In the middle of Howard Finster's painting, #Christ stands upon the waters with open, welcoming arms. Finster makes clear that it is the Lord who delivers his people. This is written on the face of the waters along with the promise ‘I WANT HAFTO CROSS JORDAN ALONE’.

Finster creates a sense of flow towards the heavenly kingdom which dominates much of the painting. The great white paths draw the eye upward. Each one is inscribed with characteristics of the promised land—KINDNESS, LOVE, PEACE, ETURNAL LIFE, HOME.

Finster was a #Baptist preacher and an untrained artist. After decades in the church, he felt a call to paint sacred art as a way to teach people the #gospel. Read about THE LORD WILL DELIVER HIS PEOPLE ACROSS JORDAN in our exhibition on #Joshua 3–4: thevcs.org/crossing-jor...

The waters of the #Jordan are highly symbolic in the book of #Joshua. They represent the threshold that divides Israel’s past as an enslaved people and their future freedom in the land. The waters are a symbol of cleansing and purification.

An impression of water, silence, and liminality is conveyed by @iamfujimura.bsky.social's work 'Silence and Beauty—Mysterion'. The massive canvas is structured like a triptych and conveys a wall of emerald waters. Read Mark Scarlata's commentary here: thevcs.org/crossing-jor...

"And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal." (Joshua 3–4:20) This week's exhibition is called 'Crossing the Jordan', and we first look at an extraordinary set of stones that were erected around 2900 BCE on the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

The Calanais Standing Stones remind Mark Scarlata of the twelve stones arranged by #Joshua as a memorial to the Lord at #Gilgal. Find out more by clicking the link: thevcs.org/crossing-jor...

The man with the withered hand leans against a column. He lifts his arm towards #Jesus, who points to it with his own right hand. Yet, Jesus’s attention is directed somewhere else. Read about Jan van Orley's etching in our exhibition of the week: thevcs.org/man-with-wit... #CofEPeeps #narthex

In this 17th-c. illumination, Jesus stands looking at a man, who extends his left hand towards him (Luke specifies the right hand, but Matthew and Mark do not identify which hand needed healing). There is a clear indication of limpness in the wrist.

The 'Naskh' calligraphy, traditionally used in the Qur’an, was designed to be easy to write and attractive to read. The written verses span the end of Matthew 12:13 to the opening clause of verse 17.

Find out more in this week's exhibition on #Matthew 12:9–14, #Mark 3:1–6, and #Luke 6:6–11, 'The Man with the Withered Hand'. thevcs.org/man-with-wit...

When only one year old, Hendrik #Goltzius permanently damaged his right hand by fire. It’s speculated that the stiffness of his fingers had the side effect of strengthening his arm and shoulder, so he etched with his right hand and drew with his left.

Here, he imagines his hand whole and healed. In this week’s exhibition we explore this etching alongside an Arabic manuscript and an etching by Jan Van Orley in the context of Jesus’ healing of a man’s withered hand. thevcs.org/man-with-wit...

Jesus’s command to the man to stretch out his hand is laden with theological significance, but also a reminder that restoration to wholeness is a distinguishing feature of the #Sabbath.

Why is #Genesis 15 so emphatic about darkness? Our Exhibition of the Week is called 'Seeing in the Dark' and features works of art by Pierre Soulages, Zohar Gotesman, and Dornith Doherty. Read the comparative commentary to find out more: thevcs.org/seeing-dark#... #CofEPeeps #narthex

Biblical Hebrew applies 'zera' (seed) both to human offspring, such as the descendants promised to Abram in #Genesis 15, and to the reproductive units of plants. Read about Dornith Doherty's 'Archiving Eden' project in our exhibition of the week: thevcs.org/seeing-dark#... #CofEPeeps #narthex

Our exhibition on St #Thomas the Apostle features three works of art that explore the relationship between faith, reason, and sensory experience. On his feast day, click here to find out more: thevcs.org/doubting-tho...

Zohar Gotesman's 'No Relief' is a mock Assyrian relief, resting on a pallet jack. It’s a quotation of a 7th-c. BCE relief from the ancient Mesopotamian city of Lachish, Nineveh. Read about this highly-original work in our exhibition on #Genesis 15: thevcs.org/seeing-dark#... #CofEPeeps #narthex

This week we take a closer look at #Genesis 15. The first work of art in our exhibition of the week was made by Pierre #Soulages, often regarded as France’s greatest post-WWII painter. thevcs.org/seeing-dark#... #CofEPeeps #narthex

Soulages emphasised a formative influence on his painting practice: the prehistoric cave paintings at Lascaux he saw as a boy. You can read about these in our exhibition on #Job 39: thevcs.org/brutal-lesso...

Our Exhibition of the Week is called 'The Twists and Turns of Israel' and is on #Psalms 77 and 78. It features paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and Caravaggio. Click here to read the comparative commentary: thevcs.org/twists-and-t... #CofEPeeps #narthex

#Psalm 78 features David prominently in its concluding verses. #Caravaggio’s depiction of David aligns thematically with its conclusion: Goliath’s defeat marks David’s transition from shepherd to king. Find out more in this week's exhibition: thevcs.org/twists-and-t... #CofEPeeps #narthex

Giovanni Battista #Tiepolo’s 'The Gathering of Manna' ostensibly depicts events first recorded in #Exodus 16:15, but equally has much to say about #Psalm 78. Curious? Read about it in our exhibition of the week: thevcs.org/twists-and-t... #CofEPeeps #narthex

This week we turn to the #Psalms and one of Vincent van Gogh's most moving pictures, often referred to as 'At Eternity’s Gate'. The subject was a pensioner and war veteran, and he is depicted here seated in a bare and desolate room. thevcs.org/twists-and-t... #CofEPeeps #narthex

Our Exhibition of the Week is called 'Jesus Heals an Official's Son' and is on John 4:43–54. It features an engraving by Anton Wierix II, a painting by Rodolpho Amoêdo, and a Mughal manuscript illumination. Read the comparative commentary here: thevcs.org/jesus-heals-... #CofEPeeps #narthex

Our Exhibition of the Week on #Joshua 3–4 is called 'Crossing the Jordan' and features ancient standing stones, as well as paintings by @iamfujimura.bsky.social and Howard Finster. Click here to read the comparative commentary by Mark Scarlata: thevcs.org/crossing-jor... #CofEPeeps #narthex

Jerome Xavier, a Spanish Jesuit missionary to the Mughal court of the Emperor Akbar, wrote the 'MirʼāT Al-Quds' (Mirror of Holiness). This illumination of John 4:43–54 portrays the father at home, watching over his son who is lying on the floor. thevcs.org/jesus-heals-... #CofEPeeps #narthex

The second work in this week's exhibition on #John 4:43–54 is by Rodolpho Amoêdo, a Brazilian artist of the late nineteenth century. Why does Amoêdo deliberately blur Jesus’s face? Find out more here: thevcs.org/jesus-heals-... #CofEPeeps #narthex

This week we look at one of Jesus's #miracles, the healing of an official's son in John 4:43–54. Anton Wierix’s engraving captures the entire episode in a single image, allowing us visually to identify the cities, people, dialogue, and plot. thevcs.org/jesus-heals-... #CofEPeeps #narthex

John 17 is a remarkable meditation upon the #Trinity. On #TrinitySunday, we explore this passage in light of Sean Scully's abstract painting: thevcs.org/consecration... #CofEPeeps #narthex

Our Exhibition of the Week is called 'A Brutal Lesson in Humility' and is on Job 39. It features a drawing by William de Morgan, Paleolithic cave art, and a lithograph by Dame Elisabeth Frink. Read the comparative commentary here: thevcs.org/brutal-lesso... #CofEPeeps #narthex

Our examination of the animal world in #Job 39 concludes with Elisabeth Frink's 'Horse'. ‘When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’/He smells the battle from afar, /the thunder of the captains, and the shouting’ (v.25). thevcs.org/brutal-lesso... #CofEPeeps #narthex

This week's exhibition on #Job 39 features the very earliest work of art on the VCS. Curious? Find out more about 'The Great Black Bull': thevcs.org/brutal-lesso... #CofEPeeps #narthex

William De Morgan’s ostrich-type bird looks out at us cheekily from a design from his Chelsea period of ceramic tile manufacture. This week's exhibition looks at #Job 39, in which God turns to the animal world in his address to Job: thevcs.org/brutal-lesso... #CofEPeeps #narthex

In this #illumination from the Ingeborg Psalter, Christ presides over the bestowal of the Spirit—the gift of his ongoing presence to believers. #CofEPeeps #narthex

Below, we see the disciples assembled around Mary as the #Spirit descends. On #Pentecost, this image articulates in concrete terms the more abstract ideas of 1 #Corinthians 2: thevcs.org/divine-incog...

#Sophia (Wisdom) is neither an angel nor a saint, but the personification of an attribute of God. Wisdom is enthroned, winged, and crimson hued, between Mary, holding the Christ Child, and John the Baptist. Find out more in this week's exhibition: thevcs.org/divine-incog... #CofEPeeps #narthex

Christ #Pantocrator (Ruler of All) presides over the figure of Wisdom and above him angels unfurl the banner of the starry cosmos beneath an empty throne, a representation of God the Father.

Paul’s message is reflected in Graham Sutherland’s spare #crucifixion. Inspired by long meditation on Grünewald’s 'Isenheim Altarpiece', Sutherland’s Christ is a sharply drawn modern interpretation. Find out more in our Exhibition of the Week: thevcs.org/divine-incog... #CofEPeeps #narthex

The altarpiece that inspired Sutherland can be found in our exhibition on Psalm 22: thevcs.org/great-cry#lo...

Explore more details from #Grünewald's remarkable altarpiece on our website.

Roger Kemp's #Ascension seems appropriate for today's feast. It features two common motifs in the Australian painter's oeuvre: crosses (sometimes with human torsos attached) and winged forms. Read about the third work in this week's exhibition: thevcs.org/i-live-faith... #CofEPeeps #narthex

Julia Stankova is a Bulgarian artist indebted to the Orthodox iconographical tradition that emerged in the Balkans in the Middle Ages. Her 2004 Crucifixion is, like all #Crucifixion icons, an image of both death and life: thevcs.org/i-live-faith... #CofEPeeps #narthex

In this self-portrait by the Chinese Christian artist Yong You, a hand with a puncture wound holds up a small square mirror that reveals the artist’s hood-framed visage. Find out more in this week's exhibition on #Galatians 2:15–21: thevcs.org/i-live-faith... #CofEPeeps #narthex

Our Exhibition of the Week is called 'Heartsick with Woe' and is on #Lamentations 5. It features works of art by Rutie Borthwick, Käthe Kollwitz, and David Asher Brook. Follow the link to read the comparative commentary by Deborah Kahn-Harris: thevcs.org/heartsick-wi... #CofEPeeps #narthex

In David Asher Brook's painting, he scrawls, in textured red paint, the Hebrew of #Lamentations 5:22, followed in the same style, though in yellow, by the Hebrew of Lamentations 5:21. Read about the third work in our Exhibition of the Week: thevcs.org/heartsick-wi... #CofEPeeps #narthex

'Lamentation' expresses Käthe #Kollwitz’s grief at the loss of her fellow artist, Ernst #Barlach. Barlach’s work was denounced and confiscated by the Nazis as a ‘degenerate art’, as was Kollwitz’s own work. Find our more in this week's exhibition: thevcs.org/heartsick-wi... #CofEPeeps #narthex

What is the relationship between love and death, between passion and anger, between relationship and abandonment? This week's exhibition looks at #Lamentations 5, starting with Rutie Borthwick's painting 'Shir HaShirim & Eicha'. thevcs.org/heartsick-wi... #CofEPeeps #narthex

It’s going to be a real treat to end our research seminars for the year with @benquash.bsky.social. Do join us if you’re in the North West or drop me an email for the zoom link.

Our Exhibition of the Week is called 'Render Unto Caesar' and is on #Matthew 22:15–22, #Mark 12:13–17, and #Luke 20:20–26. It features a Roman coin from the reign of Tiberius, and paintings by #Rubens and #Titian. Find out more here: thevcs.org/render-unto-... #CofEPeeps #narthex