St. Andrew, the Apostle, son of Jonah, was born in Bethsaida
of Galilee. He was brother of Simon Peter, and both were fishermen who, at the
beginning of Jesus’ ministry, occupied the same house at Capernaum.Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History quoted Origen
as saying that Andrew preached in Scythia, while the later Chronicle of Nestor adds that he preached along the Black Sea and
the Dnieper River as far as Kiev, and on to Novgorod. He was crucified by order
of the Roman Governor Aegeas, at Patrae in Achaia, on November 30, A.D. 60.
According to the Gospel of John 1:35-42, it was St. Andrew who
was the first named disciple called by Jesus. In keeping with his role as “the
first”, the feast of St. Andrew marks the beginning of a new liturgical year
with the start of Advent the Sunday that falls nearest to St. Andrew’s feast
day of November 30th. Beginning
today the Christmas Anticipatory Prayer, also known as the "Novena to St.
Andrew" is traditionally recited fifteen times a day until Christmas. This
meditative prayer is to help prepare oneself spiritually, and increase our
awareness of the real focus of Christmas.
Peter Howson (b. 1958) is a London born Scottish painter. In
2005 he was approached by the City Art Centre (Edinburgh) with a proposal to
complete a painting on the theme of Scotland’s patron Saint. This meeting led
to the following exhibition, “Andrew: Portrait of a Saint”. In preparation, the
artist travelled to Israel in order to immerse himself in the region where
Andrew had lived. The resulting representation of the Saint’s crucifixion has
been described as “monumental” and as having reenergized the traditional
portrait of Andrew. With an expression of suffering painstakingly etched across
the Saint’s face, Peter has visually depicted the strength and endurance of
Scotland’s patron Saint, and added a new sense of life to this ecclesial hero. More
of Peter’s work can be seen on his website https://peterhowson.co.uk
Title: St Andrew Artist: Jusepe de Ribera Medium: Oil on canvas Size:123 x 95 cm Date: c. 1630-32 Location: Museo del Prado, Madrid.
St. Andrew, the Apostle, son of Jonah, was born in Bethsaida of Galilee. He was brother of Simon Peter, and both were fishermen who, at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, occupied the same house at Capernaum. As one of the Twelve, Andrew was admitted to the closest familiarity with Jesus during his public life. He was present at the Last Supper, beheld the risen Lord, witnessed the Ascension, shared in the first Pentecost, and helped, amid threats and persecution, to establish the Faith in Palestine. He was crucified by order of the Roman Governor Aegeas, at Patrae in Achaia, on November 30, A.D. 60. He was bound, not nailed, to the cross, in order to prolong his sufferings. The cross on which he suffered is commonly held to have been the decussate cross, now known as St. Andrew's, though the evidence for this view seems to be no older than the fourteenth century.
The feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) is used as a marking point for the beginning of Advent, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus, which begins with the Sunday nearest to the feast day and embracing four Sundays. The first Sunday may be as early as 27 November, and then Advent has twenty-eight days, or as late as 3 December, giving the season only twenty-one days. With Advent the ecclesiastical year begins in the Western churches. Beginning today the Christmas Anticipatory Prayer, also known as the "Novena to St. Andrew" is prayed every day until Christmas.
The fourth miracle account that displays Jesus' power over nature is recorded in John 6:1-13. This miracle is known as The Feeding of the 5,000, or often the Miracle of the Five Loaves and Two Fish.
Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
This large and long horizontal canvas is characteristic of the laterali used to decorate Venetian chapels, especially those maintained by confraternities devoted to the Eucharist, known as Scuole del Sacramento. Painted about 1545–50, the present picture was designed by Tintoretto and executed, like many of his larger paintings, in part by the artist and in part by members of his workshop. The painting shows Christ handing Saint Andrew one of the five loaves and two fishes to be distributed to the multitude.
Tintoretto (September, 1518 – May, 1594) also known as Jacopo Robusti or Jacopo Comin, was an Italian painter and a notable exponent of the Venetian Renaissance school. His father, Giovanni, was a dyer, or tintore; hence the son got the nickname of Tintoretto, little dyer, or dyer's boy. Like Titian, Tintoretto kept a huge workshop, his chief assistants being his sons Domenico and Marco, and his daughter Marietta. Domenico became his foreman and is said to have painted many portraits, although none can be attributed to him with certainty.
Title: The Miracle of the loaves and fishes
Artist: Giacomo Cavedone
Medium: Chalk, ink, wash & oil on paper
Size: 37 x 24 cm
Date: c.1611-14
Location: FitzwilliamMuseum, Cambridge.
Giacomo Cavedone (1577–1660) also called Giacomo Cavedoni, was an Italian Baroque painter of the BologneseSchool. He was born in Sassuolo, near Modena, and was able to obtain a three year stipend to apprentice with Bernadino Baldi and Annibale Carracci. After Annibale's departure for Rome in 1595, Cavedone became one of Ludovico Carracci's primary assistants. His art is notable for his singular fusion of Annibale, and Ludovico Carracci's teachings to achieve a robust personal style. His career as a painter was cut short, however, by a set of misfortunes, including a 1623 fall from a church scaffold and the death of his wife and children from the plague. He lived in great poverty until his death in 1660.
The Miracle of the loaves and fishes occurs in the Gospel of John immediately after Jesus has spoken of Moses (John 5:45-47), and performs a sign that might be expected of a new Prophet like Moses: providing manna. Further connection to the Old Testament is provided by reference to “barley loaves”, reminiscent of 2 Kings 4:42-44, where Elisha multiplies such loaves. Indeed, even Philip’s and Andrew’s skepticism mirrors that of Elisha’s disciples. When Jesus asks Philip where to buy bread for these people to eat, Philip has already concluded it is impossible, he can think only in terms of "how." But in fact it is a test. A correct answer, in keeping with faithful responses earlier in the Gospel, might be something like, "Lord, you know." Or perhaps, "You, Lord, are able to provide." But even Philip has yet grasp the full significance of his earlier confession (John 1:45) that Jesus is "the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote".
According to New Testament scripture, St. Andrew, the Apostle, son of Jonah, or John, was born in Bethsaida of Galilee. Both he and his brother Simon (Peter) were fishermen, and at the beginning of Jesus' public life occupied the same house at Capernaum. From the fourth Gospel we learn that Andrew was a disciple of the Baptist, whose testimony first led him and John the Evangelist to follow Jesus. Andrew at once recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and hastened to introduce Him to his brother, Peter. Thereafter the two brothers were disciples of Christ.
The feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) is used as a marking point for the beginning of Advent, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus, which begins with the Sunday nearest to the feast day and embracing four Sundays. The first Sunday may be as early as 27 November, and then Advent has twenty-eight days, or as late as 3 December, giving the season only twenty-one days. With Advent the ecclesiastical year begins in the Western churches.
Artus Wolffort (1581 – 1641), also Wolffaert, was a Flemish Baroque painter from Antwerp. Wolffort’s work was virtually unknown until the late 1970s; some paintings were even thought to be early works by Rubens. The starting-point for the reconstruction of his oeuvre is the fully signed Women Bathing, together with several pictures bearing a monogram. He executed a number of commissioned altarpieces, such as the Ascension and the Assumption of the Virgin (both c. 1617; Antwerp, St Paul). Among his most characteristic works are his serial representations of the Twelve Apostles, the Four Evangelists and Four Fathers of the Church.
