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In this scene from the Book of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), the Witch of Endor summons the spirit of the recently deceased prophet Samuel at the request of Saul, the king of Israel.<br/><br/> King Saul had consulted the witch, often referred to as the Medium of Endor, on the eve of a battle with the Philistines. The witch summons Samuel who prophesizes that the Philistines will win the battle and that Saul’s sons will be killed. Saul is told he is being punished for turning his back on God. The prophesy comes true and Saul commits suicide by falling on his sword.
The tale of Salome comes from the New Testament of the Christian Bible.<br/><br/> During the reign of Herod Antipas (4 BCE–49 CE)—the seventh son of Herod the Great, King of Judea—John the Baptist had been arrested and imprisoned for denouncing the king’s marriage to his sister-in-law, Herodias because both were divorcees. John’s life was spared due to his popularity in Judea.<br/><br/> However, at a royal banquet, Herodias’ daughter Salome performed an exotic sensual dance that so entranced Herod that he offered her anything from his kingdom that she wanted. She asked for the head of John the Baptist.
In this famous scene from the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Jesus Christ is crucified.<br/><br/> He is nailed to a cross inscribed with the initials ‘INRI’—Iesus Nazerenus, Rex Iudaeorum’, meaning ‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews’—signifying the Romans’ ridicule of Him.<br/><br/> Angels fly nearby, collecting Jesus’ blood in their goblets. At the foot of the cross, richly dressed and with a halo around her flowing golden hair, Mary Magdalene prays. She has brought a jar of ointment for Christ’s wounds. Behind her, the Virgin Mary, Christs’ mother, is comforted by the Apostle John. On the right, St. Veronica holds up the cloth she used to wipe the face of Jesus as he walked up to Calvary up the road to Golgotha. An imprint of his face remains. This is the famed Shroud of Turin. Other biblical scenes, such as Gethsemane, are portrayed in the background. In the distance stands Jerusalem.
Known in the Christian Bible as the Adoration of the Magi, this vivid scene depicts the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ, sitting in a ruined palace with the baby Jesus in her hands.<br/><br/> The Three Kings (the Magi) have come to Bethlehem to honour the child. They are dressed in their finest clothes. The kings , having removed their crowns, kneel and kiss the Christ's hand. Each bear's a gift, gold, frankincense and myrrh. Joseph stands in red in the background.
According to the Book of Genesis, which is the first book of the Christian Old Testament or Hebrew Bible, God created the universe in seven days. On the sixth day, he created ‘Adam’, the Hebrew word for ‘man’, and placed him in Paradise—the Garden of Eden. From one of Adam’s ribs, God then created a mate for him: Eve, meaning ‘Mother of Life’.<br/><br/> Adam and Eve were permitted to eat all the fruit in the garden except that from the ‘Tree of Knowledge’. However, the devil, disguised as a serpent, persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit—an apple—and she gave in to the temptation. This was considered mankind’s first sin.
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (February 23, 1646-February 19, 1709) was the fifth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He is known for instituting animal protection laws, particularly for dogs. This earned him the nickname of 'dog shogun'.<br/><br/> In 1691, Engelbert Kaempfer visited Edo as part of the annual Dutch embassy from Dejima in Nagasaki. He journeyed from Nagasaki to Osaka, to Kyoto, and there to Edo. Kaempfer gives us information on Japan during the early reign of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. As the Dutch embassy entered Edo in 1692, they asked to have an audience with Shogun Tsunayoshi. While they were waiting for approval, a fire destroyed six hundred houses in Edo, and the audience was postponed.<br/><br/> Tsunayoshi and several of the ladies of the court sat behind reed screens, while the Dutch embassy sat in front of them. Tsunayoshi took an interest in Western matters, and apparently asked them to talk and sing with one another for him to see how Westerners behaved. Tsunayoshi later put on a <i>No</i> drama for them.