Here's Rembrandt's rendition, along with another's take, to accompany words from The Voice, bringing the Old Testament notion of vengeance alongside the New Testament story of a man who was silenced for speaking truth to the religious leaders of the day. In the crowd, watching that scene unfold, was another man who'd taken on the responsibility of guarding the stoner's coats, not knowing his own life (along with his name) was about to change in ways that would have a profound effect on the entire world for years to come.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Upon hearing this, his audience could contain themselves no longer. They boiled in fury at Stephen; they clenched their jaws and ground their teeth. But Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit. Gazing upward into heaven, he saw something they couldn’t see: the glory of God, and Jesus standing at His right hand.
Stephen: Look, I see the heavens opening! I see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!
At this, they covered their ears and started shouting. The whole crowd rushed at Stephen, converged on him, dragged him out of the city, and stoned him.
They laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul, while they were pelting Stephen with rocks.
Stephen (as rocks fell upon him): Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
Then he knelt in prayer, shouting at the top of his lungs,
Stephen: Lord, do not hold this evil against them!
Those were his final words; then he fell asleep in death. " from The Voice, Act 7: 54-60,
The story continues on through the next two chapters with this as the start:
Some devout men buried Stephen and mourned his passing with loud cries of grief. But Saul, this young man who seemed to be supervising the whole violent event, was pleased by Stephen’s death.
To this day, almost 2000 years later, the ending and full impact have yet to be realized.
1 comment:
At times like this, the old stories learned early in life, come back to me. And actually seem relevant. As for the art, I'm especially intrigued by Rembrandt's powerful use of dark and light. In both renditions, Saul-to-Paul is present, seated in one, standing in the other.
As for which part of the story captures and hold my attention the most or prompts the most pondering is hard to say. The thought of the heavens opening to allow Stephen to see "something they could not see" and receive the encouragement and affirmation he needed in the midst of injustice, betrayal and physical agony in the face of death touches me in a profound way.
Post a Comment