A closer view of the often-overlooked work behind the major figures
(Senior Cathedral Guide Tom Fedoreck contributed to this piece)
Without a doubt, the elegant and elongated 8-foot-tall carvings of the major-rank figures form the centerpiece of Simon Verity’s Portal of Paradise at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. But Simon, with Jean-Claude Marchionni, created a veritable garland of stories, some fantastic, some bizarre, that sits on capitals above and behind each major-rank figure to complete that character’s narrative.
We start with Melchizedek, the king of Salem, the first figure on the north side that also begins the chronological story of the portal.
Almost resting on Melchizedek’s shoulder is a dove tending to a nest with two eggs that is a symbol of the holy spirit of creation – “The spirit of God was brooding over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) The literal meaning of the Hebrew word translated as “brooding” is “to hover like a mother bird over her young.”
Just above the nesting bird are six long-necked faces covered in foliage, almost like flower petals, and seemingly sprouting from stalks in the earth. Some are open-mouthed, as if taking in fresh air; some have their eyes closed, seemingly squinting in the sunlight. These are Green Men – ancient pagan symbols of fertility and rebirth. They often appear on English cathedrals as symbols of resurrection. There are at least two interpretations of Green Men – and Green Women – on the Cathedral’s unfinished southwest tower
The carvings of two women above the heads of the major-rank figures of Abraham and Sarah depict the same woman at two very different moments – Sarah.
God’s covenant with Abraham promised that he would be “the father of a multitude of nations.” And, for Sarah, “I will bless her and moreover I will give you a son by her.” (Genesis.17:16)
The carving to the left is Sarah, laughing at the notion of an old woman, such as herself, bearing a child. Previously, Sarah had consented to her having her Egyptian maid, Hagar, bear a son, Ishmael, for Abraham. However, once her son Isaac was born, Sarah resented Ishmael and wanted him and Hagar exiled. This explains the carving to the right, which depicts Sarah, angrily pointing her finger as she casts out Hagar and Ishmael.
However, to fully understand the narrative, one needs to look carefully behind Abraham’s left shoulder where two small faces are assumed to be the infants Isaac and Ishamel. After Abraham reluctantly agrees to Sarah’s demand, Hagar and Ishamel nearly perish in the desert, as depicted above in the upper-rank carving.
The third figure on the north side is Jacob, the younger son of Isaac and Rebekah. Above Jacob’s head there is a ladder representing his dream where angels are going up and down a ladder between heaven and earth. He built a pillar of stone where he had the dream and called it Bethel, which means “house of God.” The ladder signifies the divine connection between God and the earthly realm, specifically Jacob’s family.
Between the figures of Jacob and Moses, the wide mouth of the portal narrows as it nears the Great Bronze Doors. This pushes the carvings to a different angle, with the geometry and layout changing.
Three slender columns separate the last four major-rank figures. The columns were virtually encased by the raw limestone blocks for the major-rank figures. At the very top, the capitals for these columns met the uncarved jambs, practically creating one continuous surface of stone. Simon and Jean-Claude used that area for extraordinary carvings that literally create a bridge of carvings behind the major figures.
The viewer sees a fluidity of carving that either moves a story forward or serves as a transitional point. On the first small capital (the top of one of the narrow columns), between Jacob and Moses, there is a transition – hands holding a pyramid. To the left, the palm trees of Jacob’s land of Bethel are visible and, to the right – moving closer to Moses’ figure — we see frogs, the second of 10 plagues inflicted on the Egyptians to convince Pharaoh to free the enslaved Israelites. “Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs.” ( Exodus 8:1–4)
Next, moving closer to the major figure of Moses, we see the continuation of the drama of the Exodus. A swirling pillar of smoke or fire appears which led the Israelites out of bondage. It is said the pillars guided the Israelites through the desert during their rushed departure from Egypt. The pillar of smoke provided a visible guide for the Israelites during the day, while the pillar of fire lit their way by night. Many faces, likely Egyptian soldiers, are barely visible as they are engulfed in the maelstrom.
Above the cyclone of fire and smoke a small figure, likely Moses, raises his staff to part the Red Sea. One carving seems to be an Egyptian soldier engulfed in the tsunami that ensued after the Israelites had made a safe passage on dry land across the Red Sea: “The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea. Not so much as one of them remained.” (Exodus 14:28)
While the Egyptian soldiers all perish in the giant waves, the fate of the fleeing Israelites becomes clear in the next transition point. Simon’s interpretation of this moment is an example of his exceptional carving skills. Two figures sit somewhat securely on the next small capital (on the top of the slender column), receding waters visible behind them. We also see the extraordinary image of these characters stretching their arms to incredible elastic lengths to reach other Israelites — their arms also greatly extended towards their rescuers as they are pulled to safety.
A three-part tableau unfolds above the heads of Elijah and Elisha.
A flock of birds believed to be ravens surrounds a small figure, Elijah, on a capital. Elijah lived during the reign of Ahab, a king of Israel, who worshipped the Canaanite gods Baal, a storm god, and Asherah, a mother goddess. Elijah rebuked Ahab and called down a famine and a drought on the land. Elijah then traveled into the wilderness to hide alongside a brook, where he survived on food delivered by ravens.
Tongues of flame appear above the major-rank carving of Elijah, recalling the story of the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Elijah tells the prophets of Baal, “you will call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” The prophets of Baal call on their god to no avail. When Elijah called out to God, “the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt offering.” The miracle is followed by a massacre of the 450 prophets of Baal in attendance. (1 Kings 18:20-40).
The horses that appear closer to the head of Elisha (and perhaps the flames, as well) relate to the chariot of fire that takes Elijah to heaven in a whirlwind, a narrative also illustrated on the pedestal below carved by Jessica Aujero. (2 Kings 2:1-12).
There is a peculiar figure on the column between Elisha and Samuel – the back and buttocks of a man whose arms have no hands and whose head is upside down.
During a war with the Israelites the neighboring Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, carried it to Ashdod on the Mediterranean coast, and placed it next to the statue of Dagon in the temple devoted to his worship. The following morning, they found that Dagon had toppled over during the night. The Philistines righted the statue but the next day: “Behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off upon the threshold, and only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.” (1 Samuel 5:3-4)
The battered carving of Dagon is held up on one side by a horse and on the other by a ghoulish hound.
The last figure on the north side is Samuel and above his head are two figures, one holding his head in his hand, the other strumming a harp. They are Saul and David.
Samuel was called by God to anoint Saul as the first king of Israel, but Saul later proves himself unworthy of the throne. “I repent that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me, and has not performed my commandments.” (1 Samuel 15:10)
Later, during Saul’s reign, God leads Samuel to anoint David as Saul’s successor. (The very next passage describes how Saul was tormented by “an evil spirit from the Lord.” The evil spirit manifests itself in episodes of depression and paranoia. Saul’s servants seek out a man with skill in playing the lyre and find David. And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took his lyre and played it with his hand, so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. (1 Sam. 16:23)
Almost hidden on the last capital, to the right of the major-rank figure of Samuel, is a child standing next to a box. The child is Samuel, son of Hannah and her husband, Elkanah. Hannah, unable to conceive a child because “the Lord had closed her womb.” (1 Sam. 1:6). While visiting Shiloh, where the Ark of Covenant was housed, Hannah made a vow that if God would grant her a son, she would “give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” (1 Sam. 1:11). God answers Hannah’s prayer and Hannah keeps her vow. The image in the portal relates to the calling of Samuel to be a prophet of the Lord, with the box being the Ark of the Covenant.
A wide array of carvings, showing many different faces, line the south side of the portal above the major-rank figures.
Above the head of David, we see a sheep next to a lion and the head of a boy next to a sheep. This is a reference to the young David tending his father’s flock of sheep and using his slingshot to kill a lion that had come to ravage the flock. The story is also a foreshadowing of David’s slaying of Goliath. From this incident, David persuades Saul to let him (David) meet the Philistine giant in one-on-one combat.
A pair of wild-looking creatures, their faces indistinct, seem to be caught in a swirl of clouds above the heads of Amos and Hosea. Their meaning has yet to be determined.
Four faces, seemingly with wings behind their heads, line the capital above Ezekiel.
Ezekiel was known for his visions and prophesies, including that, Jerusalem would be captured and the Temple destroyed. One vision describes four creatures, each with the face of a human in front, a lion on the right, and ox on the left and an eagle on the back. They also had two sets of wings.
This same vision appears below in Jessica Aujero’s base carving of the four four-faced creatures. But on the capital carving, they could be linked to the four gospel writers – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
The capital carvings above the major-rank figure of Elizabeth tell of the life and death of her son, John the Baptist. The figure with outstretched arms is John preaching and likely baptizing as well, since he is dressed only in a loincloth. The chains represent his imprisonment, as does the image of the man behind bars, and the head on the platter, the manner of his execution. It is unclear whom the mournful female face represents.
The last carving, above the major figure of John the Baptist, shows a lamb with its forelegs bound for sacrifice. A hand cradles the lamb as well as a dove. Here, it represents the Holy Spirit that hovered over Jesus in the form of a dove after John baptized him. When John lays eyes on Jesus for the first time, he cries, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The sacrificial lamb has been a fundamental symbol of Jesus since ancient times. As for the hand, it is the hand of God the Creator. Hence, John stands beneath symbols of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — the Trinity.
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