality of the resurrection of Jesus and the hope for life after death. Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians: If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from
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#17327840398072398-418: Is to imagine a soul as a programme, a body as a computer and the "series of states" that a soul undergoes as a person's biography. They believe the theory has precedent in scriptures like the New Testament. In addition, it incentivizes people to care about their future. Cryonics is the low-temperature freezing (usually at −196 °C or −320.8 °F or 77.1 K) of a human corpse or severed head, with
2507-440: The reredos , which signifies a large and often complex wooden or stone altarpiece, and the retable , an altarpiece with panels either painted or with reliefs. Retables are placed directly on the altar or on a surface behind it; a reredos typically rises from the floor. Older retable-type altarpieces are often made up of two or more separate wood panels, sometimes with framed divisions, as in medieval examples, but later with
2616-510: The sacra conversazione developed, a group usually centred on the Virgin and Child , flanked by a group of saints usually chosen to represent the patron saints of the church, city, religious order or donors. These became increasingly informal in pose, and some may have been initially displayed in the donor's house, then bequeathed to a church as a memorial. They represented the same components as many altarpieces with framed compartments, but with
2725-588: The Antwerp Cathedral in the course of the Reformation in 1533, more than fifty altarpieces were destroyed. The Reformation initially persisted with the creation of new some altarpieces reflecting its doctrines, sometimes using portraits of Lutheran leaders for figures such as apostles. The Protestant range of subjects contracted; traditional saints were no longer shown, and the Last Supper was
2834-574: The Baroque period, the single scene became standard, sometimes incorporated in an elaborate carved frame. Usually there was no reverse view, as altarpieces were fixed to a wall in side chapels, or a built-up backing for main altars in older churches where there were other chapels behind the main altar. Predellas and closing side panels became rare, though Rubens 's Elevation of the Cross (1611) has two hinged side-wings, with saints on their other sides,
2943-500: The Catholic Church , nor their usage and treatment formalised, apart from some church authorities laying down guidelines on subject-matter and style after the 16th-century Council of Trent ; therefore their appearance can vary significantly. Occasionally, the demarcation between what constitutes the altarpiece and what constitutes other forms of decoration can be unclear. Altarpieces can still broadly be divided into two types,
3052-589: The Elysian plains , or the Islands of the Blessed . Memnon , who was killed by Achilles, seems to have received a similar fate. Alcmene , Castor , Heracles , and Melicertes are also among the figures interpreted to have been resurrected to physical immortality. According to Herodotus 's Histories , the seventh-century BC sage Aristeas of Proconnesus was first found dead, after which his body disappeared from
3161-457: The Lord of the Resurrection ( Qāʾim al-Qiyāma ), an individual symbolizing the purpose and pinnacle of creation from among the progeny of Muhammad and his Imams. Through this individual, the world will come out of darkness and ignorance and “into the light of her Lord” (Quran 39:69). His era, unlike that of the enunciators of the divine revelation ( nāṭiqs ) before him, is not one where God prescribes
3270-581: The Nativity of Christ , a scene not included here. The altarpiece's location in Alsace has meant that, in recent times, control of the work has alternated between Germany and France according to the fortunes of war. Following the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71 and the passing of control to Germany, German writers developed the concept that the altarpiece somehow represented the essential character of
3379-515: The Ramayana , after Ravana was slain by Rama in a great battle between good and evil, Rama requests the king of Devas, Indra, to restore the lives of all the monkeys who died in the great battle Mahavatar Babaji and Lahiri Mahasaya are also believed to have resurrected themselves. Belief in the Day of Resurrection ( yawm al-qiyāmah ) is also crucial for Muslims. They believe the time of Qiyāmah
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3488-554: The Second Temple period , there developed a diversity of beliefs concerning the resurrection. The concept of resurrection of the physical body is found in 2 Maccabees , according to which it will happen through re-creation of the flesh. Resurrection of the dead also appears in detail in the extra-canonical Book of Enoch , 2 Baruch , and 2 Esdras . According to the British scholar in ancient Judaism Philip R. Davies , there
3597-596: The Trojan and Theban wars, Menelaus , and the historical prizefighter Cleomedes of Astupalaea, were also believed to have been made physically immortal, but without having died in the first place. Indeed, in Greek religion, immortality originally always included an eternal union of body and soul. Alcestis undergoes something akin to a resurrection in her escape from the underworld, but without achieving immortality. Writing his Lives of Illustrious Men ( Parallel Lives ) in
3706-829: The Veit Stoss altarpiece in Kraków (completed 1489), while in England there was a 15th-century industry producing relatively cheap painted altarpiece kits in Nottingham alabaster , many of which were exported, the frame being added at the destination. In England, as well as in France, stone retables enjoyed general popularity. In Italy both stone retables and wooden polyptychs were common, with individual painted panels and often (notably in Venice and Bologna ) with complex framing in
3815-682: The polychrome wood restoration workshop in Paris of the Center for Research and Restoration of Museums of France by a team of sculpture restorers led by Juliette Levy. A study had been conducted by the Research Centre of the Musées de France in 2014 when they determined the state of the altarpiece and established the protocol for its restoration. Altarpiece An altarpiece is an work of art in painting, sculpture or relief representing
3924-504: The 13th century, it was not uncommon to find frescoed or mural altarpieces in Italy; mural paintings behind the altar served as visual complements for the liturgy. These altarpieces were influenced by Byzantine art , notably icons , which reached Western Europe in greater numbers following the conquest of Constantinople in 1204 . During this time, altarpieces occasionally began to be decorated with an outer, sculptured or gabled structure with
4033-787: The Altarpiece of the Dominicans (c. 1480) and the Virgin of the Rose Bush (1473). The altarpiece depicting Saint Catherine and Saint Lawrence (c. 1510) and sculptures from the Late Middle Ages rounded out the presentation. In mid-2022, the altarpiece was re-shown at the Unterlinden Museum after it underwent cleaning and restoration by a team of restorers led by Anthony Pontabry. Haguenau's sculptures were restored in
4142-553: The Altarpiece, is depicted kneeling at the feet of Saint Augustine. – Visit of Saint Anthony to Saint Paul the Hermit . The two hermits meet in a stunning landscape, intended to represent the Theban Desert. Grünewald created a fantastic universe, surrounding the date palm with a strange mixture of vegetation, in marked contrast with the calmness and tranquillity of the encounter, in which the animals in attendance take part, with
4251-417: The Apostle , who also was a Pharisee, said that at the resurrection what is "sown as a natural body is raised a spiritual body." The Book of Jubilees seems to refer to the resurrection of the soul only, or to a more general idea of an immortal soul. Anastasis or Ana-stasis is a concept in contemporary philosophy emerging from the works of Jean-Luc Nancy , Divya Dwivedi and Shaj Mohan . Nancy developed
4360-604: The Apostles , Saint Peter raised a woman named Dorcas (also called Tabitha), and Paul the Apostle revived a man named Eutychus who had fallen asleep and fell from a window to his death. According to the Gospel of Matthew , after Jesus's resurrection, many of those previously dead came out of their tombs and entered Jerusalem , where they appeared to many. Following the Apostolic Age , many saints were said to resurrect
4469-725: The Baptist in this scene is symbolic, since he is considered as the last of the prophets to announce the coming of the Messiah. Outer wings opened: The outer wings of the Isenheim Altarpiece were opened for important festivals of the liturgical year, particularly those in honour of the Virgin Mary. Thus are revealed four scenes: the left wing represents the Annunciation during which the archangel Gabriel comes to announce to Mary that she will give birth to Jesus,
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4578-636: The German nation. The work subsequently became an object of extraordinary scenes of veneration in Munich during its temporary relocation there during the First World War, and again when Alsace passed back into French hands at the end of the War. In the immediate postwar period the altarpiece, with its strong overtones of violent sensation and emotion, became a natural source of inspiration for many painters in
4687-721: The Protestant destruction stimulated the creation of more and larger altarpieces in Catholic Europe. Titian produced a number of ones with very large single scenes, mostly now on canvas. Among the most influential were his Assumption in the Frari Church (1518, still on panel, 690 cm × 360 cm (270 in × 140 in)), the Pesaro Madonna in the same church (1526, now on canvas), Killing of Saint Peter Martyr (1529, now lost but known from prints and copies). In
4796-675: The Reformation (in the north of Europe) or replaced with Baroque altarpieces during the Counter-Reformation (in the southern part of Europe), or else were discarded during the Enlightenment or replaced with Neo-Gothic altarpieces during the 19th century (particularly in the United Kingdom ). In the German-speaking part of Europe , there is only one altarpiece remaining that was made for the high altar of
4905-547: The Saviour, whose pain they shared. "Grünewald depicts Jesus' body ravaged by crucifixion yet evokes pointedly the Christian message of Jesus' horrible suffering; originally intended for a hospital, the altar painting may have been designed to provide comfort and solace to the sick." Mary, the mother of Jesus , is shown at Christ's right, collapsing in anguish in the arms of John, the beloved disciple of Christ , and shrouded in
5014-513: The Word of God – that is, the gospel – as central to Christendom, and Protestant altarpieces were often painted biblical text passages, increasingly at the expense of any pictures. With time, Protestant though gave birth to the so-called pulpit altar ( Kanzelaltar in German), in which the altarpiece and the pulpit were combined, making the altarpiece a literal abode for the Word of God. If anything,
5123-537: The altar itself and sometimes in front of it. Much smaller private altarpieces, often portable, were made for wealthy individuals to use at home, often as folding diptychs or triptychs for safe transport. In the Middle Ages, very small luxury diptychs or triptychs carved in ivory or other materials were popular. Matters evolved differently in Eastern Orthodoxy , where the iconostasis developed as
5232-473: The ancestral line: sons and daughters restore their fathers and mothers, they in turn restore their parents and so on. This means restoring the ancestors using the hereditary information that they passed on to their children. Using this genetic method it is only possible to create a genetic twin of the dead person. For the traditional definition of resurrection, a restoration of the deceased's personality, or their brain, would be neccesary. Fedorov speculates about
5341-513: The beliefs of the Pharisees . The New Testament claims that the Pharisees believed in the resurrection, but does not specify whether this included the flesh or not. According to Josephus, who himself was a Pharisee, the Pharisees held that only the soul was immortal and the souls of good people will "pass into other bodies," while "the souls of the wicked will suffer eternal punishment." Paul
5450-530: The brain with advanced medical technology (such as nanobiotechnology ) as a form of mind uploading (see also: wetware computer ). De-extinction , enabling an organism that either resembles or is an extinct species , is also known as "resurrection biology" and often described as working on "resurrecting" dead species. Modern medicine can, in some cases, revive patients who "died" by some definitions of death , or were declared dead. However, under most definitions of death ( brain death ), this would mean that
5559-451: The category of rise and return to life is significant for Ugaritic Baal , Melqart , Adonis , Eshmun , Osiris and Dumuzi . In ancient Greek religion , a number of men and women have been interpreted as being resurrected and made immortal . Achilles , after being killed, was snatched from his funeral pyre by his divine mother, Thetis , and brought to an immortal existence in Leuce,
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#17327840398075668-514: The cellular level – multiple vital (pig) organs one hour after death (during which the body had prolonged warm ischaemia ). It could be used to preserve donor organs but may also be developed to be useful for revival in medical emergencies by buying "more time for doctors to treat people whose bodies were starved of oxygen, such as those who died from drowning or heart attacks". There is research into what happens during and after death as well as how and to what extent patients could be revived by
5777-411: The city walls, and laid himself into the coffin. He asked a traveler who chanced by to nail down the lid. The news spread at once, and the people of the market rushed there. On opening the coffin, they found that the body had vanished, but from high up in the sky they heard the ring of his hand bell. In Christianity , resurrection most importantly concerns the resurrection of Jesus but also includes
5886-440: The coffin, and went back to the street market, calling loudly: "Rinzai had this robe made for me! I am off to the East Gate to enter transformation" (to die)." The people of the market crowded after him, eager to look. Fuke said: "No, not today. Tomorrow, I shall go to the South Gate to enter transformation." And so for three days. Nobody believed it any longer. On the fourth day, and now without any spectators, Fuke went alone outside
5995-539: The common grave of humans. Although not well defined in the Tanakh , Sheol in this view was a subterranean underworld where the souls of the dead went after the body died. The Babylonians had a similar underworld called Aralu , and the ancient Greeks had one known as Hades . According to Brichto, other biblical names for Sheol were Abaddon "ruin", found in Psalm 88:11, Job 28:22 and Proverbs 15:11; Bor "pit", found in Isaiah 14:15, 24:22, Ezekiel 26:20; and Shakhat "corruption", found in Isaiah 38:17, Ezekiel 28:8. During
6104-540: The concept of digital immortality , which could be described as resurrecting deceased as "digital ghosts " or "digital avatars". In the context of knowledge management , "virtual persona" could "aid in knowledge capture, retention, distribution, access and use" and continue to learn. Issues include post-mortem privacy , and potential use of personalised digital twins and associated systems by big data firms and advertisers. Related alternative approaches of digital immortality include gradually " replacing " neurons in
6213-466: The concept through his interpretation of paintings depicting the resurrection of Jesus Christ . Dwivedi and Mohan, referring to Nancy, defined Ana-stasis as coming over stasis, which is a method for philosophy to overcome its end as Martin Heidegger defined. This concept is noted to be linked in the works of Nancy, Dwivedi and Mohan to have a relation to Heidegger's "other beginning of philosophy" . Kohan and Dwivdei that this "overcoming" would construct
6322-506: The countenance of the Crucified into the face of God. The Resurrection and the Ascension are therefore encapsulated in a single image. Inner wings opened: – The sculptures of Saint Augustine and Guy Guers, Saint Anthony, Two Bearers of Offerings, Saint Jerome , Christ and the Twelve Apostles are by Niclaus of Haguenau. With its inner wings open, the altarpiece allowed pilgrims and the afflicted to venerate Saint Anthony, protector and healer of Saint Anthony's fire. Saint Anthony occupies
6431-466: The crow bringing two morsels of bread to the two recluses. In this dreamlike scene, medicinal plants, painted in naturalistic fashion, sprout at the feet of the two main figures. – Saint Anthony Tormented by Demons . This panel depicts Saint Anthony being tormented by monstrous creatures sent by Satan . Trampled to the ground, beaten with sticks, torn by claws and bitten, Saint Anthony appeals to God for help who sends angels to combat these evil demons. In
6540-399: The daughter of Jairus shortly after death, a young man in the midst of his own funeral procession, and Lazarus of Bethany , who had been buried for four days. During the Ministry of Jesus on earth, before his death, Jesus commissioned his Twelve Apostles to, among other things, raise the dead. Similar resurrections are credited to the apostles and Catholic saints. In the Acts of
6649-426: The dead using scientific methods. Fedorov tried to plan specific actions for scientific research of the possibility of restoring life and making it infinite. His first project is connected with collecting and synthesizing decayed remains of dead based on "knowledge and control over all atoms and molecules of the world". The second method described by Fedorov is genetic-hereditary. The revival could be done successively in
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#17327840398076758-430: The dead, as recorded in Orthodox Christian hagiographies. St. Columba supposedly raised a boy from the dead in the land of Picts and St. Nicholas is said to have resurrected pickled children from a brine barrel during a famine by making the sign of the cross . Christians regard the resurrection of Jesus as the central doctrine in Christianity. Others take the incarnation of Jesus to be more central; however, it
6867-402: The dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Christianity started as a religious movement within 1st-century Judaism (late Second Temple Judaism ), and it retains what the New Testament itself claims was the Pharisaic belief in the afterlife and resurrection of the dead . Whereas this belief was only one of many beliefs held about the world to come in Second Temple Judaism, it
6976-426: The dead. The universal resurrection of the dead at the end of the world is a standard eschatological belief in the Abrahamic religions . As a religious concept, resurrection is used in two distinct respects: The death and resurrection of Jesus are a central focus of Christianity . While most Christians believe Jesus's resurrection from the dead and ascension to Heaven was in a material body, some think it
7085-478: The early 14th century, the winged altarpiece emerged in Germany, the Low Countries , Scandinavia , the Baltic region and the Catholic parts of Eastern Europe . They spread to France, but remained rare in Italy. By hinging the outer panels to the central panel and painting them on both sides, the subject could be regulated by opening or closing the wings. The pictures could thus be changed depending on liturgical demands. The earliest often displayed sculptures on
7194-411: The enclosed garden represents Mary's womb and is a sign of her perpetual virginity, the rose bush without thorns refers to her as free of original sin, the fig tree symbolises mother's milk. The bed, the bucket and the chamber pot underscore the human nature of Christ. Lastly, the right wing shows the Resurrection , in which Christ emerges from the tomb and ascends into Heaven bathed in light transfiguring
7303-447: The exception of certain holy days, the wings of the altarpiece were kept closed, displaying The Crucifixion framed on the left by the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian pierced by arrows and on the right by Saint Anthony the Great , who remains placid even while being taunted by a frightening monster. The two saints protect and heal the sick, Saint Anthony as the patron saint of the victims of Saint Anthony's fire, and Saint Sebastian, whose aid
7412-401: The field of quantum computing , formerly agreed with Tipler's Omega Point cosmology and the idea of resurrecting deceased people with the help of quantum computers but he is critical of Tipler's theological views. Italian physicist and computer scientist Giulio Prisco presented the idea of "quantum archaeology", "reconstructing the life, thoughts, memories, and feelings of any person in
7521-504: The first altarpieces. In the Romanesque period, painted altar frontals on panel seem to have been a common alternative location for paintings. Few survive, though small Catalonian churches preserved several, many now in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya in Barcelona . The development of altarpieces may have begun at the altars of side chapels, typically engaged with the wall behind, rather than at freestanding main altars. Many early altarpieces were relatively simple compositions in
7630-740: The first century, the Middle Platonic philosopher Plutarch in his chapter on Romulus gave an account of the king's mysterious disappearance and subsequent deification, comparing it to Greek tales such as the physical immortalization of Alcmene and Aristeas the Proconnesian , "for they say Aristeas died in a fuller's work-shop, and his friends coming to look for him, found his body vanished; and that some presently after, coming from abroad, said they met him traveling towards Croton". Plutarch openly scorned such beliefs held in ancient Greek religion, writing, "many such improbabilities do your fabulous writers relate, deifying creatures naturally mortal." Likewise, he writes that while something within humans comes from
7739-426: The first several centuries of large Christian churches being built, the altar tended to be further forward (towards the congregation) in the sanctuary than in the later Middles Ages (a position to which it returned in the 20th century) and a large altarpiece would often have blocked the view of a bishop's throne and other celebrants, so decoration was concentrated on other places, with antependiums or altar frontals, or
7848-414: The form of a rectangular panel decorated with series of saints in rows, with a central, more pronounced figure such as a depiction of Mary or Christ . An elaborate example of such an early altarpiece is the metal and enamel Pala d'Oro in Venice , extended in the 12th century from an earlier altar frontal. The appearance and development of these first altarpieces marked an important turning point both in
7957-404: The form of architectural compositions. In Spain, altarpieces developed in a highly original fashion into often very large, architecturally influenced reredos, sometimes as tall as the church in which it was housed. The 15th century also saw a development of the composition of Italian altarpieces where the polyptych was gradually abandoned in favour of single-panel, painted altarpieces. In Italy,
8066-401: The form of memories, filmstrips, social media interactions, modeled personality traits, personal favourite things, personal notes and tasks , medical records , and genetic information . Ray Kurzweil , American inventor and futurist , believes that when his concept of singularity comes to pass, it will be possible to resurrect the dead by digital recreation. Such is one approach in
8175-659: The former convent and until April 2015, the Isenheim Altarpiece was on view in the local Dominican Church, located about 200 metres from the Unterlinden Museum . This temporary transfer offered an exceptional and unprecedented opportunity to present, alongside Grünewald and Haguenau's monumental masterwork, all three painted works by the Colmar native Martin Schongauer held in Colmar: the Orlier Altarpiece (1470–1475),
8284-589: The future return of Judeans to their land, Ezekiel's vision (ch. 37) becomes one of the cornerstones for the Jewish belief in the resurrection of the dead. ... The only biblical passage that unambiguously refers to resurrection is found in the final chapter of the book of Daniel[.]" Both Josephus and the New Testament record that the Sadducees did not believe in an afterlife , but the sources vary on
8393-710: The gods and returns to them after death, this happens "only when it is most completely separated and set free from the body, and becomes altogether pure, fleshless, and undefiled." The parallel between these traditional beliefs and the later resurrection of Jesus was not lost on the early Christians, as Justin Martyr argued: "When we say ... Jesus Christ , our teacher, was crucified and died, and rose again, and ascended into heaven, we propose nothing different from what you believe regarding those whom you consider sons of Zeus." ( 1 Apol. 21 ). There are stories in Buddhism where
8502-512: The history of Christian art as well as Christian religious practice. It was considered a "significant development" because of its impact on the "nature and function of the Christian image ...the autonomous image now assumed a legitimate position at the centre of Christian worship". Painted panel altars emerged in Italy during the 13th century, and until the Renaissance were generally the largest and most significant type of panel painting . In
8611-456: The idea of "radial images" that may contain the personalities of the people and survive after death. Nevertheless, Fedorov noted that even if a soul is destroyed after death, Man will learn to restore it whole by mastering the forces of decay and fragmentation. In his 1994 book The Physics of Immortality , American physicist Frank J. Tipler , an expert on the general theory of relativity , presented his Omega Point Theory which outlines how
8720-530: The influential Expressionist school, such as George Grosz and Otto Dix . It also provided the basis for Paul Hindemith 's modernist opera Mathis der Maler . In the later 1930s, it appears to have suffered a temporary decline in official esteem in Germany as a result of the National Socialists’ branding of both Expressionism and of Hindemith's work as "degenerate". Due to renovation work in
8829-580: The inner panels (i.e., displayed when open) and paintings on the back of the wings (displayed when closed). With the advent of winged altarpieces, a shift in imagery also occurred. Instead of being centred on a single holy figure, altarpieces began to portray more complex narratives linked to the concept of salvation . As the Middle Ages progressed, altarpieces began to be commissioned more frequently. In Northern Europe, initially Lübeck and later Antwerp would develop into veritable export centres for
8938-496: The joins between panels invisible under the painted surface (as with some works by Rubens . They may also display reliefs or sculpture in the round , either polychrome or un-painted. It is then called a diptych , triptych or polyptych for two, three, and multiple panels respectively. In the 13th century, each panel was usually surmounted with a pinnacle, but during the Renaissance , single-panel pala altarpieces became
9047-706: The leading Baroque sculptor of his day, include his Ecstasy of Saint Teresa in Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome , and his sculpted concetto around the painting by Guillaume Courtois in Sant'Andrea al Quirinale . Both of these were essentially figures in the round, but Alessandro Algardi 's Pope Leo the Great repelling Attila in St Peter's Basilica is a "huge" relief with a full scene with over life-size figures. German Baroque and Rococo altarpieces also revived
9156-497: The local taste for sculpture, with the figures in many examples (usually in stucco ) spreading around the whole upper level of the church. While many altarpieces remain today, the majority have been lost. In 1520, there were 2,000 winged altarpieces in the Austrian state of Tyrol alone; scholars estimate that before World War II , there were around 3,000 altarpieces in the entire territory of Nazi Germany . Many were lost during
9265-420: The lower left corner, the being with webbed feet and a distended belly seems to personify the disease caused by ergot poisoning, resulting in swelling and ulcerous growths. The iconography of the altarpiece has several unusual elements derived from closely following the accounts left by Saint Bridget of Sweden of her mystical visions. These had long had a significant influence on art, especially on depictions of
9374-533: The main image, and were painted on the reverse with different simpler images. Often this was the normal view shown in the church, except for Sundays and feast days , when the wings were opened to display the main image. At other times visitors could usually see this by paying the sacristan . Altarpieces with many small framed panels are called polyptychs ; triptychs have a main panel, and two side ones. Diptychs , with only two equally sized panels, were usually smaller portable pieces for individuals. The predella
9483-467: The monastery were noted for their care of plague sufferers as well as for their treatment of skin diseases, such as ergotism . The image of the crucified Christ is pitted with plague-type sores, showing patients that Jesus understood and shared their afflictions. The veracity of the work's depictions of medical conditions was unusual in the history of European art. The altarpiece has two sets of wings, displaying three configurations: Wings closed: With
9592-515: The most important products of Christian art especially from the late Middle Ages to the era of Baroque painting . The word altarpiece, used for paintings, usually means a framed work of panel painting on wood, or later on canvas . In the Middle Ages they were generally the largest genre for these formats. Murals in fresco tend to cover larger surfaces. The largest painted altarpieces developed complicated structures, especially winged altarpieces with hinged side wings that folded in to cover
9701-608: The norm. In both cases, the supporting plinth ( predella ) often featured supplementary and related paintings. The Altarpiece of Pellegrino II of about 1200 (in Cividale , Italy) is a rare survival of a large partly- gilded silver relief altarpiece. Such pieces may have been more common, but later melted down for the metal. At least in the 15th century, altarpieces for main or high altars were required by canon law to be free-standing, allowing passage behind them, while those for side chapels were often attached to, or painted,
9810-521: The patient wasn't truly dead. Most advanced versions of such capabilities may include a method/system under development reported in 2019, 'BrainEx', that could partially revive (pig) brains hours after death (to the degree of brain circulation and cellular functions). It showed that "the process of cell death is a gradual, stepwise process and that some of those processes can be either postponed, preserved or even reversed". A similar organ perfusion system under development, 'OrganEx', can restore – i.e. on
9919-459: The people to work but instead one where God rewards them. Preceding the Lord of the Resurrection ( Qāʾim ) is his proof ( ḥujjat ). The Qur’anic verse stating that “the night of power ( laylat al-qadr ) is better than a thousand months” (Quran 97:3) is said to refer to this proof, whose knowledge is superior to that of a thousand Imams, though their rank, collectively, is one. Hakim Nasir also recognizes
10028-666: The permanent cessation of circulation and respiration because they know that irreversible cessation follows rapidly and inevitably once circulation no longer will restore itself spontaneously and will not be restored medically". Development of advanced live support measures "including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and positive pressure ventilation (PPV)" brought the interdependence of cessation of brain function and loss of respiration and circulation and "the traditional definition of death into question" and further developments upend more "definitions of mortality". Russian cosmist Nikolai Fyodorovich Fyodorov advocated resurrection of
10137-464: The physical remains that is...the motivation for the practice, but rather an assumed connection between proper sepulture and the condition of happiness of the deceased in the afterlife". According to Brichto, the early Israelites apparently believed that the graves of family, or tribe, united into one, and that this unified collectivity is to what the Biblical Hebrew term Sheol refers,
10246-579: The place of honour at the centre of the corpus and at his side a pig is depicted, the emblem of the Antonite order. On his left and right, two bearers of offerings illustrate these contributions in kind, an important source of income for the Antonites. This central section is framed by Saint Augustine and Saint Jerome, two of the four great fathers of the Latin Church. Guy Guyers, who had commissioned
10355-656: The power of resurrection was allegedly demonstrated in Chan or Zen tradition. One is the legend of Bodhidharma , the Indian master who brought the Ekayana school of India that subsequently became Chan Buddhism to China. The other is the passing of Chinese Chan master Puhua (Japanese: Jinshu Fuke), recounted in the Record of Linji (Japanese: Rinzai Gigen). Puhua was known for his unusual behavior and teaching style. Hence, it
10464-536: The production of altarpieces, exporting to Scandinavia, Spain and northern France. By the 15th century, altarpieces were often commissioned not only by churches but also by individuals, families, guilds and confraternities. The 15th century saw the birth of Early Netherlandish painting in the Low Countries ; henceforth panel painting would dominate altarpiece production in the area. In Germany, sculpted wooden altarpieces were instead often preferred, for example
10573-517: The purpose of providing a frame for individual parts of the altarpiece. Vigoroso da Siena 's altarpiece from 1291 (pictured) is an example. This treatment of the altarpiece would eventually pave the way for the emergence, in the 14th century, of the polyptych . The sculpted elements in the emerging polyptychs often took inspiration from contemporary Gothic architecture . In Italy, they were still typically executed in wood and painted, while in northern Europe altarpieces were often made of stone. In
10682-524: The resurrection of Judgment Day , known as the resurrection of the dead by those Christians who subscribe to the Nicene Creed (which is the majority of mainstream Christianity), as well as the resurrection miracles done by Jesus and the prophets of the Old Testament ( Hebrew Bible ). In the New Testament , Jesus is said to have raised several persons from death. These resurrections included
10791-511: The resurrection of long-dead bodies is not considered possible at the current level of scientific knowledge. Resurrection, from the Latin noun resurrectio -onis , from the verb rego , "to make straight, rule" + preposition sub , "under", altered to subrigo and contracted to surgo, surrexi, surrectum ("to rise", "get up", "stand up" ) + preposition re- , "again", thus literally "a straightening from under again". The concept of resurrection
10900-553: The resurrection of the dead, and Jesus's role as judge, is codified in the Apostles' Creed , the fundamental creed of Christian baptismal faith . The Book of Revelation also makes many references about the Judgment Day , when the dead will be raised. There are folklore, stories, and extractions from Hindu holy texts that refer to resurrections. One major legend is that of Savitri saving her husband's life from Yamraj. In
11009-646: The son of God. The Virgin Mary is depicted in a chapel to indicate the sacred character of the event. In the central corpus, the Concert of Angels and the Nativity are not independent scenes but instead fit within a unified concept: the viewer witnesses Christ's coming to earth as a newborn baby, who will be led to combat the forces of evil personified by certain of the angels, disturbing in their physical appearance. A number of symbols provide keys to aid in interpretation:
11118-478: The speculative hope that resurrection may be possible in the future . Cryonics is regarded with skepticism within the mainstream scientific community. It is generally viewed as a pseudoscience , and has been characterized as quackery . In his 1988 book Mind Children , roboticist Hans Moravec proposed that a future supercomputer might be able to resurrect long-dead minds from the information that still survived. For example, such can include information in
11227-551: The successors of the Lord of the Resurrection to be his deputies ( khulafāʾ ). There are three explicit examples in the Hebrew Bible of people being resurrected from the dead: According to Herbert C. Brichto, writing in Reform Judaism's Hebrew Union College Annual , the family tomb is the central concept in understanding biblical views of the afterlife . Brichto states that it is "not mere sentimental respect for
11336-423: The surrounding walls. Altarpieces seem to have begun to be used during the 11th century, with the possible exception of a few earlier examples. The reasons and forces that led to the development of altarpieces are not generally agreed upon. The habit of placing decorated reliquaries of saints on or behind the altar, as well as the tradition of decorating the front of the altar with sculptures or textiles, preceded
11445-446: The use of science and technology. For example, one study showed that in the hours after humans die, "certain cells in the human brain are still active". However, it is thought that at least without any life-support-like systems, death is permanent and irreversible after several hours – not days – even in cases when revival was still possible shortly after death. A 2010 study notes that physicians are determining death "test only for
11554-405: The wall behind. If the altar stands free in the choir , such that visitors can pass behind the main altar, both sides of the altarpiece can be covered with painting. The screen , retable or reredos are commonly decorated. Groups of statuary can also be placed on an altar. A single church can furthermore house several altarpieces on side-altars in chapels. Sometimes the altarpiece is set on
11663-538: Was invoked to ward off the plague. Grünewald's Crucifixion stands as one of the most poignant representations of this scene in Western art, due to the artist's masterful depiction of horrific agony, with Christ's emaciated body writhing under the pain of the nails driven through his hands and feet. This body covered with sores and riddled with thorns must have terrified the sick, but it also left no doubt about Christ's suffering, thus comforting them in their communion with
11772-535: Was notably rejected by the Sadducees but accepted by the Pharisees ( Acts 23 :6-8). Belief in the resurrection became dominant within Early Christianity , and already in the Gospels of Luke and John included an insistence on the resurrection of the flesh. Most modern Christian churches continue to uphold the belief that there will be a final resurrection of the dead and world to come . Belief in
11881-642: Was only spiritual. Like some forms of the Abrahamic religions, the Dharmic religions also include belief in resurrection and/or reincarnation. There are stories in Buddhism wherein the power of resurrection was allegedly demonstrated in the Chan or Zen tradition . In Hinduism , the core belief in resurrection and/or reincarnation is known as saṃsāra . Aside from religious belief, cryonics and other speculative resurrection technologies are practiced, but
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