The Visual Commentary on Scripture
@thevcs.bsky.social
http://TheVCS.org is a free, online resource that provides material for teaching, preaching, researching, and reflecting on the Bible, Art, and Theology based @kcltrs.bsky.social
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For the season of #Lent commencing on Ash Wednesday, we will be sharing 14 artworks and commentaries on the theme of #Community, something as urgently needed as ever in a fractured world.
Subscribe to our Exhibition of the Week to receive our Lent emails twice a week:
thevcs.org/sign-vcs-ema...
Subscribe to our Exhibition of the Week to receive our Lent emails twice a week:
thevcs.org/sign-vcs-ema...
What does this 18th-century Persian carpet tell us about the book of Genesis?
Find out more in our exhibition of the week:
thevcs.org/garden-eden#...
Find out more in our exhibition of the week:
thevcs.org/garden-eden#...
February 13, 2026 at 6:15 PM
What does this 18th-century Persian carpet tell us about the book of Genesis?
Find out more in our exhibition of the week:
thevcs.org/garden-eden#...
Find out more in our exhibition of the week:
thevcs.org/garden-eden#...
We continue our exploration of Genesis 2 with one of its most iconic and puzzling depictions.
Reading the famous triptych from left to right, Hieronymus Bosch depicts the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Earthly Delights, and finally Hell.
Click here to take a closer look:
thevcs.org/garden-eden#...
Reading the famous triptych from left to right, Hieronymus Bosch depicts the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Earthly Delights, and finally Hell.
Click here to take a closer look:
thevcs.org/garden-eden#...
February 12, 2026 at 4:13 PM
We continue our exploration of Genesis 2 with one of its most iconic and puzzling depictions.
Reading the famous triptych from left to right, Hieronymus Bosch depicts the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Earthly Delights, and finally Hell.
Click here to take a closer look:
thevcs.org/garden-eden#...
Reading the famous triptych from left to right, Hieronymus Bosch depicts the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Earthly Delights, and finally Hell.
Click here to take a closer look:
thevcs.org/garden-eden#...
For the season of #Lent commencing on Ash Wednesday, we will be sharing 14 artworks and commentaries on the theme of #Community, something as urgently needed as ever in a fractured world.
Subscribe to our Exhibition of the Week to receive our Lent emails twice a week:
thevcs.org/sign-vcs-ema...
Subscribe to our Exhibition of the Week to receive our Lent emails twice a week:
thevcs.org/sign-vcs-ema...
February 11, 2026 at 2:53 PM
For the season of #Lent commencing on Ash Wednesday, we will be sharing 14 artworks and commentaries on the theme of #Community, something as urgently needed as ever in a fractured world.
Subscribe to our Exhibition of the Week to receive our Lent emails twice a week:
thevcs.org/sign-vcs-ema...
Subscribe to our Exhibition of the Week to receive our Lent emails twice a week:
thevcs.org/sign-vcs-ema...
Thomas Cole was only 27 years old when he painted his Garden of Eden (1828). As one of the forefathers of the Hudson River School, he celebrated the majesty of the American landscape.
Take a closer look at Cole's Paradise in our exhibition on Genesis 2:9–17:
thevcs.org/garden-eden#...
Take a closer look at Cole's Paradise in our exhibition on Genesis 2:9–17:
thevcs.org/garden-eden#...
February 9, 2026 at 11:56 AM
Thomas Cole was only 27 years old when he painted his Garden of Eden (1828). As one of the forefathers of the Hudson River School, he celebrated the majesty of the American landscape.
Take a closer look at Cole's Paradise in our exhibition on Genesis 2:9–17:
thevcs.org/garden-eden#...
Take a closer look at Cole's Paradise in our exhibition on Genesis 2:9–17:
thevcs.org/garden-eden#...
Reposted by The Visual Commentary on Scripture
"If gardens are fixed green monuments, then scriptures and carpets are portable gardens, nomadic objects that offer refuge from inhospitable neighbours and harsh surroundings."
This week's exhibition from @thevcs.bsky.social
thevcs.org/garden-eden
⚓
This week's exhibition from @thevcs.bsky.social
thevcs.org/garden-eden
⚓
The Garden of Eden
Exhibition: The Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9–17). Featuring works of art by Thomas Cole, Hieronymus Bosch and Unknown Persian artist. Commentaries by Andrew Hui.
thevcs.org
February 9, 2026 at 9:12 AM
"If gardens are fixed green monuments, then scriptures and carpets are portable gardens, nomadic objects that offer refuge from inhospitable neighbours and harsh surroundings."
This week's exhibition from @thevcs.bsky.social
thevcs.org/garden-eden
⚓
This week's exhibition from @thevcs.bsky.social
thevcs.org/garden-eden
⚓
Donato Loia writes: 'In the stillness of Christ’s figure—poised, silent, and unyielding—we see the embodiment of spiritual freedom: a refusal to submit to the logic of empire.'
Read about Giovanni Antonio da Brescia’s engraving in our exhibition of the week:
thevcs.org/sheep-among-...
Read about Giovanni Antonio da Brescia’s engraving in our exhibition of the week:
thevcs.org/sheep-among-...
February 6, 2026 at 7:25 AM
Donato Loia writes: 'In the stillness of Christ’s figure—poised, silent, and unyielding—we see the embodiment of spiritual freedom: a refusal to submit to the logic of empire.'
Read about Giovanni Antonio da Brescia’s engraving in our exhibition of the week:
thevcs.org/sheep-among-...
Read about Giovanni Antonio da Brescia’s engraving in our exhibition of the week:
thevcs.org/sheep-among-...
The Gospel of Matthew records Jesus’s declaration: ‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword’.
This 14th-century fresco in the Visoki Dečani Monastery in Kosovo depicts Jesus holding a sword:
thevcs.org/sheep-among-...
This 14th-century fresco in the Visoki Dečani Monastery in Kosovo depicts Jesus holding a sword:
thevcs.org/sheep-among-...
February 4, 2026 at 2:35 PM
The Gospel of Matthew records Jesus’s declaration: ‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword’.
This 14th-century fresco in the Visoki Dečani Monastery in Kosovo depicts Jesus holding a sword:
thevcs.org/sheep-among-...
This 14th-century fresco in the Visoki Dečani Monastery in Kosovo depicts Jesus holding a sword:
thevcs.org/sheep-among-...
Matthew 10:16–36 presents the worldly authorities and the absolute authority of the Spirit as conflicting forces.
This idea finds a striking parallel in the story of St Francis and his father, as depicted in Sassetta’s painting. Click here to take a closer look:
thevcs.org/sheep-among-...
This idea finds a striking parallel in the story of St Francis and his father, as depicted in Sassetta’s painting. Click here to take a closer look:
thevcs.org/sheep-among-...
February 2, 2026 at 2:21 PM
Matthew 10:16–36 presents the worldly authorities and the absolute authority of the Spirit as conflicting forces.
This idea finds a striking parallel in the story of St Francis and his father, as depicted in Sassetta’s painting. Click here to take a closer look:
thevcs.org/sheep-among-...
This idea finds a striking parallel in the story of St Francis and his father, as depicted in Sassetta’s painting. Click here to take a closer look:
thevcs.org/sheep-among-...
The book of the prophet Haggai is addressed to the ‘remnant’ of God’s people living in Jerusalem, some 20 years after those forcibly displaced in the Babylonian exile were allowed to return to the city.
Find out more in our exhibition 'The Command to Rebuild the Temple':
thevcs.org/command-rebu...
Find out more in our exhibition 'The Command to Rebuild the Temple':
thevcs.org/command-rebu...
The Command to Rebuild the Temple
Exhibition: The Command to Rebuild the Temple (Haggai 1). Featuring works of art by Paul Neagu and Phyllida Barlow. Commentaries by Ruth Jackson Ravenscroft.
thevcs.org
January 30, 2026 at 4:19 PM
The book of the prophet Haggai is addressed to the ‘remnant’ of God’s people living in Jerusalem, some 20 years after those forcibly displaced in the Babylonian exile were allowed to return to the city.
Find out more in our exhibition 'The Command to Rebuild the Temple':
thevcs.org/command-rebu...
Find out more in our exhibition 'The Command to Rebuild the Temple':
thevcs.org/command-rebu...
In Haggai 1, much of the action revolves around precarious, unsettled, dwelling places.
On top of Phyllida Barlow's sculpture sits a precariously balanced wooden ‘house’ that looks as though it's about to fall off.
Take a closer look in this week's exhibition:
thevcs.org/command-rebu...
On top of Phyllida Barlow's sculpture sits a precariously balanced wooden ‘house’ that looks as though it's about to fall off.
Take a closer look in this week's exhibition:
thevcs.org/command-rebu...
January 28, 2026 at 12:59 PM
In Haggai 1, much of the action revolves around precarious, unsettled, dwelling places.
On top of Phyllida Barlow's sculpture sits a precariously balanced wooden ‘house’ that looks as though it's about to fall off.
Take a closer look in this week's exhibition:
thevcs.org/command-rebu...
On top of Phyllida Barlow's sculpture sits a precariously balanced wooden ‘house’ that looks as though it's about to fall off.
Take a closer look in this week's exhibition:
thevcs.org/command-rebu...
Our Exhibition of the Week features not one, but two closely-related wooden sculptures by Paul Neagu.
Click on the link to find out what they have to say about Haggai 1:
thevcs.org/command-rebu...
Click on the link to find out what they have to say about Haggai 1:
thevcs.org/command-rebu...
January 26, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Our Exhibition of the Week features not one, but two closely-related wooden sculptures by Paul Neagu.
Click on the link to find out what they have to say about Haggai 1:
thevcs.org/command-rebu...
Click on the link to find out what they have to say about Haggai 1:
thevcs.org/command-rebu...
Dalí’s 'Christ of St John of the Cross' is Johannine in many ways.
It captures the mood of the prologue of John’s Gospel, which begins, ‘In the beginning’.
It captures the mood of the prologue of John’s Gospel, which begins, ‘In the beginning’.
January 23, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Dalí’s 'Christ of St John of the Cross' is Johannine in many ways.
It captures the mood of the prologue of John’s Gospel, which begins, ‘In the beginning’.
It captures the mood of the prologue of John’s Gospel, which begins, ‘In the beginning’.
Reposted by The Visual Commentary on Scripture
Excellent The VCS entry. I saw the statue this summer, and it is well worth the trip to go there. Cf. another The VCS entry on other images of James here: thevcs.org/you-may-be-m...
January 23, 2026 at 12:35 PM
Excellent The VCS entry. I saw the statue this summer, and it is well worth the trip to go there. Cf. another The VCS entry on other images of James here: thevcs.org/you-may-be-m...
Reposted by The Visual Commentary on Scripture
Wow I love this 🥰 I just had to do a reflection on why I read for my literary criticism class and I wrote a bit about the Bible and believing reading can be integral to seeking spiritual/ethical/emotionak inspiration...this painting captures that for me in an image
The older woman in Rembrandt's painting is shown deeply absorbed in reading, concentrating her attention on a particular passage (illegible to the viewer). What she has found there seems to have inspired her: her lips are parted as if smiling.
January 23, 2026 at 5:14 AM
Wow I love this 🥰 I just had to do a reflection on why I read for my literary criticism class and I wrote a bit about the Bible and believing reading can be integral to seeking spiritual/ethical/emotionak inspiration...this painting captures that for me in an image
Quinten Massys' monumental triptych in Brussels is the second work in this week's exhibition.
It takes its lead from the second-century Gospel of James, also known as the Protoevangelium, filling in more details of the story of Mary.
Click here to take a closer look:
thevcs.org/way-glory#ja...
It takes its lead from the second-century Gospel of James, also known as the Protoevangelium, filling in more details of the story of Mary.
Click here to take a closer look:
thevcs.org/way-glory#ja...
January 21, 2026 at 2:28 PM
Quinten Massys' monumental triptych in Brussels is the second work in this week's exhibition.
It takes its lead from the second-century Gospel of James, also known as the Protoevangelium, filling in more details of the story of Mary.
Click here to take a closer look:
thevcs.org/way-glory#ja...
It takes its lead from the second-century Gospel of James, also known as the Protoevangelium, filling in more details of the story of Mary.
Click here to take a closer look:
thevcs.org/way-glory#ja...
James the son of Zebedee is best known for being the patron saint of pilgrimage.
This statue of James can be found in Santiago de Compostela, a site closely associated with pilgrimage.
Take a closer look in this week's exhibition, 'The Way to Glory':
thevcs.org/way-glory#si...
This statue of James can be found in Santiago de Compostela, a site closely associated with pilgrimage.
Take a closer look in this week's exhibition, 'The Way to Glory':
thevcs.org/way-glory#si...
January 19, 2026 at 12:26 PM
James the son of Zebedee is best known for being the patron saint of pilgrimage.
This statue of James can be found in Santiago de Compostela, a site closely associated with pilgrimage.
Take a closer look in this week's exhibition, 'The Way to Glory':
thevcs.org/way-glory#si...
This statue of James can be found in Santiago de Compostela, a site closely associated with pilgrimage.
Take a closer look in this week's exhibition, 'The Way to Glory':
thevcs.org/way-glory#si...
Psalm 104 presents the earth and everything in it as a theatre of God’s glory that incites the praise of God’s people. None of the characters or scenes in this creational theatre is insignificant.
Take a closer look at our exhibition of the week:
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
Take a closer look at our exhibition of the week:
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
January 18, 2026 at 9:22 AM
Psalm 104 presents the earth and everything in it as a theatre of God’s glory that incites the praise of God’s people. None of the characters or scenes in this creational theatre is insignificant.
Take a closer look at our exhibition of the week:
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
Take a closer look at our exhibition of the week:
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
Sandra Bowden’s collagraph takes inspiration from the psalmist’s pronouncement that God has set the earth on an immovable foundation.
Click here to read about the third work in our exhibition on #Psalm 104:
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
Click here to read about the third work in our exhibition on #Psalm 104:
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
January 16, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Sandra Bowden’s collagraph takes inspiration from the psalmist’s pronouncement that God has set the earth on an immovable foundation.
Click here to read about the third work in our exhibition on #Psalm 104:
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
Click here to read about the third work in our exhibition on #Psalm 104:
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
Van Gogh wrote that ‘all nature seems to speak … I do not understand why everyone does not see and feel it; nature or God does it for everyone who has eyes and ears and a heart to understand’.
Take a closer look at 'Long Grass with Butterflies' in this week's exhibition:
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
Take a closer look at 'Long Grass with Butterflies' in this week's exhibition:
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
January 14, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Van Gogh wrote that ‘all nature seems to speak … I do not understand why everyone does not see and feel it; nature or God does it for everyone who has eyes and ears and a heart to understand’.
Take a closer look at 'Long Grass with Butterflies' in this week's exhibition:
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
Take a closer look at 'Long Grass with Butterflies' in this week's exhibition:
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
The title of this work, 'The World Spills', comes from an essay by philosopher Bayo Akomolafe who writes that ‘the world spills in excess of itself’.
Find out more in our exhibition on #Psalm 104, 'O Lord, How Manifold Are Thy Works!'
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
Find out more in our exhibition on #Psalm 104, 'O Lord, How Manifold Are Thy Works!'
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
January 12, 2026 at 3:42 PM
The title of this work, 'The World Spills', comes from an essay by philosopher Bayo Akomolafe who writes that ‘the world spills in excess of itself’.
Find out more in our exhibition on #Psalm 104, 'O Lord, How Manifold Are Thy Works!'
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
Find out more in our exhibition on #Psalm 104, 'O Lord, How Manifold Are Thy Works!'
thevcs.org/o-lord-how-m...
Cristobal de Villalpando, trained in Mexico City by Baltasar de Echave Rioja, son of one of the first Hispanic artists to emigrate to ‘New Spain’ (as Mexico was then known), was inspired by Rubens for his depiction of the Magi.
Take a closer look here:
thevcs.org/adoration-ma...
Take a closer look here:
thevcs.org/adoration-ma...
January 9, 2026 at 11:57 AM
Cristobal de Villalpando, trained in Mexico City by Baltasar de Echave Rioja, son of one of the first Hispanic artists to emigrate to ‘New Spain’ (as Mexico was then known), was inspired by Rubens for his depiction of the Magi.
Take a closer look here:
thevcs.org/adoration-ma...
Take a closer look here:
thevcs.org/adoration-ma...
Benozzo Gozzoli's fresco cycle, painted for the Medici family's private chapel in 1459, is one of the most impressive depictions of the Journey of the Magi.
Take a closer look in our exhibition of the week, The Adoration of the Magi:
thevcs.org/adoration-ma...
Take a closer look in our exhibition of the week, The Adoration of the Magi:
thevcs.org/adoration-ma...
January 7, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Benozzo Gozzoli's fresco cycle, painted for the Medici family's private chapel in 1459, is one of the most impressive depictions of the Journey of the Magi.
Take a closer look in our exhibition of the week, The Adoration of the Magi:
thevcs.org/adoration-ma...
Take a closer look in our exhibition of the week, The Adoration of the Magi:
thevcs.org/adoration-ma...
In the week of #Epiphany, our Exhibition of the Week looks at the Adoration of the Magi.
Click here to read Timothy Verdon's commentary on Matthew 2:1–12 and this sixth-century mosaic in the church of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo at Ravenna:
thevcs.org/adoration-ma...
Click here to read Timothy Verdon's commentary on Matthew 2:1–12 and this sixth-century mosaic in the church of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo at Ravenna:
thevcs.org/adoration-ma...
January 6, 2026 at 10:09 AM
In the week of #Epiphany, our Exhibition of the Week looks at the Adoration of the Magi.
Click here to read Timothy Verdon's commentary on Matthew 2:1–12 and this sixth-century mosaic in the church of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo at Ravenna:
thevcs.org/adoration-ma...
Click here to read Timothy Verdon's commentary on Matthew 2:1–12 and this sixth-century mosaic in the church of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo at Ravenna:
thevcs.org/adoration-ma...
Fung Chunlan’s photograph 'I Don’t Know about Tomorrow' features a boy in an outfit of ginkgo leaves standing against the backdrop of an ominous storm.
Find out more in this week's exhibition on Ephesians 1:
thevcs.org/gods-holy-pe...
Find out more in this week's exhibition on Ephesians 1:
thevcs.org/gods-holy-pe...
January 2, 2026 at 11:02 AM
Fung Chunlan’s photograph 'I Don’t Know about Tomorrow' features a boy in an outfit of ginkgo leaves standing against the backdrop of an ominous storm.
Find out more in this week's exhibition on Ephesians 1:
thevcs.org/gods-holy-pe...
Find out more in this week's exhibition on Ephesians 1:
thevcs.org/gods-holy-pe...
The offensive mingling of the grotesque and the sacred, not unlike the original crucifixion of Christ, belies a profound message of faith in Damien Hirst's 'God Alone Knows'.
Read about it in our exhibition on Ephesians 1:
thevcs.org/gods-holy-pe...
Read about it in our exhibition on Ephesians 1:
thevcs.org/gods-holy-pe...
December 31, 2025 at 9:35 AM
The offensive mingling of the grotesque and the sacred, not unlike the original crucifixion of Christ, belies a profound message of faith in Damien Hirst's 'God Alone Knows'.
Read about it in our exhibition on Ephesians 1:
thevcs.org/gods-holy-pe...
Read about it in our exhibition on Ephesians 1:
thevcs.org/gods-holy-pe...