Birth of St. John

Title: Birth of St. John

Artist: Alexandre Bida

Medium: Engraving

Size: 28 x 21 cm

Date: c. 1873

Location: From “Christ in Art; Or, the Gospel Life of Jesus, with the Bida Illustrations.” by Eggleston, Edward.

About the time of Mary’s departure, as recorded in Luke 1:57, Elizabeth gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

When Elizabeth bears a son, all those around her hear that the Lord had shown her great mercy. Neighbors customarily joined in celebrations, and the birth of a son, especially under such unusual circumstances, was seen as special cause for celebration. Though these events are cosmic in their reach, they involve the divinity's personal touch. God has shown his mercy and magnified it to Elizabeth. Those who had shared her pain now rejoice with her. God's mercy expresses itself in concrete, loving action.

This illustration is one of the one hundred engravings designed by Alexandre Bida to accompany the text for the book “Christ in art: the story of the words and acts of Jesus Christ, as related in the language of the four evangelists, arranged in one continuous narrative.” The full-page plates on steel and wood were executed by Brend'amour, of Düsseldorf, after the designs of Bida.

Alexandre Bida (1813–1895) was born in Toulouse, France, and was a painter of the Romantic period. He specialized in Orientalism and studied under Eugene Delacroix, but soon developed his own style along with his desire for perfection. As a youth he traveled to work in Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, and Palestine. His works gained attention between 1847-1861, and he later illustrated the Bible.