The Bible and the Arts

For centuries the Bible has functioned as inspiration for the Arts. Handel’s "Messiah" is the first piece that comes to mind. For more examples, check with Roma Lacuata, or with Bob Lippre.

Think of the oil paintings you have seen in your lifetime that depict scenes from the stories in the Bible. Rembrandt Van Rijn painted works titled, "The Return of the Prodigal Son", "The Blinding of Samson", and "The Feast of Belshazzar" to name a few.

And then there are the novels and poems, literary works of art, that center on Bible themes or scenes. I am currently reading a book by Thomas Howard titled Chance or the Dance: A Critique of Modern Secularism in which he draws the attention of the reader to a poem by Lord Byron that centers on "The Destruction of Sennacherib."

Sennacherib was King of Assyria. The story of him taunting Hezekiah, king of Judah, is found in 2 Kings 18-19. I urge you to read these two chapters in order to appreciate the poem composed by Lord Byron.

To summarize the account, Sennacherib destroyed the fortified cities of Judah and sent an amabassador to Hezekiah, king in Jerusalem. The ambassador taunted those who trusted in the Lord:

And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’ (2 Kgs 18:32-35).

All of their boasting did not bode well for the Assyrians. Remember, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. Then Sennaacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh (2 Kgs. 19:35-36).

Lord Byron’s poem is designed to recapture this event. Notice the galluping sound of horses hooves in the rhythm of each line.

The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,

And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;

And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,

When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.

Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green,

That host with their banners at sunset were seen:

Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown,

That host on the morrow lay withered and strown.

For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,

And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;

And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill,

And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!

And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide,

But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride;

And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf,

And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.

And there lay the rider distorted and pale,

With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail:

And the tents were all silent, the banners alone,

The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.

And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail,

And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;

And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,

Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!

If you would like to learn more about how the Bible has influenced the Arts, I highly recommend the book, The Bible and its Influence, published by BLP Publishing. It also meets the standard requirements for being used in public schools.