John R. Brown (pictured  standing before a famous painting of his namesake) is the Institute’s favorite Wesleyan angel.  (Remember that angel has multiple definitions).  John is the most active partner in the Donegal Corridor, LLC.  (Click on the tile “Fly the Corridor” above for an explanation of the Corridor).  John Brown has taken the bull by the horns to get the Institute off the ground in 2007.  Not only did JB drive the green side of securing the former abortion clinic, he, a man in his late 70’s, spearheaded much of the cleaning (including a big mess in the basement), financed the new furnace and supervised the plumbing repairs.  It is no overstatement to say that the ArchAngel Institute would not be off the ground without John Brown’s significant and substantial sacrifices.  John Brown is the Arch Guardian Angel.  The Institute has awarded him with a red shirt bearing the title “Den Father.”  In this final post of 2007 the Institute honors John Roger Brown of New Haven.  It is a title befitting the point man at the Donegal Corridor.

John is one of many who pledged to help get the Institute going through prayers, financial contributions and/or labor.  None have done more than John to get the ArchAngel Institute airborne.  Notice the shirt John is modeling.  It is the “Guardian 2007″ shirt that any who helped launch the Institute are encouraged to wear.  Any who helped launch the Institute can order such a shirt.  The shirts cost the Institute about $25 to produce.  If you would like such a shirt, merely drop us a note with your shirt size.  We ask that any ordering such a shirt help us out with a donation, but if that is an economic hardship we still want to order such a shirt for those who helped us launch.  So if you helped, please ask for your shirt and just let us know if you cannot afford the donation.  We will take it from there.  We really do want those who helped us get the ship off the ground to have a red ArchAngel shirt memorializing their commitment. 

New Haven’s John Brown is a Guardian Angel due to his faith, which is a result of his upbringing by his father Richard Brown and example of grandfathers Luther and John M. Brown.  John R. Brown is a Wesleyan Guardian Angel thanks to Lifeway Wesleyan Church and his good friend Pastor Rick Fletcher.  Pastor Rick is a friend of the Institute, even a guardian angel himself.  Pastor Rick has supported the launch of the Institute, offered his spiritual counseling and advice, and been a constant advocate of God’s unmatched grace and graciousness to the Institute’s Executive Director.  Pastor Rick and John Brown are two of the Institute’s favorite angels, Wesleyan or otherwise.

Join Pastor Rick and John Brown in flying the Guardian 2007 colors by ordering your Guardian 2007 shirt today! 

And if you have not yet helped in the launch, then come aboard now and we will order you a Guardian 2008 shirt! 

Postscript:

The picture of the historic John Brown in this post is found in mural form in the Kansas capitol building.  It was painted in the 1930’s by Kansas artist John Steuart Curry (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steuart_Curry) and represents Bloody Kansas as the precursor to the Civil War that tore the United States asunder in 1861.  The mural is entitled “Tragic Prelude.”  This great mural makes the point that there are values that rightly divide a people.  Note the book in John Brown’s upraised hand.

Some claim that if you look very close, John Brown’s buckskin is stamped Guardian 1858.  The Institute neither confirms nor denies this report.  The Institute does want to make the point that John Brown of Harpers Ferry was not a Wesleyan. 

Trivia question:  Who can identify this stained glass window?

“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” is a Christmas hymn or carol written by
Charles Wesley (pictured below), the brother of John Wesley, the co-founder of Methodism and, by implication, all of the many denominations that flowed out of the revival that was Methodism.

This great hymn of the Faith first appeared in a work entitled Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1739. The original opening couplet was “Hark! how all the welkin rings / Glory to the King of Kings”. The version known today is the result of alterations by various hands, most notably George Whitfield, Wesley’s co-worker, who changed the opening couplet to the familiar one we know today.

Source: Wikipedia

If only half of your progenitors since 1740 sang Hark the Herald, and only half of them could sing it in faith, then that is still more than 500 of your ancestors, since the 1740’s, who celebrated Christmas as the birthday of the Incarnated One by singing this great carol.

That is 500 of your ancestors who sung these words, embracing them as their own statement of faith, their own creed.  It truly earns credit as a hymn celebrated by the faith of our fathers!

Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Refrain

Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.

Refrain

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

Refrain

Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.

Refrain

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.

Refrain

For more of Wesley’s inspired poetry click here:

http://gbgm-umc.org/umhistory/wesley/hymns/

On the first day of Christmas … According to http://www.cin.org/twelvday.html\… The “true love” mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The “me” who receives the presents refers to every [Christian.] The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ’s sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so…”    

While the Institute is not interested in entering the debate as to the genesis of the 12 Days of Christmas, we are very much interested in preserving Christian culture.  The 12 Days present us with a fine vehicle for celebrating the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and between Decemberwr 25 and January 6.  This we plan to do, to the glory of God the Father.

The crucifixion rendering opening this post is enttitled Christ on the Crossby Peter Paul Rubens (1577 – 1640)  Pained in 1627 Oil on panel 20 x 14 7/8 inches (51 x 38 cm) Rockox House, Antwerp, Belgium  According a reliable source, Rubens is a Flemish painter and the greatest exponent of Baroque painting’s dynamism, vitality, and sensuous exuberance. Though his masterpieces include portraits and landscapes, Rubens is perhaps best known for his religious and mythological compositions. As the impresario of vast decorative programs, he presided over the most famous painter’s studio in Europe. His powers of invention were matched by extraordinary energy and versatility.   And now more on the 12 Days of Christmas from this fine source: http://cresourcei.org

by Dennis Bratcher

The Twelve Days of Christmas is probably the most misunderstood part of the church year among Christians who are not part of liturgical church traditions. Contrary to much popular belief, these are not the twelve days before Christmas, but in most of the Western Church are the twelve days from Christmas until the beginning of Epiphany 

{snip}

In the Western church, Epiphany is usually celebrated as the time the Wise Men or Magi arrived to present gifts to the young Jesus (Matt. 2:1-12).

{snip}

By the 16th century, some European and Scandinavian cultures had combined the Twelve Days of Christmas with (sometimes pagan) festivals celebrating the changing of the year.

{snip}

The popular song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is usually seen as simply a nonsense song for children. However, some have suggested that it is a song of Christian instruction dating to the 16th century religious wars in England, with hidden references to the basic teachings of the Faith.  They contend that it was a mnemonic device to teach the catechism to youngsters. The “true love” mentioned in the song is not an earthly suitor, but refers to God Himself. The “me” who receives the presents refers to every baptized person who is part of the Christian Faith. Each of the “days” represents some aspect of the Christian Faith that was important for children to learn.

However, many have questioned the historical accuracy of this origin of the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. 

{snip}

It is certainly possible that this view of the song is legendary or anecdotal. …  So, for the sake of historical accuracy, we need to acknowledge this uncertainty.

However, on another level, this uncertainty should not prevent us from using the song in celebration of Christmas. Many of the symbols of Christianity were not originally religious, including even the present date of Christmas, but were appropriated from contemporary culture by the Christian Faith as vehicles of worship and proclamation. Perhaps, when all is said and done, historical accuracy is not really the point.  Perhaps more important is that Christians can celebrate their rich heritage, and God’s grace, through one more avenue this Christmas. Now, when they hear what they once thought was a secular “nonsense song,”  they will be reminded in one more way of the grace of God working in transforming ways in their lives and in our world.  After all, is that not the meaning of Christmas anyway?

We at the Institute think the purpose of Christmas is to proclaim and declare the meaning of Christmas.  We are happy to be doing just that at 827 Webster Street and on this website!  And that we will continue to do, in sacred art and inspired verse, as long that the Lord of Life grants us breath.

This is the very door through which abortion bound women passed over the 28 years that 827 Webster Street served as Indiana’s most notorious abortuary. Women who, like Mary, found themselves in crisis pregnancies. Women who were most often not loved and supported by the father of the child, the father that sent his own child through this ominous door.

The Scriptures tell us that Joseph supported Mary in her crisis, even before he was told (by an angel) that the child she carried was unique among the children of men. Most of the women who walked through this door and climbed the steps beyond the door did not have a man of Joseph’s caliber in their life. And once this door closed behind them, the most important man in their child’s nascent life was the “doctor.” A “doctor” being reward to exterminate the unwanted “product of conception”.

Two patients entered, but only one exited. One dead, one wounded. It was a modern slaughter of the innocents. The fruit of the womb was turned into a product that was “harvested” for profit by men of King Herod’s spirituality.

Abortion is a direct attack against the basic building block of human society, the family. Those who ply the trade commit acts of treason against the human race by furthering the culture of death. (Despair ye not, for a general amnesty is available! Click here: Jesus Forgives and Heals)

The ArchAngel Institute proclaims its allegiance to the Culture of Life this Christmas, and encourages everyone to do the same. This allegiance is best demonstrated through resistance to the modernist attack on the family. The antidote to such attacks is found in the great example set by the Holy Family. Let us join with the late Pope John Paul II in extolling the very good news and very great virtue found in the Holy Family. Let us join John Paul II in holding the Holy Family out as the foundation of Christian civilization on this fallen (yet redeemable) orb.

The Institute wishes you Merry Christmas in the following greeting from the front door of the former clinic:

The Son of God, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Immaculate Virgin Mary and born in the stable at Bethlehem, chose to enter the world within a family, the Holy Family of Nazareth. Before the crib, the eyes of the heart and of faith look intently upon this Family: upon Jesus, Mary and Joseph. During the whole Christmas period our eyes will rejoice at the mystery of the Holy Family…. The Birth of the Lord gladdens us, the mystery of the Holy Family gladdens us. Everyone wants to share in this joy: this is the joy which today we want to wish everyone.John Paul II, December 25, 1994

Postscript:

The Holy Family with the infant St. John the Baptist (the Doni tondo)Michelangelo
1503-04‚Oil on panelDiameter 120 cm

Uffizi, Florence

The above icon of the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth is currently displayed in the storm door of the former abortion clinic. The glare on the glass makes viewing in this venue difficult, but the icon depicts Mary, with Jesus inutero, visiting Elizabeth, with John inutero. This moving piece of art was given to the ArchAngel Institute by Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church on May 19, 2007.

May 19 was a quite unique day, as that 827 Webster Street was the subject of an Orthodox exorcism, followed by a traditional Roman Catholic blessing, followed by a tribute to pro-life activists (especially Phyllis Avila) from decades past by Frank Avila, followed by a reading from Martin Luther, followed by an Evangelical invocation by Pastor Wendell Brane (Trinity Evangelical Church). This unique service opened and closed with bagpipes playing sacred music. One of the bagpipers was one of Fort Wayne’s finest, a man in blue. Details of this event are posted on this site and available in the archives of the News-Sentinel.

Father David Meinzen and Deacon Michael Myers performed the exorcism on May 19, and included with the service an explanation of why the Orthodox Church believed an exorcism appropriate under the circumstances. That informative and uplifting explanation will be posted on this website at a later date.

The above pictured icon was presented to the Institute on May 19. No icon could have been any more appropriate given the horrible acts that had taken place at 827 Webster Street over the 28 years prior to 2007.

The Gospel of Luke, at chapter one, describes the visitation that this icon depicts.

Note two items in particular …

First, here was John the Baptizer, many years before he immersed anyone, demonstrating both his mission and his personality. That is, he announced the presence of the Holy One of Israel (Jesus) and did so with great panache. Yes, it really is John, despite his diminutive size and very young age. It was John being John, while he was somewhere between conception and birth. John was closer to the latter than the former, based upon the accounting of months found in the Luke 1:24-26.

Second, John was responding to the presence of the entity then residing in the womb of Mary. That entity, the Holy One of Israel, was also somewhere between conception and birth. Many commentators believe Jesus was closer to the former than the latter when Mary visited Elizabeth. The Scriptures indicate that John was in the sixth month of gestation and Jesus in the initial days of gestation when this visit took place. See Luke 1:36-41.

In other words, this icon of the visitation celebrates a likely third trimester “fetus” responding to the presence of a likely first trimester “embryo.”

The scriptures and this icon could not be more pro-life. It is in this very passage that Catholics find the root of much of their Marian devotion. Elizabeth cried out, when little John bounced in her womb, “blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”

Mary responded, “My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.”

Such is the text that the Scriptures tie to the historic meeting depicted in the icon of the Visitation.

Many pro-lifers, Orthodox or not, may want to obtain such an icon for their home. I have found it difficult to locate the icon on the Institute’s door online. Similar icons can be found online and are pictured below. Those wanting an icon like the one now gracing the former clinic’s porch should contact Eikons Studio at (216) 575-1416.

Today’s postscript presents more about icons.

Postscript

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church

The Orthodox & Icons (edited)

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world. It is considered by its adherents to be the least changed from its ancient theological roots which stretch back to the beginnings of Christianity itself. It is comprised of numerous theologically unified autocephalous congregations each shepherded by a synodbishops whose duty is to preserve the traditions of the Church, and who can trace their lineage back to one of the twelve Apostles through the process of apostolic succession. Orthodox Christians regard their church as: of independent

• The original Christian Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles.

• The preservers of the teachings and traditions given to the original members of the Church by the Apostles nearly 2000 years ago; and the developers of later traditions which expand and illuminate the original teachings.
• The preservers of Truth having never fallen into error, comparing all newer theological ideas to the already established beliefs and practices of the Church; accepting ideas that clarify and correctly teach, while rejecting ideas that are theologically incompatible with the original teachings.
• The compilers of the New Testament whose texts were written to members of the Church in ancient times and ultimately express already established Church doctrine (i.e. The Church was the basis for the New Testament, not the other way around)
• The Church which established and preserves the original Christian Calendar (based on the Julian calendar) setting the dates for the celebration of the significant events in Christ’s life in Chronological order.

Icons

The term Icon comes from the Greek word eikona, which simply means image. The Orthodox believe that the first icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary were painted by Luke the Evangelist. Icons are filled with symbolism designed to convey information about the person or event depicted.

Icons are not considered by the Orthodox to be idols or objects of worship. The parameters of their usage was clearly spelled out by the 7th ecumenical council. Justification for their usage utilizes the following logic: Before Christ God took human form no material depiction was possible and therefore blasphemous even to contemplate. Once Christ became human, he was able to be depicted. And because he is God, it is justified to hold in one’s mind the image of God Incarnate. Likewise, when one venerates an icon, it is not the wood or paint that are venerated but rather the individual shown, just as it is not the paper one loves when one might kiss the photograph of a loved one. As Saint Basil famously proclaimed, honor or veneration of the icon always passes to its archetype. Following this reasoning through, the veneration of the glorified human saint made in God’s image, is always a veneration of the divine image, and hence God as foundational archetype.

Icons can be found adorning the walls of churches and often cover the inside structure completely. Most Orthodox homes have an area set aside for family prayer, usually an eastern facing wall, where are hung many icons.

In the final analysis it can be said that this is

the greatest icon known to planet Earth:

Man, created in the Image of the Living God

Live to your highest potential

Be an icon today and everyday

The ArchAngel Institute is headquartered in the building on the right. The building on the left is the Women’s Care Center, a very fine crisis pregnancy center.  Why is the Fort Wayne abortion clinic no longer on Webster Street?  Probably for two reasons:  One, the CPC right next door.  Two, because Allen County Right to Life, Indiana Right to Life and good pro-life activists and politicians across the Hoosier State worked to pass reasonable legislation.  Reasonable and potentially life-saving legislation that forced abortionist George Ulrich Klopfer and abortion provider Susan Hill to clean up their act.  As we documented earlier on this website, the abortion clinic was seemingly operated against the same lax health standards as a proverbial “back alley” butcher shop.  Imagine that, abortionists who care more about money than the safety of the desparate and often abandoned women seeking their services. 

This old clinic could not meet the new code for outpatient medical centers.  And so the building went up for sale.  The rest is now history . . . ironic history.  Click here for more on that subject: Cosmic Irony is Underway on Webster Street

Alas, the Fort is not abortion free.  It is, however, Susan Hill free. That feminist activist and Klopfer went separate ways, and now Klopfer is alone in the child killing business in Fort Wayne.  He moved out to Inwood Drive, near State and Coliseum Blvd.  Here is the best part — the Women’s Care Center opened a new office next door to Klopfer’s clinic just as he was opening up in a new location that complied with the law that ACRTL helped to enact.  

Such acts (the care ministry of the WCC and the political activism of ACRTL and the statesmanship of those who enacted the laws) constitute the Culture of Life taking good ground.    The Institute thanks God the Father for such activists this Advent!

Back to the red brick building above.  The storefront was about all that most abortion bound women saw for the 28 years that the building participated in the grisly business of pregnancy termination on demand.  No time to walk through the park, no time to take in the character of the southern wall, no time to tour the place.  They were rushed toward that storefront by “escorts” who had (and yet have on Inwood Drive) only one goal:  get the pregnant woman “safely” past those who would offer any choice other than an abortion.  (These escorts claims the title “pro-choice,” but that certainly is a misnomer given their bias for surgical pregancy termination.) 

Thus the large front window was never much of  a focal point while the building was operated as an abortion clinic.  It was a cold, blank stare on a building that housed unspeakable pain and life-ruining grief. 

No longer.  That very window now proclaims the most wonderful mystery known to mankind — the mystery of the Incarnation.  The source of joy, hope and true happiness. 

Many artists have endeavored to capture the moment when the ArchAngel Gabriel announced to Mary that she had been chosen, out of all of the billions of daughters of Eve, to be the gateway for the Incarnation.  Her womb would cradle the One who hung the stars.  Her flesh was to be His flesh.  To wax scientific, her very DNA was to be the DNA of God-made-man. The only source of DNA. (I.e., it truly was a virgin birth.)  

What an amazing mystery!   And what a rebuke to the abortion industry.  God became man –not when Mary noticed she was pregnant – not when the babe in the womb passed into the third trimester – not when its head passed through the cervical os – not once a breath was taken by the Christ child.

God became man when Mary said yes, allowing the spark of life to explode inside her womb.  Just as it was with us all.  (With the exception that the explosion that was Jesus occured in the holy ground of Mary’s womb without the presense of Adam’s seed.)

More will be posted on this very important foundational truth, including a discussion of the artist Leonardo da Vinci,   Today we merely present this wonderful paiting, which now graces the front window of the abortion clinic, and the Holy Scripture posted beneath da Vinci’s masterpiece.

“The Annunciation” by Leonardo da Vinci
c. 1472-1475
Oil and tempera on panel
38 1/4 x 84 5/8 in. (98 x 217 cm)
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

From the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 1:

26 And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. 31 Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. 33 And of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? 35 And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Please consider praying the following for the nine days between December 21 and December 29 for a special intention of the Institute.  This special intention involves communicating the Gospel of Life and building up the Culture of Life.

Those who pray with us during this special nine day period are requested to pray this prayer: 

PRAYER TO CHRIST THE KING

Say the following prayers each day:  O Lord our God,  

You alone are the Most Holy King and Ruler of all nations.  

We pray to You, Lord,  in the great expectation of receiving from You,

O Divine King, mercy, peace, justice and all good things. 

Protect, O Lord our King, our families and the land of our birth.  

Guard us we pray Most Faithful One.  

Protect us from our enemies and from Your Just Judgment 

Forgive us, O Sovereign King, our sins against you. 

Jesus, You are a King of Mercy. 

We have deserved Your Just Judgment 

Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us. 

We trust in Your Great Mercy. 

O most awe-inspiring King, we bow before You and pray; 

May Your Reign, Your Kingdom, be recognized on earth.  Amen.

Postscript: 

The above picture is entitled "St. Michael the Archangel."   

It was painted in 1635 by Guido Reni. 

The original of this picture now gracing the "exit" door of the 

former abortion clinic is found in Rome.  It is above the altar of the 

first chapel in Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini.

Reni also painted the ArchAngel Gabriel — albeit in a much softer manner than Michael:

Angel of the Annunciation
Oil on canvas, 58,5 x 46,5 cm
Landesmuseum, Oldenburg

We interrupt the art appreciation study to ask for volunteers for three important tasks.  (But just to keep a great theme going, find some fine art at the close of this post.)

The ArchAngel Institute is seeking volunteers for the following tasks:

Task 1. Cleaning, prepping for painting and generally helping to reclaim for the Culture of Life (via sweat equity) the former clinic.

When:  On the first three Saturdays in January.

To volunteer for this detail: Come to 827 Webster Street between 8:30 and 3:30 pm on January 5, 12, or 19

Bring: Your favorite tools or supplies for such tasks.

Note:  We would love to have you, even if you can only come for an hour or two.  We prefer you come on January 5 or 12. 

Task 2:   Database management.  The Institute is in need of a person experienced in the management of electronic databases to aid in the development of communications via email and postal service.  Prior experience is not as important as a theoretical understanding of database software.

To volunteer: Send a note of interest to 827 Webster Street, Fort Wayne, 46802 or email archangelinstitute@gmail.com.  

Task 3:   Security detail.  A sister ministry has asked the Institute to head up a security detail every Tuesday evening in January.  Men or women of firm resolve who are not shy about enforcing unpopular rules are needed for this detail. 

To volunteer:  If you can aid the Institute in this worthy task then meet Executive Director Bryan J. Brown at the McDonald’s on State and Coliseum Blvd at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 8. 

While we are not all that picky, we are seeking security guards and volunteers who will perform a bit better than these:

Piero della Francesca, Resurrection, 1463;

Mural in fresco and tempera, 225 x 200 cm; Museo Civico, Sansepolcro

Piero della Francesca (1420?-92). One of the great artists of the early Italian Renaissance, Piero della Francesca painted religious works that are marked by their simple serenity and clarity. [A] notable accomplishment of Piero’s was a series of frescoes entitled The Legend of the True Cross.

Source:  http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/piero/

 St. Michael’s fight against the dragon
Woodcut, 39.2 x 28.3 cm (15 x 11 1/8 in)

Artist:  Albrecht Durer, 1498

In the century before the great Rembrandt we find the great German artist of the Northern Renaissance —  Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528).

According to an academic site,

Dürer was so great an artist, so searching and all-encompassing a thinker, that he was almost a Renaissance in his own right — and his work was admired by contemporaries in the North and South alike.

Having rejected the Gothic art and philosophy of Germany’s past, Dürer is the first great Protestant painter, calling Martin Luther “that Christian man who has helped me out of great anxieties”.

www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/durer/

A Catholic source credits Durer in the following manner:

But the great Albrecht Dürer was to express all that was most intimate in Germanic religion, and beautiful as were his pictures he expressed the deepest meanings in his prints. This more direct and less expensive art produced for the masses, satisfied the German demands for popularity and individuality.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11395a.htm

Angel with the Key to the Bottomless Pit
1498 (100 Kb); engraving; Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
1498 (100 Kb); woodcut

The Adoration of the Trinity

1511
Oil on lindenwood, 135 x 123,4 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Dürer created his single panel altarpiece showing the Adoration of the Trinity, a celestial vision which forms an iconographical whole with the picture frame, for the wealthy merchant Matthäus Landauer. The Trinity is depicted with Christ on the Cross being supported by angels, the focal point of the heavenly gathering of saints. The crowd of martyrs on the left is led by Mary, and the group of Old Testament prophets and kings on the right by St John the Baptist. Clergymen and laypersons following the heads of the State and Church form the lowest horizontal zone in heaven. The artist depicts himself in the earthly zone in the manner of a secondary portrait. The client is the only layperson portrayed in the group of clergymen on the left, and he is being received into the heavenly community by a cardinal. Dürer prepared this detail in a portrait study.

http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/d/durer/1/07/landaue1.html

Some may find the Institute’s presentation on the ArchAngels a bit too catholic.  This post seeks to bring balance to the formula.

Many Protestant Fundamentalist and Evangelical ministries share an umbrella site called Christian Answers.  Click here to visit that interesting site:   http://www.christiananswers.net/

The following (in green font) is taken from that website and offered as Protestant teaching on the question of angels:

What does the Bible

 teach about angels?

WHO OR WHAT ARE ANGELS?

The word “angel” actually comes from the Greek word aggelos, which means “messenger.” The matching Hebrew word mal’ak has the same meaning.

Sometimes, the Bible uses these words for human beings:

• ordinary people who carry messages (Job 1:14; Luke 7:24; 9:52)
• prophets (Isaiah 42:19; Malachi 3:1)
• priests (Malachi 2:7)
• church leaders (Rev 1:20)

Sometimes, it speaks figuratively of things or events as “messengers”…

• the pillar of cloud (Exodus 14:19)
• pestilence or plagues (2 Samuel 24:16-17)

But it usually describes the whole range of spirits whom God has created, including both good and evil angels, and special categories such as cherubim, seraphim, and the archangel.

Angels are mentioned at least 108 times in the Old Testament and 165 times in the New Testament (Chafer, Systematic Theology, II, 3). Hence, there is ample information available in Scripture to allow us to build a foundation for our knowledge of angelic beings.

Author: Dr. Paul Eymann.

A sampling of Reformed sacred art featuring angels:

 From a website:  Vincent van Gogh, for whom color was the chief symbol of expression, was born in Groot-Zundert, Holland. The son of a pastor, brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere …. [van Gogh served as] a preacher in the Borinage (a dreary mining district in Belgium), where he was dismissed for overzealousness.

(Pictured above, Van Gogh’s “Half Figure of an Angel”)

The picture that opens this post is from the great Dutch Master Rembrandt.  The particulars on that great piece of sacred art are as follows:

Title:  The Sacrifice of Isaac

Subject:   The Angel Stopping Abraham from Sacrificing Isaac to God

Medium and date:  Oil on canvas, 1634-5

Present location:  The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia

Particulars on the artist:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RembrandtRembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15, 1606 – October 4, 1669) was a Dutch painter and etcher. He is generally considered one of the greatest painters and printmakers in European art history and the most important in Dutch history.  His contributions to art came in a period that historians call the Dutch Golden Age.

Rembrandt is a favorite among many sons and daughters of the Reformation due to the sincere and personal faith revealed in his body of work.   This masterpiece, in which Rembrandt painted himself as one of the guards crucifying the Lord, is one of the best examples of Rembrandt’s faith: 

 The Raising of the Cross. c. 1633. Oil on canvas. Bayerische Staatsgemaldesammlungen, Munich, Germany