| The Jonah sarcophagus - 2 |
Other biblical reference are scattered across the sarcophagus, some easy
to identify and explain, others less so. |
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| Above left, the resurrection
of Lazarus, representing rebirth. On the right, Moses strikes the rock
and water pours out to slake the thirst of the Israelites - a subtle
reference to baptism. |
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| In an
excellent paper (Iconographic Structure: Recognizing the Resurrected Jesus on the
Vatican Jonah Sarcophagus*) L M Fuchs identifies the scene on the
left above as the events following the resurrection of Christ. Christ is
at the centre, with apostles on either side, and the women at the tomb
lying below. She suggests that this could be the road to Emmaus. The
prostrate women could show Matthew 28 v 9: 'And as
they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All
hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.'
The image on the right above shows the Good Shepherd. It acts as a
balance to the Lazarus image on the opposite side.
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| The fishing scenes emphasise
the productivity of water. On the right above, the fishermen are busy:
note the snail above them, and the fine crab to their left. That bird is
clearly hungry. On the left of the sarcophagus, one fisherman passes a
basket of fish to the other. |
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This small scene in the
centre of the sarcophagus shows Noah receiving the olive branch from the
dove. In the story of Noah, the world is wiped clean and starts again:
another image of rebirth.
*Revisioning: Critical
Methods of Seeing Christianity in the History of Art. James Romaine
(Editor), Linda Stratford (Editor).
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