Sin and Salvation

           In the Early Medieval art the Doors of Bishop Bernward were created for the Hildesheim Cathedral. The doors represent holy figures and events which is an example of iconography. These doors are unique because they can be read in various ways that depict scenes from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Left door is read down with Old Testament scenes, and the right door is read up with New Testament scenes. The doors can also be read side by side, in a way Old Testament vs. New Testament.

Let’s have a closer look at Adam and Eve from the Old Testament in the third panel on the left. In this particular panel Adam and Eve take apples from the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. Gesture and foliage express the narrative similar to the other panels. Adam and Eve are gesturing with their arms to the forbidden tree in the center to convey that they picked the apples from that tree. The branches of the foliage on the sides of the panel express the focal area, Adam and Eve. Now, to the right of Adam and Eve’s panel is a panel that depicts the Crucifixion of Christ from the New Testament.  Although there is not any foliage to help express this scene, the gestures make up for it, the two men wearing longer gowns are positioned in a way that causes your eye to move towards the center. Then the two men with spears are standing in a way that again moves the viewer’s eyes to the focal area, which are Christ and the cross.

I found these two panels to be the most interesting pair. I think that these two panels are paired together because the Adam and Eve panel expresses the fall of man and sin, while the panel of the Crucifixion expresses Christ forgiving man’s sins. These panels seem to give a simple explanation of how Christ forgives sin by sacrificing himself on the cross. The panels express opposite themes, Adam and Eve’s panel is sinning and the Crucifixion panel is forgiveness of sin. In a way both panels express sin because Adam and eve eat the apples, and the two men spearing Christ are also sinning. When comparing the panels side by side, it can be seen that each focal area is basically in the center of the panel. The way that the figures in each panel helps convey the focal area, along with the foliage in the Adam and Eve panel, where in the Crucifixion panel the spears direct your eyes. These panels could be paired to mean that no matter how big or small the sin is that you commit, you will be forgiven by Christ, the savor.

            The panel of Adam and Eve expresses sin and the fall of mankind. The panel of the Crucifixion expresses forgiveness of sin. By placing these scenes together helps convey that Christ is their savor. Overall I think that they were placed next to each other very thoughtfully.