14 CHRISTMAS THROUGH THE EYES OF PAINTERS Balaam, who had announced the Messiah awaited by the Hebrews in these terms: A star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel (Nm24:17). The early Christians liked to repeat these words while applying them to Christ: In the 2nd century, some authors such as Justin Martyr and Irenaeus of Lyons compared the passages from Numbers and Matthew, the prophetic star of Balaam and the star that led theMagi. The sign of the star became the symbol of Christ himself, Light and Life for the world. No doubt this comparison was made at the very beginning of Christianity: French Cardinal Daniélou established, in Primitive Christian Symbols, that this prophecy of Balaam was often cited in the JudeoChristian community in Syria, which was led to emphasize the sign of the star because of its frequent contacts with the Iranian magi and their astrological teachings. This painting, therefore, is symbolic rather than narrative. The Christians in the catacombs were not seeking to illustrate the Gospel. They inherited fromJudaisman instinctivemistrust of images that were too “representative” and of the idolatrous temptations which they might cause. Nor did they make any claim to artistic originality. They were quite simply inspired by the Greco-Roman paintings that they knew: Clothing a Jewish prophet in a Roman toga did not bother them at all. Their concern was not to show but to evoke. Stirred up by the powerful dynamismof their faith, they wanted to orient minds and hearts to theGospel. In those times of persecutions, they had twomajor preoccupations: proclaiming that Jesus was born, died, and rose again to save mankind by giving them access to a new form of life which is the very life of God; explaining that this “newness” fulfills the millennial promises of the Jewish Scriptures. And their art reflects these two preoccupations. Their images speak about life. It is very striking to note that this funerary art—since the catacombs were used as cemeteries until “A star shone forth in heaven above all the other stars, and its light was inexpressible, while its novelty struck men with astonishment. And all the rest of the stars, with the sun and moon, formed a chorus around this star.... And they were troubled, wondering where this new spectacle came from, which was so unlike themselves. Then every kind of magic was destroyed, and every bond of wickedness was removed, ignorance was dispelled, and the old kingdom was abolished.” (Saint Ignatius of Antioch, early 2nd century, Letter to the Ephesians 19:2-3)
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