This week, we set off on a captivating adventure for Pentecost with celebrated Catholic art scholar Elizabeth Lev. Journey through the silent corridors of history, where flashes of brilliance and murmurs of faith intersect. With a scholar’s perspective and a narrative flair, Lev reveals the intricate symbolism and deep meaning embedded in the works showcasing this crucial moment in Christian heritage. From the blazing arrival of the Holy Spirit to the quivering hearts of followers, every stroke of the brush and shaped contour acts as a gateway to the sacred meeting.

Yet, beneath the canvas and stone lies a more profound story — one of belief, camaraderie, and the strength of change. With Lev’s skilled direction, we journey through the ages, observing how creators from various cultures and periods have wrestled with the indescribable enigma of Pentecost, striving to encapsulate its spirit in color and illumination.

Join us as we reveal the concealed realities and enduring elegance contained within the art of Pentecost throughout this journey to decode the holy enigmas that persist in motivating and igniting the spirits of worshippers globally.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Pentecost artwork throughout the history of the Church

Our Sunday Visitor: Pentecost, the celebration of the Church’s revelation, commissions the apostles to proclaim the Gospel to the farthest reaches of the world. What importance does the art of Pentecost hold in the history of the Catholic Church?

Elizabeth Lev CNS photo/Robert Duncan

Elizabeth Lev: I believe the Church has sought to convey the concepts of Pentecost since its inception. It may have been on a more modest scale, as observed in early Christian art, where we encounter this type of imagery reflecting the commission of Jesus transferring the law to Peter and Paul and this concept of attempting to disseminate the message. However, I believe we begin to genuinely strive to depict the supernatural, which becomes significantly more intricate in the evolution of art, as we approach the first millennium. This is the period when we observe our initial substantial efforts to illustrate Pentecost.

Our Sunday Visitor: How did Christians start to illustrate this foundational event? What were the initial artistic forms utilized to represent it?

Elizabeth Lev: Paint and mosaic. Painting serves as our preliminary form of artistic expression. … While there exists a considerable amount of relief sculpture from that initial timeframe of 313 to approximately 500, … the true foundational art for Christians was indeed painting. It was those catacomb visuals that were frescoed directly onto the walls. Given that the majority of this art was created within churches, the most effective and candidly, the most cost-efficient method for creating artworks was fresco painting. Therefore, we encounter a greater volume of imagery produced in that technique.

The emblems of Pentecost

Our Sunday Visitor: It’s challenging to represent the Holy Spirit, in contrast to God the Father or depictions of Jesus Christ. What specific symbols do Christians utilize? How do we express the depth, the remarkable essence, of what occurs at Pentecost?

Bronze panel of the interior doors of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls. Public domain

Elizabeth Lev: Therefore, that is indeed the challenge. The challenge lies in attempting to depict the existence of the Holy Spirit. There are numerous, excellent representations of the second person of the Trinity. You sometimes come across a subtle depiction of the first person of the Trinity in a certain spot or glancing in from a higher edge. Yet, it has truly posed an intriguing challenge for Christians to illustrate the figure of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s absence of physical form is what complicates matters. One of my favorites is the piece from 1070 at St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, where you can observe in a bronze panel — here, they aim to create something within what would be considered a sculptural medium, but at the time of its creation, it’s not really a relief sculpture. It doesn’t resemble what you and I would define as a kind of sculpture where the figures pop out; rather, it’s an etching imprinted on a bronze panel. Thus, it is something that’s fundamentally one step removed from a cloisonné. In this depiction, you see individuals arranged in a sort of semicircle, with these small bands rising from above their heads — and there are tiny flames illustrated into each of these bands. This symbolizes their interpretation of Pentecost, which is a particularly fascinating approach to addressing the dilemma.

Although some kids grow up with the Jesse Tree, I was an adult when I first came across one. In truth, I discovered it accidentally while looking into Advent activities for my class. I was instantly captivated and questioned why this tradition had never been familiar to me before.

Lacking a manual or guidelines, I had to navigate through the process independently. However, energized like someone in her twenties, I crafted a collection of ornaments over a weekend using various scraps from my mother-in-law’s sewing supplies. That December, I recounted a Bible story from memory each morning during “circle time,” and my students alternated in decorating our classroom Christmas tree with my handmade ornaments.

Public domain

What is the Jesse Tree?

Simply put, the Jesse Tree is the family tree of Jesus. It follows the ancestry of Christ back to Adam and Eve. In other terms, the Jesse Tree links the Old Testament with the New. It illustrates to us (and to our offspring) that God has been orchestrating since the fall of Adam and Eve to reconcile us to him through the Incarnation of his Son, Jesus.

The Jesse Tree merges visual artistry with narrative components similar to other family trees. Jesse Trees originated during the Middle Ages, a period when the majority of individuals could not read and the advent of the printing press had yet to distribute Bibles widely to the Catholic congregations. Religious beliefs were predominantly communicated through oral tradition. Via paintings, stained glass displays, and sculptures, theologians and artists collaborated to impart the narrative of salvation history to men and women of all ages through the Jesse Tree. The representations of individuals and the associated symbols played a crucial role in conveying the Biblical narratives by correlating images with the text. The Jesse Tree window located in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres in Chartres, France is an especially renowned and grand illustration, although many Jesse Trees were humbler in size to match the setting of a simple parish church.

Using paintings, stained glass panels, and sculptures, theologians and artists collaborated to educate individuals of all ages about the narrative of salvation history through the Jesse Tree.

The Jesse Tree derives its name from the father of King David, a rather lesser-known character of the Old Testament who rose to significance with the prophecy of Isaiah, which declares that “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit” (Is 11:1). The passage alludes to the arrival of the Messiah stemming from the lineage of King David. Apart from this subtle mention, our understanding of Jesse as a historical character primarily derives from Jewish tradition, which offers significantly more insights than those presented in the Bible.

Tradition informs us that Jesse was a highly regarded individual whose profound faith was acknowledged throughout his life. His connection with the prophet Samuel — the individual who would designate David as king — highlights his prominence in the community. Nevertheless, even Jesse had further lessons to grasp. He did not comprehend Samuel’s anointing of his youngest son, overlooking the fact that God does not evaluate by external looks but instead “sees the heart.”1 Sam 16:7). His reference as the root of Christ’s lineage serves as a reminder to us today that the devout can still explore further.

Detail of the Jesse Tree on a fresco on the exterior of Moldovita Monastery in Romania Wikimedia Commons/Alex Moise

LINZ, Austria (OSV News) — St. Mary’s Cathedral in Linz captured global attention when a disputed sculpture of Mary located within the church was decapitated on July 1 by unidentified vandals.

The artwork, illustrating the Virgin Mary delivering Jesus crafted by Austrian artist Esther Strauss, was planned to be showcased in the cathedral for a duration of three weeks. This piece has faced backlash from certain Catholics who described it as blasphemous.

“The bigotry, ignorance, and absence of progress in the Catholic Church is alarming,” Theresa Limberger, who dedicated 200 hours to sculpting the statue following Strauss’ idea, stated to Austrian media ORF.

Contentious artwork and critique

The debate, nonetheless, was anticipated.

“There exists a guest book that allows individuals to jot down their reflections on it. There were certainly many verbally confrontational and unsettling remarks,” Martina Resch, co-initiator of the project, informed ORF.