What Does the Bible Teach Us About Art?
The Bible is full of art. In the pages of Scripture, a wide variety of artforms are presented in a very favourable light. However, in this area, we need to take careful note not just of what the Bible has to say but of the way that it says these things. You see the Bible comes to us as, in a very real way, a work of art!
Questions for Reflection
1. Bezalel and Artistic Inspiration: Bezalel is the first person in the Bible said to be filled with the Holy Spirit, explicitly for the purpose of making artistic designs (Exodus 31:3-4). How do you imagine this ‘filling’ occurred? How might it have enhanced his artistic practice? Why do you think so many chapters are given over to the aesthetic elements of the tabernacle (Exodus 25-31, 35-40) and, to a lesser extent, the temple (1 Kings 6 and 7)?
Scriptures to consider: Exodus 31:3-4 (Bezalel), Exodus 25-31, Exodus 35-40 (tabernacle), 1 Kings 6-7 (temple)
2. Prophets as Performance Artists: In what ways are the major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) similar to performance artists? In what ways are they different?
Scriptures to consider: Ezekiel 4, Ezekiel 12, Isaiah 20:1-4
Artists to consider: Marina Abramovic, Joseph Beuys, Yoko Ono (Google can help for more information)
3. Jesus’ Parables and Effective Communication: What do we learn from Jesus’ parables about effective communication?
Scriptures to consider: Luke 15:11-32, Luke 16:1-9, Luke 19:11-27
4. The 2nd Commandment and Artistic Boundaries: The 2nd Commandment outlines forms of artistic creation that were off-limits to all artists who wanted to live faithfully to God. Can such blanket restrictions be placed today, and if so, what types of art would you encourage all Christian artists to avoid making?
Scriptures to consider: Exodus 20:4-6
5. Revisiting Restrictions in Light of Biblical Content: If you have answered yes to question 4, consider whether the restrictions that you’ve placed would have stopped the production of elements of the Bible itself!
Scriptures to consider: Song of Songs 7:1-9 (erotic literature), Ps 88 (doubt and despair), Judges 19 (horror), Rev 14:6-12, 19:17-18 (more horror!) 1 Samuel 28 (the occult), Ezekiel 16 (graphic sexual imagery), Philippians 3:8 (swearing: “skubula”, usually translated as rubbish, refuse, garbage. A quick Google search may help here for other possible translations)
6. Viewing the Bible as Art: How much should we consider the Bible itself as a work of art? What do we gain from this viewpoint? What might we lose
