Author Archives: Maria Tatham, a gentle iconoclast

Reading through Revelation – Chapter 12, Part 3 – And there was war in Heaven – How artists have seen this

 
 

Revelation 12:7-12

NASB
The Angel, Michael

7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole [d]world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,

“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even [e]when faced with death. 12 For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who [f]dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”

[d] Revelation 12:9  Lit inhabited earth
[e] Revelation 12:11  Lit to death
[f] Revelation 12:12  Or tabernacle

Intro to a tiny gallery

Strangely, many depictions of Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon  are shown as if happening upon the stage of this world rather than in Heaven as the Bible teaches. Also, images Of the dragon are often unscriptural. Take note, too, that one of the images below is described as Michael “slaying” the dragon rather than “waging war” with him. (We humans like to do as we please.)  The Bamberg depiction is interesting because it doesn’t feature Michael or the dragon, but rather Michael’s angels and the dragon’s angels. 

A tiny gallery

War in Heaven - Apocalypse by Gebhard Fugel 15 - Kap. 12.7 Michaels KampfWar in Heaven – Apocalypse by Gebhard Fugel 15 – Kap. 12.7 Michaels Kampf

Saint Michael slaying the Dragon - Josse Lieferinxe, Master of St. Sebastian, 15th Century

Saint Michael slaying the Dragon – Josse Lieferinxe, Master of St. Sebastian, 15th Century

Bamberg Apocalypse Folio 030v St Michael Fights Dragon

Bamberg Apocalypse Folio 030v St Michael Fights DragonWar in Heaven - São_Miguel_Arcanjo,_oficina_de_Garcia_Fernandes_(atr.)

Saint Michael the Archangel – Garcia Fernandes Workshop (atr.)

War in Heaven - Maestro de Zafra: Miguel Arcángel - ca. 1495-1500War in Heaven – Maestro de Zafra: Miguel Arcángel – ca. 1495-1500

(“The work represents Saint Michael the Archangel defeating the dragon, symbol of Sin.”)

Quote of the day – Peter Martyr Vermigli, an Italian reformer

 

Romans 1:18-25

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

“Scripture makes it undeniably clear that God punishes sins by sins. But these are not inflicted by God in such a way that they are sins stemming from him, since whatever God does is incontrovertibly righteous and just. The punishments themselves, insofar as they are punishments, pertain to the nature of goodness; yet, insofar as they proceed from us, they are sins.”

Peter Martyr Vermigli, On Original Sin, translated and edited by Kirk Summers

On Original Sin (A New Translation of the Common Places (1576) Book 1) by [Vermigli, Peter]
A little about Vermigli by Chris Castaldo, author of the Forward and Introduction:

“Confronted by the persecution, force, and cruelty of this world, Peter Martyr Vermigli (1499–1562) urged Christians to leave the shadows of ignorance and recognize two realities: their identity in Christ and the sure hope of one day seeing God face to face. This, he contends, is ‘man’s ultimate happiness, the delight that surpasses all worldly pleasure’—to be accepted by the eternal Father in Christ.”

More from Amazon.com (click image of book to go there):

“Peter Martyr Vermigli (1499-1562) was a forgotten giant of the Protestant Reformation. With a legacy that spanned from Naples to Zurich to Oxford, Vermigli left behind him voluminous biblical commentaries and treatises, and a band of faithful disciples who collected his writings into the massive theological compendium, the Loci Communes. ‘On Original Sin’ represents the first installment of a new project to translate the Loci into English for the first time since 1583. Presented here in a clear, readable, and learned translation, Vermigli’s searching discussion of original sin reveals the biblical and patristic foundations of this controversial doctrine, and its centrality to Protestant orthodoxy.”