“A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,
"If you wish, you can make me clean."
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched him, and said to him,
"I do will it. Be made clean."
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean,
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
He said to him, "See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them."
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.”
(Mark 1:40-45)
Gospel for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
The Gospel and First Reading of today’s liturgy, for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, focus on leprosy. The First Reading comes from Leviticus, Chapter 13, which lays down rules by which various forms of skin infections can be recognized and dealt with.1 Since there was no real cure for leprosy (it wasn’t discovered until the 1980s2) those who suffered from it were harshly treated, by more or less total exclusion from the community. Since the definition of leprosy was not the clinical one it would be today, there were no doubt many other skin conditions that were included in the word.
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Jesus Heals a Leper From the Sermons of Maurice de Sully Italian (Milan or Genoa), c. 1320-1330 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 187, fol. 6v |
“A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,
"If you wish, you can make me clean."
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched him, and said to him,
"I do will it. Be made clean."
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean,
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
He said to him, "See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them."
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.”
(Mark 1:40-45)
Gospel for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
The Gospel and First Reading of today’s liturgy, for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, focus on leprosy. The First Reading comes from Leviticus, Chapter 13, which lays down rules by which various forms of skin infections can be recognized and dealt with.1 Since there was no real cure for leprosy (it wasn’t discovered until the 1980s2) those who suffered from it were harshly treated, by more or less total exclusion from the community. Since the definition of leprosy was not the clinical one it would be today, there were no doubt many other skin conditions that were included in the word.
 |
| A Leper with a Bell From a Pontifical (Liturgical book for bishops) Flemish, c. 1400 London, British Library MS Landsdowne 451, fol. 127r Leprosy was not well understood and, therefore, was greatly feared. Lepers were subject to many rules intended to isolate them from the general population in order to control the disease. Among those rules was the use of a bell by the leper to announce his or her presence in public places. In some of the illustrations that follow you will see that instead of a bell, wooden clappers were often used. |
In the Gospel reading Jesus responds to the plea of a leper by healing him and then instructing him to follow the rules laid down for lepers who were healed, by going to a priest to show his clean skin and providing an offering in the temple. It is a sign both of His power over nature and of the revelation of a loving, healing God which He represents.
 |
| Johann Füssli, "The Law of the Leper in the Day of His Cleansing" (An illustration of what the law required a cleansed leper to do to return to society) Swiss, c. 1730 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dep of Prints and Drawings |
The same story of the healing of one leper is found in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 5:12-14) and there is an additional story of the healing of ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19). Yet, in spite of the fact that there are three references to this subject in the New Testament there seem to be relatively few images of this subject in the art of the West.
Among them are:
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| Christ Healing the Leper Detail from The Andrews Diptych Probably German, c. 800 London, Victoria and Albert Museum_ |
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| The Healing of the Leper French (Lorraine), c. 870-880 London, Victoria and Albert Museum |
In both of the ivory carvings above, the fact of the man's leprosy is conveyed by small pock marks spread over the exposed parts of his body. This creates slight shadows that have the same effect as the painted marks we will see in illuminated manuscripts.
 |
Healing of the Leper Wall Painting, German, 986-1000 Ueberlingen, Chapel of St. Sylvester The rough surface of this painting suggests that at some point in its history it was plastered over, after the surface had been roughened to provide better adhesion for the new plaster. |
,%20c.%201000_Munich,%20Bayerisches%20Staatsbibliothek_MS%20Clm%204453,%20fol.%2039v_2.jpg) |
| Jesus Heals the Leper and the Leper Shows Himself From the Gospel Book of Otto III German (Reichenau), c. 1000 Munich, Bayerisches Staatsbibliothek MS Clm 4453, fol. 39v |
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| Christ Healing the Leper From the Bernward Column German, c. 1020 Hildesheim, Church of Saint Mary |
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| Christ Healing the Leper From the Codex Aureus of Echternach German, c. 1030 Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum MS Hs 155142, fol.54r |
,%20%20c.%201035__Brussels_Bibliotheque%20royale%20de%20Belgique_MS%209428,%20fol.%2023r__2.jpg) |
| The Healing of the Leper From a Gospel Book German (Ecternach), ca. 1035 Brussels, Bibliotheque royale Albert Ier MS 9428, fol. 23r |
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| Christ Healing the Leper From a Picture Bible French, c. 1197 Amiens, Bibliotheque municipale |
,%20c.%201333=1334_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Francais%20316,%20fo.%20333v.jpg) |
| Master of the Roman de Fauvel, Christ Healing the Leper From a Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais French (Paris), c. 1333-1334 Paris, Bbiliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 316, fol. 333v |
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| Cristoforo Orimina, Christ Healing the Leper From a Missal Italian, c. 1370 Avignon, Bibliotheque municipale MS 138 |
,%20c.%201370=1380_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Nouvlle%20acquisition%20francaise%2015940,%20fol.%2044v.jpg) |
| Master of the Livre du Sacre and workshop, Christ Healing the Leper From a Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais French (Paris), c. 1370-1380 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Nouvlle acquisition francaise 15940, fol. 44v |
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| Christ Healing the Leper From a Pelerinage de Jesus-Christ French, c. 1400 Paris, Bibliotheque de l'Institut de France MS 9 |
,%20c.%201480-1485_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Francais%20177,%20fol.%20163r.jpg) |
| Jean Colombe and Workshop, Christ Healing the Leper From a Vita Jesu Christi by Ludolf of Saxony French (Bourges), c. 1480-1485 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 177, fol. 163r |
This tradition of depicting the event was carried over seamlessly into the printed illustrations of Bibles and other books once printing had replaced illumination in the illustration of books.
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| Georg Pencz, Christ Heals the Leper German, First Half of 16th Century Paris, Musee du Louvre, Département des Arts graphiques |
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| Hans Schaeufelein, Christ Healing the Leper From Das Plenarium German, 1517 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dep of Prints and Drawings |
,%201530_London,%20Trustees%20of%20the%20British%20Museum.jpg) |
| Sebald Beham, Christ Healilng the Leper From Christliche Auslegung der Evangelien German (Ingolstadt), 1530 London, Trustees of the British Museum Note the comment below the image. This is the Gospel for the third Sunday after Epiphany. Now the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, in Year B. |
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| Anonymous, Christ Healing the Leper From a New Testament German, c. 1551 London, Trustees of the British Museum |
And this carried over into other media as well.
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| Bernardino Passeri, Christ Healing the Leper Italian, c. 1593 London, Royal Collection Trust |
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| Healing of the Leper French, 17th Century Chateau-Landon, Church of Notre Dame |
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| Pieter de Jode I, The Healing of the Leper Flemish, c. 1600-1634 Washington, National Gallery of Art |
This carries over into the modern era, with one twist. The modern paintings I have found always show the leper from the back. Perhaps because by the time these works were made leprosy was better understood and less ubiquitous the painters found it difficult to depict the leper from the front or side and opted instead for the back of a figure. It is an interesting hypothesis, but one which I am not able to support too strongly as I have only found two instances to date.
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| James Tissot, The Leper Beseechs Jesus to Cure Him French, c. 1886-1894 New York, Brooklyn Museum |
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| Niels Larsen Stevns, Healing of a Leper Danish, 1913 Viborg, Skovgaard Museum |
,%201463_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Francais%2050,%20fol.%20220v.jpg) |
Healing of the Leper and Raising of the Widow's Son From Sepeculum historiale by Vincentius Bellovacinsis French (Paris), 1463 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 50, fol. 220v |
The best known of these images is found in conjunction with the Sermon on the Mount in no less a place than the Sistine Chapel.3 The Sistine Chapel, as is well-known, holds an extremely important place in Catholicism. It is here that various papal ceremonies take place, most notably the meetings of the solemn conclave which follows the death of a Pope, during which his successor is elected. It is also famous for the great paintings by Michelangelo that cover the ceiling. But, this scene is not located on the famous ceiling. It is located on the far less famous side walls.4 These walls are almost certainly overlooked by the vast majority of visitors to the Chapel whose whole attention seems often to be focused solely on the ceiling and the altar wall, which carries Michelangelo’s equally famous painting of the Last Judgment.
Rosselli was one of a group of artists who were commissioned to decorate the walls of the Chapel, by Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere, who built and decorated it. Sixtus was the uncle of Pope Julius II della Rovere, the Pope who commissioned the great ceiling from Michelangelo.
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Cosimo Rosselli, Sermon on the Mount and Healing of the Leper
Italian, 1481-1483
Vatican City, Sistine Chapel |
Pope Sixtus commissioned the artists Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Luca Signorelli and Cosimo Rosselli to decorate the Chapel in the period 1480-1483. All but Rosselli are well-known and highly respected masters of the later Quattrocento period. Rosselli is a far less known and less respected artist based in Florence. However, here in the Sistine he appears to have risen to the occasion, influenced perhaps by the work of the greater artists around him.
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| Interior of Sistine Chapel, showing the division into three zones |
The original decoration of the Chapel was conceived as divided into three zones. In the lowest zone, the decoration consisted of trompe l’oeil representations of draperies, hanging from and between equally fictive architectural elements. (The actual walls of the Chapel are simple, flat structures.) The great Raphael tapestries were later commissioned (by Julius II to cover these painted draperies on special occasions.)
In the upper zone of the Chapel the original decoration was of images of past Popes. Above this, in the space now occupied by Michelangelo’s masterwork, the ceiling was originally painted a deep blue with golden stars, a very traditional finish.
Meanwhile, in the middle zone, the walls were painted with scenes from the lives of Moses and of Christ. The scenes of Moses fill the south wall, while the Life of Christ occupies the north wall.
Meanwhile, in the middle zone, the walls were painted with scenes from the lives of Moses and of Christ. The scenes of Moses fill the south wall, while the Life of Christ occupies the north wall.
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1. For the entire text of Leviticus, 13 see http://www.usccb.org/bible/scripture.cfm?bk=Leviticus&ch=13&v=03013001
2. For information on leprosy history and treatment see http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs101/en/
3. For information on the Sistine Chapel see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel#Interior
and http://www.museivaticani.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Storia.html
4. Detailed information on the Sistine Chapel paintings appears on the website of the Vatican Museums, especially information on the south and north walls, which can be accessed from
http://www.museivaticani.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Main.html
I also suggest that you visit the virtual tour of the Chapel also located on the Vatican Musuems website at http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html. Although it is mainly focused on presenting the Michelangelo ceiling it does give a real sense of how it feels to stand in the room. You are able to zoom in and out on the ceiling frescoes, although it is less reavealing for the frescoes on the side walls.
1. For the entire text of Leviticus, 13 see http://www.usccb.org/bible/scripture.cfm?bk=Leviticus&ch=13&v=03013001
2. For information on leprosy history and treatment see http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs101/en/
3. For information on the Sistine Chapel see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel#Interior
and http://www.museivaticani.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Storia.html
4. Detailed information on the Sistine Chapel paintings appears on the website of the Vatican Museums, especially information on the south and north walls, which can be accessed from
http://www.museivaticani.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Main.html
I also suggest that you visit the virtual tour of the Chapel also located on the Vatican Musuems website at http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html. Although it is mainly focused on presenting the Michelangelo ceiling it does give a real sense of how it feels to stand in the room. You are able to zoom in and out on the ceiling frescoes, although it is less reavealing for the frescoes on the side walls.
© M. Duffy, 2012. Revised 2024.
* Note: I first published this essay in 2012. Twelve years is a long time on the internet and many more sources are available now. In addition, the quality of the pictures that are posted by museums and libraries is much higher. For these reasons, I have revisited this subject and renewed every picture in the original essay, in addition to finding some new images, which I have added.
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.
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