Encountering Scripture Through Art

In this course we will look at a variety of biblical episodes and stories from both the Old and New Testaments and how they have been seen, imagined, and interpreted by artists and musicians over the centuries. We will explore how these works of art spoke to and about the period in which they were created, how they open up new dimensions of understanding the scriptures for us, and the relationship between convention and imagination in interpreting the scriptures. In two sessions we will look in particular at Bach's St John Passion, and in relation to it the differing ways the Passion of Jesus Christ has been depicted over the centuries.