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| Statue of St. John the Evangelist in alabaster Southern Netherlands or Northern France, c. 1450-1470 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
The image of the saint holding the chalice from which issues a small dragon
comes from a legend about St. John that appears to make its first recorded appearance
in the late second century apocryphal (i.e., non-canonical) document known as
the Acts of John. This kind of document was fairly common in the
centuries immediately following the apostolic age. During this time many versions of the
Christian story were in circulation, some with greater authority than
others.
Eventually, the Church, through
a process of discussion and definition, settled by the end of the fourth century
on the canonical New Testament that we know today. Such documents as the Acts of John were
largely forgotten until rediscovered in modern times. They are frequently a mix of legend and
fantasy, mixed with some actual historical content.
_ca.+1250_St.JE+drining+poison_BNF_Francais+403,+fol.+44v.jpg) |
| Sarum Master, St. John Drinking the Poisoned Chalice and Death of St. John the Evangelist England (Salisbury), ca. 1250 Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale de France MS Francais 403, fol. 44v |
Although the books themselves were often forgotten, some of the incidents
that they recounted entered into the popular culture of Christianity and were
carried forward through the centuries.
One of these is the story of St. John and the poisoned chalice. The account in the Acts of John provides the
initial details of the story of what happened, when St. John, brought to Rome
to stand trial for his teachings, faced the Roman Emperor Domitian (son of
Vespasian and brother of Titus, who reigned from 81-96 AD).
“…Domitian said to him: What is the proof of these things? I am not
persuaded by words only; words are a sight of the unseen. What can you show in
earth or heaven by the power of him who is destined to reign, as you say. For
he will do it, if he is the Son of God. And immediately John asked for a deadly
poison. And the king having ordered poison to be given to him, they brought it
on the instant. John therefore, having taken it, put it into a large cup, and
filled it with water, and mixed it, and cried out with a loud voice, and said:
In Your name, Jesus Christ, Son of God, I drink the cup which You will sweeten;
and the poison in it do Thou mingle with Your Holy Spirit, and make it become a
draught of life and salvation, for the healing of soul and body, for digestion
and harmless assimilation, for faith not to be repented of, for an undeniable
testimony of death as the cup of thanksgiving. And when he had drunk the cup,
those standing beside Domitian expected that he was going to fall to the ground
in convulsions. And when John stood, cheerful, and talked with them safe, Domitian
was enraged against those who had given the poison, as having spared John.
But they swore by the fortune and health of the king, and said that there could not be a stronger poison than this. And John, understanding what they were whispering to one another, said to the king: Do not take it ill,
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| Giovanni di Benedetto and Assistants, St. John the Evangelist Drinking Poison From a Book of Hours (for use of Friars Minor) Italian (Milan), c. 1385-1390 Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale de France MS Latin 757, fol. 289v |
But they swore by the fortune and health of the king, and said that there could not be a stronger poison than this. And John, understanding what they were whispering to one another, said to the king: Do not take it ill,
_1463_St.+John+Drinking+Poison_BNF_Francais50,fol.368.jpg) |
| Francois and Assistants, St. John the Evangelist Drinks The Poisoned Chalice From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais French (Paris), 1463 Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale de France MS Francais 50, fol. 368 |
O king, but
let a trial be made, and you shall learn the power of the poison. Make some
condemned criminal be brought from the prison. And when he had come, John put
water into the cup, and swirled it round, and gave it with all the dregs to the
condemned criminal. And he, having taken it and drunk, immediately fell down
and died.”1
Images of this event were, in the Middle Ages, replete with the
details of the story, including the addition of a tiny dragon or snake protruding from the chalice to signify the presence of the poison.. The story became one of the incidents that constituted the "martyrdom" of St. John the Evangelist. John was known to have died a natural death in old age, differing from the deaths of his fellow Apostles. Pious thought desired to include him among the "white robed army of martyrs"2 and found justification in apocryphal incidents such as this, which could be counted as a form of martyrdom. We will see additional incidents later.
By the beginning of the Renaissance and into the centuries beyond, the image of St. John holding the chalice became sufficient to remind people of the story. It became, in effect, as much a symbol of St. John the Evangelist as the eagle or the book.
Sometimes, all three symbols are included in the same image.
Often the image serves to identify the saint among other saints.
By the beginning of the Renaissance and into the centuries beyond, the image of St. John holding the chalice became sufficient to remind people of the story. It became, in effect, as much a symbol of St. John the Evangelist as the eagle or the book.
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| Jan van Eyck, St. John the Evangelist Detail from Ghent Altarpiece Netherlandish, ca. 1432 Ghent, Cathedral of St. Bavo |
_1440_Morgan_m157.176r.jpg) |
| St. John the Evangelist From a Book of Hours French (Anjou or Brittany), 1440 New York, Morgan Library MS M 157, fol. 176r |
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| Juan de Juanes, St. John the Evangelist Spanish, 1445-1450 Private Collection |
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| Hans Memling, St. John the Evangelist Right wing of the Donne Triptych Netherlandish, c. 1475 London, National Gallery |
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| El Greco, St. John the Evangelist Greco-Spanish, 1610-1614 Toledo, Museo de El Greco |
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| Peter Paul Rubens, St. John the Evangelist Flemish, c. 1610-1612 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Alonso Cano, St. John the Evangelist Spanish, 1636 Paris, Musee du Louvre |
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| Jean Jouvenet, St. John the Evangelist French, ca. 1740 Rouen, Musee des Beaux-Arts |
Sometimes, all three symbols are included in the same image.
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| St. John the Evangelist Stained Glass French, 15th Century New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Jean Bourdichon, St. John the Evangelist From the Hours of Frederic of Aragon French (Tours), c. 1501-1504 Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale de France MS Latin 10532, fol. 340 |
Often the image serves to identify the saint among other saints.
_Bk+of+Hours+(Rome+use)_ca.+1420-1440_KB_Hague_133d14_7v.jpg) |
| Masters of the Gold Scrolls Sts. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist From a Book of Hours (use of Rome) Netherlandish (Bruges), ca. 1420-1440 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliothek MS 133D14, fol. 7v |
_1474-79_Bruges,+Sint-Janshospitaal,+Memlingmuseum.jpg) |
| Hans Memling, St. John Altarpiece (central panel) Netherlandish, 1474-1479 Bruges, Sint-Janshospital, Memlingmuseum |
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| Stained Glass Heraldic Roundel with Saints John the Evangelist and Christina South Netherlands, c. 1500-1510 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters Collection |
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| Dosso Dossi, Madonna and Child Appearing to Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist Italian, 1520s Florence, Uffizi Museum |
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| Jacob Jordaens, Saints Andrew, John the Evangelist and Paul Flemish, c. 1650-1675 Lille, Musee des Beaux-Arts |
Sometimes, the chalice alone is sufficient to remind the viewer of the saint.
_c.1483_NGW.jpg) |
| Hans Memling, The Poisoned Chalice detail from the outer panel of Sts. John and Veronica Diptych Netherlandish, c. 1483 Washington, DC, National Gallery of Art |
This was still true during the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century, but growing ignorance of Christian symbolism has now opened these images to gross misunderstanding.
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| John Flaxman, St. John the Evangelist Drawing, Brown Wash Over Graphite English, c. 1811 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
These are NOT images of Mary Magdalene!
© M. Duffy, 2014/2022_____________________________________
© M. Duffy, 2014/2022_____________________________________
1.
Apocryphal Acts
of John Translated by Alexander Walker. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol.
8. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe.
(Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.) Revised and edited
for New Advent by Kevin Knight.
2. Quotation from the Te Deum, a hymn of praise to God. See http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/Te_Deum.htm
2. Quotation from the Te Deum, a hymn of praise to God. See http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/Te_Deum.htm
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