The Reception of Revelation
in Art
Some Important
Medieval Manuscripts
Beatus Manuscripts
Illustrate the Book
of Revelation,
printed together
with the popular
Commentary of
the Spanish Monk
Beatus of Liebana
written in 776
Manuscripts date
from 10th to 14th
centuries
The Second Angel Blows His trumpet Rev 9:8-9:
mountain falls into sea; sea of blood; ships destroyed
Saint-Sever Beatus, French, ca. 1075.
Manuscript, 14x10 in. Bibliothèque Nationale de France,
Paris.
Nancy Grubb. Revelations. Art of the Apocalypse. New
York: Abbeville, 1997. p. 18.
The Morgan Beatus
Anon. The Opening of the Sixth
Seal, Rev 6:12-16: earthquake; sun
black; hiding in caves
Morgan Beatus, Spanish, c. 950.
Manuscript on parchment, 15 x 11
in.
Pierpont Morgan Library, New York.
Nancy Grubb. Revelations. Art of
the Apocalypse. New York:
Abbeville, 1997. p. 48
Morgan Beatus:
Revelation 9.111, The Fifth
Trumpet
Locusts like
Horses
Morgan Beatus
Fifth Trumpet
Cavalry
Revelation 9.7-10:
“In appearance the locusts
were like horses equipped for
battle. . . They have tails like
scorpions, with stingers”
Morgan Beatus
The Fifth Bowl Rev
16:10-11
Bowl poured out on
kingdom of the beast
For other images from
Morgan Beatus, see:
http://www.themorgan.org/se
arch.asp?zoom_query=morg
an+beatus
Valadolid Beatus
Joachim of Fiore
(ca. 1135-1202)
Figurae:
The Book of Figures
The Concordia= Harmony of
the Scriptures
The Three Ages
Futurist Interpretation of
Revelation: parousia of Christ
expected in 1260
Joachim of Fiore
Figurae (Book of Figures)
First published ca. 1202
16 diagrams that
express in symbols and
words Joachim’s
interpretation of the
Bible, history and
eschatology,
Revelation to John was
important for this
exegesis of the Bible
See Kovacs-Rowland, Revelation
pp. 17-20; 35-36; 228-230 etc.
Figura #11: The Three Trinitarian Circles
Figura #11: Text
3 ages of history: ages of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Figura #2: an Eagle Tree
12 tribes of Israel
Two Eagle pictures
Ilustrate the
concordiae =
agreements =
recurring patterns
in the Bible
Figura #2:
Text
The 12
Tribes
of Israel
Figura #3: Eagle
Tree of the
Priests = Church
Figura #3: Text
12 Churches
On left: the 7
churches of
Revelation 23
In middle:
churches of
Ephesus and
Rome: the
only 2 to
survive
Concordia of 2 Eagles: OT & NT
•These two figures show the historical parallels between the First "Status" =
Age of the Patriarchs (more or less the People of Israel) and the Second
Status or Age of Priests (more or less the People of the Church). Each
Status has a "beginning" (with Adam and with Josiah=Osias), a full revelation
after 22 generations (with Jacob and with Christ), and a conclusion after 42
generations (with Zorobabel and the coming generation of 1260 -- a
generation being 30 years).
•Both trees show parallel branching: the 12 Tribes of Israel in Fig. 5 and
the 12 ancient churches (including the 7 churches of Revelation) in Fig. 6.
In both cases 10 fall into error and only two remain (Judah and Benjamin;
Rome and Ephesus).
•The genealogy of the churches (= Status of the priests) begins with
Ozias=Josiah because this eagle traces the history of the Second Status
(Age of the Son) and that status is "initiated" with the reign of Ozias (who
reformed worship), 22 generations before its revelation in Christ (with his two
immediate predecessors Zachariah and John the Baptist).
More on 2 Eagle Trees
Both Eagle-Trees have 22 Generations.
The Eagle of the First Status (Patriarchs) has 22
generations from its "initiation" with Adam to its
revelation in Jacob (with his two immediate
predecessors Abraham and Isaac).
Note also that the "unknown" generations after
Christ and the generations after Jacob are of
equal number. The two status have an equal
duration. The last generation in the Priestly tree
comes in the year 1260 which Joachim predicted
for the second coming of Christ.
The Great Red Dragon: Revelation 12
#1 Herod
#2 Nero
#4 Mohammed
#6 Saladin,
Turkish ruler who
captured Jerusalem
In 1187
Heads of the
Dragon
Gog
Rev 20:7-8: “When the thousand
years are ended, Satan will be
released from his prison and will
come out to deceive the nations at
the four corners of the earth, Gog
and Magog, in order to gather
them for battle.” (cf. Ezek 38-39)
Tail of the Dragon,
with Gog
Figura 4
The New
Jerusalem
See KovacsRowland 222: this
figure “portrays a
monastic inspired
heaven on earth,
lived in community”
From a manuscript
in Corpus Christi
College, Oxford
Figura 4: Text
Kovacs Rowland 228-30:
*Illustrates Rev 21-22: a
plan for the new society of the third
age= Age of the Spirit
*4-square pattern of New
Jerusalem (Rev 21:16) + suburbia
*Center: throne of God
Columba= the dove: the Spirit
*Arms of cross= oratories for
monks, associated with 4 living
creatures of Rev 4:6-7
*Top: presided over by John’s
eagle: oratory of John and all
virgins = contemplative monks)
*Bottom: Oratory of lay Christians
Figura 4
The New
Jerusalem
Corpus Christi
College, Oxford
The Flemish Apocalypse
First illustrated
Apocalypse from the
Low Countries
ca. 1400
Illustrates the whole
of Revelation in 22
images + one image
of episodes in the life
of John
Anon.Flemish artist.
Current Location: Bibliotheque
Nationale, Paris.
Source: Frederick Van der Meer,
Apocalypse: Visions from the Book of
Revelation in Western Art (New York:
Alpine Fine Arts, 1978), pp. 202-232
Flemish Apocalypse #1:The Life of John
•John preaching at
Ephesus
• his martyrdom in
the cauldron of
boiling oil
•his departure for
Patmos
Revelation
1
The Son of Man
amidst the
Candlesticks
John on
Patmos
Flemish
Apocalypse Rev
1-2
•The Son of Man: Rev
1:12-20
•Rev 2: The messages
to Ephesus, Smyrna,
Pergamum and Thyatira
Flemish
Apocalypse Rev 3
•John writing
• the messages to
Sardis, Philadelphia,
and Laodicea (Rev 3)
Flemish Apocalypse
Rev 7
•Lamb on Throne (Rev 7)
4 living creatures
•Angels hold back 4
winds, earth and sea not
to be harmed (Rev 7)
•Angel from rising sun
holds a cross = the seal
of the living God
•Sees great multitude
holding palms (here a
bishop, a cardinal, two
kings and two others)
Flemish Apocalypse
#5: Rev 11
•The Temple
measured
• the 2 Witnesses
prophesy; are killed
•people gloat and
exchange presents
•witnesses raised up
•the Antichrist
enthroned in the
Temple.
Flemish
Apocalypse
#6: Rev 12
Flemish
Apocalypse
Revelation 14
•The Lamb on Mount Zion
(5 people for the 144,000)
•Messages of 3 angels:
:“Fallen is Babylon the
Great”; Angel pours out wine
of God’s wrath
•The Harvest & wine press
(rivers of blood)
Flemish Apocalypse:
Revelation 17
An angel with a cross on his diadem,
shows John the great prostitute on the
beast. The monster puts its paws 'on the
many waters'; little black serpents are
crawling out of the woman's 'cups of
abomination'; her forehead and crown
cap with cheek flaps are exactly those of
Queen Jeanne, after the fashion of the
years 1370-80.
“One remarkable detail deserves
attention. The heavily horned ram hands
a crusader's banner to two armoured
princes: they are two of the 'ten horns,'
that is, 'kings', who in the end turn against
the seductress (17:12;16). . . .”
[cont.]
Frederick Van der Meer, Apocalypse: Visions from
the Book of Revelation in Western Art (New York:
Alpine Fine Arts, 1978),p.222.
Flemish Apocalypse :
Rev 17 (slide 2)
. . . “Below, one sees how the other
eight princes are driving the now
stripped and screaming courtesan
with their cross-banner into the pool
of brimstone and fire. (In the Flemish
version the ten horns (of Rev 17.16
have become 'ten kings'.)
This looks like a tribute paid to the
Christian princes of the day, and no
wonder: their battle against the Great
Turk, pathetically appropriate after
the disaster of the Crusaders' army
at Nicopolis (Bulgaria) in 1396, was
still on everybody's mind.”
Frederick Van der Meer, Apocalypse: Visions
from the Book of Revelation in Western Art
(New York: Alpine Fine Arts, 1978), p. 228;
232.
Marriage of
the Lamb
REVELATION
19
Angel in Sun
calls birds to
eat the flesh
of kings
Rider on the
white horse
Beasts
driven into the
lake of fire
Flemish
Apocalypse
Revelation 21
Kings bring
tribute
Rev 21:24
Flemish
Apocalypse
Revelation 22
River of Life.
Flowing from the
throne
Trees on either side
John and the
Angel:
“Worship
God!”