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John The Baptist Chapter 14 Essay

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In the New Testament, more specifically in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus ushers in a new way of thinking centered around Earthly suffering and the reward of Heaven. John the Baptist, a man of much faith, plays an important role in representing this theme; in Chapter 14 of the Gospel of Matthew, John, faces Earthly Suffering when he is unjustly put in jail and killed. Though the New Testament is an elaboration of the Old Testament, it carries different themes and teachings. Noticing this shift, Italian painter Michaelangelo Merisi da chose to depict the scene of John the Baptist’s death, elaborating on the bible verse and using his dramatic painting in order to provoke more emotion from his audience.
The beheading of John the Baptist in Matthew Chapter 14, though it shares themes from the Old Testament, is an example of how the New Testament differs from its precursor by utilizing the theme of Earthly suffering. King Herod arrests John the Baptist after John proclaims that it is unlawful of Herod to be with his wife, who some texts believe was his brother’s wife. Previously in the Old Testament, there have been stories of wrongful imprisonment, and this story makes use of the same theme. John should not be in Jail, but many times jail has been used to prove a lesson. Furthermore, though Herod imprisoned John and wanted to kill him, “he feared the …show more content…

Michaelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s “Beheading of Saint John the Baptist” is one painting that attempts to capture the moment of John’s murder. Caravaggio, an Italian painter, made this piece in 1608, following the Renaissance, and it is now located in St. John's Co-Cathedral in La Valletta, Malta. Caravaggio’s beheading of John the Baptist dramatizes the story, emphasizing the emotion and elaborating on the theme of Earthly

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