The Bible In Paintings, #46: – NADAB & ABIHU, TOASTED

Bing Images ^ | c. 2200 BC -- c. 95 AD | Father, Son & Holy Spirit

[Hebrews 11:6]

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NADAB & ABIHU,
TOASTED

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L E V I T I C U S . . 1 0
New International Version, emphases added
Abridged – the complete text is in your Bible

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1 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command.

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by MICHAEL YOSEF ROBINSON
“Strange Fire”

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2 So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke of when he said:

“‘Among those who approach me
I will be proved holy;
in the sight of all the people
I will be honored.’”

Aaron remained silent.

4 Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.” 5 So they came and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses ordered.

6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become unkempt and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn for those the Lord has destroyed by fire. 7 Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting or you will die, because the Lord’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses said.

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"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" Proverbs 9:10

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by JAMES TISSOT
“The Two Priests are Destroyed”

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by GERARD HOET
“Nadab and Abihu Consumed by Fire from the Lord”

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by JAMES TISSOT
“The Dead Bodies Carried Away”

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Again, here is the Bing page "NADAB AND ABIHU”,
showing various painters' and sculptors’ conceptions.
Several shown here are serious works worthy of interest,
by unknown artists except as noted.

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NOTES ON THE COMPLETELY-SUBJECTIVE SELECTION CRITERIA

"Quality"
Works need not be masterpieces to qualify for inclusion here—
they don’t need to be housed at the Louvre nor auctioned by Sotheby’s.
They only need to successfully illustrate some aspect of the Biblical text
or, frankly, just tickle my fancy, which I pray the Holy Spirit is guiding.

Pacing
The pace may seem glacial to those eager to see their favorite events.
My commission is to search for art on each Bible passage in sequence;
if I find enough, then it becomes the next installment, even if undramatic.

Thank you for your understanding.

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Also, here are links to compendia of three masters
who painted Biblical scenes prolifically:

REMBRANDT van RIJN

GUSTAV DORÉ
(241 wood engravings for
La Grande Bible de Tours)

JAMES TISSOT

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Finally, here are links to the
PREVIOUS 45 POSTS IN THIS SERIES

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SPECIAL THANKS
to FReeper left that other site,
who allowed God to make her His conduit
for incomparable enthusiasm, encouragement,
education, advice and technical assistance!

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SNEAK PEEK: Next time,

THIS & THAT

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[Hebrews 11:6]

At the Holy Spirit's prompting, I am surveying "Bible art" to give God glory, as many of these artists have done, and for my own amusement and learning; and I thought others might enjoy it and be blessed by it, too. My plan is to proceed methodically from left-to right, Genesis to Revelation, as the Lord wills. Back soon with another.

The Bible encourages us to meditate on it (Ps. 1:1-3, 119:11-16, etc.); these artists have done so, and their works can assist us and enrich our own thoughts about biblical characters, incidents and concepts, and increase our faith in He who is behind it all. As you encounter and consider these images and the related Scriptures and the Spirit enlightens your understanding, please share it with us!

But it is not only oil-on-canvas that can so help us; I refer to the astonishing video series The Chosen, which strolls through the four Gospels at the most leisurely pace. The eight episodes of Season 1 are finished, and the second of a planned seven seasons is coming soon. I say "leisurely" because after an entire year’s viewing Jesus still has only seven of the apostles (although He's preparing to call up Thomas from the minor leagues--but Thomas is skeptical, of course). Anticipating a canvas of fifty-plus hours instead of a movie's paltry two hours, The Chosen turns the characters (especially including Jesus!) into three-dimensional humans and brings the Gospels alive--you have never seen anything even remotely like it! Here is the Official Trailer.

Here is a link for free viewing of The Chosen: “Works with your phone, tablet, and you can cast to your Roku or Chromecast.” Last fall I paid $34.98 for DVDs and ongoing internet access—best 35 bucks I’ve ever spent (I don’t recall how much our marriage license cost, but then it was 42 years ago).

[Hebrews 11:6]

Ping List for the series
"THE BIBLE IN PAINTINGS"

To receive an alert for each new posting
in this series, either reply here or FRmail me.

[BarbM]

Some of the pictures reminded me of the port of Beirut.

Words are great, but a good image really tells the story.

Thanks.

[Hebrews 11:6]

a good image really tells the story

You've certainly got the right idea--that's why I do this. I include every relevant and usable image, so you're seeing pretty much all there are. Glad it's working for you.

Meanwhile, now I need to look for what could be reminiscent of Beirut.

[Forgiven_Sinner]

I’ve had a mental picture of this—it was more death by laser beam than actual fire. But actual fire from God is correct.

However, the men weren’t completely charred, but their tunics remained.

Numbers 10:4 Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near, carry your brethren from [a]before the sanctuary out of the camp.” 5 So they went near and carried them by their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said.

One more thing: these were Aaron’s cousins. Aaron was 83 or so at this time so they were likely old and gray-headed, unlike the portrayal of some of the illustrations.

[Hebrews 11:6]

the men weren’t completely charred, but their tunics remained.

God works with high precision! You've correctly spotted some of the curiosities here--your inquisitiveness is paying off. Fun, isn't it? There's just no end, once you start. God loves us paying close attention, as long as we also get the big picture. I'm finding that seeing all these images really opens my eyes to all sorts of discoveries.

Here's a linguistic one (yours are both physical). When Moses wrote this account (in the second person), why did he refer to Uzziel as "the uncle of Aaron", rather than the more fully correct "Uzziel the uncle of Aaron and Moses"?

I was sad I could only find that single image of them hauling away the corpses. But it speaks to James Tissot's greatness that he saw the importance of it. In a very brief time, for several key reasons, Tissot has become my favorite artist, by far.

[Forgiven_Sinner]

There’s more. Why haul by the tunics? The bodies are unclean. The men may remain clean if they only touch the tunics.

I’ve loved Tissot ever since I saw his View From the Cross. Very good use of perspective to tell a story

[Hebrews 11:6]

He's not the best draftsman, but I consider him the best thinker. His imagination is featured in every work--View From the Cross perfectly illustrates that. Here's what another fan said:

"As usual, Tissot’s beautifully researched and accurate paintings also convey complex emotions."

I've found this compendium to be very helpful.