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Sunday, December 14, 2025
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Giotto - Age of Faith
N A T I V I T Y
S T . F R A N C I S W A S D E V O T E D T O C H R I S T M A S
Giotto painted this fresco in 1320 at the Basilica of
St. Francis of Assisi. The Nativity scene is a departure
from the Medieval obsession with painting sainted icons.
They were symbols of faith, drained of emotion.
Compare that with the loving gaze Mary gives Jesus
in the manger scene depicted here. Now look at
Joseph sitting in the lower left. Here's a man
weary from his ordeal. He's too old for all this
hoo rah rah.
A D O R A T I O N O F T H E M A G I
T H E M O M E N T G O D B E C A M E H U M A N
The Magi were wise men, royalty, from distant lands.
They set their course for a brilliant star, casting its light
over Bethlehem. The prophecy of the Old Testament
was true. The Messiah was born. With great humility
these wise men came upon the child.
F L I G H T I N T O E G Y P T
K I N G H E R O D W A N T S J E S U S D E A D
Herod was installed as king by the hated Romans
so he already had good reason to feel paranoid.
Now suddenly there was all this excitement about
a birth, the Messiah, born under his nose.
Immediately he knew he must find and destroy
this rival for his throne.
A guardian angel warns Joseph of Herod's threat.
Giotto paints Joseph leading a donkey carrying both
Mary and her child towards the safety of Egypt.
Two angels above are seen urging the holy family
to make greater haste in their run for the border.
T H E B A P T I S M O F C H R I S T
J O H N P R O T E S T E D - Y O U S H O U L D B A P T I Z E ME
Jesus insisted he be the one baptized in order to
submit to his own commandment for all to be baptized.
The Greek word baptizo means to dip or immerse.
Baptism by water purifies, cleansing one of their sins.
One becomes a part of the Christian community by
first stepping through the door of baptism.
The angels and God himself witness the baptism
of Jesus here in Giotto's fresco.
K I S S O F J U D A S
R E D E M P T I O N B E G I N S W I T H B E T R A Y A L
The fate of Jesus was preordained.
The treachery of an Apostle of Christ
was warranted if the action would lead
to fulfillment of the prophecy.
It is difficult to believe Judas Iscariot
could be bought for a mere thirty pieces
of silver. More likely he was disillusioned
with the mission of Jesus. Or did Judas
appreciate his role in bringing Jesus to the
Cross? Christ's death was the price needing
to be paid in return for humanity's redemption.
Judas might view his action as noble.
Meanwhile the Apostle Peter slices off the ear
of a man lunging at Jesus in the ensuing ruckus.
C R U C I F I X I O N
A T O N E M E N T F O R O U R S I N S
Pontius Pilate had no taste for putting Jesus
to death for blasphemy. For Pilate, Christ
was just another crackpot mystic that was
commonly seen wandering about the area.
But fearing a riot by the angry crowd
protesting in front of him, Pilate gave in
to their demand that Christ be crucified.
Roman soldiers were given the task
of bringing Jesus to his crucifixion
but not before they provided their own
brand of pain and humiliation to
their captive miscreant.
Jesus was dead.
Then comes his resurrection.
Christ now sits at the side of God
to judge the quick and dead.
But herein was also a promise.
Salvation and everlasting life
was possible.
The core tenet of the New Testament.
* * * * *
© Tom Taylor
OVER EASY
Sunday, December 7, 2025
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Glimpse of Roman Empire
C O L O S S E U M
R O M E B U I L T : 8 0 A D
Emperor Vespasian wanted a new amphitheater for
fifty thousand Romans to view gladiatorial contests,
animal hunting and public executions. Tunnels and
chambers below the arena floor provided space for
workers, contestants and animals to wait for their
turn in the arena.
Colosseum seating was broken into tiers to separate
the various social classes. The best seats were closest
to the arena and were set aside for Senators, high ranking
officials and important priests. The Emperor had his own
private viewing box as did the six Vestal Virgins, situated
across the arena, opposite the Emperor. These were
powerful women of the priesthood, and chosen for their
service between the ages of 6 and 10. They were sworn
to thirty years of chastity. Breaking their oath meant being
buried alive outside the walls of Rome in a stone chamber.
Natural causes was the reason given for their death.
The highest tier, or nosebleed section, had the worst
view of the arena and was reserved for the
lowest classes, slaves and women.
G L A D I A T O R
C O L O S S E U M
Gladiators were professional combatants that fought
in the arena for public entertainment. They were
enslaved persons that included war captives and
condemned criminals. The most famous of the
gladiators was Spartacus, a man who never fought
in a major arena. Instead he escaped from gladiator
training school to assemble an army of a hundred
thousand enslaved people, in a rebellion against
the Roman Republic. The war lasted two years
before Spartacus and his force were finally defeated.
P A N T H E O N
R O M E B U I L T : 1 2 6 A D
The temple was built to honor all gods:
pan - all / theon - gods (Greek)
but was gifted to the Pope by the Byzantine
Emperor Boniface IV in 609 AD, and has remained
an active Catholic Church ever since. Raphael,
the famous Renaissance painter and Vatican favorite,
is among those entombed in the Pantheon's mausoleum.
It is unique among Roman structures in that the Pantheon
is a round building with a traditional Greek portico
for its entrance. Its sixteen massive granite columns
are sixty tons apiece and were imported from Egypt.
P A R T H E N O N
A C R O P O L I S O F A T H E N S B U I L T : 4 3 2 B C
The Parthenon has become a symbol of ancient Greece,
democracy and Western Civilization. It's Doric architecture
is a marvel of ancient engineering and has served as a
template for Roman design. The temple was severely
damaged in 1687 when a Venetian bomb exploded
the powder magazine stored inside by the Ottomans.
The Parthenon has been undergoing restoration
since 1975.
P A N T H E O N
D O M E D I N T E R I O R
The interior of Rome's Pantheon is covered with
the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome,
and rises to a height of 142 feet above the floor.
At the apex of this dome is an oculus, a 27 foot
circular opening, that provides the structure's
only natural source for lighting and ventilation.
The flooring is slightly slanted towards drains,
embedded amidst the tiles, to handle the water
that falls through the oculus on rainy days.
P O N T D U G A R D
A Q U E D U C T B R I D G E 1 S T C E N T U R Y A D
This Roman three-tier bridge aqueduct supplied the
ancient city of Nemausus in southern France for over
500 years. Gravity propelled natural spring water
thirty-one miles at a shallow declining gradient of
one inch for every one hundred yards. Precision cut
rocks never needed mortar. This aqueduct system
was a masterpiece of Roman engineering, continuing
to stand firm after nearly two thousand years.
* * * * *
© Tom Taylor
OVER EASY
Sunday, November 30, 2025
Saturday, November 29, 2025
Greece
B E L L I D O L
S E V E N T H C E N T U R Y B C
Looks like an animated character you would find
in Tim Burton's film, Nightmare Before Christmas.
These are clay figures. Their legs dangle from
within the bell-shaped skirt. Maybe they were
toys for kids.
They were found in the graves of children and
women. They could have been votives -
a physical symbol of a promise made or a vow
of one's loyal devotion. In return, may the spirits
protect us from calamity for all our days through life.
C A L F - B E A R E R
M A R B L E 5 7 0 B C
A man carries his calf for religious offering.
This is as it should be. Bless Athena.
Have mercy upon us. May your spirit
illuminate and benefit us all with
your magnificence. And may no one
swipe this offering. For the sake of humanity.
The farmer's eyes are missing.
Colored rock chosen to represent eyes
have long ago fallen from their sockets
providing a ghoulish touch
atop the farmer's natural stance.
M A I D E N S P O R C H
L A T E F I F T H C E N T U R Y B C
The columns of the temple honoring Athena
portray six various women just hanging out,
relaxing in drapery carved from stone.
The illusion succeeds. The weight they wear
balanced on their heads is nothing more
than that of a hat made of fruit salad.
The Erechthelon Temple is one among others,
gathered here to form the Acropolis, a
crowning achievement that best symbolizes
the Golden Age of Athens.
B E R E N I C E I I
Q U E E N 2 0 0 B C
Wife of Ptolemy III, ruler of Egypt.
It is a mosaic found in Mendes, Egypt.
What's with the eyes?
Is this the stare of an all-seeing mystic or is she just
insane? There is nothing divine about this look.
The artisan of the work provides his fanciful
judgment on the subject.
Stay clear of her.
She intends to avenge your betrayal of her
that must have occurred somewhere, somehow...
whenever.
Who cares?
Off with your head.
E K P H O R A
F U N E R A L P R O C E S S I O N 7 5 0 B C
The process of carrying the body to its grave
is depicted here in geometric forms on this
monumental vase. The human figures have
a triangular torso with sticks for arms and
small, circular heads. Their gestures convey
grief. Chariots and foot soldiers arrive.
Warriors with shields look like walking
hourglass figures.
We are all gathered here to honor the memory
of an upstanding visionary of our community,
a man to be long remembered for his
outstanding deeds.
May his soul be well received in the afterlife.
L A O C O O N
T R O J A N W A R M Y T H
This statue was unearthed in a vineyard on
Esquiline Hill in Rome. The year was 1506.
Michelangelo was witness to this discovery.
His patron, Pope Julius II, acquired the sculpture
and had it placed in the Vatican.
Laocoon and his two sons are being attacked
by a sea serpent - divine punishment for his
treacherous attempt to warn the Trojans
against accepting the Greek's Trojan Horse.
* * * * *
© Tom Taylor
OVER EASY
Sunday, November 23, 2025
Saturday, November 22, 2025
Ancient Egypt
P Y R A M I D o f D J O S E R
This pyramid, the oldest in Egypt, was designed
to be the Pharoah's stairway to the North Star.
Crumbling mud bricks were eventually replaced
with blocks made of sturdy limestone
when building future pyramids.
It meant spending an additional fortune to construct.
Screw it. Go with the luster.
The grandeur lasts forever.
S P H I N X
Devine guardian of the Pharaoh Khafre as
he makes his journey to the land of afterlife.
The Pharaoh's own head placed on the shoulders
of this mythical lion, painted with vibrant color,
symbol of royalty.
About six hundred years ago the Great Sphinx
of Giza lost its nose to a Muslim, furious over
this enormous public expression of idolatry.
S O U L o f P E
The falcon-headed figure above strikes its position
of praise, welcoming another deceased king into
the kingdom of afterlife. Egyptian pharaohs are
protected by powerful ancestral spirits, taking the
form of the falcon-headed deity, Horus - ruler of
Egypt, god of the sky.
It is the god Horus that rules us all in life
through his all powerful representative
here with us now on Earth...
our beloved Pharaoh.
A M E N H O T E P I I I
This serene depiction of Amenhotep III reflects his near
forty year rule of peace and prosperity in Egypt.
He was a master diplomate and maintained Egypt's
superpower status by forming strategic alliances,
avoiding military conflict. His principle advisor
was his wife, Tiye, a commoner, with a talent for
overseeing affairs of state.
T U T A N K H A M E N
Death at the age of nineteen ended the ten year
reign of King Tut. His main accomplishment was
to reverse his father's conversion to monotheism.
The country once again returned to their long
revered personal gods, the one's giving them
comfort and protection.
Tutankhamen repaired his father's damage to
Egypt's social fabric and its economy.
Then King Tut died. There would be no pyramid
built in his honor. His tomb was anonymous,
tucked away somewhere in the Valley of Kings.
Tut was forgotten; his tomb never discovered
by looters.
No one even knew of King Tut's tomb until
it was finally stumbled on in 1922.
It was the jackpot. Here was a royal
storage unit containing over five thousand
items, unmolested, from over four thousand
years ago. Tut's sarcophagus was included,
and with Tut inside.
It was a Macy's Department store Christmas
fantasyland. On display for everyone to see
was the world's best merchandise, all for the
use of a dead, superpower pharaoh.
R A M S E S I I
Still living the dream.
Yul Brynner played the dashing Rameses II
in Cecil B. DeMille's 1958 epic movie
The Ten Commandments.
Ramses' wife, Ann Baxter, falls for Moses -
the powerful lawgiver from out of the Sinai.
Moses, as played by Charlton Heston,
parts the Red Sea to free the people of Israel.
Ramses II went on to rule Egypt for 66 years.
His was the Golden Age of prosperity and
monumental construction.
Anne Baxter chose a new country home in Thebes.
Ben-Hur took on the Romans.
* * * * *
© Tom Taylor
OVER EASY
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