Art Reading Scripture

The Presentation in the Temple 1490 Jacob Jansz (Netherlandish), Minneapolis Institute of Arts

When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, (Mary and Joseph) brought (Jesus) up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Luke 2:22-24

Art reflects culture. Art was set in the context of the time in which it was created.

The eighth day after Jesus was born he was circumcised and named. The Torah stipulated that after 40 days two more rituals needed to take place: the redemption of the first born and the purification of the mother. "The LORD said to Moses, 'Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine." Exodus 13:1-2 In the case of an animal it would be sacrificed on the altar. In the case of a human child the price of redemption was 5 shekels (equivalent amount in our terms is difficult to determine, suggested $50.) For a poor family that would be quite a sum. Luke did not indicate that the sum was paid, perhaps because Jesus continued to be designated to the Lord rather than redeemed (freed) to his own life. Mary also needed to be purified after giving birth. Leviticus states that after giving birth to a male child a woman was unclean 7 days, and for an additional 33 days she was prohibited from touching anything holy. At the end of that time she was to offer a sheep and two turtle doves or pigeons to make atonement. If her household was poor the birds were enough. Mary and Joseph offered a pair of birds, indicating their poverty. Mary presents the birds for sacrifice to the priest. Joseph, holding the basket stands behind her. It is Mary who must be purified, not Joseph.

What makes this interesting as art reflecting culture or being created in the context of the times is that though this is a Jewish ceremony, many things in the painting allude directly to Christian baptism. The presentation is not set in the majesty of the Jerusalem temple, but rather in a small chapel with a side entrance. The altar on which Mary offers the dove looks very much like a baptismal font. Jesus is swaddled in a white clothe that easily resembles a baptismal gown. The priest (Simeon) holding Jesus is robed in the priestly garments of the church. Even his hairdo is the tonsure cut of a monk. The painting originally accompanied two other panels from the life of Mary. Originally it was an altarpiece, perhaps displayed in a baptismal chapel. The other two panels depict the Annunciation, now in the Glasgow Art Gallery, and the Nativity in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Parents bringing their children for baptism would not have connected that baptism with an accurate depiction Jewish rites related to birth and cleansing. Making the biblical scene correspond to the their experience of having a child baptized could help them see themselves as a type of Mary and Joseph and their child as like unto Jesus. They could read story into themselves and their child, and be drawn closer to the church and to God.

Christians reading the painting would have also noted the connection to Jesus' destiny upon the cross. The sacrifice of the doves may have reminded viewers of Christ sacrifice for the world. The halo around Jesus' head shows the three arms of the cross upon which he, a child, would one day die.

Keep the faith. Say your prayers. Love like Jesus.

Pastor Tim Bauer