,%201547-1559_BNF_MS%20Latin%201429,%20fol.%2045.jpg) |
| Moses Striking the Rock From a Book of Hours French (Paris), c.1547-1559 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 1429, fol. 45r |
“In those days, in their thirst for water,
the people grumbled against Moses,
saying, "Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?
Was it just to have us die here of thirst
with our children and our livestock?"
So Moses cried out to the LORD,
"What shall I do with this people?
a little more and they will stone me!"
The LORD answered Moses,
"Go over there in front of the people,
along with some of the elders of Israel,
holding in your hand, as you go,
the staff with which you struck the river.
I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.
Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it
for the people to drink."
This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
The place was called Massah and Meribah,
because the Israelites quarreled there
and tested the LORD, saying,
"Is the LORD in our midst or not?"
(Exodus 17:3-7) First Reading for the Third Sunday of Lent,
Year A
From its early days Christianity has been a religion of
images, in spite of the anti-image rhetoric and actions of some Christians over
its two-thousand-year span. Images have
told the stories of the Bible, both of the Old Testament and the New, even
before the canon of the New Testament was finally determined.
One of the ways in which images were used was to remind the
faithful and those who were investigating the faith of the stories that they
heard in the liturgies in which they participated. These stories were drawn from the Old
Testament and from the new books that were beginning to be recognized as of
equivalent inspiration and value, what we now call the New Testament. Frequently, the stories of persons or events from
the Old Testament were seen as precursors or pre-figurations or “types” of persons
and events from the New. For example,
the story of Jonah and the Whale was seen as a pre-figuration of the death and
resurrection of Jesus. 1
 |
| Moses Striking the Rock Roman, Early 3rd Century Rome, Catacomb of Saint Callixtus |
One of the stories represented on an early painting from the
catacomb of Saint Callixtus in the 3rd Century is that of Moses
Striking the Rock (Exodus 17:3-7), which is the First Reading for the Third
Sunday of Lent in Year A and is also the First Reading used during the Third
Sunday of Lent in Years B and C, when catechumens who are preparing for Baptism
at Easter Vigil are present. This
story, in which Moses brings water out of desert rock, is on its original level
a great sign of God’s love for His people, sustaining them and giving them
life.
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| Watercolor Copy of Wall Painting with Biblical Scenes Roman, 4th Century Rome, Catacomb under the Vigna Massimo |
On a more developed level, when seen in the light provided
by the Gospel, it becomes also the symbol or type for Christian participation
in the new life in Christ offered through Baptism, the Eucharist and the
Church. Therefore, in an early 4th
Century painting in the catacomb of the Vigna Massimo, we see the image of
Moses striking the rock in the upper left corner of a wall painting that
presents some of the most important stories of the Old and New Testaments,
including in the upper register: Christ
Dividing Loaves, Adoration of the Magi, Susanna, Noah, the Raising of Lazarus; and
in the lower register: Daniel, Tobias with the Fish, the Healing of the
Paralytic, Job. It is particularly
interesting that Moses Striking the Rock is shown as a sort of pair to the
Raising of Lazarus, both are large figural images in more or less the same,
outer edge, position in the composition. 2
 |
| "Sarcophagus of the Apostles" Roman, 346-355 Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano |
,%20879-882_BNF_MS%20Grec%20510,%20fol.%20226v.jpg) |
| Moses Striking the Rock and Angel at the Tomb From the Orations of Gregory Nazianzus Byzantine (Constantinople), c. 879-882 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Grec 510, fol. 226v |
Similarly, artists followed the typological thinking of the early Church Fathers. A ninth-century Byzantine painter saw the
connection between Moses/Baptism and Resurrection, when he included the two
scenes on the same page in an illustrated copy of the Orations of Saint Gregory
Nazianzus. In the upper register we find the image of Moses Striking the Rock. In the lower register, an angel appears to the tomb guards and they flee in panic.
During the Middle Ages in western Europe the story of Moses
striking the rock and bringing forth water was told primarily as an
illustration of the Exodus text, minus the more resonant imagery of the early
period.
,%20Benediktinerklosterkirche%20Sankt%20Cyriakus,%20Kapelle,.jpg) |
| Moses Striking the Rock German, c. 1170 Gröningen, Benedictine Monastery Church of Saint Cyriacus, Chapel Although difficult to see because of the wear of centuries this image shows Moses at left striking a large rock at the center. At the right an Isrealite man and woman drink. |
,%20End%20of%2013th%20Century_BNF_MS%20Latin%2018,%20fol.%2053v.jpg) |
| Moses Striking the Rock From the Bible of Clement VII Italian (Bologna), End of 13th Century Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 18, fol. 53v |
Medieval images frequently show Moses with what appear to be horns. This is an attempt to represent the beams of light which shone from his face following his encounter with God on Mount Sinai.
,%201300-1325_BNF_MS%20Francais%20156,%20fol.%2059v.jpg) |
| Master of the Roman de Fauvel, Moses Striking the Rock From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1300-1325 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 156, fol. 59v |
,%201300-1325_BNF_MS%20Francais%20160,%20fol.%2055.jpg) |
| Moses Striking the Rock From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1300-1325 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 160, fol. 55 |
 | ||
| Claes Brouwer, Moses Striking the Rock From a History Bible Dutch (Utrecht), c. 1430 The Hague, Koninklijke Bibliotheek MS KB 78 D 38-Dl1, fol. 57v
This unusual image not only is done in grisaille (with little color) but also shows the rock as a separate slab lying on the ground, not as an outcrop.
|
,%201483_BNF_MS%20Francais%2011,%20fol.%2064.jpg)
However, the connection between Baptism, Eucharist and Resurrection was not
lost entirely. It continued in the
tradition of the Biblia pauperum,
an illustrated book that was the most widely read of all books intended for the
laity, with the exception of the Book of Hours, which was the lay prayer
book. The Biblia pauperum taught its readers through a three-tiered
series of images. Central to each set of
images were scenes “Under Grace”, that is from the New Testament, to the left
of the center were scenes from “Before the Law”, that is from the Book of
Genesis and on the right were scenes from “Under the Law”, that is from the
other books of the Old Testament. The scenes which interest us here were those
that included Moses Striking the Rock.
These were “Before the Law”, the creation of Eve from the side of Adam; “Under
Grace”, the centurion pointing to the wound of the lance in Christ’s side as He
hung on the cross; and “Under the Law”, Moses striking the rock.
 |
| Rambures Master, Creation of Eve, Christ's Pierced Side, Moses Striking the Rock from a Biblia pauperum French (Hesdin or Amiens), c. 1470 The Hague, Meermano Museum MS RMMW 10 A 15, fol. 32v |
These are interrelated in a famous catechesis
of Saint John Chrysostom, which is still read today as part of the Office for
Good Friday, which reads in part:
“…The gospel records that when Christ was dead, but still hung on the cross, a soldier came and pierced his side with a lance and immediately there poured out water and blood. Now the water was a symbol of baptism and the blood of the holy Eucharist. The soldier pierced the Lord’s side, he breached the wall of the sacred temple, and I have found the treasure and made it my own. So also with the lamb: the Jews sacrificed the victim and I have been saved by it.
There flowed from his side water and blood. Beloved, do not pass over this mystery without thought; it has yet another hidden meaning, which I will explain to you. I said that water and blood symbolized baptism and the holy Eucharist. From these two sacraments the Church is born: from baptism, the cleansing water that gives rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit, and from the holy Eucharist. Since the symbols of baptism and the Eucharist flowed from his side, it was from his side that Christ fashioned the Church, as he had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam. Moses gives a hint of this when he tells the story of the first man and makes him exclaim: Bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh! As God then took a rib from Adam`s side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from his side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep, and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and water after his own death…” 3
And the entry into the Church through Baptism had its
prefiguration in the water that Moses struck from the rock at God’s command.
Images of this event from the Renaissance through the modern
period are not as explicit about the connections, but there is often a
connection in how these works of art were placed, especially when commissioned
for the decoration of churches. All focus on the element of water and on the figure of Moses and his actions. Some artists, such as Jordaens and Poussin, returned to the subject multiple times.
 |
| Jan Snellinck, Moses Striking the Rock Flemish, c. 1575-1600 Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum |
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| Jacob Jordaens. Moses Striking the Rock Flemish, c. 1618-1620 Karlsruhe, Staatliche Kunsthalle |
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| Joachim Wtewael, Moses Striking the Rock Dutch, 1624 Washington, National Gallery of Art |
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| Nicolas Poussin, Moses Striking the Rock French, c. 1630s Edinburgh, Private Collection |
 | |
|
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| Nicolas Poussin, Moses Striking the Rock French, 1649 St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum |
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| Jan Victors, Moses Striking the Rock Dutch, 1655-1676 Private Collection
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.jpg)
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| Marc Chagall, Moses Striking the Rock Franco-Russian, 1960-1966 Nice, Musée national Marc Chagall |
In the majority of images, the emphasis is on the action of
Moses and the flow of the water.
However, some images, dating to the first century after the breakup of
Christianity at the so-called Reformation, present a darker image. They treat the event in a very different way
than earlier or later artists. In these
images the action of Moses and the springing of the water from the rock is not
the central image. Indeed, Moses and the
spring are often actually difficult to locate.
The emphasis is on the people and their reaction to the event, far more
than one sees in somewhat similar paintings.
There is some controversy about what this short-lived aberration may
mean and whether it is in some way a comment or reflection on the religious turmoil
of Europe at the time. 4
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Lucas van Leyden, Moses and the Isrealites after the Miracle of Water from the Rock Dutch, 1527 Boston, Museum of Fine Arts |
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Gillis Mostaert, Moses and the Isrealites after the Miracle of Water from the Rock Flemish, c. 1560 Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum |
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Abraham Bloemaert, Moses Striking the Rock Dutch, 1596 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Hendrick van Balen and Jan Bruegher I, Moses and the Isrealites after the Miracle of Water from the Rock Flemish, c. 1610-1615 Private Collection
|
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| Domenico Fontana, Prospero Antichi and Leonardo Sormani Fontana dell'Acqua Felice Italian, c. 1585-1588 Rome, Piazza San Bernardo |
The monumental triumphal arch was the work of the architect Domenico Fontana, who also completed the great dome of St. Peter’s, left unfinished at the death of Michelangelo, and who added the lantern at its top. The center niche of the arch is filled by a statue of Moses which has borne the reputation of ugliness since the day it was unveiled. It is an object lesson in the perils of artistic cooperation, for apparently one sculptor modeled it in clay and began cutting it in marble, but found his skills not up to the task. Another sculptor completed it. The result is a huge and ungainly body topped by a too small head. 5 The visual effect is quite unpleasant.
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| Prospero Antichi and Leonardo Sormani, Moses Fontana dell'Acqua Felice Italian, c. 1585-1589 Rome, Piazza San Bernardo |
It is easy to see why the Church pairs the reading of this
portion of Exodus, with the array of meanings with which it has been
associated, with the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday of Lent, the encounter
of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well, during which Jesus reveals
Himself as the true source of “living water”.
He is the true rock from which the water of life springs (1 Corinthians
10:1-5) and the fulfillment of the promise which the story in Exodus
foreshadows.
© M. Duffy, 2017
Excerpts from the
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America,
second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights
reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without
permission in writing from the copyright owner.
- Lee M. Jefferson, “Picturing Theology: A Primer on Early Christian Art”, pp. 410-425 @ https://www.academia.edu/1859908/Picturing_Theology_A_Primer_on_Early_Christian_Art
- For baptismal reference see: Ethel Ross Barker, “The Symbolism of Certain Catacomb Frescoes-I”, The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 24, No. 127 (Oct., 1913), p. 47
- From the Catechesis of Saint John Chrysostom @ http://www.liturgies.net/Liturgies/Catholic/loh/lent/goodfridayor.htm
- Lawrence A. Silver, “The Sin of Moses: Comments on the Early Reformation in a Late Painting by Lucas van Leyden”, The Art Bulletin, Vol. 55, No. 3 (Sep., 1973), pp. 401-409.
- Steven F. Ostrow, “The Discourse of Failure in Seventeenth-Century Rome: Prospero Bresciano's "Moses", The Art Bulletin, Vol. 88, No. 2 (Jun., 2006), pp. 267-291.
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