{"product_id":"the-conversion-of-mary-magdalene-print","title":"The Conversion of Mary Magdalene Print","description":"\u003cspan\u003eThis image, the Conversion of Mary Magdalene, by Elizabeth Zelasko,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewas commissioned by Avodah in 2022.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTHINGS TO MEDITATE ON.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*The image reads left to right. Mary is being called out of sin and into a new life. You will\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003esee symbols of death on the left and symbols of life on the right.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*You see the tomb on the upper left. Dry and broken bones. These are the symbols that\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMary Magdalene carried during a life of sin.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*The human skull on the bottom left has been stoned to death by sin; a death that Jesus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003esaved Mary from. Not only physically but spiritually.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*The laid down stones represents the sins committed by Mary but also of the sins\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ecommitted by others against her.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*Mary is wearing the colors of lent and penance but there is a glow of red as she is lit up\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003efrom her encounter with Christ. Red is the color she will wear in icons that depict her\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ehas a saint.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*In many icons Mary has six strands of hair showing. This represents her lack of\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eperfection as seven is the number of perfection.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*Her body language is one of imitating Christ. This is what she will do after her\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eencounter with him. She is almost not even aware that her hands are imitating him. Her\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003egaze is intensely caught up in his. She becomes Christlike.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAs we move to the right you will notice life.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*Christ has drawn a line in the sand. Some scholars have speculated that he was\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eperhaps writing the sins of others. This is possible. The same word in Greek is used\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ehere for “writing in the earth” as was used when speaking of God “writing the law into\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethe tablets” for Moses. I find that most interesting. Moses came down and smashed the\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003etablets after having caught God’s people in an act of adultery. The same sin that Mary\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ehas been found guilty of.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*Visually Christ and the line create a perfectly right angle. His line in the sand here\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003erepresents the law. He is calling Mary to cross over this line into a new life.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*He meets her where she is at, and reaches over this line lovingly to help her. Their\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ehands a bit reminiscent of Michelangelo’s creation scene. This is the creator reaching\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003edown to his creation and saying, “Follow me.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*The oil jar and red eggs represent the symbols of her new life that she will pick up,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ecarry and be remembered by. In iconography Mary is shown holding these things- the\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eoil jar for the costly nard that she anointed Jesus with and red (for the blood of Christ\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eand new life) Easter eggs as she is the first one to see Jesus after his resurrection from\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethe dead.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*At the top of the canvas you see a tomb for death and as you move to the right there\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eare mountains. Mountains in iconography always symbolize the spiritual journey\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eupwards towards God and reaching new heights. The often look like stairs for this\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ereason. They are never shown as coming to a perfect peak because even creation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ebows down to its creator.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*Sin and death are a desert and Christ is the oasis that teams with life and living water. I\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ehave added plant life behind Christ to illustrate this point.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*As is typical in iconography, the 14K gold sky is the light from the new Jerusalem.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e*Please note that your order is fulfilled by Printful on museum-quality matte paper. Images will arrive in a mailing tube and will need to be flattened out and framed as desired. The cropping of all images is completed by me and may vary from size to size. As such, your print may appear slightly different than the image posted here.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Elizabeth Zelasko","offers":[{"title":"8x10","offer_id":51003236385025,"sku":"ujd1793380282085","price":40.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"11x14","offer_id":51003236417793,"sku":"uku1793380282086","price":51.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20","offer_id":51003236450561,"sku":"ras1793380282087","price":68.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0822\/0105\/1393\/files\/the-conversion-of-mary-magdalene-print_1.jpg?v=1793380289","url":"https:\/\/quickdryclad.shop\/products\/the-conversion-of-mary-magdalene-print","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}