Window 7 – The Gospel as a Two-edged Sword

WINDOW 7
The Gospel as a Two-edged Sword

Iconography: Text—Matthew 10:34. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword,” written in Latin and in English. The window portrays the stoning of Stephen while Saul watches, the persecutions illustrated in Revelation and in the early church.

Artist’s Description: This window illustrates the persecutions in the early church, the martyrdoms and the victory over Satan, the beast as described in the Book of Revelation. The left side of the window depicts the persecution of the early church in Judea showing the martyrdom of James the Less, leader of the Jerusalem church, and the stoning of Stephen. Saul, who later becomes Paul, witnesses the stoning. Above is depicted the scene of the martyrdom of Peter and Paul in Rome. Peter was crucified head down and Paul was executed by the sword. On the upper right window below the Latin quotation are two Roman banners. The pagan banner, the left one, has a broken pole while the banner with the Christian symbol, the right one, stands straight in victory. The large symbol with the superimposed two-edged sword is the cross of the Church Triumphant. There are two beasts, one is coming out of the earth and the other is emerging from the sea. Both are thrown into a bottomless pit. In the contemporary interpretation of this window, the pit is shown as a “black hole” in space.