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Caravaggio's The Entombment of Christ Scott 1438 (2010) The feast of Saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus is celebrated in the Roman Catholic rites on August 31. They were two important members of the Jewish community at the time of Christ's passion, and play a prominent role in Jesus's human burial following His crucifixion on Good Friday. The stamp above depicting Caravaggio's striking work, The Entombment of Christ (also known as The Deposition from the Cross), was issued in 2010 to mark the fourth centenary of the death of the great Renaissance artist. Five individuals are portrayed as Christ is taken down from the cross. The three women are the Blessed Mother, Mary Magdalene and Mary of Cleophas (from left to right). The two men are John the Evangelist to the left (looking down on Christ's face) and, looking out at us, Nicodemus, who is supporting Christ around His knees. As a artistic note, the face of Nicodemus is that of Michelangelo.  "Joseph of Arimathea" by James Tissot (1836-1902) From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain Joseph appears in all four of the Gospels in the story of Christ's Passion. He was a wealthy civic leader who had secretly become a disciple of Jesus. Following the death of Jesus, Joseph obtained permission from Pontius Pilate to take Jesus’s body for burial. Joseph purchased a linen shroud, proceeded to Golgotha to take the body of Jesus down from the cross and, along with Nicodemus, prepared the body for burial: "Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs." (John 19:38-40).This act took courage on Joseph's part, since Jesus was a condemned criminal who had been publicly executed (some accounts say Joseph was punished and imprisoned as a result of his actions).  "Nicodemus and Jesus on a Rooftop" by Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859–1937) From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain Less is known about Nicodemus: he is only mentioned in the Gospel of John. He was a Pharisee and, like Joseph, an important member of the Jewish community. John extensively describes Nicodemus's interactions with Jesus. He met secretly at night with Jesus, and he desires to learn and understand more about Christ's teachings, particularly the concept of 'rebirth' : Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.' Nicodemus said to him, 'How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?' Jesus answered, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.' (John 3:1-5)It is Nicodemus who provides the spices used to prepare Christ's body for burial. These two saints, not surprisingly, are the patron saints of funeral directors and pallbearers. REFERENCES: |
