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| Alvaro Pirez, Presentation Portuguese, c. 1430 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
"When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
—and you yourself a sword will pierce—
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him. Luke 2:22-40
(Gospel for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord,
February 2)
St. Luke, who gives us the most detailed account of the
birth of Jesus, from the Annunciation to this event of the Presentation, is
traditionally believed to have been in touch with Mary and to have gained his
knowledge of these events from her or at least from someone who knew her
well. The intimate details of events such
as those recounted in the Gospel for the Presentation would seem to confirm
this. However, he also wants to show his
readers that the parents of Jesus were devout and humble Jews, careful to
fulfill the requirements of the Law, even as they raised the One who would
bring salvation to Israel and to all people.
,%20c.%20975-1000_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Latin%209448,%20fol.%2028r+3.jpeg) |
| Presentation From Troparium, Prosarium, Graduale German (Pruem), c. 975-1000 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 9448, fol. 28 |
The Mosaic law laid down two requirements on the birth of a first son to any couple. First, the male child was to be consecrated to the Lord as a reminder of the last plague of the Exodus, during which the first born of the Egyptians were killed (Exodus 13). But the child could be redeemed for a payment of five silver sheckels to a member of a priestly clan (Numbers 18:16).
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| Fra Angelico, Presentation Italian, c. 1433-1434 Cortona, Museo Diocesano |
Second, a woman who had given birth to a boy
was required to spend 40 days without touching anything sacred. At the end of this time “she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a
yearling lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtledove for a
purification offering…If, however, she cannot afford a lamb, she
may take two turtledoves or two pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and
the other for a purification offering. The priest shall make atonement for her,
and thus she will again be clean.” (Leviticus 12:1-8)
,%20c.%201445-1450_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Latin%209473,%20fol.%2055r_2.jpeg) |
| Purification From the Hours of Louis of Savoy French (Savoy), 1445-1460 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 9473, fol. 55r |
Luke conflates what would be two separate events, the redemption of the child and the purification of the mother, into one story. Mary and Joseph bring their son to the Temple to pay his ransom and to certify Mary as recovered from childbirth. He then weaves into the tale the reactions of Simeon and Anna, two pious old people who have prophetic gifts and who recognize the child for Who He is.
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| Ambrogio da Fossano, known as Il Bergognone, The Presentation Italian, c. 1497-1500 Lodi, Tempio Civico della Beata Vergina Incoronata |
This is another epiphany. There have been epiphanies to the lowly shepherds of Bethlehem, to the learned Wise Men from the Gentile nations and now there is an epiphany to those in Jerusalem who are capable of seeing.
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| Giuseppe Cesari, Purification Italian, 1617-1627 Rome, Church of Santa Maria in Vallicella |
We know that a feast of the Presentation/Purification was celebrated in Jerusalem as early as the fourth century when it was described by the pilgrim, Egeria. From there it gradually spread to the entire church, reaching the church in Rome by the seventh century. In the West it became known as the Purification of Mary and was set on February 2nd.
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| Rembrandt, Presentation Dutch, 1631 The Hague, Mauritshuis Museum |
By the eleventh century a solemn blessing of and procession with candles had been introduced and the day began to be known as Candlemas. 1 The procession with candles marked the entry of “the light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory of your people Israel” into the Temple. Over time it began to be seen as the last event of the Christmas season. It was the day on which people turned their attention from the coming of Christ, removing any remaining decorations, and began their preparation for Easter with the onset of Lent.
Artists have given us many, many images of the event and
these images tell us some very important things.
The Meeting with Simeon
The lovely words of Simeon have been preserved in the daily
prayer of the Church, the Divine Office (or the Hours) as the Biblical canticle
for the daily prayer that ends the day, Compline. Called the “Nunc dimittis” it is recited
every evening before bed by all who pray the Hours, be they priest, religious or
lay person. So the images that form in
the mind have been given visual form by artists.
The simplest image is that of the meeting between the aged Simeon and the Child Jesus. Many artists have chosen this as the image they want to present. These images frequently represent the event as taking place outside the temple building, as is implied by the text of the Gospel. Details such as the two pigeons for the offering may be included.
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| Philippe de Champaigne, Presentation French, 1648 Brussels, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts |
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| Johann Hiebel, Presentation German, 1727-1731 Litomerice (Czech Republic), Jesuit Church of the Annunciation |
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| Heinrich Seling, Presentation German, 1890-1893 Hamburg, St. Mary's Cathedral |
The First Hint of Public Sacrifice
But there is another set of images, far surpassing the
Meeting in number, that have been the favored image type, especially during the
Middle Ages and early Renaissance.
These images call to mind, not the entrance of the light into the temple, but the impending sacrifice on the Cross. This, the dark side of the Christmas story, is often ignored today, but was definitely fully realized in earlier centuries. Christ came as a child to suffer and to die for humanity. He is the sacrificial victim, the pure Lamb of God, whose coming was foreshadowed in earlier images of sacrifice, even including the offerings of his own parents.
In these images the visual emphasis is not on the meeting between the old man and the Child, but the future of the Child as a willing sacrificial victim. In these images the Christ Child is shown in relation to the altar of the temple. He may be placed or about to be placed on it, and shown sitting, standing or lying on it, or it may simply be in the space between Mary and Simeon (or sometimes a temple priest). 2 In addition, some of the other figures in the story, such as St. Joseph and the prophetess, Anna, may not be there at all.
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| Presentation From the Sacramentary of Drogo French (Metz), c.850 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 9428, fol.38r |
These images call to mind, not the entrance of the light into the temple, but the impending sacrifice on the Cross. This, the dark side of the Christmas story, is often ignored today, but was definitely fully realized in earlier centuries. Christ came as a child to suffer and to die for humanity. He is the sacrificial victim, the pure Lamb of God, whose coming was foreshadowed in earlier images of sacrifice, even including the offerings of his own parents.
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| Presentation From Sacramentary German (Reichenau), 1020-1040 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 18005, fol. 42v |
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| Presentation (in the lower right roundel) From Missal French (St. Maur-des-Fosses), 11th Century Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 12054, fol.148v This image and the ivory diptych below make the connection between the events of the Nativity and the Passion explicit. |
Consequently, in these images
he takes the place, sometimes directly, but always at least visually, on the
altar where the temple sacrifices also lay.
On the other hand, this altar itself often looks forward to the Christian sacrifice of the Mass. The altars are frequently draped in cloth, just as the altar is draped for the celebration of the Mass.
Frequently also, the hands of
Simeon, the priest and/or the Virgin Mary are shown as draped as well, just as the
hands of priests are draped to carry the monstrance which displays the Eucharistic
Body of Christ, as if the body of the Child were already the consecrated Body.3
This may have had even greater force than it may at first appear to us, because in the Middle Ages there were frequently reported visions of the apparition of a small child in the hands of the priest following the consecration of the Mass, when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. These apparitions were so well known that St. Thomas Aquinas even devotes to them a portion of the discussion on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist in the Summa Theologica.4
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| Presentation and Crucifixion, Ivory Diptych French, 14th Century New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
On the other hand, this altar itself often looks forward to the Christian sacrifice of the Mass. The altars are frequently draped in cloth, just as the altar is draped for the celebration of the Mass.
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| Presentation from Evangeliary German (Pruem),1100-1130 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 17325, fol. 21v |
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| Presentation from St. Alban's Psalter English (St. Albans), c. 1121-1146 Hildesheim, Dombibliothek fol.28 |
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| Presentation From Psalter of St. Louis and of Blanche de Castille French, c. 1225 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Arsenal 1186, fol.18 |
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| Guido da Siena, Presentation Italian, 1270s Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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| Presentation From Psalter French (St.Omer), c. 1275-1300 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Smith-Lesouef 20, f.12v |
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| Master of Banacavallo, Presentation Italian (Imola), c.1278 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Pietro Cavallini, Presentation Italian, c. 1285-1295 Rome, Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere |
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| Giotto, Presentation Italian, c. 1304-1306 Padua, Scrovegni/Arena Chapel |
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| Duccio, Presentation From the Maestà Altarpiece Italian, c. 1308-1311 Siena, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo |
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| Presentation From The Cloisters Apocalypse French (Normandy), c. 1330 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cloisters Collection Accession Number 68.174, fol.2r |
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| Presentation From Bible moralisee Italy (Naples), c. 1350 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 9561, fol . 137v |
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| Master of the Paremont de Narbonne, Presentation From Tres Belles Heures de Notre-Dame de Jean de Berry French (Paris), c. 1380 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Nouvelle acquisition latine 3093, fol.56 |
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| Melchior Broederlam, Presentation Flemish, c. 1393-1399 Dijon, Musée des Beaux-Arts |
 |
Herman,Paul, Jean de Limburg, Presentation
From Belles Heures of Jean de France, duc de Berry
French, c. 1405-1408
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cloisters Collection
Accession Number 54.1.1a, fol.57r |
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| Fra Angelico, Presentation Italian, c. 1440-1442 Florence, Museo di San Marco, Cell 10
Presented as a vision before the eyes of two Dominican saints, we see the altar behind the figures. Sacrificial flames can be seen issuing from it just under the hands of Mary. |
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| Master of the Prado Adoration of the Magi, The Presentation Flemish, c. 1470-1480 Washington, National Gallery of Art |
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| Rambures Master, Presentation and its Old Testament Precedents From Biblia pauperum French (Hesdin or Amiens), c. 1470 The Hague, Museum Meermano-Westreenianum MS 10 A 15, fol. 22v |
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| Follower of Master of Jean Rolin, Presentation From Book of Hours French, (Paris), c. 1450 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliothek MS 74 F 1, fol. 80r |
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| Follower of Jean Pichore, Presentation From Book of Hours French (Paris), c. 1500 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliothek MS 74 G 22, fol. 95v |
This may have had even greater force than it may at first appear to us, because in the Middle Ages there were frequently reported visions of the apparition of a small child in the hands of the priest following the consecration of the Mass, when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. These apparitions were so well known that St. Thomas Aquinas even devotes to them a portion of the discussion on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist in the Summa Theologica.4
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| Raphael, Presentation Italian, c. 1502-1503 Vatican City, Pinacoteca Vaticana |
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| Jan Joest of Kalkar, Presentation Dutch, 1508 Kalkar Kreis Kleve, Catholic parish church of St. Nicholas |
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| Jan van Scorel, Presentation Dutch, c. 1524-26 Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum |
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| Anonymous, Presentation Dutch, c. 1601-1650 Altenburg, Lindenau Museum |
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| Pieter Jozef Verhaghen, Presentation Flemish, 1767 Ghent, Museum voor Schone Kunsten
(In this picture the presence of the altar is not as visible as in earlier works, but it is still a presence to the side of the scene.
|
There are also a few images that don’t fit either type very well. While not including the actual altar of sacrifice, they often show some of the other elements that signal the reference to sacrifice, even if it is just a reluctance on the part of the participants to hand Him back and forth.
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| Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Presentation Italian, 1342 Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi |
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| Andrea Mantegna, Presentation Italian, c. 1460 Berlin, Gemäldegalerie der Staatliche Museen zu Berlin |
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| Vittore Carpaccio, Presentation Italian, 1510 Venice, Gallerie dell'Accademia |
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| Jean Bourdichon, Presentation From Grandes Heures d'Anne de Bretagne French (Tours), c. 1503-1508 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 9474, fol. 70v |
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| Andrea Celesti, Presentation Italian, c.1710 Venice, Church of San Zaccaria |
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Giovanni DomenicoTiepolo, Presentation
Italian, 1754
Stockholm, National Museum
|
Consequently, we can see that not only is the feast of the Presentation of Jesus/Purification of Mary/Candlemas about the event of Jesus’ first experience of the temple or of his meeting with Simeon or of the prophecies of Simeon and Anna, but it is about his impending sacrifice and about the prolongation of that sacrifice that we know as the Eucharist.
© M. Duffy, 2016
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1.
For information on the feast of the
Presentation/Purification see: Holweck,
Frederick. "Candlemas." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol.
3. New York: Robert Appleton Company,1908. 2 Feb. 2016 .
2.
Schorr, Dorothy C., “The Iconographic
Development of the Presentation in the Temple”, The Art Bulletin, Vol.
28, No. 1, March 1946, pp. 17-32.
3.
Sinanoglou, Leah. “The Christ Child as
Sacrifice: A Medieval Tradition and the
Corpus Christi Plays”, Speculum, Vol. 48, No. 3, July 1973, pp. 491-509.
4.
Aquinas, St. Thomas. The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas,
Second and Revised Edition, 1920. Literally
translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province, Online Edition
Copyright © 2008 by Kevin Knight, Part III, Question 76, Article 8.
Scripture texts in this
work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition© 2010,
1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are
used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the
New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing
from the copyright owner.
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