Classic Art Illustrating Content on This Site

TL;DR:
This collection page is a navigational hub with links to pages featuring artworks that illustrate the site's content. Judeo-Christian themes have profoundly shaped Western art for centuries. Well-known artists with works displayed on this website include Vincent van Gogh, Raphael, Renoir, Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian, and Anthony van Dyck. This page also has links to photos, maps, and word cloud art.

Masterpieces that stir emotions and speak to our souls

Through the centuries, artists and sculptors have drawn extensively on Judeo-Christian subjects and themes to create works that have profoundly shaped Western visual and cultural heritage. From the biblical scenes depicted in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoes to the lifelike marble statues of saints and apostles by Bernini, Judeo-Christian narratives have provided rich material for artistic expression. These works have illustrated stories from both the Old and New Testaments, conveyed theological truths, and celebrated key figures such as Moses, the prophets, the apostles, and Jesus Christ.

Stained glass windows, paintings, mosaics, and carved cathedral facades have brought these sacred stories to life for believers. They have served as both decoration and teaching tools in an age when many could not read the Scriptures. Even in the modern era, Judeo-Christian imagery continues to inspire creativity, symbolizing moral ideals and spiritual hope. The more than three dozen images used on the pages of this website demonstrate the enduring influence of the Bible on Western art. I also hope this curated collection reflects and enriches the content of the pages on which the individual works appear.

These masterpieces and other visuals—including the photographs and maps listed below—can speak to the depths of our souls and stir our emotions. I hope you will allow them to do that for you.

Word cloud art pieces on this site

Photos and maps on this site

More than 100 Art Masterpieces Enriching Webpage Content

1. "Abraham's Counsel to Sarai," by James Tissot
2. "Acts of the Apostles, chapter 1," by Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing
3. "The Adoration of the Shepherds," by Bartolome Murillo
4. "Agnus Dei" (Lamb of God), by Francisco de Zurbarán
5. "Ansgar Preaching," by Gustaf Cederström
6. "The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds," by Thomas Cole
7. "The Apostle Paul," by Rembrandt
8. "Apple Harvest at Éragny" by Camille Pissarro
9. "The Beheading of St. James," by Philip Galle
10. "Bowing" by R. and K. Wood
11. "Brainerd Preaching to the Indians"
12. "The Calling of St. Matthew" by Giovanni Lanfranco
13. "Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane" by Vasily Perov
14. "Christ on the Sea of Galilee," by Peter Paul Rubens
15. "Christ Walking on the Sea," by Amédée Varin
16. "Christ's Prophecy of the End of the World," by Frans Hogenberg
17. "Christian Martyr's Last Prayer," by Jean-Léon Gérôme
18. "Construction of the Temple of Solomon," by Jan Luyken
19. "Daniel's Answer to the King," by Briton Rivière
20. "Daniel Interprets the Writing on the Wall," by Gustave Doré
21. "Daniel's Vision of Four Beasts," by Matthäus Merian
22. "Devotions at Home," by Elisabeth Baumann
23. "Divine Service in the Catacombs of St. Calixtus, A.D. 50," unknown
24. "Does oo love oo Tigy-Wigy?" magazine cover cartoon by Louis Dalrymple
25. "Dutch Bible," by David S. De Vault
26. Easter: "The Holy Women at Christ's Tomb," by Annibale Carracci
27. Elder brother — illustration of Luke 15 by Jim Padgett
28. "Ezra Kneels in Prayer (Ezr. 9:1-15)," Doré's English Bible,
29. "Ezekiel Cuts Off His Beard and Hair and Burns It," by unknown
30. "Feeding the Multitude," mosaic by unknown
31. "Feeding the Poor," by Wilhelm Gause
32. "The Four Evangelists," by Jacob Jordaens
33. "Francis of Assisi," by El Greco
34. "Franciscan Missionaries in California," by Engelhardt
35. Franz Gruber and pastor Josef Mohr, composer and author of "Silent Night," sculpture in Austria
36. "God Gives the Law Tables to Moses," anonymous
37. "Good Samaritan Parable," by Giacomo Conti
38. "The Great Commission," stained glass window in El Paso, TX
39. "He Created Dry Land, the Seas and Plants," woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld
40. "Herod Antipas," by Hartmann Schedel
41. "The Huns at the Battle of Chalons," by A. De Neuville
42. "I am the door of the sheep" by Andrey Mironov
43. Indulgence seller at work, anonymous
44. "Isaiah" by Nicolò Barabino
45. "Israelite Exodus from Egypt," by Jan Luyken
46. "Jeremiah being put in stocks by the priest Pashur," unknown
47. "Jesus and Zacchaeus," by Niels Larsen Stevns
48. "Jesus Preaching on the Sea of Galilee" by Jacob Willemszoon de Wet
49. "Jesus Sends Out 70 Disciples," anonymous
50. "Jewish Temple — The Soul of Jerusalem" by Alex Levin
51. "Job and His Friends" by Ilya Repin
52. "John the Baptist in Prison Sends His Disciples to Question Jesus" by Ermenegildo Lodi
53. "John the Baptist pointing to Jesus" by Matthias Grünewald
54. "John the Evangelist" by Lippo Memmi
55. "John the Evangelist on Patmos" by Francesco Granacci
56. John on the Isle of Patmos, anonymous
57. John Wesley preaching outdoors, stained glass window by Farrar Bell
58. Jonah being tossed into the mouth of a large fish, anonymous
59. "Jonah Preaches to the Ninevites," from Ridpath's Universal History, Book Third
60. "Joshua Crosses the River Jordan With the Ark of the Covenant," by Benjamin West
61. "Jude the Apostle" by Anthony van Dyck
62. "Light of the Lamb," mosaic on church building
63. "The Lord's Prayer," by James Tissot
64. "Lost Sheep," by Adolf Wagner von der Mühl
65. "Medical Missionary Attending to a Sick African," by Harold Copping
66. "The Merchants Chased from the Temple," by James Tissot
67. "Miriam," by Sr. Edward Poynter
68. "Missionary preaching in a kukui grove in Hawaii," by Alfred T. Agate
69. "Missionary Ship 'Duff' Arriving in Tahiti," lithograph by Joseph Martin Kronheim
70. "Moses before the burning bush," by Gebhard Fugel
71. "Moses Confronts Pharaoh," Holman Bible illustrators
72. "Moses Leads the Exodus" by Jim Padgett
73. "My Shepherd," painting on a ceiling in St. Callixtus catacomb outside Rome
74. "Nehemiah Visits the Ruins of Jerusalem's Walls" by Gustav Doré
75. "Old Man Reading" by Albert Anker
76. "Onesimus returns to Philemon with Paul's letter in his hands," by an unknown Medieval period artist
77. "Oppression of the Israelites in Egypt," by unknown artist
78. "The Passion of Creation," by Leonid Pasternak
79. "Paul Preaching in Athens," by Raphael
80. "Pentecost" by Titian
81. "Peter denies that he is one of Jesus' disciples," by Gustave Doré
82. "Power of the Gospel," by Charles Schussele
83. "Preaching to Natives on the lava at Kokukano, Hawai'i," sketch by William Ellis
84. "Praying Hands" by Albrecht Dürer on 1995 French postage stamp
85. "Prophet Nahum," by James Tissot
86. "Prophets and Kings of the Old Testament Adoring the Name of Jehovah" by Nicolas Bertin
87. "B" in an illuminated manuscript
88. "Reading the Bible," by Gerrit Dou
89. "Reading the Bible," by Paul Rink
90. "Reaper," by Camille Pissarro
91. "The Reapers," by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
92. "Roberto de Nobili," by unknown
93. "Saint Ambrose," by Rutilio di Lorenzo Manetti
94. "Saint Paul" by Guercino
95. "Saint Paul Writing His Epistles" by Valentin de Boulogne
96. "Samuel Anoints David" by François-Léon Benouville
97. Satan — detail in "The Last Judgment" by Jacob de Backer
98. "The Sermon of the Beatitudes," by James Tissot
99. "The Seven Last Words of Christ," by F. Holland Day
100. "Silent Night" author and composer, by bronze relief anonymous
101. "Still Life with a Bible," by Vincent van Gogh
102. "Sunday Morning in Virginia" by Winslow Homer
103. "The Temptation of Christ," by Juan de Flandes
104. "The Ten Commandments," Providence Lithograph Company card
105. Ten Commandments in Hebrew on Parchment, by Jekutiel ben Isaac Sofer
106. "The Thankful Poor," by Henry Ossawa Tanner
107. "The Twelve Minor Prophets," marble relief in Orvieto, Italy
108. "Unisphere" steel sculpture designed by Gilmore David Clarke
109. "Young Samuel Hears God's Voice," Providence Lithograph Company card
110. "Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog," by Caspar David Friedrich
111. "William Carey Translating the Bible" by Arthur Grosvenor Daniels

Photos and Maps on this Site

1. 1040 Window and Circle of Significance, map
2. Abraham's travels, map
3. Ancient Near East, map
4. Ancient stone perfume jar found in Israel, photo
5. Antique plumb bob and line, photo
6. B, the initial letter of Psalm 1 in the "illuminated" Latin private prayerbook of the King of France, photo
7. Bible and passport, photo
8. Bible lying open on a wooden table, photo
9. Bible maps worksheet
10. Open Bible on a table, photo
11. Cameron "Uncle Cam" Townsend, photo
12. Canaan, strategic land bridge, map
13. Church building near Salzburg, Austria where "Silent Night" was first performed, photo
14. Church of the Nazarene global administrative regions, map
15. Clara Swain, photo
16. Collage of symbols of various religions, photo
17. Collage of worshippers of various religions, photo
18. Corinth: Stone columns of an ancient temple, photo
19. Collage of people worshipping in various religions, photo
20. Croatia, map
21. Crowd outside of a Swedish Mongolian Mission Chapel in Mongolia, photo
22. Diwali: An arrangement of diyas (oil lamps) for the festival, photo
23. Eckert 4 projection of the globe made with natural earth data
24. Earth's City Lights, photo
25. Engin Taylor, photo
26. Ephesus: Façade of the ancient library building, photo
27. Esther scroll at a Spanish synagogue, photo
28. Facial photos of males from 16 different ethnic groups, collage by Wilhelm Gause
29. Flags of many nations on flagpoles, photo
30. Food offered in worship at a Buddhist Tet festival in Vietnam, photo
31. Food offered in worship at a Hindu shrine in India, photo
32. Frontispiece of a 1582 Douai-Rheims New Testament
33. Galatia in modern-day Turkey, map
34. Gateway to ancient Nineveh, photo of ruins
35. Genesis 1 written in Hebrew on a chicken egg, photo
36. "Gifted Hands" by GilDachomo, photo
37. Goddess Shitla Mata, photo of marble statue
38. Globe sitting on a Bible held by an outstretched arm and hand, photo
39. "Gossip", photo
40. Great Isaiah Scroll from Qumran, photo
41. Greek manuscript of verses of 2 John, photo
42. Henry "Hank" F. Blood, photo
43. Hindu Temple in Oklahoma City, two photos
44. John and Betty Stam, photo
45. "Kill a Commie for Christ" lapel pin, photo (also on a page about Jonah)
46. Missionary airplane with crowd of children, photo
47. "Moses Writing," screen capture from "Patterns of Evidence: The Moses Discovery"
48. Nazarene General Assembly crowd, photo
49. Palestine map worksheet (OT locations)
50. Palestine map worksheet (NT locations)
51. People planting tree seedlings, photo
52. Philippi: Ancient ruins in Greece, photo
53. Religions of the world, map
54. Slice of pecan pie, photo
55. Street in India jammed with vendors, pedestrians and traffic, photo
56. Susan Norris Fitkin, photo
57. Susanna Wesley, photo of painting
58. Tabernacle model in Israel, photo
59. Table with food for slametan feast in Java, photo
60. The World from My Perspective, maps
61. Thessalonica: Ancient ruins of the Roman Agora or Forum, photo
62. Topographical projection of the world, map
63. Tribal chiefs in Ghana wearing royal sacred cloth for a festival, photo
64. Viking boat in Norwegian museum, photo
65. Virgil Amos, photo

Word Cloud Graphics

1. Bible and synonymous expressions
2. Compassion synonyms
3. Christian conversion—related words and phrases
4. Communion—different titles for this sacrament
5. Creed synonyms
6. Decision-making related words
7. Discernment and related words
8. "Do just, love mercy, walk humbly with God"
9. Easter-related words and phrases
10. Faith Promise event themes
11. Foreigner—related expressions
12. Great Commission of Jesus Christ
13. Heart of God: Faraway Places
14. Holy Spirit—titles and descriptions
15. Humility synonyms
16. Important Bible chapters
17. Infinitely reproducible and related words
18. Listen synonyms
19. Missiological concepts like indigenization, holistic ministry, and empowerment
20. Missiology and related expressions
21. NMI initials with words like pray, give, enlist others, and focus
22. Pastor synonyms
23. Poor and related words
24. Racism and related words
25. Sanctification—related words and expressions
26. Satan—various names for him
27. Sin—related words
28. Ten Commandments—issues they deal with
29. Themes like sending, Great Commission, global hope, and light to the nations
30. Theology of missions—related words
31. Three-Self principles: What leads to indigenous churches
32. Traditional religions
33. Unevangelized—synonyms and related phrases
34. Ways global missionaries reflect Christ
35. Word for “God” in various languages
36. Your part in Great Commission fulfillment

— Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu

What Can Masterpieces and Other Visuals Do for Us?

• “The goal of life is rapture. Art is the way we experience it. Art is the transforming experience.” — Joseph Campbell, professor of literature, writer, and speaker
• “Art is a human activity consisting in this, that one man consciously, by means of certain external signs, hands on to others feelings he has lived through, and that other people are infected by these feelings and also experience them.” — Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist, thinker, and moral philosopher
• “The nature of the masterpieces is not to dazzle. Their nature is to persuade, to convince, to enter into us through our pores.” — Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 19th-century French painter
• “A Christian should use the arts to the glory of God, not just as tracts, mind you, but as things of beauty to the praise of God. An artwork can be a doxology in itself.” — Francis A. Schaeffer
• “What is Christian in art does not lie in the theme but in the spirit of it, in its wisdom and the understanding of reality it reflects.” — Hans R. Rookmaaker, Dutch Christian scholar, art historian, and cultural critic
• “Art is a wonderful thing. It has the power to lift us from our common day-to-day existence and transport us to the high and lofty realms. In fact, I think art is among those things that Paul admonishes us to look to for relief in our times of trouble, despair, or dullness.” — Mark Graham, managing editor of the Herald of Holiness

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