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| James Tissot, The Pharisee and The Tax Collector French, 1886-1894 New York, Brooklyn Museum |
“Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own
righteousness
and despised everyone else.
"Two people went up to the temple area
to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax
collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
'O God, I thank you that I am not like the
rest of humanity --
greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even
like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my
whole income.'
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be
exalted."
Luke 18:9-14 (Gospel for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, October 27, 2019)
Of all of the parables of Jesus, this one, the parable of
the Pharisee and the tax collector is one of the best known, appreciated by
believers and non-believers alike. But
it is also one of the least often depicted in the history of art, as far as I
have been able to determine. This is not
to say that it has not inspired artists but simply that, when compared to other
parables, such as the Prodigal Son, it has not been seen as often.
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| Christoffel van Sichem the Younger after Antoinie Wierix, after Bernardino Passeri, The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector Dutch, 1629 Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
In this didactic image, the characters and location have been given letters, which presumably corresponded to the position of
people and places in the parable. At letter A we see Jesus preaching. Presumably he is telling the story of the parable. Letter D is the Pharisee, ostentatiously praying. Letter E is the tax collector, modestly praying at a distance in an attitude of humble petition.
|
Jesus offered this parable as a reminder of the truth He
wished to convey: that the Kingdom of God is made up of people who might be
considered unlikely candidates. In the
Palestine of that time, the Pharisees were one of the leading religious
groups. They prided themselves on their
knowledge of and adherence to the many laws and customs which had grown up in
Judaism since the days of Moses. Much of
the opposition to Jesus came from this group.
They found his message and his entire life to be suspect, to be “not
quite right”. And it was ultimately they
who orchestrated his death.
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| Master Freser, The Pharisee and the Tax Collector German, c. 1688 Stokowiec (Poland), Protestant Church |
Their religious knowledge and their very public parading of
it resulted in their being considered among the religious elite. So, it is logical that the Pharisee in this
parable took up his favorite position near the front of the temple area and
that his prayer was not so much paying homage to God as congratulating himself
on his own perfection. Indeed, the words
of the parable underline this “The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this
prayer to himself”, therefore, not to
God. (Italics are my addition.)
The tax collector was a member of one of the most despised
groups in Palestine. * They collected
the taxes for the Romans who were the overlords of first century Palestine, as
well as the local taxes for the local governments, such as Herod’s kingdom in
Galilee. Both governments were not
native, so additional anger was directed at them in addition to the normal
human resistance to taxes. Added to this
was the suspicion (and usually the reality) that, due to the way the system
operated, the tax collectors filled their own pockets very freely before
passing the remainder on to their masters.
Along with prostitutes they were the group most often mentioned among
the “sinners” with whom Jesus often ate and to whom he talked about God. This public association with such persons was
one of the many reasons for the opposition of the Pharisees.
However, here it is the member of the despised outsider
group who offers the truly acceptable prayer, addressed to God and taking the
proper position of reverence and sorrow, which asks for God’s mercy. And he is the one who goes home justified
(forgiven). The Pharisee, with his
self-regarding prideful listing of his good points, has only racked up another
item which God will charge him with at the final accounting of his life. Instead, the tax collector asked for mercy
for his sinfulness. And, Jesus says,
because he has asked for mercy, mercy will be given to him and not to the
self-satisfied Pharisee. That is because the Pharisee never asked
for mercy.
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| Anonymous Printmaker, after Adriaen Collaert, after Lucas and Joannes van Doetechum, after Maaeten de Vos The Pharisee and the Tax Collector Dutch, 1643 Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum |
In reality, the one and only unforgivable sin is the one
which you never ask forgiveness for.
But, if you are too enamored of your own good qualities, too busy
patting yourself on the back, you may think you do not have any sins at all for
which you need to ask forgiveness.
Therefore, not only will the one who exalts himself be
humbled, and the one who humbles himself be exalted (Luke 18:14) but the one
who places himself in the position of God and then tells himself how wonderful
he is will receive a severe shock.
History of Depictions of this Parable
Most of the meaning of this parable is felt inwardly. It is then, kind of difficult to represent it
visually in any profound way. Artists,
therefore, resorted to giving us “just the facts” as a reminder. What commentary they offered was done in
non-obvious ways, in terms of position within the picture and through posture.
The earliest image I have been able to find comes from the 11th
century and is the simple sketch of two figures, one each at the bottom of two
pages in a manuscript now in the Morgan Library in New York. They seem almost modern in their sparse
detail, which is meant merely as a kind of visual shorthand for the Gospel
story.
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| The Tax Collector and the Pharisee From a Gospel Book Byzantine (Italy), 11th Century New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 748, fol. 134v and 135 |
Over time more visual elements were added, generally these
aimed to set the story in the temple setting.
However, the focus almost always remained on the two men and their
differing psychological attitudes.
Certain gestures continued through time. Many show the Pharisee kneeling in a very
upright posture, or even standing. Most
frequently his hands are shown in the traditional orant prayer posture which is
common to many religions.
However, over time, especially in later images, he is also depicted
making a very telling gesture of placing one hand on his chest. One might be inclined to see this as a
gesture of penitence (as a similar gesture is used very often by the tax
collector), but it is in actuality a gesture of pride, almost a self-administered
pat on the back. The attitude is one
that I sometimes have seen in real life and have nicknamed the “I command God” mindset.
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| The Pharisee and the Tax Collector From a Picture Bible French (St. Omer), c.1190-1200 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 76 F 5, fol. 17v |
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| The Pharisee and The Tax Collector From Composition de la sainte ecriture French, 14th Century Chantilly, Musee Conde MS 26, fol. 210r |
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| The Pharisee and the Tax Collector From the Holkham Bible Picture Book French, c. 1327-1335 London, British Library MS Additional 47682, fol. 26v |
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| The Pharisee and the Tax Collector From the Egmont Breviary Dutch (Utrecht), c. 1435-1445 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 87, fol. 303v |
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| Barent Fabritius, The Pharisee and The Tax Collector Dutch, 1661 Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum |
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Jan Luyken, The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Dutch, 1700
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
|
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| Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, The Pharisee and the Tax Collector German, 1854 Cologne, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud |
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| The Pharisee and the Tax Collector German, 1890 Cobh (Republic of Ireland), Saint Colman's Cathedral, North Aisle |
The tax collector, on the other hand, is most frequently
shown kneeling or even prostrate, especially in the earlier centuries. His eyes, even his entire body, are downcast,
unable to look directly at the tabernacle.
His hands are frequently clasped in prayer. In short, his entire being is focused on his
sorrow before God as he pleads for mercy.
He is very much a suppliant. He is
our model for how we should approach Divine Mercy.
Sometimes the two men have been depicted as tiny figures in an immense space.
But most of the time there is an intimacy about the depiction, as if we stand quite close to them, able to read the emotion on their faces.
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| Virgilius Solis, The Pharisee and the Tax Collector German, c. 1540-1550 Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum |
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| Maerten De Vos, The Pharisee and the Tax Collector Flemish, c. 1580-1600 Private Collection |
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| Abraham de Bruyn After Crispijn van den Broeck, The Pharisee and the Tax Collector Flemish, 1583 Amsterdam, Rkjksmuseum |
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| Cosmas Damian Asam, The Pharisee and the Tax Collector German, 1732 Osterhofen, Former Convent Church of Saint Margaret |
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| The Pharisee and the Tax Collector German, 1738 Waldkirch, Church of Saint Margaret |
Sometimes the two men have been depicted as tiny figures in an immense space.
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| Daniel Hopfer, The Interior of the Church of Saint Katherine with Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector German, c. 1530 Washington, National Gallery of Art |
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| Lucas van Doelecum, after Gerard Groenning, The Pharisee and The Tax Collector from Thesaurus Novi Testamenti ... continens historias atque miracula domini nostri Iesu ChristiFlemish, 1572 London, British Museum |
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Anonymous, The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Dutch, ca. 1630-1640
Private Collection
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| Anonymous Delft Potter, The Pharisee and the Tax Collector Dutch, 1662 Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
In this version, which decorates a plate, the Tax Collector is shown at the junction of the square tiled floor and the radiating lines beyond. He kneels, bent over with sorrow, near the base of one of the columns. The Pharisee is, of course, front and center. The figure seated near the Pharisee is a beggar, holding out his hat for alms.
|
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| After Sir John Everett Millais, The Pharisee and the Tax Collector English, 1864 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| James Tissot, The Pharisee and The Tax Collector French, 1886-1894 New York, Brooklyn Museum |
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| Jesus Mafa, The Pharisee and the Tax Collector Camaroon, 1973 Location Unknown |
* Also traditionally referred to as a publican, the keeper
of a tavern.
© M. Duffy, 2019
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.