There is a lot of art that cannot be understood without knowing the Bible and mythology, so I will summarize them by episode (Old Testament Part 40) - 'The Bronze Serpent, and others'

I am learning about art through a 1000-day challenge, but isn't there too much Western art that you can't really understand without knowing the Old Testament, New Testament, and Greek mythology properly? Including homages and such.
That's no fun, so in order to enjoy art more, I have a strong desire to at least know the Bible and mythology, even if only superficially, so I've decided to organize representative episodes and the art related to them.
I have no intention of covering or interpreting the Bible and mythology; this is just a series to cover the parts that seem like common knowledge to Westerners. If you're someone who thinks, 'Oh, I'd like to know that too,' please join me.
I'll start with the Old Testament. After the Old and New Testaments, Greek mythology. Maybe Buddhism too.
Also, the logs for this series will be summarized here.

As the title 'The Bronze Serpent, and others' suggests, today I intend to look at several episodes.

Since this series places more weight on 'understanding art' rather than knowing the Old Testament in detail, I would like to look at as many episodes as possible that are taken up as motifs in paintings and the like.

That said, there are some episodes that have paintings left behind but aren't very famous. For some reason, masters and such have painted them, though.

I feel like there are a lot of those, especially in the story of Moses.

So, let's begin.

In the 'Miracle of the Sea of Reeds' episode, I explained the route Moses took.

I also wrote about the northern and central routes, but since the southern route is generally considered correct, I will narrow the diagram down to that.

The 'Ten Commandments' from two episodes ago and the 'Golden Calf' from the last episode are events that happened at Mount Sinai.

They arrived at Mount Sinai three months after escaping Egypt.
Well, since it was a large group of 3 million people, I think that's about right in terms of speed.

However, as I wrote in the diagram, it takes a whopping 40 years from here to the land of Canaan (the orange line in the diagram).

Moreover, Moses dies without ever setting foot in the land of Canaan.
Poor guy.

* Since there are indigenous people in Canaan, it becomes a war to settle there. The 40 years includes that war period.
By the way, as I have written several times, '40 years' seems to be a metaphor for 'a very long time' in Israel, so it's ambiguous whether it was actually 40 years.

So, it takes 40 years along the orange line on the map, and various episodes from that time are written in the Old Testament's 'Book of Numbers' and 'Deuteronomy'.

From among those, I would like to pick up three episodes this time.

The three are 'The Bronze Serpent', 'The Punishment of the Rebels', and 'Balaam and the Donkey'.

First is the episode called 'The Bronze Serpent'.

For now, here is today's piece.

Van Dyck'The Bronze Serpent'.

Below and to the right are people bitten by snakes.
Snakes are also falling from the sky one after another.

A person in red clothes is saying to a woman who is about to die from a snake bite,'Look at that bronze serpent! If you do, you will be saved!'The sense of presence and the expressions in this scene are excellent, so I chose this as today's piece.

The person holding the tree that the bronze serpent is coiled around is likely Moses, as you can see something like horns on his head.

I mean, what on earth is this about, right? lol

Yes, when you look at old paintings in art museums like this, they are full of 'what on earth is this?'

But if you can understand even a little bit like,'Oh? Is this the snake episode... it's not Adam and Eve, so maybe it's Moses?'then you can view this painting along with the various hardships and background of Moses.

I'm writing this series because I think it would be fun if that happened.

Now, for the episode.

This also begins with the endless complaints and grumbling of the Israelites.

'Why do we have to keep going on this painful journey?' 'Yeah, seriously, we should have just stayed in Egypt.' 'Those were the good old days.' 'Thinking about it now, being a slave was easy.' 'Back then we could eat our fill.' 'We didn't have to walk around like this.' 'Hey, are we going to die out here in this wilderness?' 'I don't want to die.' 'It's like we're being killed by Moses.' 'Anyway, I'm hungry.' 'No bread, no water, just manna.' 'I'm sick of manna.' 'I'm so sick of manna.' 'It's manna yesterday, today, and tomorrow.' 'What on earth is Moses thinking?' 'Moses, give us a break already!'

Hearing these complaints and grumbling, God gets angry first.

Those who have been following this series since the creation of the world probably know thatGod gets angry quite easily.

Hearing the Israelites, whom He had saved by performing miracles many times, complaining and squawking like this, He trembles with rage (He is quite narrow-minded).

And then,He sends fiery serpents down from the sky to attack the people.

The people who were bitten died one after another.

The people are terrified and turn to Moses, whom they had been complaining about so much.

'Moses, Moses, please, please. We won't complain anymore, so please ask God to forgive us. Everyone is dying. We don't want to die! Hey, you're friends with God, right? Please. I'm begging you!'

Moses prays to God honestly.
God says this.

'Moses, I understand. For your sake, I will forgive them.
Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole.
Even if they are bitten by a snake, if they look up at that serpent, they will be saved.'

So, Moses makes a snake out of bronze and sets it on the end of a pole.
And those who look at it are saved.

The master of masters,Michelangelo, also depicts this episode. @ Sistine Chapel

Let's zoom in on a part of it.
It's more of a golden serpent than a bronze one. Other snakes are also falling from the sky one after another.

As expected of Michelangelo. He paints it so painfully.

The master Rubens paints it in a gruesome way.
Rubens loves painting plump women, and there are plenty of voluptuous female figures here too lol
The person in black on the left (since light is coming from his head) must be Moses.

The Mannerist master Bronzino is as fancy as ever.

Or rather, since he is painting the anecdote of the Bronze Snake, and he got the nickname Bronzino from his bronze-colored hair, I imagine he put a lot of effort into it. The humans and such are very realistic.
Judging by the shape, it might be a painting on a wall above some door.

Bitten right next to the right breast!

This also looks painful. It's quite realistic.

"Look, please, look at the bronze snake. Please don't die," says a woman whispering into the ear of a dying woman.

In the back, Moses is being philosophical, saying, "Well, it's because your faith is too weak" lol

Tintoretto is super dramatic.
Looking down, there are piles of corpses. Looking up, the gods are in a huge uproar.
Moses is also staged in a very active pose, and the bronze snake is almost a dragon.
Tintoretto...must have had something that got his adrenaline pumping.

Eric Cornelius.
Even though there is pandemonium all around, only Moses is'Yes, yes, it is good to look at this'or something, completely calm. It's like he's saying, 'Actually, I'm getting a bit tired of saving you guys.'

Van Heemskerck.
This one conveys a sense of writhing from the whole thing, it's quite an amazing painting.
Or rather, I thought when looking at this painting.

'Oh, the scene in the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark where the basement is crawling with snakes must definitely be inspired by this episode!'

I see, that must be it.

Sébastien Bourdon.
This painter has a lot of paintings around Moses. Quite a good painting.

Fedor Bruni.
This one also has quite an impact. Or rather,the snake is being idolizedwhich bothers me.
You shouldn't make it an idol, Moses lol

'Artist unknown', a 17th-century Flemish painting.

The way the crotch is hidden is a clever technique!

Benjamin West.
But I wonder how Moses made this bronze serpent. In the middle of a journey through the wilderness.

Tissot also painted it.
I think he is completely conscious of Christ's cross.

And thenChagall.
Somehow, this is an amazing painting. This face of Moses lol. What is it, like 'Naniwa Kinyudo' lol.

Finally, a tapestry in the Royal Palace of Milan.
This looks beautiful. I want to see the real thing.

By the way, at the summit of 'Mount Nebo' in the upper right of the map I posted at the beginning of this article, there is a 'Bronze Serpent' monument.Mount Nebo there is a 'Bronze Serpent' monument. However, this does not mean that this miracle took place on Mount Nebo. It just means that it is there as a monument.


It's that famous of an episode.

Now. The second episode.

'Punishment of the Rebels'. This episode is also called 'The Rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram'.
'The Rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram'.

This is a famous painting by the master Botticelli in the Sistine Chapel. However, while the painting is famous, the episode itself is not that famous (I think).

I will omit the details, but Korah, Dathan, and Abiram recruited 250 followers and rebelled, saying things like 'Moses, you are too arrogant!', 'Let's get him!', and 'Down with the hierarchy!'.

Moses quietly mumbles a response to them.
Then, suddenly the ground beneath Korah and his followers splits open, and they fall into hell while still alive. Their 250 companions are also burned to death by God.
And so, the story goes that the people of Israel flee in terror and all repent.

In the center, the followers of Korah who opposed Aaron in the back (who is wearing a papal crown for some reason) are being struck down by an invisible fire unleashed by Moses (in the foreground).

On the right, Dathan's group tries to stone Moses. His successor, Joshua, is protecting Moses from the stones.

On the left, Abiram and his followers are falling into the chasm in the earth that appeared through Moses.

The large structure in the background is the Arch of Constantine, the emperor who first legalized Christianity.

Why is it here lol

Or rather, this triumphal arch is the key.
They probably used the Moses episode to assert their authority. It is a very political painting. This is also evident from the fact that Aaron is wearing a papal hat for some reason.

Is it something like, 'This is what happens if you defy us'?

Botticelli painted this in 1481.
He painted it between his famous 'Primavera' (1477) and 'The Birth of Venus' (1485), so he was at the peak of his career.

And since he was painting various works under the patronage of the Medici family, I suspect the intentions of the Medici family were heavily involved.

Finally, there is a strange story called 'Balaam and the Donkey'.

It is said that the only times animals speak in the Old Testament are the serpent in the Garden of Eden and the donkey in this episode.

Yes, the donkey speaks.

First, the master Rembrandt.
Yeah, it certainly looks like the donkey is talking. It's kind of cute.

But you know.
It's a somewhat confusing episode, andhonestly, I don't know what it's trying to say lol

However, if I keep following the Bible like this, there might come a time when I think, 'Ah, so that's what it means,' so I'm writing the story down here as a memorandum.

At the end of their journey, Moses and his people camped on the plains of Moab across the Jordan River.

Because the 3 million Israelites were a huge threat to the Moabites living in that land,the King of Moab, Balak,inviteda famous sorcerer named Balaamto try and get him to 'curse' the Israelite people.

The sorcerer Balaam, having received the request, asks God for guidance.
Then God says this:
'You must not curse these people, for they are blessed.'
So, the sorcerer Balaam declines the request.

King Balak cannot give up, so he sends messengers once more.
When the sorcerer Balaam asks God for guidance again,
'Well, alright then. Go with the king. However, do as I instruct you.'He replies.
And so, the sorcerer Balaam sets off.

The events that happen along the way are this episode.

On the road where Balaam is traveling,for some reason God blocks his path.
And what's more, He is angry with his sword drawn.

The donkey sees this and turns off the road.
Balaam gets angry, hits the donkey, and tries to get it back on the road.
But it doesn't listen, so he hits it again.
The donkey sees God, is afraid, and won't move.
Balaam gets angry and hits the donkey with his staff.

And then, the donkey speaks (it's kind of cute).

'What have I done to you that you have hit me three times?'
'Because you wouldn't move forward. If I had a sword, I would kill you right now.'
'Haven't I always done as you said? Have I ever done anything like this before?'
'No, I suppose not.'

At that moment, God opened the eyes of the sorcerer Balaam so that he could see God.
He sawGod standing in the way with a sword in His handand bowed down.

After that, the sorcerer Balaam goes to the king and, instead of cursing the Israelite people, he blesses them.

That is the story.

...No, so what is the point! lol

Honestly, I don't get it at all.

Balaam couldn't see God, even though a donkey (a symbol of a fool) could.
In other words,'He is a fool, even worse than a donkey, who tries to proceed without reading the true intent, even though God is actually saying, "Do not go to the king"', I suppose.

Is the lesson to properly read God's true intent...?

If things become clearer, I'll add more later lol

Rembrandt's teacher,Lastman, also painted it.
Hmm, I don't really understand the story, so I can't relate to the painting either lol

Gustave Jaeger.
Balaam prostrating himself upon seeing God.
Or rather, like the Lastman one above, the donkey is relatively small. The donkey looks heavy. Poor donkey.

It seems that expressions like 'this behavior is Balaam-like' appear in the New Testament and elsewhere, so there must be some religious lesson there.

I will write more when I find out.

So, this time I wrote about three separate episodes.

Next time, Moses finally dies..

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The logs for this series are summarized here.

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I welcome corrections for mistakes, but I do not intend to engage in debates about biblical interpretation. My goal is simply to 'learn the surface of the Bible to enjoy art,' so please forgive me.

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The references and sources for this article are: 'Visual Guide: The Bible and Famous Paintings', 'Reading Old Testament Stories and Paintings through Illustrations', 'World Famous Paintings Traced through Christianity and the Bible', 'The Bible - Color Bible', 'The Bible Painted by Masters', 'Reading the Old Testament through Art', 'Reading the New Testament through Art', 'Tracing Saints through Famous Paintings', 'Art Bible', 'Art Bible 2', 'Bible Stories: Old Testament', 'Bible Stories: New Testament', 'Reading the Bible through Paintings', 'Unraveling the Mysteries of Famous Paintings with Kyoko Nakano: Old and New Testament Edition', 'Basics of Western and Japanese Art History', 'Basics of Western and Japanese Art History: Continued', and various articles on the internet.