One Hundred Miracles

From Jesus' dramatic raising of Lazarus to Saint Francis' courageous taming of the wolf of Gubbio, miracle stories pepper the pages of our greatest and oldest religious texts. These tales blend history and legend to express a deep human desire: To see divinity touch the everyday world. In painting and sculpture, artists across the centuries have given that longing concrete form. This book offers a hundred masterpieces, each with its own dramatic story to tell, from the epic and exalted to the humble and private. Intimate paintings by anonymous icon painters and the Sienese masters of the 15th century Giotto and Raphael. Elijah's fiery chariot carries him to heaven in swirling gilded splendor; the resurrection is seen through the ethereal eyes of William Blake. The walls of the Ghiberti's Jericho tumble at the blast of trumpets; Rembrandt's Christ walks on water. Drawing on spiritual classics such as The Bible, Gregory of Nyssa's The Life of Moses, Jacopo de Voragine's The Golden Legend, and various ancient liturgical poetry, each miracle story depicted is retold with simplicity. Author Christopher Calderhead's accessible and masterful commentary deepens and expands his readers' understanding of these wondrous narratives and accompanying artwork. Hope emerging from despair and the dangerous encounter with the divine are dueling themes that surface repeatedly throughout this volume. Offering extraordinary stories through works of extraordinary beauty, One Hundred Miracles is a breathtaking journey into a world of wonder and mystery; hope and inspiration; elation and transformation.