The Origin of Sin
Folklore has it that long, long ago, God created his first humans and named them Adam and Eve. He built a paradise on earth called the Garden of Eden (which is believed to be in modern-day Iran) for them to inhabit and provided them with an abundance of resources.
They were however not permitted to eat the fruit of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”.
As fate would have its, Eve was one day lured by a serpent (desire) into eating the fruit and giving some to Adam.
God, furious at being disobeyed and fearing that the now polluted Adam and Eve eat the fruit of “the tree of life” and live forever, banishes them from the Garden of Eden and curses them to live a life without God and thus, began the sufferings of mankind.
Fast forward many centuries, there lived a woman named Mary in a town called Nazareth which was a part of the then-Roman Empire. She was engaged to a humble man named Joseph. One fine night, an angel appears before Mary and informs her that she has been chosen by God to give birth to God’s own son. Joseph was informed the same in a dream and was asked to name the boy Jesus, meaning “saviour”.
As the Lord’s birth neared, a new law was passed in the Roman Empire which required Joseph and Mary to visit Bethlehem to get some formalities done.
It was 25th of December when they reached. Joseph could not find any place so they decided to spend the night in a cattle shed. That night, Mary gave birth to a divine baby boy who would grow up to be the saviour of mankind.
Naturally, he gained popularity and was immensely worshiped. He used to often spend time with his disciples and preach.
On one such occasion, as the Lord was having his supper along with twelve disciples, he declares that one of them shall betray him and that he shall die.
That night, as Jesus predicted, a disciple named Judas informs the state authorities of the whereabouts of Jesus. The king wanted to have him executed as his growing popularity was becoming a threat to their power.
After a trail, Jesus was crucified by nailing him to a cross.
Three days after his death, Jesus was resurrected, thus symbolizing that he bore the torture and punishment for the sins committed by man and by coming back to life, all sins have been washed off and that mankind has been purified and blessed once again.
Christian Art:
It wasn’t until 300 CE that Christians could worship publicly or portray any imagery of their God. As fate would have it, Roman empire started coming down due to barbaric invasions.
Christianity came into light once again. Art had immense importance at that time and was used as a medium to celebrate the religion.
Architects, sculptors and painters were entrusted with the responsibility to develop a new art form which was later named the Early Byzantine Art.
Relief structures and exquisite paintings depicting verses and instances from the Bible and the life of Jesus were often depicted in churches, chapels, etc.
The Renaissance period of art saw the most notable art pieces depicting the stories of Christianity such as the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo, The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci, etc.
This Christmas bring home beautiful depictions of Lord Jesus and remember to walk on his path of non-violence and kindness.
Check out our collection “Christ-The Saviour”. You can also place a request for custom made art. Contact us today!