9. Early Christian Art app

Early Christian Art app

      

If you are a Christian art fan,  then our Early Christian Art app is for you. We have an android and ios version that encompasses almost 1,000 original works, starting in the renaissance period to more recent times.

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1. Reni and Sanzio- Michael Battles Lucifer Rev 12:7-9

A famous depiction of the Angel Michael battling with Lucifer. The depiction has Michael demanding subservience to God from Lucifer, who refuses. "Servium" Michael says, "Non Servium" Lucifer responds..

If you think about it, God placed us on earth well after the devil had been banished there..this suggests that God in his wisdom placed us in a place where the likelihood of success was low for human beings...all part of the redemption mystery?

It is not my intention to introduce any doubt, but I have come to accept that the Bible is not an exact science; it has much we don't understand, but the little we do makes us more honourable than we would have been if left to our own devices. I thus choose to believe what I can and identify as a mystery what I cannot, but at all times, try as much as possible to live as noble a life as I can. I am certain that any doubt will be removed as soon as we pass over into the next realm of life; namely life after death.

2. Tintoretto- Cain kills Abel

Early Christian Art app

This was the end of the age of innocence. Many of us imagine that we are incapable of what Cain did, but alas, which man is without feelings of jealousy, wishful thinking, and concern with the cares of the world? Obviously, murder is not justifiable, but all these innate thoughts that are driven primarily by pride do occasion in us emotional violence which sometimes extends to physical acts. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, warns us of the mind, wherein thoughts begin to fester. Cain was jealous of Abel's achievements, and rather than rejoice with him and try emulation, he allowed his feelings to get the better of him. Don't for a second imagine that you are incapable of the same.

3. Bridgam- Pharaoh's army engulfed

Pharaoh's sin was one of pride. Despite all that had been done to his people, including the last sign, namely the death of every firstborn animal and human being amongst the Egyptians, his heart would not allow him to imagine that the lowly Israelites had gotten the better of him. 

There is an argument that the most high seemed to favour the Israelites by ensuring that Pharaoh's heart was calloused against the warnings and signs that came from HIM. I however think that despite this, his behaviour was expected. In today's world, I have as yet to see a strong nation give in to the wishes of a weaker one. Unless versed in humility, the powerful are usually prideful, changing laws always to suit themselves and making themselves out to be on a morally higher plane.

4) Rembrandt- The raising of Lazarus, John 11:38-44

There were three that Christ raised from the dead; Lazarus, as depicted above, the son of the widow of Naim, and the little girl who was the daughter of the synagogue head, Jairus. If this is not the workings of God's son, then what else can it be? To the best of my knowledge, there is no account on earth of anyone raising anyone from the dead. In Lazarus' case, he waited a full three days before raising him; I suppose to remove any doubt that Lazarus had indeed crossed the threshold to the land of darkness and gloom.

I have lived on the earth for slightly more than a half-century, and to date, I have as yet to come across anyone that has raised another from the dead. Jewish traditions speak of Jesus as a man that did wonders including raising people from the dead. If we cannot believe or choose to doubt such miraculous acts, how can we possibly have any hope in believing anything? Today we have thousands of Christians still looking for signs and falling prey to charlatans (whom I chose to call anti-Christs). If we cannot believe the actions of Christ, at the very least try to live as he told us; there is no better affirmed of faith than trying to live as he taught us.

5. Fugel- Ascension Acts 1:6-11

The painting depicts the ascension, which occurs exactly 40 days after His resurrection.

You may have noted how the number 40 is so prevalent. Israelites in the wilderness- 40 years; Days spent by Jesus in the wilderness- 40 days corresponds to 40 days of fasting before Easter, namely lent. Days from resurrection (Easter Sunday) to ascension - 40 days.

Death, resurrection, and ascension are the pillars on which Christianity is founded. If Jesus was a mere man, then it would be difficult to pursue the thought of deity. In this case, however, his deity comes through, as these events have happened to no one else in the history of men being on earth. Our Lord also taught us that His ascension was necessary so as to release the helper, the paraclete, or more commonly the holy spirit.

The unleashing of the spirit, came to further anchor what our Lord had achieved. The old sacrificial system was gone, with the Lord's death being the ultimate sacrifice. Now comes the age of grace, the forgiveness of sins through grace and not by one's own strength; with forgiveness of sins comes the indwelling of the spirit, which produces the characteristics of the spirit in men; peace, love, neighborliness, charity, and so on. Indeed, the indwelling residence of the spirit brings out good works which in turn brings the Kingdom of God on earth closer still; it will come in its entirety at the second coming of our Lord.

Enjoy!

8. Christian Artwork App

Christian Artwork App

 

Our app focuses on paintings from the renaissance period to more recent times. The paintings have all been adjusted for mobile devices and can be viewed in a slideshow with a classical music background. 

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1. Merwart- The Flood, Gen 7:1-24 and Memberger

 

Two poignant representations of the harrowing nature of the flood. This could be a wife, daughter, or mother being hoisted from the waters, but it's an exercise in futility.  The artist depicts a terrible scene, nowhere to go with water all around you. While we don't dwell much on how it must have been, the artist does give us food for thought.

The flood, according to the bible, came at a time when evil abounded on the earth, and goodness was left only with Noah and by extension his family. In today's world, I often feel that we are already way beyond what people got up to in Noah's time. While the rainbow was promised as a reminder of God's covenant, never to send another flood, it still doesn't stop him from punishing us on a global scale with another of the elements of the earth. What with all the tsunamis, droughts, fires and the like, maybe it is actually happening.

2. Moeyart- Jeroboam introduces idol worship, 1 Kings 12:25-33

Christian Artwork App

When Jeroboam was the King of Israel while Rehoboam (Solomon s Son) was King of Judah. Jews generally all worshipped in the temple in Jerusalem on major feasts e.g Passover. To stop the yearly migration to the temple from the North, Jeroboam introduced Idol worship, fearful of losing political power to the Southern Kingdom.

Physical Idol worship as we see in the bible may not be as prevalent within Western nations, however, it has been replaced by something subtler and maybe even much worse. Spiritual idol worship of mammon. Money is the new idol in this world and has replaced all virtue. At the top of the minds of most human beings is an insatiable desire for wealth; wealth at any cost. This is the new global idol that is worshipped day and night.

How can one explain the abuse of drugs and alcohol, sweatshops to feed the cravings of the haves, and usury at every corner to further feed envy and unbridled ambition? The divide between developing and developed nations, throwing asylum seekers into the sea, throwing perfectly good food into the sea in order to stabilize global prices; it's just madness!

  3. Kussler- The immaculate heart of Mary Luke 1:26-28

Just like any mother has an influence on her child, no matter who the child is, the same is assumed of our Lord's mother. Those who pray to her do so for intercession and not as deity. Is it not normal to ask for the intercession of Saints over the ages, and Christ's disciples in particular? Why not the mother of our Lord?

I live and work in Kenya and my tribesmen, before the advent of Christianity, regularly prayed for the intercession of their ancestors to the most high, as they prayed for rain, harvests, and so on. As a matter of fact, many of them still do so today, despite their professing Christianity (a combination of local and Christian beliefs). 

I believe this is the case in many communities across the globe, namely seeking the intercession of somebody who conducted themselves nobly while alive and in their opinion enjoyed the favour of their maker. I see no reason to imagine that intercessory prayers do not work, and I also see no reason to prove that they do or not. Suffice it to say that for as long as it encourages prayer, I am all for it.

4. Lieberman- Jesus among the doctors Luke 2:41-52

  You know the story of this painting... " Did you not know that I must go about my father's business?" It must have been quite astounding for the Pharisees to encounter a child prodigy like Jesus. Imagine, he was with them for 3 days before his earthly parents found him.

5. Rembrandt- Jesus, and disciples in the storm, Mark 4:35-41

  A beautiful depiction of how a storm may have looked in the sea of galilee. The way the story is told in the gospels, a critique of the apostles is suggested. How could they have been worried, given the many signs Jesus had already performed? The reality is that any one of us would have been more so terrified at the prospect of death in the yonder of the deep sea.

6. West- The expulsion of Adam and Eve Gen 3: 21-24

Upon disobeying the Lord Gods' instructions, the first couple was thrown out of the Garden of Eden, never to return. They say it is likely to be somewhere in Mesopotamia, that's the area of Iran and Iraq to us, modern humans.

There is a mystery around the garden and the expulsion. Christianity teaches the dogma that all men suffer from this original sin and only through baptism can the sin be removed from one's soul. By simply being human, we all carry the sin of Adam. The cleansing of water, that is baptism, is the only way to remove this stain while simultaneously marking the soul for Christ. Baptism first started with the baptist, was further instituted by Christ and taken up by his apostles as a mark of belonging to Christ.

Enjoy!

7 Catholic art paintings app

Catholic art paintings app

   

Our app has many examples of religious art from the renaissance to more recent times. We have collated over 1000 high-quality paintings for your personal enjoyment. Some of the painters include the likes of Carravagio, James Tissot, Carl Bloch, etc. We have highlighted a few in this post, along with a commentary:

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1. Giovanni- Christ in Gethsemane, Mark 14:32-42

The agony in the garden of Gethsemane as our Lord looks towards what is to come. He prayed fervently, imploring his father to remove the cup from him while acknowledging that he would go through it as the father willed it.

2.    Feti- David, and Goliaths head, 1 Samuel 17:34-58

Catholic art paintings app

A remarkable story of courage and resilience in the face of extreme adversity. I have always imagined that to David, the event was a walk in the park. He was accustomed to killing Lions, Bears, and other large animals using his sling. Goliath was simply another bear. It really shows that skill and character can only be obtained over time and with much effort.

Recently the social scientist and author Malcolm Gladwell suggested a different view of the story. We have always assumed that it was David who was the underdog, but apparently not. In those days, armies had slingshot companies, as they would have for foot soldiers and archers. These slingshot companies were very deadly and would easily kill large beasts and men within a 50-meter distance. Imagine a stone about the size of a closed fist, hurling through the air at 300km per hour and striking bone and flesh with precise accuracy.

In David's case, all he had to do was keep a distance from Goliath, and keep the stones flying. According to the story he only used one and it cracked Goliath's forehead wide open, leading to his immediate death.

3. Gerome- Moses on Mt Sinai Visiting with Yahweh, Exodus 19:1-6

  This occurred after the Israelites left Egypt. This was where much was learned about the covenant between Yahweh and Israel. It is where the ten commandments were delivered, the generation that left Israel was accursed to travel the desert for 40 years, and where the community learned the Pentateuch as written by Moses and many other landmarks.

Mount Sinai is where all the Jews and many non-Jews that chose to leave Egypt were trained on the worship of the most high. The Jewish people were chosen to be an example to all nations on earth of what righteous and correct behaviour is in regard to our creator. It should be noted that there is nothing even remotely special about the Jews. Their behaviour in the presence and absence of righteousness and sin would be no different from any other nation on earth. Our common denominator is original sin and the fact that we are all men created in the image and likeness of God.

I am a gentile, in the biblical sense, but I find it very difficult to understand why Jews are hated and have been hated especially in Europe for many centuries, as the killers of Christ. I am convinced that any tribe on earth, would have acted just as the Jews did. It s only the leadership that was against Jesus, but they did so out of self-preservation and envy. How different is that from any other tribe? It is hypocritical that Jews are persecuted, yet in the persecution of the Jews, their atrocities against the Jews, seem much worse than what they did to Jesus. It is truly a mad mad world that we live in.

4. Luca - The wise King Solomon Judges, 1 Kings 3:16-29, 

This painting depicts the first judgment of Solomon. It truly demonstrated his wisdom; if you value something, it is better you lose it and allow it to exist than have it destroyed altogether. It brings out clearly the value of listening to both sides of an argument.

5. Martynov- The witch of Endor!

 This depicts Saul, Israel's first divinely appointed King, seeking the help of the prophet Samuel, who had since died. He seeks the aid of a witch, to reach into the realms of the dead to summon the soul of Samuel who does appear but is angry at being disturbed. Saul simply confirms what he had told Saul while alive, namely that he would lose his Kingdom to David.

6. Eli and the boy Samuel, 1 Samuel 1:21-28

 Hannah, Elkanah's wife, dedicates her son, Samuel, to Eli The high priest, on being granted her wish for a child. This was after many years of suffering, largely due to her co-wife Peninah, having many children. After the dedication, Hannah bears more children.

Samuel became one of the greatest prophets in Israel and anointed both Saul and David. Israel changed from being a theocracy to being a Kingdom on the anointment of Saul.

7. Crist - Judith with the head of Holofernes Judith 13:1-10

Judith was one of Israel's Judges. She single-handedly stopped the Assyrian invasion by decapitating their general who was beguiled by her beauty. The book of Judith is found in the Apocrypha. These are considered extra canonical for Christians since they do little to further doctrine but are canonical to Jews. All the same, they make for very interesting reading.

8. Gentileschi Artemisia - Lot is inebriated by his daughters, Genesis 19:32-35

 Upon the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his daughters sought refuge in caves nearby. The daughters,  fearful that the human race had been destroyed and thus their ability to have husbands and thus bear children, they inebriated their father in order to lie with him biblically. It's incest but done out of genuine fear. 

The children born out of incest would be the forebearers of the Moabites and the Ammonites.

9. Pieter - David handing a letter to Uriah, 2 Samuel 11:1-26

King David, out of lust for Bathsheba, Uriah's wife, consigns Uriah to death on the war front by having his generals place him in the thick of the fighting. It was a despicable act. God punished David by firstly the loss of the child from the union and thereafter David's House was always intractably at war on all fronts.

Enjoy!